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Stories of Bike EP4: Peak Hour

SHE'S ARRIVED!!

SHE'S ARRIVED!!

Yesterday morning I headed out to Temecula to pick up the new bike and I must say, I was pretty stoked.  I still miss having my little Sportster around but after four years of riding that I think I've graduated into a bigger ride.  I've been joking around about how I feel like "one of the big boys" now because, well...it's the truth.  I'm so used to being on a smaller bike that I haven't really felt like I've gotten the true Harley experience.  Cruising back from Temecula on the Deluxe was one of my longest solo rides!  I'd ridden out to Santa Monica, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades on the Sportster but I always avoided long rides due to the tank size.  I never wanted to be the one holding everyone up. With this new 5gallon tank, stops at gas stations will not be so regular.  Also, I purchased a ROK FORM motorcycle handlebar mount for my Samsung Galaxy S4 to clip onto.  This will be great whether I need to use GPS or if I wanna listen to some tunes.  I purposefully didn't buy a bike like a Road Glide or a Road King because I didn't want the big front dashboard taking up my view of the road.  I like to see as much as I can.  It is nice though having all the music and navigation covered with those types of bikes, so I am bringing some of those elements into my bike with accessories while keeping the motorcycle what it is...a motorcycle.  

The windshield really does make a huge difference and I'm glad I opted to go with one that has that capability.  It's a game changer.  The ride back from THE CHOPPER GALLERY in Temecula was a windy one to say the least.  Without that shield I would've been getting blasted.  It was definitely a much smoother ride on the freeway and comfortable despite the intense heat from our 104 degree weather.  I'm looking forward to some long rides this summer.  Just have to decide on which ones I want to attend.

Stay tuned.  On Saturday, I'm heading out to North Hollywood to get back to work on my friends 78' Honda CB750 Supersport.  With any luck we will be able to fire her up!  

A NEW MEMBER IN THE FAMILY!!

A NEW MEMBER IN THE FAMILY!!

After quite a lot of hunting around for a bike to upgrade into, I finally found one that I liked.  I originally had two other bike types that I liked, the Softail Slim and the Switchback but I ended up landing on this 2009 H-D VTWIN Softail Deluxe.  I love the vintage look it has and this isn't a color you see out on the road a lot, but it reminded me of classic cars from the 50's & 60's and I love that.  Since my last Harley was straight black and chrome I wanted to go a completely different direction this time around with some color.  Looks like I achieved that!

(56 Ford Fairlane)

(1960 Corvette)

I stopped by three different Harley dealerships to check to see if they had any Pre-Owned Softail Deluxe in stock but wasn't finding anything in my price range.  I decided to go the pre-owned route because it doesn't make sense to buy a brand new bike when there are SO many used bikes in California that are in immaculate condition and have barely been driven.  This was the first thing I regretted when I bought my last H-D.  For example, a brand new 2013 Softail Deluxe would cost around $18, 129 for a two-tone paint job like this.  I found tons of bikes online in the 12-15K price range, with all fairly low miles.  That's at least a $3000 dollar difference right there.  The bike I financed above only has 4,048 miles on it!!  This is about 600 miles less than I had on my 2010 Sportster before I sold it.  The other benefit here is that I won't have to pay for the five-thousand mile service because the place where I bought it has already done it for me.  That's more savings of at least $3-$500 dollars depending on where you take it to be serviced.

I had to pass on the private owners selling their bikes on Craigslist and Ebay because I wanted to finance the bike rather than pay that large sum up front.  Especially because I have good credit and know I can get a pretty low interest rate.  This was the next thing that separated one company from another.  Some places I called said their rates ranged from 14-24%, others said it would be a minimum of 13%, but finally I found something reasonable when I found the Chopper Gallery in Temecula.  My credit score is about a 692, which put me at a fixed rate of 7.29% through the company they use to finance (LBS Financial Credit Union).  This was considerably lower than every other place I'd checked.  I could have gotten it down even lower if I'd financed for 48 months rather than 60 but it wasn't going to be a big enough difference to merit a higher monthly payment amount.

It was a true gem finding this bike as the miles were low for the year and the condition was flawless.  If you are willing to look, there are some great finds out there.  The whole point of upgrading into a bigger bike was so that I am able to go on long rides and not have to pull over every 60-70 miles to fill up my gas tank.  The peanut tank on the Sportster was really great for around town but I have other bikes for that now.  I can even cruise down to LA without worrying about getting tossed around by the wind or running out of gasoline.  The front of the bike has a windshield so that will be a nice change from having bugs, rocks, and cigarette ash flying in face.

The feature I'm most excited about would definitely be the keyless start.  There is a small round puck that I just have to keep within 5ft of the bike in order to start it.  My keys and keychains won't be rattling against my paint job or frame, scratching it up any longer.  This is really convenient!  I will most likely be buying some sort of holster that clips onto the handlebars so I can put my phone up there for navigation purposes as well.  All in time.

The foot boards are so much more comfortable than pegs, it's unbelievable.  I'll be curious to see how my second passenger (girlfriend) likes riding on the back of this over the Sportster.  I may invest in a removable sissy bar down the line, but right now I don't want to add to much clutter to it.

What do you think?  Do ya dig it?

H-D BYOB EVENT - I SOLD MY HARLEY!!!

H-D BYOB EVENT - I SOLD MY HARLEY!!!

Yesterday, Saturday, May 3rd 2014 I decided to attend the event at Huntington Beach Harley-Davidson titled B.Y.O.B or Bring Your Own Bike, which was basically a SWAP MEET.  I registered to bring my Sportster to see if anyone would be interested in picking it up.  I really didn't think I'd sell it, but it'd be fun to attend anyway.  To my surprise, I was offered near asking price by the Dealership themselves.  I couldn't believe they were interested in taking it off my hands, but it makes sense that they have the ability to offer a lot of cash up front, and still make a couple bucks on it by financing it for the next guy who can't pay it all up front.  I really didn't foresee anyone else making me the kind of offer that they did, so I took them up on it!  It worked out nicely because I was going to have to pay for another year of registration, which was due in June and it was near time to have my 5000 mi service done on the bike as well.  Since there were only 4,600 miles in it when it sold I won't have to incur that cost either (it's not cheap).  Overall, I think we both got a good deal out of it.  

I wanted to move it because I really don't have a need for an "around town" bike anymore.  With my Four Honda's, those are going to be my daily riders and I am going to do some homework to find a bigger bike that would be better for long trips, whether it be Palm Springs, Vegas, or just Los Angeles from my home base, Orange County.  I have my eye on the H-D Switchback, which lists for around 16.2K.  It seems like the best deal for the style and look I find attractive in a bike.  However, I also like the Softail Slim, which are around the 15.6 price range but don't come with side bags.  I could also try and find a nice used bike but really love the idea of being the first owner on a bike, such as my Sportster.  We shall see I guess...I have some time to think about it.  I also need a new car, so I have to take that into account as well.

It was hard saying goodbye to my first Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, as it is for every guy who's ever owned one but you have to start somewhere in finding what you truly want in a bike.  I know she will end up in good hands.

1981 Honda CB650 Cafe Racer - Murphy's Motorbikes