Harley Davidson Price Drop - Yes it's true - they are now even more affordable (and fun)

2012 Harley Davidsons are going to cost you less than last year's model!

Here's a few of the prices:

Wide Glide with the 103 motor and ABS braking $24,495 ($4,400 less than the 2011 model)

Fat Boy with 103 motor and ABS braking $$27,995 ($4,255 less)

Heritage Softail Classic with 103 motor and ABA $29,495 ($3,000 less)

Softail Standard with 103 motor and ABS $26,995 ($1,000 less)

So this year you get more grunt, better handling and a better deal....go check them out. The dealers are having their open days soon so go have a test ride of the 103 motor, you're certain to be impressed!

No Hopers Poker Run

Every year I look forward to the No Hopers Poker Run. It's held in September and those hillbillies certainly know their way around the country roads. Their clubhouse is up on the Hampton Range and most of them live around the Esk, Hampton, Ipswich, Crows Nest areas, so riding around those roads is second nature to them.

Their run gets around 100-200 bikes each year and even though this year the weather wasn't perfect, with gusty wind, there was still a great turn up. They met at the Sundowner Hotel at Haigslea this year, took some great riding roads with 2 pub stops and then back to their clubhouse for drinks, a band, good food and great company.

This is the ride that I had my accident on last year where another bike slammed into the back end of my bike, but fortunately there were no accidents this year, and normally it's all incident free.

I didn't take many photos this year, once again busy riding and partying, but my friend Cath was kind enough to pass over a few that I've attached below.

Look out for this ride next year, the ride is always exciting and the party afterwards is not to miss. Cheers Donna
PS Beaker - where were you this year???

Invited so..... thought I'd drop in and say G'day......

Hi all, thought I'd say a quick hello........ Beaker asked if I would like to put some stuff up here, which I wil do as soon as I sort myself out..... LoL.
Lets just say I'm a 'mature aged' rider living on the Mid Nth Coast of NSW who enjoys getting out and about on my beast.....

I ride a GSX1400 'Black' that plays well with others while enjoying 'hunting' sportsbikes in the twisties ha,ha...........the 14 is a doddle to tour on being as docile as you wish while giving you a nice kick in the backside if you want to twist the wrist.......... Luv it!!

My backyard is country NSW with a brilliant biking road a mere 30 minutes away, The Oxley'.... where riders from far and wide come to play hard on 45k's of tight corners that open up onto fast corners and flats across the plateau to Walcha in the west.......

Anyways, enuff about me....... shall endeavour to put some rides up in due course.

Cheers, Rogues

Free

Harley Davidson BlackLine Review

The Harley Davidson Softail model has been a favourite of Harley riders since it was first introduced in 1984. There are more custom & aftermarket parts available for the Softail than any other model providing enthusiast’s loads of opportunity to make it unique and the 2011 Harley Davidson Blackline FXS Softail won’t be any exception to this with it’s already stripped down look.

Personally I found the standard off-the-floor model quite uncomfortable because of the punched out riding position and rather than finding the forward controls to be my greatest challenge, I found it difficult to comfortably reach the handlebars. Having said that, I’m sure lots of men (in particular) won’t have this problem.

The Split Drag Bars are mounted independently and even though the internal wiring provides a clean stylish look, they are not adjustable at all, being mounted straight to the top triple clamp. There is a pullback version available which brings the controls closer to the rider, but this version puts you in a more upright position which I didn’t find comfortable (or cool!!!). Burly Bars are currently designing bars to fit the model so they might be seen on some custom models in the near future.

The V-shaped slimline seat is one of the lowest on any of the big Harleys and together with the forward controls result in a very comfortable position (for some!). Even I found it quite comfortable at higher speeds when the pressure was off my outstretched arms. After slipping it into sixth gear down the open highway, in the cool evening air, the smooth-running engine gave me that “I could ride for hours” feeling. I think with some minor customisations this bike could be very popular.

The ground clearance is good and the bike is light and it tosses around pretty well for a big bike and stops well with the anti-lock braking system. The Blackline certainly feels much lighter than my Softail Deluxe weighing in at 294kgs. I love the Sedona Orange and Vivid Black combination or just Vivid Black rather than the Cool Pearl Blue option.

The 18.9 litre tank is uncluttered by instruments with only a fuel cap and centred Harley emblem. There is a noticeable gap between the nose of the seat and the fuel tank that exposes the top of the frame, which Harley state is intentional, but I personally didn’t see the point. The digital odometer on the small round analog speedo mounted between the handle bars is easily changed to display a clock, tachometer and 6 speed gear indicator combination or fuel mileage countdown with a flick of a switch.

With a Black Denim powder coated frame and swingarm, grey heads above black cylinders, black powder coated triple clams and black painted fork lowers, you’ve got to love black to love this bike. The simplicity of the fender design and combination rear indicator/brake lights leave the rear chopped fender looking clean and sleek.

The bike is powered by a rigid-mounted, internally counter-balanced 1584cc Twin Cam 96B engine with peak power about 3000 revs, but the bike is geared low so there is instant torque when you throttle on. It certainly hooks in, I had some fun on it!

Overall I was impressed with the Blackline (other than the uncomfortable un-adjustable handle bars). Its aggressive attitude suggests the bike will suit younger riders with heaps of opportunity for the usual customisation that makes a Harley an individual masterpiece.

Blackbutt - that's an understatement!

Hi everyone. Donna here again. It’s been a while and plenty has been going on, in fact I've diversified somewhat lately, taking up other adventurous sports which means I don't get to spend quite so much time on my bikes, but hey...life's all about choices, so as long as it's fun, bring it on.

I have done some riding of course! I was invited to pick up a brand new Harley Davidson Black Line to take home and test ride for 2 weeks, which was a privilege indeed. Unfortunately the handlebars were not adjustable, so it wasn't as very comfortable for a short arse like me and I didn't do quite as much riding as I would have liked to; plus it was the middle of winter but nonetheless, I did enjoy it and will write up a review soon.

I've got my boat and PWC licence recently and have found out just how much fun a jet ski is. What a blast! I absolutely love it; mind you falling off can be quite painful too, but hell if you can't push it to the max, where's the fun? If only there was more time for all the fun toys.

I had an accident last September, which I’ve not advertised. I guess I’ve been a little embarrassed by it all. I was on a Poker Run with the No Hopers; on the second leg of the run going up the Blackbutt Range when I was distracted by some friends with video recorders on the side of the road after we came around a corner (at high speed). I haven't been able to look at the video myself more than once, but it’s not often an accident like this is captured on video, so I’ll have a go at uploading it.

The guy behind me was distracted too and didn't react quickly enough, but I take my share of the responsibility for the accident and am just glad we both came away without any serious injuries. I was wearing leather and Kevlar and only sustained a LOT of bruises and a bent bike. I was lucky not to be run over after sliding down the road and as you will see quite a few bikes managed to avoid further collisions.

People have told me how lucky I was that day and others have told me how tough I was getting back on my bike and finishing the ride and partying till the wee hours of the morning, but I can tell you...I didn't feel very tough the next morning or for quite a few weeks. A bit of handy panel beating on the side of the road and I was off again, but it took months to get my bike repaired (luckily I have another one). It's better than ever now with plenty of new bling and I don’t recall my life flashing in front of my eyes, so all’s well that ends well.

The crash happened on the Blackbutt Range and I ended up with a seriously black butt; hence the title of this blog. Take care and keep on enjoying life.

Reflection

I have been unable to post any ride info for the last few months due to my lack of riding. This was and still is due to me not having a valid license for the period March 1 to August 1. It sucks big time, however, it is totally of my own doing. As we enter the best time of the year for riding, I have been reading many posts on various forums about rides that I would do if I could and thinking to myself that I need to have a serious re-think of the way I behave when on my bike. I do not consider myself to be a reckless rider - I do not put other road users at risk. However, because I was on the road every day for my commute to and from work, I considered myself to be more of a target for law enforcement than a weekend-only rider would be.

My biggest downfall has been getting booked for speeding - when it has happened I have never argued the point, nor have I been riding at outrageous speeds. Nearly every time, I seem to have been focused more on the road ahead of me than my speedometer, especially in the dark. Obviously the consequence of doing this is that I would lose track of how fast I was travelling, and when I rode into a speed trap, well you know. Perhaps I need to consider purchasing a GPS that warns me when I exceed the posted limit - I really don't know how good they are, but aside from that, it is going to require a conscious effort from me to not only watch the road, but also watch my speed.

I have always been a firm believer of making sure you know what is around and ahead of you when riding - now I need to change that a little. It won't be easy, but I don't want to go through this length of time not riding again....ever!!

It is all only talk at this stage - the proof will come when I am back on the road.

WHEELS ARE ON FINALLY....

We Deserve Better From The QPS

Why do they never want to listen? Why do these regularly ignorant traffic cops refuse to listen to anything from you when you are pulled over for breaking a traffic law whilst trying to protect yourself? The last time I was booked was in early March - it was one of these occasions.

I was riding to work and pulled up at traffic lights next to a car. I was watching this bloke because I could see he was playing with his phone. When the lights turned green the driver of this car decided to pick up his phone and try to text someone - in doing so his car swerved from his lane into the left lane where I was and then across into the lane to the right of the one he started in!! My natural instinct was to get away, and do so in a hurry. It just so happened that I was in the cross hairs of a coppers speed gun at that exact time.

The first thing he asked me after pulling me over was "Do you have any medical reason for breaking the posted speed limit?". WTF?? Doesn't life preservation count?? I tried to explain to this prick-in-blue what had previously happened, but he was not interested at all . He simply said to me that "That is no reason to break the speed limit".

Now, let me tell you something - whomever is trying to spread this bullshit about making roads safer by setting up more speed camera locations is totally ignorant. Had I been listened to, I think I had a fair case - the fact of the matter is that this prick-in-blue (and he was a first class prick) did not want to listen to me. I felt I was protecting myself from being hit, but not in a "legal" way - I will be the first to admit that I was speeding as I did directly to him, however, my life is far more important than breaking the posted speed limit!! The majority of Queensland Traffic Police treat all motorists the same, which is totally wrong - us riders deserve a little bit of leniency in situations like the above. We don't have the luxury of more than a ton of metal protecting us.

So, if you are serious Mr Commissioner Bob Atkinson, pull your head out and tell your enforcers to use a little common sense, because the Queensland Police Service is fast becoming the Department of Revenue for our state government and loosing a lot of respect with motorcycle riders!

Pull your head out Bob!!

Nearly...

Nearly there...just waiting on the discs....