August 2009 Letters

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Ultra Happy
During an unplanned delay at the airport in Phoenix, last September, I stumbled across an issue of your magazine with an ’09 Ultra on the front cover. As a longtime touring rider, I have always been attracted to the Ultra. So I read the article word for word several times before I got home. I had ridden a six-cylinder metric touring bike over 93,000 miles before retiring it and purchasing a metric V-twin just to get away from the bulk and clumsiness of the big bike. What I found was that V-twins have more of a personality to them and a whole lot more legroom to stretch out on the highway. But I greatly missed the amenities of the touring bike. Well, the very next day I visited the local H-D dealer in Albany, Oregon, and laid eyes on my new bike.

I have already put 6,000 miles on it, and I’m leaving for the Laughlin River Run. I have to tell you that the article you wrote about this bike is the most accurate road test I have ever read. This bike is without a doubt everything you depicted and more. I have never been happier with a bike in the over 30 years I’ve been riding on the street. Thank you so very much for your great mag and articles. You sold me on my first H-D. You also have me as a new reader. I haven’t missed an issue since September of ’08. Keep up the great work.

Steven R. Smith
Lebanon, OR

Dynamic Duo
This is me on my 1958 Panhead Duo Glide, close to one of the most beautiful volcanoes in Costa Rica. My first Harley was a 2000 XLH, but I always dreamed of an old Pan. Pura vida from Costa Rica!

Tito Araya
San José, Costa Rica

7th Inning Stretch
Here’s a shot of me and my bike on top of the San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona. The bike was built from the ground up, with 93" Pan, and a whole lot more.

Dale Hoffman
Flagstaff, AZ

The Big Two-Oh
I’m a longtime subscriber to your fine magazine and eagerly read each issue cover to cover. I noticed a minor error in your “blast from the past” recap of important stories (April ’09) documenting milestones in American motorcycling during AIM’s first 20 years. In that article you indicated that the FLHR Road King was introduced in 1995. If my memory serves me
correctly, the Road King’s first year was 1994. I ordered my first Harley in June 1992. I wanted a sport-touring version of the Electra Glide. My only choice was the 1993 Electra Glide Sport (FLHS). It was delivered 13 months later. After spending a great deal of money installing chrome covers on various components of the raw aluminum engine, I was chagrined by Harley’s decision to produce the Road King with its chrome and black engine, and discontinue the Electra Glide Sport the following year.

I still own, ride, and enjoy the ’93 FLHS, as well as the last Harley I
purchased, a 2005 Ultra. As the FLHS has not merited much attention by Harley history buffs, can you let me know what years the FLHS was
produced? I have been told it is a
relatively rare model.

Dan “Danno” Wehr
Slidell, LA

You’re right! The Road King (FLHR) was introduced in 1994. As for the Electra Glide Sport (FLHS), it was produced from 1987 to 1994.

Northern Exposure
Do we look happy enough as we ride to Long Beach on Vancouver Island? This is our 2000 Dyna Super Glide FXD with a little extra chrome and nicely beefed up to a 95" engine. Just about any weekend in the summer we can be found touring the island, or heading to the mainland for further adventures.

Gord and Cheryl Coburn
Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Part Of The Family
After 16 months in Iraq and 16 years in the Army, I finally was able to join the family! I purchased my first Harley: a 2000 Road King Custom. I’ve been an avid reader for years and have been waiting to own a Harley for a long time. I am extremely pleased with your highly informative DIY articles in each and every issue. My hat’s off to you and your staff. I can’t wait to see you at the next event I attend. Ride hard and ride on!

Sgt. 1st Class Chad C Eades
1st Infantry Division Aviation Brigade
Fort Riley, Kansas

Worth the Wait
I waited till Harley finally came out with a color that I couldn’t resist, and graduated from my 2002 Road King to a 2008 Ultra. Here’s a photo of my road trip down through the Jersey Pinelands to the Naval Air Station Museum in Wildwood.

Hank Frank Jr.
Metuchen, NJ

The Biking Family
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, December 14, 2008, and I was stopped and waiting to make a left into my favorite watering hole. There were only three vehicles on the road: myself, the car coming from the other direction, and a F250 pickup about half a mile behind me. As I waited for the oncoming car to pass I heard tires lock up behind me; I looked in my mirrors and watched the back of my custom-built 2003 Yamaha Stage Four Warrior explode. I knew that the truck was back there, but I was so far left that my left foot was sitting on the painted dividing line. How much room did that damn truck need to safely go around me? Then the lights went out and came back on as I and my bike hit the asphalt. It’s amazing what 670 pounds of motorcycle sound like when it hits the road. As I rolled off the bike, I could hear friends running over to me yelling, “Biker down; call 911.” I slid my right leg out from under the bike and to my surprise my Timberland hiking boot was not on, but I could see it pinned under the bike with the laces still laced up tight and facing toward the back of the bike. That is when the blood started soaking through my sock and the wrenching pain set in. All I could do was to grab my helmeted head and rock back and forth as my brothers and sisters told me that an ambulance was on its way and to lay still. It was impossible to lie still due to the pain.

The cops arrived, then the fire department, and then the ambulance, all in about 15 minutes. The driver of the truck told the cop that she was looking at the Gulf of Mexico and not where she was going. She was given a ticket for reckless driving. I spent three hours in surgery as they put my right foot back together. I almost lost it.

As I lay in the hospital with my foot up in the air and six pins sticking out of it, I decided it was time to purchase a Harley. I have been riding for almost 40 years, and this was the first time I had been hurt on any of my bikes. I called the closest Harley-Davidson dealership and put a down payment on a 2009 110" Screamin’ Eagle CVO Fat Bob.

Today is February 20, 2009, and I still have the pins sticking out of my foot and a Wound Vac applied to pump out bad blood and pull in good blood. My new bike is still waiting for me at the dealership. As I lie here in my sister’s house, incapable of taking care of myself, I am amazed at how my local biking community came together to help me. I spent Christmas and New Year’s with a friend’s family, and had brothers and sisters lined up to take me to my doctor’s appointments. They went shopping for me, kept me company, and treated me as if I were blood kin. Even people I didn’t know called me and wished me well. Bikes are the great leveler of all playing fields. It doesn’t mater what you do for a living or where you come from. All that matters is that you ride. We truly are kindred spirits. We all have a common love of bikes and community, and an unyielding spirit of caring and giving. In two more months, I will hopefully be riding my new Harley with my biking family; God love them.

Harry Meier
Panama City Beach, FL

Yo, Isaac!
I thought you might like this photo of my husband, Warren, and our grandson Isaac. We gave Isaac his motorcycle for Christmas last year, and he was tickled pink when we rode up on our 2009 Softail Custom yesterday. It was the perfect day to get some pictures of them together.

Lisa Hice
Via Internet

Hot ’Rod
As you can see, I’ve done quite a bit of work to my V-Rod. It has custom paint from JE Illusions, along with a Breathless Performance air box cover that was custom-fiberglassed to accommodate three Dakota Digital gauges. Some of the other mods include a CFR 2-into-1 exhaust with a H-D Race Tuner, Carlini handlebars, Weld Racing wheels (with a 240 kit out back using a HogPro widened swingarm), and a Rick 4.9 gallon fuel tank. I do all of my own work, and custom-made some of the parts that are on the bike.

Mike Martelli
Via Internet

Parts, Please!
This is evolving into a general problem, more so than my problem. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can’t find parts for my ’99 FXSTC, such as alloy wheels, wider tires, consoles, lighting, etc. I’ve ran across others with FXSTCs who are having the same problem. Where are all the ’99 FXSTC parts? I’ve been to many web sites, but to no avail. Should we sell them for scrap iron and buy new bikes? Help!

Ronnie Barham
Seguin, TX

Ronnie, here’s your letter. Let’s see what our readers come up with.

Two-Fer
Here’s a pic of my Harleys, a 100th anniversary Deuce, and a 105th anniversary Heritage Classic. My wife’s been there for 99 percent of the miles on both; she won’t ride herself, only behind me all the way, every day, rain or shine.

Chico and Karen Caldera
Glencoe, MO

Pinhead
This is my 2005 Victory Kingpin. It’s Solar Red, has a Stage I upgrade, and Victory Hammer bars. Hope you like it as much as I do.

Dave Plante
South Attleboro, MA

iPod System Seeker
I’m wondering if any of your readers know where I could get an iPod-driven sound system for my Harley FLHT Standard. I’m aware that you can purchase a radio system that can play your iPod, but I don’t want a radio. I just want to run my iPod through a system (possibly an aftermarket amp and speaker setup) that uses the stock speaker location on my Harley Standard. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

“Cash”
Via Internet

Sandy’s Got the Bug
Since I was bitten by the Harley bug, I’ve put over 11,000 miles on my 105th anniversary Fat Boy in less than a year. I’ve been on several road trips, including rides to the Tail of the Dragon, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Daytona Bike Week. The next big ride will be out West, and will include a stop in Sturgis. Harley-Davidson has helped create many lasting memories for our family.

Sandy Davison
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Hotter ’Rod
I bought my 2006 Cobalt Blue VRSCD from Harley of Cincinnati. Most of my mods were small at first, just little cosmetic things. Almost three years later, the mods have gotten more extensive, and I have the bike pretty close to the way I want it. Along the line, some of my modifications were removed in favor of better ones, and I’m proud to say I’ve done all the work myself, except for the pistons and valves. One last thing, my wife just traded her XL883L for her very own 2009 VRSCAW, so now we’re a two V-Rod family!

Jack “Jay” Johnston
Via Internet

Old Yeller
I’d like to see some older bikes and older bikers, guys who have been riding hogs 40-plus years and still ride 25 or 35 year-old Harleys, and put thousands of miles on them every year. We don’t really care what our bikes look like, just as long as they run. We basically live on them, and everything we need is carried on the bike, like you see here.

Peyton
Via Internet

On a Roll
I’m the guy who did the faceplate for Steffi’s Italian V-Rod (April ’08). Here I am, rollin’ on my own V.

Robert J Stidham
Via Internet

A Dog’s Life
Here is a picture of me on my 2007 Ultra Glide with my best riding buddy, Ernie (a Brussels griffon), riding in his T-Bag carrier. Ernie enjoys the Harley as much as I do, and he’d love to see himself in AIM’s Letters section.

Stephen Janny
Nazareth, PA

Double J
Here’s a picture of my friends Jeff and Joy Little cruising along Route 68 in western Maryland. Jeff works for Harley at the York facility. He’s piloting a 2008 H-D Classic. They would be tickled to see their pictures in your fine mag.

Tom Smith
Hanover, PA

Hello, Elijah!
The attached photo shows me on my 2003 FXD, customized with full
forward controls and all chrome, plus my grandson Elijah beside me aboard his equally customized wooden replica.

John Brodnax
Chandler, AZ

AIM