For the love of a Harley

[christinex1001]

So, because of the gas crunch and possibly because he's having a slight midlife crisis, Erik's thinking about getting a motorcycle. He actually rides his bike to work a few days a week (it's about 15 miles one way...he's hardcore), but he'd like to have a motorcycle for greater flexibility and mobility. At first we were thinking about just getting a scooter (either 150cc or 250cc model), but after he sat on a couple at a local dealer he decided they were really too small (Erik's a big guy -- 6'4" and probably around 250 lbs). After that he looked at some of the Japanese bikes -- cruiser styles, not sport bikes -- but the ergonomics just weren't that great for him because of his height. His knees would hit the gas tank, or the handlebars would brush against his knees if he turned them too far, that sort of thing. This dealership had mostly the Japanese bikes, but they did have a couple of used Harleys, so Erik decided to take a look at those.

Seriously, I wish I'd had a camera. The first one he tried was a Sportster, and it was OK. The second was another Sporty, but this one had taller handlebars and fit him a lot better. Erik got this little gleam in his eyes when he sat on that one, but the best was the Wide Glide with custom pipes -- man, he got on that thing, and all of a sudden he had this sort of glow, like a kid who's just unwrapped his bestest Christmas present ever. I thought, Uh-oh....

So I have a feeling we're going to end up with a Harley at some point. It's probably going to be a bit of a wait, because they're more expensive, and he just wants to save up and pay cash for one, but I think it's funny, considering the fact that he said he really didn't want a Harley because they're overpriced and you're just paying for the name, blah, blah, blah. But boy, get him actually sitting on one and getting the feel of it, and it's a whole other ball of wax.

Suz, if you see this, let the guys at HB know that Erik's drunk the Kool Aid and is looking for a good deal on a used Sporty or Wide Glide. ;-)

Comments

[elementalevil.livejournal.com]

HAH...they'll love it.

Or would, if they were here.

Why can they work from home and I cannot?

[christinex1001.livejournal.com]

Well, tell 'em whenever they do make an appearance.

It's because it's all a big PLOT. Didn't you know that?

BTW, thanks for giving me the link to notalwaysright.com. I think it's the only thing keeping me sane right now!

[tulkawen.livejournal.com]

ahaha That's priceless. I have a theory that all men secretly want a big, shiny bike. I can tell it with my dad. He is interested in cars. He buys all those car journals and says he doesn't care much for bikes. But when we are walking along the street and see Harleys parked, he stops to look at them and then declares that when he was 20, he used to ride a motorcycle. Next, he proceeds to make exactly the same arguments as Erik does about the overpriced brands. All those, 'It's hardly affordable and I don't really want one anyway.' arguments are a bunch of shenanigans - they want it all right. Uh-oh, a gleam in the eyes means he already has a plan about getting that thing that's overpriced and 'not really' wanted. =P

[christinex1001.livejournal.com]

Yep, we went to the Harley dealership today so he could look at some more. The good thing about Harleys is that they retain their value much more than the Japanese bikes, so you can get a less expensive model and ride it for a year or so, then trade up and not lose too much in the deal.

I can't give the guys too much of a hard time about their bikes and cars -- I wouldn't buy a Harley of my own (although I'm totally riding on the back when Erik gets one), but I do love cars. I think one of the reasons Erik's dad loves me so much is that I can talk classic cars with him AND make a mean pot roast. ;-)