Man, where do I begin? What an INCREDIBLE machine!
I've been riding bikes almost all my life - started off on little Honda Trail 70's up in the sand trails of Northern MI back when I was about 6 or 7 - Dad was a bike cop and was a great teacher.
Fast forward a few years and I went through various 'in between' bikes - you know, bikes that were just there to fill a temporary void, i.e. between cars. Nothing memorable.
In 2002, I purchased an older 93 1100 Shadow. Fun bike but eventually the novelty wore off and when I sold it, I swore I was done with bikes.
I've since moved to FL but have a great deal of friends back home in MI. Well I was visiting MI without a car and my buddy offered to let me putz around on his Sportster.
Now, even though I looked like a dang circus act on that thing being 6'3, I was immediately impressed with just how different the ride was - and then I really screwed up. He offered to let me have his Road King for a week while he was out of town.
OOPS. I knew I screwed up the first time I got on the interstate and let fly. Unreal the power and smoothness of that machine!
So after getting back to FL, I was in search mode looking for the perfect bike. I saw a few, they came, they went, missed a few on Craigslist, ebay, etc. But last week one popped up that was exactly what I was looking for - a '06 Ultra Classic, Extended Warranty till '13, 75K miles (35K on a new warranty-replaced engine) for $10K. I jumped at it and after a bit of back and forth with one of the friendliest and most honest dudes I've met on this planet, I drove it home from West Palm Beach to my place in Rockledge, FL.
My first impression after getting in this large comfortable bagger is 'why does this thing feel weightless'? I mean sure, I'm not getting whiplash from the acceleration but the handling of this bike is just flawless! The cruise is such a nice touch, everything is just incredible about it. Well, now it's time to make it 'mine'. Hence the wishlist.
1. Extend the floorboards - ordered via Harley Goodies
2. Chop the windshield - Prob use the DIY and do it tomorrow. Going to order the Ultra from Long Ride as a permanent replacement.
3. R&R the stock speakers - those are garbage. I like what I'm reading on the J&M 7.25's. I'm undecided as to whether I'll amp it or not.
4. Install True Track.
5. Have Mean City refurb my seat - it's pretty broken in after 75K
6. Heat Shields from Cap'n Itch.
7. Get a second job to pay for all of this!
Anyway, I'm looking really forward to making this bike mine - I hope to see a bunch of the vendors here at Biketoberfest as I'll definitely be up there looking for the latest and greatest.
-Tim
I've been riding bikes almost all my life - started off on little Honda Trail 70's up in the sand trails of Northern MI back when I was about 6 or 7 - Dad was a bike cop and was a great teacher.
Fast forward a few years and I went through various 'in between' bikes - you know, bikes that were just there to fill a temporary void, i.e. between cars. Nothing memorable.
In 2002, I purchased an older 93 1100 Shadow. Fun bike but eventually the novelty wore off and when I sold it, I swore I was done with bikes.
I've since moved to FL but have a great deal of friends back home in MI. Well I was visiting MI without a car and my buddy offered to let me putz around on his Sportster.
Now, even though I looked like a dang circus act on that thing being 6'3, I was immediately impressed with just how different the ride was - and then I really screwed up. He offered to let me have his Road King for a week while he was out of town.
OOPS. I knew I screwed up the first time I got on the interstate and let fly. Unreal the power and smoothness of that machine!
So after getting back to FL, I was in search mode looking for the perfect bike. I saw a few, they came, they went, missed a few on Craigslist, ebay, etc. But last week one popped up that was exactly what I was looking for - a '06 Ultra Classic, Extended Warranty till '13, 75K miles (35K on a new warranty-replaced engine) for $10K. I jumped at it and after a bit of back and forth with one of the friendliest and most honest dudes I've met on this planet, I drove it home from West Palm Beach to my place in Rockledge, FL.
My first impression after getting in this large comfortable bagger is 'why does this thing feel weightless'? I mean sure, I'm not getting whiplash from the acceleration but the handling of this bike is just flawless! The cruise is such a nice touch, everything is just incredible about it. Well, now it's time to make it 'mine'. Hence the wishlist.
1. Extend the floorboards - ordered via Harley Goodies
2. Chop the windshield - Prob use the DIY and do it tomorrow. Going to order the Ultra from Long Ride as a permanent replacement.
3. R&R the stock speakers - those are garbage. I like what I'm reading on the J&M 7.25's. I'm undecided as to whether I'll amp it or not.
4. Install True Track.
5. Have Mean City refurb my seat - it's pretty broken in after 75K
6. Heat Shields from Cap'n Itch.
7. Get a second job to pay for all of this!
Anyway, I'm looking really forward to making this bike mine - I hope to see a bunch of the vendors here at Biketoberfest as I'll definitely be up there looking for the latest and greatest.
-Tim