V-Rods Are Cooled
I’ve been a regular subscriber for years and don’t get into sending in corrections as most are minor, but I just had to tell Donny to check the service manual for VRSC pages 6-20 through 6-26. My ’07 DX definitely has an oil cooler (arrow). Keep up the good work and thanks for all the V exposure.
Cuthru
Via Internet
Trike Yikes
Thanks for the article on aging by Don Gomo (Sept. ’08). I suspect printing such an article was a bit of a risk. Having recently turned 60, I’ve been facing age and injury issues for some time. I’ve ridden and researched trike conversions, believing that a trike is a good solution for me.
I think Lehman is the best choice, but I balk at the $15,000 cost to convert my Road King. I know two guys who bought much cheaper conversions, and both are extremely unhappy. I will not mention the brand so as to keep their lawyers from silencing the truth.
When I heard Harley was developing a trike, I got excited. I sent a letter to the Motor Company about how there are no reasonably priced trikes on the market, and I was sure if H-D came up with one, many people would be interested. Apparently, I have relatives at Harley-Davidson because it, like my kids and grandkids, don’t listen to me. I’m sure the new H-D trike is great, but $30,000? Geez, give me a break.
Harry Swofford,
Oregon City, Oregon
One For Gen
Genevieve, I just received my October issue of American Iron and was quite elated upon reading your article. It inflated my ego tremendously to know that you remembered our brief meeting and conversation at Ohio Bike Week, which happened at a time that had to be busy and hectic for you. It was an extreme pleasure to meet and talk with you!
The article you wrote concerning your adventures with Betsy and Pam (Aug. ’08) was hilarious! I reread it three times and laughed aloud each time. You and the rest are doing a fantastic job of cleaning up the image of biking, which has been much abused for many years. Keep up the good work!
Gordon Nestor
Via Internet
Two For Gen
Genevieve, I enjoyed reading your article in September American Iron. As a crazy, all-year-round rider from England, I wonder if I could make a few observations regarding why some of us in England ride 12 months of the year.
I had the choice of buying a second car — the first one being used by my wife for work — or using my bike for everyday transport. I commute about 50 miles a day, come rain or shine. I choose to do this, as I can’t afford a
second car with Road Tax and a yearly MOT (roadworthy test), which we have to pay for in the UK. I would also need insurance on the car, which would be way more expensive than the bike. For me, using the bike all year round is a viable option, and the only one which makes sense. What doesn’t make any sense is why England has so many sportbikes, such as the Fireblade or R1, yet we have more rain and bad conditions for longer than most of our nearest neighbors in Europe. We’ve been using these bikes for many years just for transport as well as weekend fun. We want to ride bikes not because fuel is cheaper, but because we enjoy the challenging way of life it gives us, and the camaraderie it offers.
Most bikes aren’t that fuel efficient compared to the average family car, the type we have in England and Europe with a 1.3-litre engine giving about 50-60 mpg. Some diesels make even more. Most sportbikes give about 35 mpg, which is quite a difference. It’s been said English riders notice that the range of the fuel tank is greater in Europe than at home in the UK. Many reasons have been given, but the bottom line is the roads are better and the traffic lighter. In France, a heavy truck will move over and let you overtake it. In the UK, the trucker will not budge — that’s the difference.
In your article you mention that “Decades of sky high fuel costs have forced people to use motorcycles as a practical means on a daily basis.” You’re quite correct that fuel prices in England are now sky high, and, compared to what they have been in many previous years and to the cost of fuel in the US, I guess gas has always been a lot more expensive compared to your market. It’s almost £6 a gallon now, which would be about 50 percent more than what I understand gas costs you.
You mention bikes as a more efficient mode of transportation if only on the grounds of cost of fuel. In England, the amount of traffic on the road during most of the day is so bad that a bike can often be the difference of getting into work on time or not. Going into London, the motorway (freeway) is often packed, as it’s only two lanes. Many bikes ride between the often stopped traffic, cutting many minutes off journey time. Bikes are used in courier work in the cities, as they’re the only type of transport that can get through the traffic. Once out of town, the courier on the bike will travel hundreds of miles in a day. It’s his livelihood in both summer and winter.
I’ve recently been looking at buying a Harley again. Why, you might ask, would someone living in the land of perpetual rain want to ride a bike which was designed to be ridden only occasionally when the sun shines and the roads are flat, wide, and without too much traffic? The answer is a simple one. Each journey is an adventure. The challenge of riding in the rain, the cold, slipping through traffic jams whilst laughing at the cars and trucks who pretend they have not seen you as they wish they were riding with you. The Harley fits the bill perfectly. It allows me to be in contact with nature through the bike; it’s like it’s alive, it has soul. There’s not much luxury about it, it’s a back-to-nature type of experience. It requires input from me, something that the car requires little of as I would be too busy on the phone, watching/listening to the GPS, retrieving my e-mails as I join the daily trudge to work and back as well as the 4,000 miles we just covered in Europe.
Don’t get me wrong, cars have their place, as you said, like taking Charley Girl down to the vets. I would not want you to exchange your Ford Explorer for your Street Glide just so that you can save two bucks a gallon on gas. I would ask you to keep the Explorer, keep the Street Glide. Fill both up with gas, park them up next to each other, and the next time you feel fed up with the pressures of life walk out to where they’re parked, take a long hard look and work out which one will put the smile back on your face. I know which it is, and I’m sure you do, too. That’s why you have a page in the mag. Forget saving gas — go burn some.
Reg Walker
Via Internet
Magazines Overseas
Last month (July ’08), I renewed my subscription online to American Iron Magazine, but have yet to receive an issue. After reading each issue front to back (with much care), I forward them to soldiers in Iraq so that they have something to read. The (carefully viewed) issues of AIM are sent to a NYC public school teacher from PS 46 in the Bronx, New York, now a captain in the US Army with several young enlisted men (who love Harleys and your publications) under his care and command in the 133rd QM Company. His name is Captain Tony Plata. My wife, a kindergarten teacher in the same school, has made a commitment to send him and his company letters from the kids, as well as back issues of magazines, candies, and many other items that will remind them of all the people that are behind them 100 percent and pray for their successful and safe return home. Anyway, knowing just how these young boys await each issue as much as I do, I was wondering when the next issue is due to arrive.
Jose Umpierre
Bronx, New York
Glad to hear you are doing so much for our guys and gals serving overseas. As for the issue, sometimes if the renewal is just outside of a specific time frame, it can take a couple of months for it to get started again. It’s just the way the computer system is set to run, which we can’t change. Sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. By the time you read this, all should be working as planned again.
That Makes Three For Gen
Ms. Schmitt, I wanted to comment on your recent article in American Iron. Most of what you wrote I agreed with. For example, I truly do love my “creature comforts” and it’s impossible for me to take my dog to the vet on my Harley Sportster! It’s even more impossible to haul my horse to the vet. Besides that, eastern Oklahoma does require air conditioning!
My job (I teach English at a two-year college) allows me to show up for work in jeans and change into casual clothes before starting my day. Actually, what I do is keep a change of clothes in my office. At first it seemed like a hassle, but I’ve quickly learned it’s not all that bad.
There seem to be more and more bikes on the road here in eastern Oklahoma (I live about 40 miles south of Tulsa). When gas began costing me $70 plus every time I filled up, I began thinking seriously about buying a motorcycle. That’s a major attitude change for me because I’m 57 and have never owned a motorcycle.
In fact, because I’m 57 and keep an eye on what the stock market is doing (especially because of my retirement plan), I’ve learned that at least some of the “experts” don’t expect oil to ever go back to what it was a year ago. That means, at least for me, that gas will remain way too pricey, and my new Harley (40 mpg so far) is going to get a lot of miles put on it. My Ford pickup (15 mpg) will stay in the driveway as much as possible. Realistically, however, I don’t expect to ride my bike every day this winter, but I have purchased cold-weather riding gear and will soon get heated handgrips installed.
All of this is my way of saying that my attitude has taken a severe shift. Speaking for myself, I believe that buying a bike for primary transportation makes sense. And, based on the number of bikes I see daily, I’m guessing that since I thought about economizing, others probably came to the same conclusion long before I did. What I’m saving on gas each month, so far, is making about half my bike payment. And, while many of the Harleys I see do have all the “creature comforts,” I opted for a 2008 Harley 1200N — the Nightster — and plan on keeping it fairly stock. It’s going to be my daily driver as often as possible.
Since this is all new to me, I’m excited about all the possibilities and enjoy what others have known for a long time — that riding is a cool leisure activity — but riding as a primary means of transportation makes sense money-wise. I don’t want to be held hostage by the oil companies. They
get enough of my money anyway.
Stuart Tichenor
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Digs Donny’s Book
I just finished reading the newly released
Donny’s Unofficial Guide to Harley-Davidson, 1936-2008, Volume I: The Twin Cam. For what it’s worth, I thought I’d give my opinion. The book was enjoyable to read, and while being humorous at times, it is the most informative and specific technical read pertaining to H-D engines that I’ve encountered. Photographs, charts, and part numbers help the reader along with the thorough explanations.
This book is for the serious minded. Hats off to Donny Petersen! Tighten it up with Volume II, Donny!
Chris Matthews
Bushnell, Florida
Meeting Readers
Chris, thanks for taking the time to speak to me. I’ve been riding since 1965. I started with a 1961 Triumph Tiger 250. I ran it for about a year and a half. After I got out of the Army in 1970, I bought a 1971 Mach II Kawasaki. After five years of blowing smoke, I bought a 1976 650 Yamaha. What a horse. I rode it until 1991, when I bought a new Sportster 1200. In 2001, I traded my Sporty for an Ultra Glide Classic, which I love dearly. I can’t imagine riding any other bike. Your magazine is so interesting to read, with easy-to-follow tech articles. You guys do a good job. I’m a retired elementary teacher who still subs now and then, plus I teach motorcycle safety at Illinois State University.
Mike Thomas
Bloomington, Illinois
AIM 
January 2008 Letters 
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