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.
Nearly two weeks ago Harley-Davidson began a custom revolution by taking the best of the 'old' Dyna and Softail frames and combining them in a "New" Softail frame for the 2018 model year. And more than a few people are freaking out about it. #RIPDyna and this hilarious Youtube Video is just the tip of the iceberg.
At first I could understand, even agreed with those crying "blasphemy" to a certain extent. After all, 'better the devil you know than the one you don't.'
There's a reason it's called a 'comfort zone'! It's what we know, we're comfortable with, and any deviation from that brings a whole host of things that we don't know. That unknown can be pretty scary.
When you look at it though, change is a part of our daily lives. Our bodies change, weather changes, popular music, movies and television change, and on and on. Everything changes. And when we avoid this fact of life, things can get pretty bad pretty fast.
Did I tell you I'm a Ford Girl? Ever since my teens when my best
friend's dad was a Master Mechanic for a local Ford dealership. They even started the same year as my favorite motorcycle company (1903)!! I used to think Henry Ford could do no wrong (when he was alive, of course).
But when I read the history of Ford I saw that he didn't really want to change the Model T, at all. Henry was quite content to sit on the success, even when others were coming up with electric start and hydraulic brakes. If it weren't for his son Edsel and the Model A, Ford Motor Company might just have been a blip on history's radar.
I mean really, could you imagine driving to work in a Model T with a top speed of 45mph today? How about doing your work on an old Mac computer? And your cell phone - is it the same big brick as they used to be when they first came out?
We as humans need certain things to change in order for us to grow and evolve. Otherwise we get stuck in the same patterns, going in circles, doing the same thing day in and day out.
Of course we should also honor those certain things that need to remain the same. So then it becomes a balancing act between sameness and change, something Harley seems to have achieved with the new Softail frame.
In designing the new Softail frame, the powers that be looked to the
1950 FL while also keeping pace with the technologies of today. Add in more agility, increased lean angels, more torque and a smoooooth ride and we're talking about a major achievement.
But I wasn't completely sold until I test rode the new FLFBS Fat Boy (with a 114ci Milwaukee-Eight engine!). Other than having to shift, it really felt as if I was riding on a magic flying carpet - it was that effortless and powerful thanks to the motor. And then the handling through the corners - a tiny bit better than my '04 Dyna Super Glide, but with a lot less vibration.
Keeping things the same while going through change - when we get it right, we're in tune with the universe. Embrace the change AND hold on to the old ways allows us to be free and live a wonderful life.
Therefore I personally invite you out to FX Caprara Harley-Davidson for our Fall Open House, September 22-24 (of course you can stop in anytime- we are open seven days a week) for you to experience these new "Freedom Machines." Not close to us? Check out this link to find a dealership close to you.
Until then, you gotta just keep moving forward in order to balance on two wheels. Ride safe & have fun!!
