Weekend Ride!

The weather has been amazing which has resulted in a great start to our riding season.  I took Friday afternoon off work and went on a leisurely 250 kilometer solo ride on the Street Glide.  Just me, the open road and U2 blasting on the stereo...it was great!

Saturday, I got the Buell 1125R out of storage and ready for the road!  The morning consisted of quick wash jobs on both the 1125R and the Street Glide and then it was off for an afternoon rip on the 1125R.

'09 Buell 1125R & '13 Harley Davidson Street Glide

Earlier in the week, my friend Luc and I decided that we would head out for a long ride on Sunday!  We weren't sure if we were going to go in "Cruise" mode or "Sportbike" mode.  On Sunday morning we decided to go with the Sportbikes.  Luc and I connected early in the morning and were off, he on his CBR1000RR and I on the 1125R.  As per usual, we had no real destination in mind, we just wanted to ride.  Here is the 370 kilometer loop we ended up doing: Fredericton, Harvey Station, St. Andrews, Dipper Harbour, Saint John, Fredericton.

I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking, enjoy!

Luc hooking up the GoPro on his CBR100RR

Adjusting the GoPro

GoPro Time Lapse Shot of the 1125R

Another GoPro Shot

St. Andrews by the Sea & the Two Rockets!

Coffee Break at Honeybeans in St. Andrews (excellent coffee)

Near Dipper Harbour, NB

A fitting end to the day!

A quick stop at a local gas station and conversation with fellow bikers proved to be a fitting end to a great day of riding!  To quote my friend, Jeff S. aka @JoeRocket, "until next time, a low, slow wave."

Street Glide Videos

This past weekend my friend Luc and I got out for a ride!  Over the winter, Luc purchased a GoPro Motorsports camera and he figured it would be great to try his new camera out with a video of me riding my new Street Glide!





Looking forward to a great riding season! Keep your right hand cranked and ride safe!

Team Hellcat Version 2

Last September, I was glued to Twitter following Team Hellcat Customs and their attempt to set a new Land Speed Record at Bonneville on a turbo powered Harley Davidson Sportster with a sidecar!  I was thrilled when I heard that Jase and his team set a new world record!

 2012 Land Speed Record

Well, Team Hellcat is at again!  This year, they are heading back to Bonneville to attempt to set two additional Land Speed Records...two bikes, two riders!  Kelly Rogers aka @FieryPinkGirl will be one of the two riders from Team Hellcat to attempt to set a Land Speed Record at Bonneville. Kelly is currently seeking sponsors to assist with achieving her goal of setting a World Land Speed Record!

For further information for how you can support Kelly and Team Hellcat Customs, visit "Send Fiery Pink Girl to the Salt Flats." I know that I will be supporting!  Wishing Kel, Jase and Team Hellcat Customs all the best as they work towards achieving their Land Speed Record goals! Go team go!  

First Ride 2013

March 30th, 2013 and I got out for my first ride on the new Harley Davidson Street Glide!  I usually wait until the end of April each year due to the road conditions...potholes, frost heaves, loose gravel, etc. Yesterday was a nice sunny day with a temperature of 9C (48F) and the anticipation of riding my new motorcycle was just too great to pass on!  I dug out my leathers/warm riding gear and I was off!

I adjusted the mirrors, completed a quick safety check, tuned in the stereo and fired her up!

Odometer reading - 1Km (0.6 miles)

I pulled out of the yard and I have to tell you that I had a big grin on my face, a grin that lasted awhile!  Overall, my goal for the first ride was to get used to the Street Glide.  It's the heaviest bike that I have owned and I wanted to test her out at both low city speeds and faster highway cruising!  The first thing that I have to say is that the ride is very comfortable.  There is very little engine vibration at riding speeds, the only vibration is at idle and that's just a Harley thing.  I took a quick ride through city streets to get a feel for the bike; so far, so good!  The only challenge that I ran into was with the turn signals; the turn signal switches are separate, not combined like every other motorcycle I have owned.  The left turn signal is on the left side of the handle bar and the right turn signal on the right side...this is going to take some getting used too!  I was pleased to find out that the turn signals are self-cancelling, something the dealer did not tell me.

Turn signal locations

After a quick ride through city streets, I hit the highway for a ride along the beautiful Saint John River.  The Street Glide exceeded my expectations on the highway, comfortable and very easy to handle.  Everything on the bike feels good, from the seat to the riding position, to the acceleration and the braking and the overall handling of the machine!  The "Bat Wing" fairing provides good protection from the wind and cold and the stereo sounds great at highway speeds!  I made a few stops to get some pics! (Click on pics for a full view)

King's Landing (Note: loose gravel)

Mactaquac Headpond

Just a cool picture!

Para-Skiers on the Headpond

Overall, I have to say that I am thrilled with the new ride!  It was nice to hit the road and feel the open air and even better on a new machine!  Odometer now reads 180Km and I look forward to the rest of the riding season!

 

First ride!

Ride safe and keep your right hand cranked!

Delivered

I have been waiting all week in anticipation of my 2013 Street Glide being delivered and yesterday it arrived!  The truck and trailer from the HD dealer backed into the yard and I could hardly contain myself...just like a kid at Christmas!

2013 Street Glide FLHX 103

I purchased the new ride through Eldridge's Harley Davidson and I have to say that the staff at the dealership did an excellent job of making me feel welcome and my business valued.  There was no pressure at all to make a purchase; the team was friendly and very easy to work with!

In addition to the purchase of the Street Glide, the dealer also included an accessory package...accessories of my choice. This was an added bonus that was not offered at the other Harley Davidson dealers I had visited.  I went with the following accessories.

Wind Splitter Windshield & Smoked Signal Lens

Chrome Front Fork Air Baffle

Chrome 4-Point Docking Hardware Kit

I wanted to add the 4-Point Docking Hardware for future accessories; I suspect that I will purchase a quick release back rest and possibly a luggage rack.  An air pump for the rear suspension, battery tender connector and Harley Davidson Indoor/Outdoor cover were also part of my accessory package.  Other options that I did pay for as part of the purchase are cruise control and of course the absolutely incredible "Midnight Pearl" paint!  Initially, I wanted to go with the "Vivid Black" paint scheme, but when I saw the "Midnight Pearl"...well, let's just say I had no choice, I had to go with it!

The other part of the deal that I have to mention is my 2002 Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic.  When working out the deal for the Street Glide, the salesman asked me if there was a bike that I wanted to trade...my response was no.  No, based on the fact that I would only get wholesale value.  The salesman said, "give us try"!  To my surprise, I was offered a deal that would have worked out to what I would have been asking for in a private sale...another part of the deal that made me as a consumer feel valued!

While I was excited to receive the new ride, I was sad, be it only for a moment to see my VStar 1100 Classic go!  For 11 years, it has been an awesome ride...but it was time!

Now I move to the next stage of my riding life and look forward to the 2013 riding season...if only this snow would go!  Until next time, ride safe! 

New Ride!

Famous last words, "I can't believe I did it"!  Just going to let the pictures do the talking for me, will add more in a future blog post! Faceyman's new 2013 "Midnight Pearl" Harley Davidson Street Glide - FLHX 103! (Click on pics for larger view)

Now I can't wait for riding season to begin!  Life is good!

2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide Specifications

General information
Model:	Harley-Davidson Street Glide
Year:	2013
Category:	Touring
Color options:	Midnight Pearl, Vivid Black, Denim Black, Chrome Yellow Pearl, Ember Red Sunglo
Category:	Touring
Engine and transmission
Displacement:	1687.97 ccm (103.00 cubic inches)
Engine type:	V2, four-stroke
Engine details:	Twin Cam 103™ with Integrated Oil-Cooler
Torque:	135.60 Nm (13.8 kgf-m or 100.0 ft.lbs) @ 3250 RPM
Compression:	9.6:1
Bore x stroke:	98.4 x 111.3 mm (3.9 x 4.4 inches)
Fuel system:	Injection. ESPFI
Lubrication system:	Dry sump
Cooling system:	Oil & air
Gearbox:	6-speed
Transmission type, final drive:	Belt
Clutch:	Multi-plate with diaphragm spring in oil bath
Driveline:	Chain, 34/46 ratio primary drive
Fuel consumption:	5.60 litres/100 km (17.9 km/l or 42.00 mpg)
Greenhouse gases:	129.9 CO2 g/km. (CO2 - Carbon dioxide emission)
Exhaust system:	Chrome, 2-1-2 dual exhaust with tapered mufflers
Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels
Rake (fork angle):	26.0°
Trail:	170 mm (6.7 inches)
Front tyre dimensions:	130/70-BW18
Rear tyre dimensions:	180/65-BW16
Front brakes:	Double disc. 4-piston
Rear brakes:	Single disc. 2-piston
Wheels:	Black, Slotted 5-Spoke Cast Aluminum
Physical measures and capacities
Dry weight:	355.2 kg (783.0 pounds)
Weight incl. oil, gas, etc:	367.9 kg (811.0 pounds)
Seat height:	663 mm (26.1 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting.
Overall length:	2,413 mm (95.0 inches)
Ground clearance:	119 mm (4.7 inches)
Wheelbase:	1,613 mm (63.5 inches)
Fuel capacity:	22.71 litres (6.00 gallons)
Oil capacity:	3.80 litres (0.25 quarts)
Other specifications
Starter:	Electric
Instruments:	Fairing-mounted electronic speedometer with odometer; time-of-day clock on CD player/stereo; dual trip meter; low fuel indicator light and mileage countdown feature; low oil pressure indicator light; engine diagnostics readout; LED indicator lights; 6-speed indicator light Tachometer with fuel, voltage, oil pressure and ambient air temperature gauges
Light:	High beam, running lights, front fender light, directional light bar, neutral, low oil pressure, engine diagnostics, turn signals, security system (optional), 6-speed, low fuel warning, cruise control (optional), ABS (optional)
Color options:	Chrome Yellow Pearl, Black Denim, Midnight Pearl, Ember Red Sunglo, Vivid Black
Comments:	Windshield.

2014 Star Bolt

Yamaha recently introduced the Star Bolt motorcycle.  If I was in the 18-25 demographic, I would be all over this factory style 942cc bobber (I use the term bobber loosely)!

2014 Star Bolt

There is no doubt about the market that Yamaha is targeting, the question is, will Yamaha be able to crack into the ever so popular Harley Davidson Sportster market?  Price point will be a factor for some and the Star Bolt will be in direct competition with HD Iron 883. 

Harley Davidson - Iron 883

Other HD Sportster models such as the Seventy-Two and Forty-Eight are at higher price points than the Star Bolt, a factor that may sway new riders towards the Bolt. A strong point about Yamaha...they build quality products! My 2002 Yamaha Star 1100 Classic has been a bulletproof motorcycle, I trust the Bolt will have the same high standard that Yamaha has set for it's other motorsports products!

It will be interesting to see what happens when the Star Bolt hits the market in July!