Geezer Glides are not so bad, even for young riders. My first was an 1980 Tour Glide, the precursor to the Road Glide. Had that one in my mid twenties and was good for riding late into the chilly Canadian autumn without freezing your @$$ off. A nice sickle at the time but a bit homely by today's standards.
Last edited by tommyglide; 09-15-2008 at 11:26 PM.
If you don't start out with a touring model eventually you will probably want to own one. Various reasons why you "upgrade" are usually practical and personal in nature.
When i was younger i had jap bikes everywhere from 350cc to 650cc. They satisfied me then, but my tastes have changed. I now ride longer diistances and want to take or buy more things where i travel. When i owned my first bikes my wife did not ride with me very often. We are now both retired and look at things differently. She says our current 08 Fat Boy is "ok" for riding comfort but would like to be more confortable and have extra loading capacity.
When i bought the Fat Boy i was not going long distances, but both of us like to ride and since we are reaching out greater distances when we do go out we both came to the same conclusion that a touring model would beter suite our riding style and goals. The looks of the new 09's with the new improvements made up my mind, so we went out and ordered an 09 Road Glide.
Evolve or stagnate!
__________________ 2010 Tri-Glide Ultra Classic
Tallmadge, Ohio
Riding is everything... everything else is just waiting!
I'm 43. My first & only motorcycle is a 2003 Road King Classic.
I thought long and hard about how I'd use the bike - fun rides, with or without a passenger, commuting, etc...
As with most other things I've bought over the years, I'm of the opinion that it's better to 'do it right the first time' than to get the bare minimum, and then 'upgrade' at a later time. This has worked for me when buying trucks, boats, my house, etc...
Basically, I wanted/needed a bike with saddlebags & a comfortable seat. I want/need a windshield. I've tried taking the one off my RK. It's OK for around town, but I would HATE to ride on the highway without a windshield.
If the Street Glide was around in '03, I would have gotten one then. As it is, I'm still very satisfied with my RKC. But if the MOCO comes out with a Screamin' Eagle Street Glide, I'm in big trouble.
My first bike was a HD Sportster. It was great fun and looked fantastic. It just was not comfortable to ride for more than an hour at a time. I bought an ElectraGlide four years ago and love it. It is very comfortable for both me and my wife, especially for longer rides, and it sure is convenient to have bags to carry our stuff in. There is no going back now that we have a bagger. Does that mean that I am old? Yeah, maybe, but I prefer to consider myself wiser.
I just did a 1200 round trip this past weekend home to Louisiana on my Electra Glide Classic, had all the room I needed for clothes, covers, tools, etc. Did I mention you set'er in @ 80 mph and it rides like luxury liner even on I-20! Wouldn't have anything else and I'm just a young 50 something!
I'm still a couple years away from 30, and I picked up an Electra Glide Classic early this year.
My first Harley, a Nightrain, I was barely off the dealer's floor when I was swapping for a solo seat. Decided I didn't want to carry a passenger. After a while, I realized that this bike wasn't too practical at highway speeds for multiple hours. At the same time, my girlfriend began to take an interest in motorcycles, and made it quite clear that she would like to start riding along with me. However, I didn't want to take that really cool Nightrain, and "ruin" it by bolting on a windshield, soft saddlebags, passenger seat and backrest, etc... so I kept telling her she would have to wait.
On a trip to Key West, FL, I rented an Electra Glide in Orlando & rode down - that was pretty cool, and I got a good feel for the bike, but it was another 2 years before I bit the bullet and bought a bagger of my own. I surprised my girlfriend with "our" new bike on her birthday, complete with her own backrest. Lucky for me, turns out she really enjoys riding.
I still have the Nightrain - this was my first summer with 2 cycles to choose from. Until I buy a house with a garage to call all my own (hopefully this winter!), I only have space to park 1 at my place - the other is at a relative's garage not too far away. So for the most part, it's been bagger for 2 weeks, Softail for 2 weeks, and repeat.
If I'm riding a "Geezer Glide" before I'm even 30, what am I supposed to do when I cross over 55??
You did what I couldn't... maintained the solo badassitude of a darked out custom. I sold out and put the back seat, sissy bar/pad, and luggage rack on my Street Bob... all to please the lady.
Quote:
Originally Posted by street bob
I ride a street bob now, but my next scoot will be a street glide. Love to have foot boards and music.
This could have just as easily been a quote from me.
__________________ ===================== Rob 2007 FXDB San Diego, CA
John 1:14
It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the LORD. ----Abraham Lincoln
I put a mustang solo seat on my street bob, and I put the luggage rack on. I hang my saddle bags off of the luggage rack. I've ridden that bike from north east Ohio to Tennessee and North Carolina and this past May I rode down to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The street bob rode perfectly and quite comfortably.
Still want a street glide though, maybe in a couple more years.
Last time I was up on I-20 I fell asleep at 70 mph. I awoke with a start as soon as I hit the ditch.
The ditch ride was smoother than I-20 and that was what woke me up.
Yea you are right there are some bad spots between Shreveport and Monroe oh that's the whole thing had a smooth trip thanks to that big Electra Glide Classic. Wouldn't own nothing smaller for the long haul! I'm just an old fat guy though.
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