Getting More Comfortable

O.K. I was feeling kinda guilty about not putting a pic of the Honda up, so here it is...my 2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750. A mighty fine bike if I do say so myself. Of course, I’ll be selling it in the near future as I already find myself riding the Harley more and more. Interested? Shoot me an email.

That brings me to the topic for this entry...after riding both for a month plus, I’d like to share my thoughts about both of them...pluses and minuses. Keep in mind, I’m a VERY new rider and I got the Honda as a “training bike”.

Harley Davidson 2009 Road King Classic:
http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/2009_Motorcycles/2009_Motorcycles.jsp?locale=en_US#/model/flhrc

This bike rocks! Being in Harley’s Touring Line, it’s a great bike for rider’s who want get out on the road. Even though I haven’t actually taken a road trip yet, I really think that’s the type of riding I’m going to prefer. The idea of getting out of town and riding to an interesting little town or some hole-in-the-wall restaurant and then coming back, all in a day, is really appealing to me. As a matter of fact, Kim and I are going out this Saturday to do just that.

But enough about that. As stated in my first entry, this bike is heavy. 810 lbs Running Weight (liquids, etc) to be exact. When you consider the weight plus a seat height just a tad under 27” with a rider, it can be quite a challenge for this lady biker to handle at a stop or situations where my feet are on the ground if the bike is anything less than perfectly upright. Now, with all that in mind, I did have the bike lowered 1” and I changed the stock seat out for a lower profile seat (less comfy, but not bad) which gets my feet more flat on the ground. As a newbie, especially a girl, feet on the ground is a good thing for obvious reasons. Much better control. Now, all that weight is not a bad thing. Where I have really come to appreciate it is in the ride. The Harley hugs the road like a dream. Cracks, little bumps, expansion joints, squirrels (I ran one over on my maiden run!), wind, what-have-you are barely noticed. With the Honda, my butt jumps off the seat quite often and wind definitely affects the handling. That’s rather disconcerting for this new rider. Also, I find myself more comfortable leaning into my turns on the Harley vs. the Honda. If you’d have asked me before I’d had a chance to ride both, I would have thought I’d have been more comfortable leaning on the Honda. Go figure.

So, for rides where I don’t anticipate much maneuvering or stops & starts, the Harley wins. Another great plus for the Harley is it’s “visibility”. I upgraded the headlights to High-Intensity, changed out the side mirrors to ones that have amber running lights on the backside and blink when my turn signal is engaged and changed out the tail lights to LED. http://www.harley-davidson.com/dwp/gma/dwp_gma_product.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524448769825&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374309290383&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374309290383&dwp_dealerid=51156&bmUID=1225425873228&bmLocale=en_US I also got a louder horn. And, I’m not afraid to use it! Of course, we can’t forget the pipes. Harley’s are loud and if you can’t “see me” perhaps you can hear me. The Coolness Factor...not to be bragadocious, but the Harley is just HOT! Kim and I pulled into Stroker’s http://www.strokersdallas.com/content.php?p=icehouse and numerous guys came up to check out our bikes. Of course, two women riding their own bikes, especially a RKC and a Fatboy, seem to be somewhat of an anomaly here in Dallas, TX. We/our bikes draw a lot of attention. If we were inclined to have a beer, we wouldn’t need our wallets if you catch my drift. (But, our policy is no drinking while riding.) Of course, don’t ask me a question about what’s “under the hood”. My eyes glaze over if you talk about a Dyno, fuel-mapping, cc’s and such. I confess, I’m more into the physical appearance. Call me shallow!

2004 Honda Shadow Aero VT750:
http://www.ridermagazine.com/output.cfm?id=773857

Weight is almost 300 lbs less than the Harley which makes it easier to handle at low speeds or at a stop. It’s nice and low to the ground, so both feet are planted nicely with no alterations for my 5’9” frame. The bike is very well-built. It’s a Honda after all. I don’t anticipate any mechanical problems and it always starts like a dream. While some of the forums recommended a smaller, less powerful bike for new riders http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/MotorcycleIntroA.html , I have found it to be a great training bike. It’s a cruiser, which was important to me since the Harley is a cruiser. I wanted a similar style bike to the one I knew I’d be riding. It’s 750cc, which has some get up and go, but it’s not so powerful that it will get away from you. For around town and quick trips, I prefer the Honda. At this early stage in my riding career, I feel more able to respond safely in an emergency situation due to the Honda’s lighter weight and maneuverability.

Bottom line, the Honda has been a great confidence builder, but will probably be sold very soon. Being an ’04, I hope to get out of it for what I paid for it...or very close to it. All in all, I’d do it again. The only thing I’d do different would be to get the training bike first...get used to it...sell it...THEN go buy a Harley. Ride safe!