I’m celebrating the start of 2019 the right way, with a trip to the rifle range to test a few new loads for accuracy, but during a break in my reloading session yesterday (at the tail end of 2018), I let chaos theory take over. That’s the theory that says you often get unpredictable outcomes from random, seemingly unconnected events.
The unconnected event was the light bulb over our bathroom shower blowing out a couple of days ago. The Boss (SWMBO, or she who must be obeyed) gave me directions to get it taken care of, and that meant a short ride to the lighting store. You’re probably wondering about now if I somehow got electrocuted or if I slipped on the ladder taking the bulb out. Nope, neither one of those things happened. But….
You see, the lighting store is just across the street from our local Harley dealer. You know, the T-shirt guys who also sell motorcycles. I had to stop in to see the new Harleys. I mean, I was right there. No, I didn’t need a new T-shirt. But I was curious. It would be 2019 in a few hours, and I needed to see the latest and the greatest from Milwaukee and Mumbai.
I’ve owned a couple of Harleys in my life. The first was a 1979 Electra-Glide Classic, a two-tone-tan-and-cream-colored full dresser that was beautiful. I called it my optical illusion. It looked like a real motorcycle. The thing was gorgeous, but it couldn’t go a hundred miles without something breaking, and when I finally sold it (also in 1979, after its third top end overhaul), I swore I would never buy another Harley.
Promises are made to be broken, and that led to a 1992 Heritage Softail, which was a great motorcycle. I did some real traveling on that one, as you’ll need from reading Moto Baja. The Softail made it to 53,000 miles before the engine froze up, and that was after I owned it for just over 10 years. I’m real certain about that “just over 10 years” time frame, because when the engine locked up, the Harley dealer wouldn’t touch it. That was because it was “over 10 years” old, and that’s the cutoff for Harley working on a motorcycle. But that was okay…because I put a 96-inch S&S motor in the thing, and that really woke the bike up. Top end went from just under 100 mph to well over 120 mph (the speedo only went to 120, and burying the needle was no problemo with the new motor). The fuel economy went from the low 40-mpg range to about 30 mpg with that new motor, but hey, who’s counting?
But then chaos theory took over again. I was supposed to bring home a carton of milk one day when I was out on my Harley, I forgot, and SWMBO sent me back out to fetch said carton. For whatever reason, I took my KLR 650 on that run, so I had a chance to ride the 96-inch Harley back-to-back with the KLR. You can guess where this story is going. The KLR was faster, it handled better, and best of all, the entire KLR motorcycle had cost less (brand new) out the door than just the S&S had cost for the Harley. Cycle Trader came to the rescue, and two days later, I was happily Harleyless. Chaos Theory. Powerful stuff.
So, back to the main attraction here: My visit to the Harley dealer yesterday, and the 2019 version of the Heritage Softail. Here’s the ticket, folks, not including sales tax…
$22,787! Yikes! I asked the sales guy, after telling him I was only interested in looking and I was not a buyer, about the engine size. It seems the standard motor is a 107 cubic inch V-twin, and this one had Harley’s optional 114-cubic inch motor. I guess there’s no substitute for cubic inches. My two earlier Harleys had 80 cubic inches. My current motorcycle has 250 cubic centimeters, which is hair over 15 cubic inches, and that has taken me all over the US, up and down Baja a half-dozen times, across China, around the Andes in Colombia, and well, you get the idea. But you never know. There might be a time when another 100 cubic inches would come in handy.
Anyway, take a look at the dealer setup fee on that sticker above. Yikes again! And how about that CARB fee? Folks, I’ve been in the business, and I’ve spent a lot of time seeing bikes through the CARB process at their test facilities in El Monte, California. I know the folks who run the place. There is no such thing as a CARB fee. At least that the CARB people know about.
Moving on, I noticed the Harley Street model. Gresh told me he’d never seen one, and I thought I’d snap a photo of it for him. It’s not a bad looking bike. Nah, scratch that: It’s a great looking bike…
I like the look and feel of the Street. I don’t know how it rides. The price of the bike is reasonable, too, other than the aforementioned CARB and dealer setup fees…
My guess is Harley is eager to deal on these little bikes. They should just give me one. I’d like to ride the Mumbai Monster. I’d ride it all over and publicize the hell out of it. It would give me license to start wearing Harley T-shirts again, too.
I joked with the sales guy about the prices, and he told me to take a look at the CVO (as in “Custom Vehicle Operations”) number on the bike behind me. Wowzers!
$45,522! Good Lord!
But, the bike was beautiful…
So there you have it. A burnt-out light bulb led to a Harley dealer visit and the photos you see above. No, I didn’t buy anything. Not even a T-shirt. But I had fun looking. It was a good way to wrap up 2018.
Happy New Year, folks!
So, I’m not the only one with an SWMBO in my life. It was originally used by Rumpole of the Bailey, a BBC series in the 70s. Long enough ago and far enough away for me to steal it!
As for Harley’s I know they can annoy a lot of people, particularly those who remember the bad old days when they automatically came with oil leaks. I’m on my fourth now and love them. I didn’t throw a leg over a saddle until I was 53, and my first bike was an FXRS (SP) which I dearly loved. Since then I’ve graduated to the Softail range. Frankly, I don’t care too much for the new ones but I’m sure my current ride will see me out. Sadly the new generations have a lower desire to get out there on two wheels as most of them seem to be risk-averse. Still one lives in hope.
I’d still like to have one, too, Trevor. My dream bike is the XR1000 from the mid-’80s. I’d actually like to still own that ’79 Electra-Glide, assuming I could make it reliable. It was probably the prettiest motorcycle I’ve ever owned. A lot of us make fun of Harleys, but secretly we all want to own one.
It was a book before it was a BBC series.
The H-D’s I most liked was the street glide and the XR1200.
The H-D I would actually spend my own money in would be one of their flathead-engined bikes.
I have a Harley ultra and a Suzuki V Strom my wife loves the Harley happy wife happy life
Both great rides, Kenny. I had a TL1000S when Suzuki first offered their L-twin in ’97 and I loved it. The V-Strom is a bike that makes a lot of sense to me.
After reading your “Harley Tanking” blog I went to the Harley website to look at their offerings.
No wonder sales are down – they only offer one seating position, and most of them have you stretched out in a most uncomfortable position.
Yes, they say they are expanding their lineup: An electric bike that cost as much as a Tesla. And a behemoth “adventure bike” – don’t they know that the ADV market is moving toward “mid-size” 700-850 cc (and smaller) bikes?
I thought the seating position on my ’92 Softail was comfortable, Dan. Not as good as the KLR 650 or the RX3, but not as bad as most other motorcycles. I think their biggest challenge is going to be converting the dealerships to appeal to a different client base. Without that, I don’t think any of the new models will be successful. A healthy dose of honesty would help, too; I’m still laughing about the “CARB fee.” And the $998 setup fee. I mean, think about that: They must be paying their technicians $250 an hour.