My first 30 days in Behind Bars...

You may remember this past February I broke up... with my 2004 Dyna Super Glide. I traded her in and got my 2018 115th Anniversary Heritage from FX Caprara Harley-Davidson.

Except that it was February... Not exactly Riding Season in Northern New York. 

So I had to wait... and wait... and wait... Then finally, on Earth Day no less, we were finally together and Riding.

One month later and 738 miles are in behind bars of this beautiful bike, and it's been phenomenal! 

Even though there are quite a few differences between my new bike and my old -most notably the engine displacement (my '04 was 88 cubic inch (1450cc), new is 114ci (1868cc)... !!!) -the new still felt like my old friend: cozy & natural. 

And yet, the 114ci Milwaukee-Eight motor is smoooooth -so smooth in fact that it's very easy for me to get up to 70mph and not realize it. (I hope no police are reading this!)

The frame of the 2018 Heritage is as agile as my old bike, making it a true joy to lean into the corners, roll on the throttle and go flying down the road.

With the high-performance suspension, the bike is easily maneuverable in parking lots as well as quite comfortable on long rides. 

Then there's the torque... as in there's A LOT of it!! 

In case you didn't know, torque is the feeling you get as the power of the motor gets transferred to the pavement, sitting you back in your seat.

At first it was hard for me to know when to shift, because this bike has torque that pulls through every gear (rather than running out of power forcing the rider to up-shift). 

The power and torque that the new Softails have will truly put a smile on your face! As the MoCo puts it, "...increased lean angle, quicker turn-in, quicker acceleration and more flickability, all with easier lift-off from the side stand."

I'm here to tell you that is truth in advertising!! Beyond the specs of any bike, there is the 'fun factor' to consider when making a buying decision. And all the new Softails, with their Milwaukee-Eight engines, have a very high rate of 'smiles per mile.' 

I am very much looking forward to many more days behind bars, riding my new Heritage for many, many more miles.

If you're interested in what my 'old' bike is doing now, she's gone on to have lots of fun doing wheelies and performing stunts with Hostile Crew -check out their Facebook page and Instagram.