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.
It didn't take Karla long to get tired of "riding bitch" and get the jones for her own bike, but we knew we'd have to do some careful shopping. She's a bit "vertically-challenged" and would need a low-enough ride to get her feet on the ground, but also with enough power to keep up with my Road King. Enter "The Karlasaki", a barely-ridden 2001 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic. The day we brought it home, it had been ridden less in 6 yrs than my '07 Harley had in 6 months! We tricked it out a bit with Vance & Hines Cruzers exhaust, Mustang solo seat w/backrest, Custom Chrome luggage rack, Cobra footboards and crash bars, and I lowered the bike 2", front and rear.
She got her license on a Friday, took the MSF Basic Rider Course that weekend, and hit the road. In one week, she did her first group ride (two of them), her first 100+ mile trip (two of them), rode in a 40 mph headwind, and a rainy night ride on I-85. No problem...
