OT: For all HD (Harley Davidson) Owners

[Indyjeep]

Looking at getting a HD Sportster 1200 Custom, at the same time my dad is going to get a Road King or something similar. He has owned many bikes in the past Goldwings, 550s, all that good stuff. Just wondering if anybody has any input on the ordering process like with how long if we had to order? Also if we are looking at getting two bikes totaling into the $30k area, do you think they would be willing to negotiate on the price at all? I mean with that much I would think yes but I dont know. And anything else I should know about when dealing with HD dealers.

Thanks

Adam

[edwinr]

If you buy 2 bikes at once I would imagine any dealer would negotiate a discount. You have more negotiating power if you buy a model off the floor. But H-D are in demand and a big discounts will be hard to come by. You may very well score a smaller discount off the price of the bikes, then to sweeten the deal, try to persuade the dealer to discount any bike accessories that you might want. Don't forget, you guys are the one's with the dollars, and are in more control of the situation than the dealer - even though he may try and persuade you to think otherwise. Good luck.

[jdm56]

shame on you, you..."indy jeep" person. you've caused me to feel inadequate and you have damaged my self-esteem. feelings of self-loathing accompanied by severe emotional distress have set in.

oh, i bet nobody ever hurt this bad...

[]

[Indyjeep]

shame on you, you..."indy jeep" person. you've caused me to feel inadequate and you have damaged my self-esteem. feelings of self-loathing accompanied by severe emotional distress have set in.

oh, i bet nobody ever hurt this bad...

[]

Guessing you miss yours or maybe want one??

Well the parents went to the Bloomington dealership and my dad found the bike he wants, 2006 Road King Classic Chopper Blue. Im looking at a 2006 1200 Custom Sportster

but not sure what color. Maybe Black?? Silver?? I have until Monday to make up my mind lol.....maybe a dual color set-up?? Any other ideas more than welcome to them lol. Black is always a classic, and I dont want Blue cuz he is getting it. Black Cherry and Black Pearl? That might be nice. Giving us a $1000 GC there and free "shipping",stupid charge, and free security.

Heres the bike, look at the different colors.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/PR/MOT/2006/06_template.asp?bmLocale=en_US&family=sportster&model=XL1200C&market=US&modelsection=colors

[jdm56]

Man, your cruelty knows no bounds...why don't you just drive a stake in my liver.[]

I'd go for the silver. It looks VERY nice!

Actually, I've never had a Harley. Back when I was riding, before "SHE" came along, I was strictly a Jap bike rider, due to economics and to the fact that at the time, I just didn't see myself on a Harley. Ya know? But now, who knows. I definitely admire them. A guy at work got a mustard yellow Sportster --bee-yoo-tee-ful! Oh well, I've got three kids to raise. Maybe something to look forward to in retirement! Enjoy, and be careful!

[SteelerFan]

I'm a little jealous of your Dad myself Adam. [] However I'll be a good sport and say I jope you both enjoy your new bikes and be sure to come back and post pics of them.

[Indyjeep]

Trust me I shall. Going today to see if they have the Silver instead of black..If so should have em by tom or wed.

[CECAA850]

Stupid question alert: Have you sat on it yet? Are you planning on having anyone ride with you ever? I'm 6' tall and a Sportster is just too small for me. They're great looking and running bikes, but the frame is a little on the small side for some.

[Indyjeep]

Yes I have, Im only 5'9 so Im not to tall. I find them very comfy. Compared to the crotch rockets I have sat on they are very comfy...I would like to get a Night Rod or Street Rod, but price for me is a factor in this more than my dad.

[tidmack]

Hey, very cool to own your first bike, especially a new one! Here's a suggestion: If you can swing it, have any of your add on's like exhaust, chrome, seat, bars, etc done when you buy the bike at the dealership. Most importantly when purchased with the bike new, all of the additions are then covered under your bike's warranty, including exhaust and carb/FI modifications. Otherwise, aftermarket parts could void parts/all of your warranty. Second, you "could" finance the add on's. I'm not a huge fan of paying interest, but some Vance and Hines short shots sound really nice on 1200 Sportsters. Good luck!

Jeff

[Indyjeep]

Good thing you mentioned that. I am getting a seat for my GF so she can ride with me. But I was actually also looking at exhaust and was wondering what brands and type I should look at. Like I want loud but not so loud I go deaf. I wnt that deep rumble.

[oldbuckster]

Yes I have, Im only 5'9 so Im not to tall. I find them very comfy. Compared to the crotch rockets I have sat on they are very comfy...I would like to get a Night Rod or Street Rod, but price for me is a factor in this more than my dad.

Go for the bigger bike, you know in the end you'll wish you had. You only go around once my friend, if you can handle a 1200 Sportster, you can handle a bigger bike. Most everyone that I know that buys a sportster, within a short time, wants a bigger bike. Give it a thought. You might even get a better deal to boot.

[codhead]

If it's a decent sized dealership, they ought to have plenty of Sportys

in stock. There's usually a waiting list for the more popular models

like a Road King. The wait depends on how many people are on the list

in front of you.

I'm a little over 6', and fit just fine on a Sporty. It's a fun bike

for squirting around town, and short trips. Handles a lot better than a

Road King too (a friend of mine bought a new Road King, and I bought

his 1200 Sporty).

If you're into road trips of any distance, you better have an iron butt

if you're on a Sporty. Mine had forward controls, but I converted it

back to stock to save wear on the rear end (as in mine).

I've got straight pipes, which aren't all that loud - unless you really

get on it. Or when you start it up cold. Yeah, that really impresses

the neighbors.

An added benefit of straight pipes is that you can go trolling for

Yuppies. Just ride through the parking lot of the local Starbucks, pull

in the clutch, and give the engine a good rev as you coast past a

Lexus. More often than not, you'll set off their car alarm. Every once

in a while you'll get really lucky and get someone with a paging alarm.

Kind of fun watching them run out of the building to see what's up with

their car.

[intotubes]

I think maybe blue to match your dad's king would be cool. You would be a distincive pair of riders as opposed to the sea of black harley's you see everywhere. A blue Road King and a matching blue Sporty traveling down the road...paints a nice picture in my mind. Otherwise go black, may have better resale value since that's the most popular color.

[Gilbert]

Yes I have, Im only 5'9 so Im not to tall. I find them very comfy. Compared to the crotch rockets I have sat on they are very comfy...I would like to get a Night Rod or Street Rod, but price for me is a factor in this more than my dad.

That would be V-Rod.

[customsteve01]

Indyjeep,

I don't want to offend you, but don't go buy yourself a girlie bike. If you get it I would say in 2 months time you will want a bigger one. I own a 98 Softail Custom and If I were to get another I would steer away from the Softails (one reason Riggid mounted motor) I know the new twincam engines are better but still alot of vibration. If you want to stay on the lesser expensive side look at the dyna models the Super Glide is a nice starter. Your looking at $2,000.00 more. You also get the twin-cam motor, fuel injection, and a 6 speed trany.

Congrats on what ever you buy and I was just ribbing you about the girlie bike[]

for pipes if you get the dealer to do them go Screaming-Eagle, they make some nice slipons and the dealer can tune the engine to the new pipes. I like Vance and Hines my self.

Steve

[Indyjeep]

Ya, I thought about going with a bigger bike, but for a semi-beginner I think the sportster is good for me, plus when I pay off my Jeep in 1 1/2 years Ill get a better or bigger bike. I decided to go with the Cobalt and Silver bike. Beautiful color.

[Tom Adams]

"An added benefit of straight pipes is that you can go trolling for Yuppies. Just ride through the parking lot of the local Starbucks, pull in the clutch, and give the engine a good rev as you coast past a Lexus. More often than not, you'll set off their car alarm. Every once in a while you'll get really lucky and get someone with a paging alarm. Kind of fun watching them run out of the building to see what's up with their car."

Wow......now THIS is something to be proud of! In fact, what's even better is to wait until some child is near the bike and then rap the t*ts off the thing so as to deafen the kid. Seen it done many a time with great results!! Amazing.....simply amazing........

I've been riding and racing motorcycles since I was 12 years old (I'm 50 now - do the math). And everytime I see this type of mentality (or lack thereof) displayed it simply amazes me. I have no issue with loud pipes - ON RACE BIKES. But why the hell anyone needs straight pipes on their HD or a Jardine header system on their racer-replica sportbike evades me. Oh sure there was that period where I just HAD to have a Muzzy's full header system on my ZX9R. Man, what a PITA it was to keep the bike in tune and the noise outweighed the "cool factor". What do you get with aftermarket pipes? Maybe 5 hp & 8 ft-lbs?? Whoop-dee-doo. And most of those gains are at the expense of bottom end power and off-idle throttle response. Loud pipes....probably an attempt to make up for something else.

Sorry - but I put loud pipes in the same category as the squids on sportbikes who brag about going fast. Woo-hoo. Wanna impress me with your speed, go to a race track and let me put a stop watch on you. Oh and let's not even go into how much all this does for us in the eyes of the multitude of registered voters who think ALL motorcyclists are idiots.

Nonetheless - enjoy your new Harley. And do yourself a favor and take a MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course, unless you already have. Even if you do know how to ride, I'm willing to bet you'll learn things you didn't know and gain skills that could save your hide the next time that idiot pulls out in front of you. And invest in decent riding gear. Fingerless gloves are just that - they'll render you fingerless in a crash. I'm not suggesting you gotta get all bundled up in some road race leathers. There's plenty of stylish gear out there that looks cool but will protect your skin. I'll shut up now. []

Ride safe and ride often.

Tom

[Indyjeep]

"An added benefit of straight pipes is that you can go trolling for Yuppies. Just ride through the parking lot of the local Starbucks, pull in the clutch, and give the engine a good rev as you coast past a Lexus. More often than not, you'll set off their car alarm. Every once in a while you'll get really lucky and get someone with a paging alarm. Kind of fun watching them run out of the building to see what's up with their car."

Wow......now THIS is something to be proud of! In fact, what's even better is to wait until some child is near the bike and then rap the t*ts off the thing so as to deafen the kid. Seen it done many a time with great results!! Amazing.....simply amazing........

I've been riding and racing motorcycles since I was 12 years old (I'm 50 now - do the math). And everytime I see this type of mentality (or lack thereof) displayed it simply amazes me. I have no issue with loud pipes - ON RACE BIKES. But why the hell anyone needs straight pipes on their HD or a Jardine header system on their racer-replica sportbike evades me. Oh sure there was that period where I just HAD to have a Muzzy's full header system on my ZX9R. Man, what a PITA it was to keep the bike in tune and the noise outweighed the "cool factor". What do you get with aftermarket pipes? Maybe 5 hp & 8 ft-lbs?? Whoop-dee-doo. And most of those gains are at the expense of bottom end power and off-idle throttle response. Loud pipes....probably an attempt to make up for something else.

Sorry - but I put loud pipes in the same category as the squids on sportbikes who brag about going fast. Woo-hoo. Wanna impress me with your speed, go to a race track and let me put a stop watch on you. Oh and let's not even go into how much all this does for making us in the eyes of the multitude of registered voters who think ALL motorcyclists are idiots.

Nonetheless - enjoy your new Harley. And do yourself a favor and take a MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course, unless you already have. Even if you do know how to ride, I'm willing to bet you'll learn things you didn't know and gain skills that could save your hide the next time that idiot pulls out in front of you. And invest in decent riding gear. Fingerless gloves are just that - they'll render you fingerless in a crash. I'm not suggesting you gotta get all bundled up in some road race leathers. There's plenty of stylish gear out there that looks cool but will protect your skin. I'll shut up now. []

Ride safe and ride often.

Tom

Thanks for the advice, Tom. I agree with you on the pipes, sometimes really loud is just to loud. I was looking at getting something that sounds better than stock, but won't make me deaf by the age of 25, only 21 now. My father and I have different ideas on equip worn, like me I want a full face helmet, he on the other hand wants a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet. I wanna get a jacket that will protect against wind and scrapes. Hes not really in that mentality. I mean things have changed since he has ridden his Goldwings back in the 80s. I agree that you can get stylish stuff and look cool. I do plan on taking a learning course after I get the hang of riding it for a bit. Well, time to get ready for my busy day.....should hear from the dealer today on the new package they are giving us.

Adam

[mark1101]

Indyjeep,

I see a lot of good advice about the "bigger bike". In 2 weeks you'll regret buying a sportster.

Here in Athens, Ga. the dealer has lots of Harleys on the floor. Didn't use to be that way. Prices are at an all time low since the Jap cruisers are so popular. A Superglide starts at around 13 here. Bare bones, but the "bigger bike".

The other thing I was going to mention....and don't take this wrong...it's sound advice....around here.....Sportsters are clearly known as a woman's motorcycle. Not sure about Indy. I'm surprised no one else mentioned it yet. So, if you are a woman (not being a wise guy here!), you're on the right track. If not, you will eventually find yourself the object of some joking. Trust me on that one. I had a sportster and know about the jokes.[]

In Georgia, most of the more experienced women ride the bigger Harleys. Very common.