Harley's....

[911boost]

My friend had an R1150R, one of the reasons I bought my GS. The R1150R was kinda boring, and not that pretty. There are other BMW's out there I would look at way before that way.

I also agree with Rick, as the cheapest of the 1200 line, they depreciate like crazy.

Keep in mind on the Road Glide, and all the touring models, Harley changed the frame, and a number of other things, including moving the rear foot rest up higher to increase the lean angle. They also sell them with dual compound tires now. I have heard really good things about how the Road Glide goes down the road in comparison to the Electra Glide.

Keep us informed on how the test rides go.

Bill

[Chocaholic]

Dot...you're really considering vastly different bikes. If you really like the R bikes...you won't like any of the HD's (my guess). Why not do like so many others....get both!

I love my K1200S for cooler weather and mountain carving. The sheer power of the thing is a rush that's indescribable. I love my HD for relaxing country roads...a great hot weather bike. The comfort, feel and sound of the thing is intoxicating. Neither bike could substitute for the other.

Problem solved! Seriously...you'll get a thousand opinions. Get the bike that stirs your soul the most. Doesn't matter what anyone here says. This is a very personal decision. Your priorities for riding are different than any one elses. I've never ridden a bike I didn't like...but it took a while to understand what works for me. Look for the machine that gets under your skin and rules you. Bond with it. None are perfect, but they're all awesome!

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

You ready to ride yet. I've ridden ACH through Wrightwood several times since it reopened, in fact I rode the R12RT home that way this afternoon. It really is a fantastic road. If you can, we should ride up sometime midweek. Most of the Rossi wannabees are up there on the weekends and unless you go early it's pretty crowded.

Lately it has been tough to get away any day. I intend to get out this weekend though, one way or another. As for during the week, depends on the timing. If I can clear my calendar I can pull it off.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

Jeff, Have you ridden a Road Glide? Most people say they are better handling bike because of the frame mounted fairing. I've seen a few of those that I thought looked pretty good. Although I don't think that dual headlight fairing is very popular.

I actually owned a last year Shovelhead Tour Glide, the ancestor of the Road Glide. It started the "gooseneck" frame, where the steering head is actually in front of the forks, and the triple clamps go backwards. It even had an enclosed rear chain; H-D was still playing with final drive solutions. First rubber-mounted Harley motor as well.

Anyway, I did ride one of the Twin Cam Road Glides several years ago. It didn't handle any different than my Road King, which is a good thing. Both feel about the same at lower speeds, but the Road Glide does much better at freeway speeds as far as wind protection, noise, and stability. Funny, though, the Road Glide gets really squirrelly at anything much over legal freeway speeds. It really starts to float around and feel kind of vague. My Road King doesn't do that, and happily cruises all day long at 90-ish. Probably moot for most folks on Harleys anyway (I can feel my wife slapping my helmet again...).

I've ridden several Electra Glides (of several vintages) with that big "bat wing" fairing. At lower speeds, you can definitely feel it. Especially now, with all of the crap they cram into it. It definitely feels heavier and more cumbersome than the Road Glide or Road King. You never really notice it at speed, though. It also remains stable at extra-legal speeds, which intuitively seems backwards. The heavier, larger frontal area, fork mounted fairing seems like it should affect handling more than the smaller, frame mounted fairing. Maybe it has aero advantages that outweigh all that weight on the forks.

Anyway, I think the Electra Glide is the better freeway flyer, where the Road Glide is the better back road "carver" (if you can even use that term with an 800 pound bike...). The Road Glide feels less ponderous.