Joe Maumee's Harley-Davidson Blog

JUNE 2008
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FLHX STREET GLIDE

This bike is quite a piece of machinery. I’m not going to list all the specs, if you want to see those click here. I’m gonna tell ya how she rides: This just might be the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. The smoothness of shifting was unbelievable. It was power and torque that would only throw your head back when you wanted it to. Coming off of riding a shaft driven monster, which is what I currently own, (Suzuki Blvd M109R), the belt drive on the Street Glide was like seeing your first nudey mag… Joyful! The seat, man the seat... imagine riding around town on your couch and that is seriously no joke. I have never sat on a more comfortable seat. The handling around corners was unbelievable for a bike that roughly weighs 700 lbs dry. This bike hits and sticks in the corners like it was glued to the road. The radio can be clearly heard at 80 MPH on the Interstate. Imagine Pat Martin’s Angelic Golden Harp Voice at full volume while you’re going 80 down I-80 on a Tuesday afternoon. That my friends, is a little slice of Heaven! The saddle bags make grocery shopping a true experience for the bachelor or bachelor to be. I wanted to see how much I could fit, so I did. I got three bottles of wine, a 12-pack, two packages of hot dog buns, two packages of hot dogs, 24-pack of cheese slices, a bottle of Teriyaki baste and glaze, two cans of whipped cream, (I like to get freaky) and two boxes of orange shrimp. It all fit no problem. Cruise control was also a fun option to toy around with however it’s not something I would use very often. I like to crack the throttle! One might think a fixed fairing would make the bike shake going fast or passing big trucks and whatnot. It doesn’t. It cuts right through. And last but certainly not least, and this is just my personal opinion, the way it sounds... nothing beats that man.

JOE'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON BLOG-A-LOGUES

I know from personal experience that every time you ride a beauty you have to tell your friends about it. I’ve climbed atop and ridden’ hard since I was 6 years old… From several countries, old, new, screamers, growlers, big and small... I’ve ridden’ ‘em all!

Now my travels take me American. Oh… What A Ride!

Harley-Davidson of Rocklin, Folsom and Amador County

Bike of the Month - October 2008

Our feature of the month is the new 2009 Harley-Davidson® Touring Family

JULY 2008
HARLEY-DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE CLASSIC

Oh my God man! If I thought the last bike I was on was comfortable, I had no idea what comfort was really about. This bike is a large piece of machinery I call it the “RV on wheels”, weighing in at around 800 lbs. This is the touring mans motorcycle and I had the luxury of taking it on the Aubrey Hoskinson memorial ride. Now that day happened to be hot and had this bike had an air conditioner, I would have called it the perfect touring bike for two. When it comes to bells and whistles this bike has them all. If you wanna get the full specs click here. I liked the EXTREME comfort of the seats and not only for me but also for my woman. The back rest on that thing was so snuggly and comfortable I’d tell you what my woman had to say about it, but she’s sleeping. I love the dual saddle bags and the full trunk compartment on the back. We’ll talk about that in a second. It has an ABS braking system and a sixth gear to help with gas mileage on the long hauls, and the spotlights, I love those! Cruise control and a stereo, like the last bike I rode, that just absolutely cranks. The fairing is not fixed and the bike is monstrous, so it does shake in the wind so be careful. Now let’s go back to the trunk compartment. I told you it was huge, big enough to fit two full size helmets. I found a better use for it. As I wrote earlier it was very hot on the Aubrey ride. I packed that sucker full of ice and kept our drinks cold for the first half of the ride…for the second half of the ride the ice melted, my woman got hot and it became a rolling cooling compartment. As the day got warmer so did she, so every time I stopped, she disrobed, jumped into that thing and swam around for a little bit to cool off. Now that boys is definitely better than a nudey mag! Now let’s talk about how she rides, the bike that is. As I mentioned the bike is big, actually the biggest bike I’ve ever ridden. So on windy days you can definitely feel it. However, its sheer size has nothing to do with its power and handling ability. Acceleration in and out of corners, stopping and starting, and the ease of throwing that thing around on a windy road, I could not believe how well that bike handled for how big it is. Beautifully built however, too big of a bike for me at this stage in the game. That’ll be a nice bike for me in my 60’s. This bike gets a solid 4 out of 5 on the Maumee-O-Meter.

Before I get into this bike, I just wanted to tell you about my trip to NHRA at Infineon Raceway. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Myself and Dogface got to hang out with The Rocklin Motorsports Man himself, Matt Guidera! We were in the pits, hangin’ out with him and talkin’ to him between races. We got to meet Peggy Llewellyn, sniff Angelle's seat, from a distance. We were also able to be down on the line for Matt's semi-final run! I’m telling you it was an experience beyond words. The best part of the entire day was that Matt took home the WALLY,(sp?) he won! It’s a pretty cool experience to watch the switch flip on a man that is laughing and talking between races to the focused, asskicking, 200MPH racing machine, Matt becomes! All the while sitting atop America's Baddest V-Twin Motorcycle, an S7S/Buell Pro Stocker! I have mentioned just how much I hate my job haven’t I?...haha .. Since we’re talkin’ about pieces of machinery, we may as well add the Harley Davidson FLTR Road Glide to the list. Just like last time.. (and with all of the blogs in the future) I won’t list the specs but if you want the specs for the Road Glide click here. This bike rides almost exactly like the Street Glide but with one exception, it has a fixed fairing. This is one of the deciding factors between the Road Glide and Street Glide, for me, when it comes to purchasing. When passing a semi or on windy days, this bike rides straight it DOES NOT wobble. It is also extremely comfortable from the seat, to the way you sit while riding. When riding the bikes I always take my girl with me to get a passenger’s point of view, plus it feels good when she hangs on tight and trust me with this bike she’s gotta hang on tight. Her exact quote “This is gonna be a tough decision between the Street Glide and this bike.” This Road Glide has plenty of power and torque! Enough to keep the back tire burning through first and second with two people on the bike. Like any belt driven bike, shifting on the Road Glide is extremely smooth. The sixth gear is great on the interstate and it helps to widen the gap between gas pumps. The radio cranks the Angelic Golden Harp Voice of Pat Martin and it still sounds great at full volume. The Road Glide has two saddle bags on back and two stash boxes in the fixed fairing. Now, I already know how many groceries I can fit in the saddle bags but the stash boxes are a new feature I enjoyed. They seem small but can clearly hold the unused shirt of a female that felt the need to disrobe after a foot plate dragging in the corner going 80. Evidently, like me, she enjoys that. As a side note the Road Glide has cruise control and an ABS braking system. The only things I didn’t like were the dual headlights and bulkiness of the fixed fairing. It just didn’t look as clean as the Street Glide. All in all I give the Road Glide a 4.5 out of 5 on the Maumee-O-Meter.

Joe maumee and NHRA racer Peggy Llewellyn

The Motor Company certainly lives and breathes in a world of change, especially in its Touring family. We have seen continuous innovation and improvement in the long-haul Harley line in just the past three model years. In 2007, the Twin Cam96™ engine and Cruise Drive® six-speed transmission became standard along with an optional passive EITMS (engine idle temperature management system). In 2008, a six-gallon fuel tank, fly-by-wire throttle and Brembo® brakes were incorporated with an anti-lock braking system option. The passive EITMS (engine idle temperature management system) became standard, and the electronic fuel injection was completely reconfigured. In keeping with its lust for change, Harley-Davidson kept the best of these upgrades for 2009 and added even more. A totally re-engineered frame, swing arm and 4-point motor mount system was created, resulting in a smoother ride from idle to cruising, a bigger payload of humans and gear and a stronger engine-chassis integration. The EITMS (engine idle temperature management system) is now rider controlled with a forward twist of the throttle, and of course, a completely new EFI system was inevitable. All Touring bikes (except the Road King® Classic) come with 17-inch wheels in a newly-designed cast or a smooth profile laced spoke configuration. The rear wheel sports a massive 180-width tire to handle the added payload capacity, and the wider rear fender incorporates a radically different mounting system for sissy bars, racks and Tour-Paks®. An all-new 2-1-2 exhaust system deflects heat away from rider and passenger, gives the motorcycle a clean look and eliminates the "Y" joint on the rear cylinder's exhaust header. LED lighting adds to the upgrades. Check out the photos that accompany this month's feature and you will be sure to note how much has changed in Harley's® Touring world. We'll feature some of the individual Touring models in the months to come.

AUGUST 2008
HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD GLIDE

SEPTEMBER 2008
HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXDF FAT BOB

Before I get to this badass machine, I have to tell you about The 1st Annual Fallen Warrior Freedom Memorial Run. We left Folsom HD about 10 in the morning and rode to Auburn HD for the wrap up party. Food, drink, music and a whole lotta fun! I got to meet so many individuals that over the years have fought for the freedoms that you and I enjoy every day! There were a lot of Veterans that went on the ride but also a lot of us who just respect and care about the Veterans. Those of us that wanted to show each and every one of them, We Will Never Forget! What a ride man, for the 1st year we had about 300 bikes! I was riding to show support to the Warriors that give me freedom, riding to raise money in honor of the Warriors that have passed and helping to support the future Americans that will one day be Warriors and lead this great country even further. The best thing though, the whole time I was doing it on top of Americas Greatest Motorcycle! On to the Fat Bob…As I said earlier, this is a badass bike boys! I’m just guessing here but I think the nickname “Fat Bob” has something to do with the kick-ass cross between street bike tire and enduro bike tire. The front tire is a 130 mm and the back is a 180 mm and the tread is sick! You might think that handling on tight corners would be affected by the aggressive tread and front tire size, not true! This thing handles like a sport bike, and that is no lie! I’m sure the Harley guys don’t want to know this but I took corners at 80mph that should have been taken no more than 40mph with no problem whatsoever. This bike is a bit smaller than the previous monsters I have ridden. Weighing in at right around 700 lbs and having the 96 cubic inch engine means you better know how to ride one of these bikes before you open this little ripper up! I mean it is very fast and it gets there very quickly! I didn’t take my girl for a ride on this bike, I kept this one just for me. This bike so far has been the most comfortable handling at high speeds and in corners for me. You will not have the stability of the bigger bikes at high speeds on the freeway on the Fat Bob, but the wide front tire makes it entirely more stable than you would think. I like this bike a lot. Click here for more info.

I give it a solid 4 out of 5 on the Maumee-O-Meter!

BUELL BLAST

Last month I finally took my test at the DMV. I am a licensed California motorcycle rider!!! It’s not like I was illegal before; I did have a permit for 5 years… hahaha! I decided to take the test on a smaller bike than the one I own. Now, I have ridden almost every Harley-Davidson they make and I thought a Sportster might be a good bike to do it on (the blog on that bike is coming soon). However the boys at Folsom Harley thought a Buell Blast might be a good bike to use. As always they were right. I passed the DMV riding test using that bike with no problem. Actually, and I mean this, if you can’t pass the test on this bike, you have no business whatsoever on the street. Practice some more in the dirt! The Blast weighs about 360 lbs and has a 492cc single cylinder engine. This is why I say, if you can’t pass the test on this bike, please don’t ride on the road. This just might be the easiest bike in the world to ride! Obviously if you weigh more than the bike, this is probably not the one for you, but if you are average sized, this is the perfect beginner bike. I say that for both men and women. Now you might be wondering: “It’s kinda small and has a small engine; can it burn out?” Yes! “Can you pop a wheelie on it?” Yes! “Did you ride it on the freeway at 95 mph or faster?” No, but my buddy’s wife did! “Can you take it through twisties at 60mph and faster?” Yes! “Have you done all of that on the Buell Blast before getting your license, Joe?” Yes! Unless you’re from Harley-Davidson/Buell of Rocklin, Folsom or Amador County! In that case the answer is, No way would I ride one of your bikes in that fashion; speed frightens me! Seriously, it’s a great beginner bike, it rips and it’s cheap to pick up. If you have a wife, like me, who wants to get into riding, or a son or daughter, or even if you yourself are a beginning rider, look into the Buell Blast. I think it might be just what you’re looking for. I rode this bike for two days and had an absolute Blast on it! Some of you were probably laughing at me along the way! I might be a little big for that bike, but my wife isn’t. Who said all research had to be boring? For what this bike is intended, introducing folks to the thrill of motorcycling.

I give it a solid 4 out of 5 on the Maumee –O-Meter!