Hey all Hogs,
Newbie needs advice.
Rode Screaming two stoke RD's and Dirt demons ................that was 30 years ago.......now got the urge to get bakc in saddle but on HD.
Any advice.........looking at softails, Rocker C,Custom, Nightrain.............and dyna's, Lowrider.
Don't need to do anything other than enjoy ride comfortably (ie not looking to race or wring its neck).........can't do that no more anyway .
Please advise.......Rocker C looks cool but suspect handles like a PIG?
Datfish
HD make soo many bikes so that you will find one you like. What you are comfortable on might not be what you like the look of. Test ride them all, keeping in mind your ride style, your height and K's you want to do on the bike.
You will find something you like.
Enjoy looking
Don't buy a blue rocker, black is better
Brother...like anything in life..its your choice, what you like...ride a few or all of them and the one thats suits you will jump out...you will feel the vibe...enjoy
Wow all these negative comments about the rockers by people how don't even own one....they probably went on a dealer ride day and couldn't ride one properly & looked stupid...I love the rocker & I would buy the same bike all over again...the rocker is a factory custom style bike (very Collectable) ..not for everyone...but you definitely do look cool in those shop windows on them though....
funny one Roka..but hey Roka you'd buy the same bike all over again like me wouldn't you....
all i can say is ride one ..oh yea see if you can get a glimps of your self in those shop windows....
mmm ...i like black rockers 2 ..i have a red rocker.. i could not get a black rocker for months ..but i got a new black sportster for my wife...
Roka Rida it's true mate mine is bigger than his... I doubt he could keep up with me on my wife's sportster.... ..
DATFISH ..see how envious everyone will be of you with your new rocker.....some may say that there model handles much better than the rocker...but really at the end of the day they all would be in the road of even a KIA RIO on a twisty road...SLOW as far as handling goes compared to say a ducati monster...
Datfish. Asking for an opinion on a forum, particularly this one, is usually a waste of time as you get a whole lot of crap from riders who all think that their bike is the only one worth having therefore it's better, faster, cooler, etc etc ........and that all others are "posers, wankers" etc etc as can be seen clearly in some of the posts above!!!! It's amazing how quickly these people can put shit on someone they have never met just because of the bike they ride, even without ever having even sat on one themselves in most cases! If you want help with a technical problem or something where facts and experience are involved then you won't get a better group of advisors than these very same blokes!
My advice is to look at all the bikes on the HD website. Pick out the 2 or 3 that get you excited the most about riding and then look them up at your dealer, sit on them and maybe take a test ride. In reality, if you haven't ridden a Harley before (or haven't ridden for a fair while) then you are going to be a bit surprised at how much heavier they feel at first, especially at low speed and turning at intersections. This wears off after 10km and it all starts to feel normal and almost as easy as whatever you rode before.......just a bit different. It would also be very difficult to pick one over the other for handling (as a non-rider for a while). The hardest thing to get rid of is the smirk on your face when you're riding any of them! They are ALL great bikes. You are going to LOVE whatever bike you buy. There's no way you are going to buy one and then regret it! After you have owned one for say a year or two, you may start liking another model and may change over at some stage but mostly because your taste has changed a bit. I did NOT take a test ride. I knew what I wanted (WideGlide) just from the pics and sitting one one and I never regretted it for a second. After 6 years and with a new model much closer to my ideal custom bike I have a Rocker. I also have the hots for a Softail Deluxe but only as a 2nd bike and only if it comes with a refugee to clean the damn spokes for me (bring on the racism-taunts!!)
If you like the look of the Rocker more than the others then you should go with your gut feeling. They handle perfectly well and probably better than you expect. If you wanted the best possible handling you wouldn't be buying an HD. A Fatboy or Heritage Softail is not particularly famous for its cornering but great bikes all the same. The Dynas have more ground clearance for cornering (and also the Softail Custom, Std, Springer etc). I think the first choice has to be heavy front end (Fatty, Heritage, all tourers etc) versus light front end (Rocker, most Dynas, ST Std, Custom, Springer, Night Train etc). Again, much of this is visual although some will disagree and tell you that the heavy front end is better.
Go with your brain mate. It's gonna have the same taste tomorrow as it does today. Nobody on this forum is going to take any responsibility for you thinking "I wish I bought a **** instead" in a few months time!!
Whatever you do, let us all know and post up the pics with you and the big grin!!!!
cheers
kiteman
