I'm not sure about the "ok" part (see below), but thanks. And I love the Ural, too! It now has over 2,800km and is running like a top. The cold rains finally let up enough yesterday to allow riding it to work on the afternoon shift last night; the metal leg shields and big windshield kept me in a nice, still pocket of air and made for an enjoyable ride. It was down to 8C by the time I left to go home but I didn't need to plug in the electric vest because I was quite warm in my cold weather riding gear.
As for being "ok", well, the jury is out on that one. Had an emotional moment yesterday morning when I dropped off my '04 FLHT at the dealer. He has found me an '06 FXDI that should be here late next week. I had changed my mind about wanting a black one and expanded my options to either the silver or red. My new bike is the Fire Red Pearl colour and I can't wait to see it!
Went to the local Harley dealer (Motosport Plus) early this morning to attend their demo ride. The big HD semi trailer was there when we arrived at 9pm and they were in the process of unloading the fleet, so we went inside to stand in line for registration. The roads were very wet this morning and Harley won't do demo rides in those conditions, so although everyone filled out the waivers we still had to wait until the pavement was dry. So after securing our spots on the list, we rode off to Denny's for brekkie and then returned to hang around and socialise with the other riders afterwards. The Ural, as usual, got a lot of interest but surprisingly few people ventured over to ask about it. I deliberately parked nose-in so that I had to use the reverse gear to back out when we left for brekkie - that sure raised a lot of eyebrows. Because Angie and I had company due to arrive in the early afternoon we could only hang about until noon; by then the rain had stopped and the sun was out but the roads were still wet, so we reluctantly surrendered our spots on the list. We were #15 and #16 with three people ahead of us wanting the Softail Deluxe (which was Angie's only choice) and at least that many wanting to take the Street Bob out as well, so chances weren't very good that we'd get a ride until later in the day anyway.
When we told the demo ride reps that we had to leave, the one cute French chick took pity on me (I have the "puppy dog" look perfected from years of practice) and gave me a handfull of Harley stickers as a token of sympathy. The dealer took Angie aside and told her she could take their floor model Deluxe out for a ride next week, which I thought was pretty nice. But Angie, ever so much more responsible with her finances than I, graciously declined and told them she wouldn't be ready to buy it for another two years anyway.
On the upside, I'll be able to give a ride report of the FXDI Super Glide within a few days, as the dealer confirmed that it will arrive before next Friday.
Today's the day! All I have to do is suffer through 8hrs of work first and then I'll be on my way to Motosport Plus to pick up my new Harley. Will post pics later tonight!
There's 446km on the odometer of my new Superglide now and it's time for a first impression ride report...
On 20 Oct 05, with the memory of my '04 FLHT Electra-Glide Standard still fresh in my mind, I swung a leg over my new '06 FXDI Superglide hoping I hadn't made a terrible mistake. I was immediately aware that this new Dyna felt much lighter than the FL - it was surprisingly easy to lift it off the sidestand and the low seat height allowed for full boot contact on the pavement. Physically, the new bike is smaller and roughly 130lb lighter but at 5' 10" I find this bike still fits me very well. General consensus is that I do NOT look like a circus bear riding a moped, so that's a good thing. I had the dealer install the forward control kit before I took delivery, as I had sat on the new Street Bob the week before and knew that the standard mid-controls would not be a good idea for my arthritic knees. At first I found the leg reach to be a bit excessive, but after 446km I'm starting to get used to it and it's actually quite a comfy riding position.
There are a few annoyances that have cropped up, so I'll describe them first. The ignition key, to borrow a quote from a Harley forum, "sucks out loud". The placement is on the right hand side of the steering neck, which makes for an awkward reach while sitting on the bike. It also means that the plastic security system remote control key fob flutters about at speed and will probably rattle itself to death against the frame within a few days of riding. But what really bites is that the ignition switch is spring loaded - when you turn the key to the "off" position it pops right out and if you're not prepared for this you'll be spending a few embarrassing moments scrabbling about on the ground to pick it up. There is really only one way to shut off the bike; use the kill switch first, turn the bars to the left, reach wayyy forward and grasp the key, then turn it past the "off" position towards the "fork lock" setting. This will retain the key long enough to allow you to dismount the bike and remove it while standing next to the bike. I really think Harley should have spent more time on the switch placement and operation.
The sidestand also takes a bit of getting used to; when retracted it is invisible while sitting on the bike and its location is such that one has to twist to the left, hang the knee out in your best Rossi impression, and take a few tentative pokes with your heel behind the primary cover to locate the sidestand tab. Eventually you get used to it but not before marking up the left side of the engine with your boot.
The Dyna uses a different rubber mount system for the engine than the big FL and that difference is noticeable. The Superglide doesn't shake as much when idling but at low to mid range speeds it allows more vibration to reach the handlebars. It's a noticeable low frequency buzz that doesn't get annoying until the upper rev levels in each gear; then it becomes very pronounced and shakes the mirrors so much that looking into them makes you wonder if this is what the world looks like from a marital aid's point of view. Once you learn to keep the revs in the sweet spot of each gear, the vibration is tamed to the point where you hardly notice it and the ride is actually quite pleasant and smooth.
The suspension is firm and the ride quality is harsher than the FL. But this is to be expected, my butt had been seriously pampered by the air shocks, wide seat and big tires of the Electra-Glide and to compare the ride quality of the nimble Superglide to the touring rig really isn't fair. Sort of an apples and oranges thing. But the 49mm front forks and coil spring rear shocks do a great job of keeping the bike firmly planted on the road and the bike swallows up most road imperfections without complaint. But really sharp dips or washboard surfaces can't be processed fast enough with this suspension and at times it feels like I'm on a rigid-framed chopper. I'm going to drop the shock preload settings to soften up the rear a bit but those massive front forks and skinny front tire are non-adjustable and I'll have to learn to live with them.
The throttle grip needs to have a lighter return spring on it, as I found my wrist was cramping up from the effort of keeping it steady on a long ride. It seems to have a two stage spring tension rate somehow; at 80-90kmh it's very easy to hold the grip steady but once you get above that it keeps trying to drag it back down to a lower speed. Not sure if this is normal or not, so I'll be checking with the dealer to see if it needs adjusting.
Apart from these minor hiccups the bike is an absolute joy to ride and I don't regret trading over to it. The closed loop fuel injection system is flawless; just turn the key and push the start button and it fires up instantly with no hesitation, spitting, backfiring or bogging. It's a bit early to calculate gas mileage but the first two fillups have shown around 53mpg. I expect this to improve a bit once the motor is fully broken in.
The new six-speed transmission is absolutely amazing - it just does NOT feel like a Harley gearbox. Only a very light tap is needed to change gears and it does so with no crunching or complaint. The ratios are a little closely spaced for my liking (first gear is pretty much useful only for parade duty) and your foot is kept busy every time you leave or approach a stoplight. Fortunately, though, the new transmission is coupled to a new low effort clutch lever - believe it or not you can actually hold the lever in with two fingers now! It's about friggin' time Harley did this.
The 1450cc engine in its stock form is quite peppy and I don't think I'll need to do anything other than change the air filter to a K&N unit and swap the mufflers out to the Screaming Eagle ones. And before anyone starts mouthing off about loud pipes, note that these SE mufflers are listed as being 50 state EPA legal which means the noise level will be nowhere near that of the pipes on your obnoxious neighbour's Harley. In fact, no re-map of the FI is needed when installing these mufflers, it's only required when changing the air filter. Anyway, the bike seems to have plenty enough power for me and I doubt I'll need to do any internal mods to it.
It handles like a dream in the corners. Although I haven't pushed it yet due to the new tires, unfamiliar handling characteristics and the bloody cold pavement that October weather creates; I have tossed it about on some of my favourite corners already. The narrow front tire, massive forks and newly designed chassis really work well together and I'm confident that another 10-20kmh can be added to my favourite twisty bits without changing my internal "Holy Sh*t" sensor from green to yellow. The FLHT was no slouch in the handling department, but this new FXDI can easily run away and hide from it - and that's one of the prime reasons why I made the switch. The only fault I can find with the setup shows up when trying to do quick left-right-left maneuvers. It's predictable and steady but it takes a while for the bike to heel over, longer than expected and a bit unsettling at times. On a few really tight curves I found that I had to change my line halfway through in order to stay on the road. I suspect the rear tire is the culprit here - for 2006 Harley has increased it to a 160 and the extra width means it takes longer to roll the bike from side to side. But it also means more surface area to absorb sharp bumps so it's a tradeoff I can live with.
Fit and finish is the usual high standard. I've never been much for red bikes (although this is my third one) but this new Fire Red Pearl is very easy on the eyes and the bike gets a lot of compliments. The engines are now powdercoated in silver, which is a welcome change from the rough sand-cast aluminum finish of previous models. My '04 FLHT had the same powdercoat and it still looked good after 54,668km and countless washings, so I expect the new Superglide to retain its looks just as well. The new quick detach windshield system is really cool and easy to operate - a bonus for a clean bike fanatic like myself - but I worry that the average lowlife scum-sucking thief will find it easy to detach, too. I'll be changing the height of the windshield, as the low profile one on the bike now is too low for my liking and I get severe buffeting from it in strong headwinds. I have the standard height screen on order and it's due in shortly. The new solo seat is quite roomy and comfy; I might be able to save $400 by not having to upgrade to a Mustang seat like I did on my FL.
So overall I am quite happy with the bike and am looking forward to many trouble-free km's with it. It's not a big comfy road sofa like my FLHT was, but it is a lighter and more nimble ride - and that's exactly the reason why I wanted it!
When I first saw you picture I wanted to yell "my eyes, my eyes" because your smile was so big and bright it's almost blinding.
You have the look of a very happy individual.
If you are getting 53mpg on your new bike that is remarkable. My bike is a 650 and I figured out I also get 53mpg.
Someone I know with an 1100V-Star (which is a smaller engine than your new Harley) gets significantly less mileage.
Congratulations on your new ride. Too bad it's almost time to park it where you live.
Well, it was a regular episode of The Wild Kingdom out on the Parkway this morning... dodged a deer (narrowly missed it, too - damn thing came at me out of the right side ditch while I was halfway through a corner), avoided a bunny rabbit, yelled at a slow moving raccoon, saw a cat run across in front of me, caught a glimpse of something small and quick on the left edge of the treeline (fox?) and had a small heart attack when a dog tried to launch itself at me from the pedestrian walkway (but was fortunately restrained by his leash and his owner's grip on it). It's so dark out in the mornings now that I'm getting more and more paranoid about a bike/critter collision. The clocks go back an hour this weekend, so it'll be a bit lighter in the mornings next week and the forecast looks reasonably good for one more week of riding. That'll help me spot the dumb critters sooner on the road. I hope.
I'll have over 700km on the Harley by the end of today and so far I still like it. I'm getting used to the different riding position and have compensated for the increased exposure to the elements by putting on more layers of clothes for my morning commute; that and my electric vest are making for a fairly comfy ride and I arrive at work feeling only slightly chilled. I'm still waiting for Indian Summer but I don't think it will come this year, so Nov 5 is the date I'll be taking the Harley to the dealer for winter storage. But I'll still have the Ural to play with over the winter.
Mike 
Because Angie and I had company due to arrive in the early afternoon we could only hang about until noon; by then the rain had stopped and the sun was out but the roads were still wet, so we reluctantly surrendered our spots on the list. We were #15 and #16 with three people ahead of us wanting the Softail Deluxe (which was Angie's only choice) and at least that many wanting to take the Street Bob out as well, so chances weren't very good that we'd get a ride until later in the day anyway.
