| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry_haughton |
the FJR is gone, long live the King!  Road King, that is.  thru a set of circumstances that still seems impossible, this Glacier White Pearl beauty - working name the BOB (Big Old Boat) - followed me home from Santa Barbara on Thursday, and the FOB (Ferris Old Bueller) couldn't be more climasmic. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 17, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 this afternoon, from the Lions Trail looking due north up the Kern River Valley. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 that'd be Isabella Lake in the background, with some snow still lingering in the southern Sierra Nevada - winter has been unusually slow to release its grip in these parts this year. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 i think it's cool i now have a bike that matches (what's left of) my hair... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 a delightful little discovery just a short ways up Sawmill Road. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 this is my fifth Harley-Davidson. my FIRST one, some 22 years ago, was a '76 Liberty Edition FLH Electra Glide, sporting the same headlight bucket assembly still in use today. chrome won't getcha home, but it's still my favorite color. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
 i've owned a Shovel, an Evo Big Twin, an Evo Sporty, and an iron head Sporty, not necessarily in that order. and now a Twin Cam. (does anyone call 'em a Fat Head? Block Head?) never mind. the BOB will do for now. FB (Message edited by jerry_haughton on April 16, 2006) | ||
| Ezblast |
Cruisen eh? | ||
| Doz |
Knock it off, It was cold and cloudy all day putting on 440 miles between Connecticut and NewHampshire. No pics. and I've still got a chill. Nice scenery and bike. | ||
| Bartimus |
WTF?  | ||
| Madduck |
Ferris, Get D a backrest, the rear portion of the seat was designed to dump your passenger off in the middle of the street with little warning. You are a man of contrasts. There is something lovable about the big ol lumps tho. Rode my heritage softatail up to moms yesterday. They ain't fast, don't handle particularly well and for mercy sake don't try to stop em quick. Sort of the labrador retriever of motorcycles. Paul | ||
| Outrider |
Lookin' Good, Jerry! Am a little surprised that you dumped the FJR so soon, but at least it lasted longer than the Zook. Now all you need to do is stick a Buell along side the Harley in the garage like I did.  | ||
| Oldog |
Congrats on the new to you sled Ferris whats Ds' take on the beastie? | ||
| M2nc |
Absolutely beautiful bike and some of those pics are fantastic. | ||
| Timbo |
Congrats Ferris! I'm a little surprised, but since April 1st has long since past... I gotta say, a friend recently got one of the new Street Glides, and I could see myself, one day owning one. At least after the kids are older and the wife and I have the luxury of time to tour. Enjoy! Timbo | ||
| Buellfighter |
Beautiful scenery and same for the bike! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
WTF? good question, Bad Billy Bartimus, and one i can't rightfully answer in words. the reason, at least in part, lies hidden in my soul. if we were deep into our second pitcher of ice-cold Gordon Biersch Smooth Auburn Lager, i'd give you the long version. we're not (and it's well past my bedtime) so y'all get the Reader's Digest version. i went to SBHD to look at a '99 Dyna Convertible they have that caught my eye. while trying to hammer out a deal that worked for all parties (which, fortunately, proved to be impossible), THIS bike caught my eye. their sales manager did his job, and a couple hours later i was riding it home. i'm not new to Harley's. i bought my first one before my son Wade was born, and he's now legal drinking age-plus in all 50 states (and South Korea). i liked ALL of my Harley's (albeit some more than others), and always knew i'd have another. i thought it'd be at least a couple more years down the road, tho. live large or go home. this seems to be my motto lately, and when this Road King literally fell out of the ocean-blue Santa Barbara sky and dropped into my lap, i reached for the Golden Ring and snagged it on my first try. the trick NOW will be to hang onto said ring. the monthly payments for BOB are about half this country's annual GNP, so the odds of actually getting to ride the thing in the coming years - as opposed to working my aging arse off paying for it - are slim. no worries. at some point the paper will have only MY name on it, and y'all are invited to that party when the time comes. riding it home the other day was a revelation. this is a bike that doesn't HAVE to go fast to be entertaining. meandering along Highway 150 to Ojai at a leisurely 60 mph was the most natural thing in the world, and the pace was such that i could actually SEE the land i was riding by. my line became almost secondary. the EXPERIENCE became all important. pop the seal on a new CD, whatever your favorite music may be, and drop it into your Bose. it'll surely sound good. go back in time a bit, not really all that long ago. pop the seal on a new LP, whatever your favorite music may have been, gently place the disc on your turntable, and carefully lower the tone arm. it'll still be music, just like from your CD. but...it will sound DIFFERENT. some, dare i say, would say it sounds BETTER. better yet, to continue the music analogy, my Road King is like being front row center for Tony Bennett in Las Vegas. you just KNOW you're gonna have a good time. does this thing lean like a sportbike? nope. in fact, the cornering clearance is almost as bad as an FJR... does it GO like a sportbike? nope. let's face it, FEW things without an afterburner and "F-16 Strike Eagle" stenciled on the side go like a sportbike. will this bike do 60? yep. 70? yep. 80? don't know yet, still in break-in, but you and i know it will, all day long, from here to the Blue Ridge Parkway and back. i've reached the conclusion, after having done 140 two-up with Denise on our way to Death Valley last weekend, that 80 mph may be fast enough for this old man anymore. Eighty is fast enough to get you there, but (relatively) slow enough to still smell the pretty flowers along the way. (and slow enough that if you talk just right, you MIGHT get out of that ticket the Chippie is just itching to write you.) am i getting soft(er) in my old age? sigh, without question. am i "slow"? no, i don't think so. not just quite yet anyway. i think, once i get the BOB figured out, i THINK i'll still be able to hold my own with MOST of the people i ride with. the ones i CAN'T? well, y'all can go on ahead and vacuum out the Chippies for me, k??? this is bold, considering i've had this motorcycle for all of three days and 300 miles, but THIS bike is a definite keeper. it's a vibrant, gorgeous, happy machine, not "fast" but extremely powerful, not "sophisticated" but composed and competent, not "agile" but steady and sure of foot, not "hyper" but eager and able and willing. steam locomotives aren't particularly fast either, but they do an admirable job of hauling the mail. when i left here headed to Santa Barbara last Thursday morning, i had no clue this motorcycle was there with my name on it. the fact that it's now in my garage, waiting obediently for me to throw the stick again, makes me glad. i hope y'all are, too. ride to lean, FB&D (and the BOB) | ||
| Jon |
Very nice. Something about the Road Kings lines and ....just look. It's a classic. | ||
| Pdxs3t |
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| Madduck |
Ferris, Cornering can be really impressive with the correct amount of air in the front and back. Change your floorboards to the "Streamliner" collection ($175) and you can pick up another 5 degrees part no. 50631-04. Nothing funner than watching sparks fly from the boards at night. Enjoy Paul | ||
| Dino |
Jerry - The closer shot of BOB w/ Isabella in the background is a stunner...and so is BOB. Been meaning to get down your way...gonna have to now, soon. Gotta see BOB up close and personal like. Congrats!! | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Very nice Jerry. Congratulations. ...A bike that matches your hair color, you could have done that with the FJR, nothing wrong with blue hair...  -Mike | ||
| Seanp |
Ferris, I want your job. Want to trade? Oh well, I guess I will be able to retire in 10 or 15 years and do the same thing... | ||
| Firemanjim |
God save us all,he really is older than me,now.What is next, a ZZ Top beard,doo rag,big ass wallet chain ??? They have support groups for this sorta behavior,ya know?? | ||
| Denisea |
whats Ds' take on the beastie? Dunno yet. Other than the visual - drop dead gorgeous, and audio - the Bob has a much deeper purr than the FJR but probably need to drop those pipes somewhere down the road - a 15 mile round trip ride for mochas yesterday wasn't enough to form much conclusion. (Woulda been a longer ride but what are the chances of running into other Harley owners in Kernville and blowing the breeze with them for a couple hours whilst you nurse your drink - this case our mochas) Like that idea though, Madduck, of losing the floorboards for a little more cornering clearance - no cornering yesterday but given time.... I think it is in the blood. They have support groups for this sorta behavior,ya know??hoho "Hi, My Name Is Ferris and I Have a Problem" - guess we all should be there. For today, one step at a time, it's all smiles from the Dome. | ||
| Mikej |
Very nice. |
