Both Karla and myself own and ride motorcycles...amazing what these things can do for your stress level, and gas bill! We've also made lots of new friends, and reconnected with old friends in a new way. We've done some regional traveling, and lots of weekend riding, but the most rewarding mileage has been with the Patriot Guard Riders.
My bike is a 2007 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic in Fire Red Pearl/Black Pearl with the new 96 c.i. Twin Cam V-Twin and 6-speed transmission. I'm a daily rider, with a 40 mile daily commute, so I get lots of time to enjoy what a Touring-class Harley offers. Like most Harley owners, I've done a little customizing and am always thinking about what I can do to improve it. I've been concentrating on function vs. form but I'm definitely not above adding something strictly for looks. Currently, it's running a Stage 1 upgrade, including a Dynojet Power Commander III USB, Supertrapp SE slip-on exhaust and K&N breather. I've also added a Mustang Sport Tour seat w/H-D adjustable backrest, Clearview 19" windshield w/recurve, H-D Reduced-Reach handlebars w/internal wiring, Performance Machine Renthal grips, Lindby Customs crash bars, Fox Creek Leathers windshield bag, H-D Nostalgia saddlebag guard rails, H-D Road King chrome passenger footboard covers, and detachable passenger backrest w/luggage rack.
If you do your own regular service work on your Harley, like I do, you might find my Maintenance and Service Record spreadsheet helpful. It's based on the Harley-Davidson 2007 Service Manual for Touring Models. Download it here.
Karla had been riding her customized metric bike for a couple of years, but had been jonesing to join the Harley club. She knew the Softail Deluxe was the bike she wanted, as it was low enough that she felt comfortable on it. Still, the sticker shock prevented her from seriously considering it, and we spent quite a few semi-painful hours shopping for metric cruisers that just didn't seem to be much of an improvement over her current bike. Once she found a Harley dealer that allowed her a test ride on a Deluxe, all indecision went out the window. I could tell from the look on her face as she returned from the test ride, that this was "The One". Trigger pulled...
So what you see here is my beautiful wife, Karla, astride her beautiful 2009 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe. Still utterly stock, but I assume that condition won't be long-lived...
