Harley Davidson and me

On January 13 of this year, I did something totally unexpected. I bought myself a Harley Davisdson motorcycle. I didn't start out to get one. It just sort of evolved into a purchase over the period of a couple years. Now that I've had it for a couple months, I have since asked myself numerous times... What took you so long?

I started riding motorcycles before I was driving cars. It's been about 47 years since I straddled my first scooter, a Cushman Eagle, and a great many motorcycles have been parked at my place from then until now. It wasn't all that long ago that owning another cycle was probably the furthest thing from my mind. Although I have always loved them and the feeling I get from riding, there was a time eight years ago when all I wanted was to just keep passing the periodic MRIs until the next time in another three months. The prognosis at the time was grim.

With all that pushed into the past, the old feelings of being my old goofy self again, albeit an older version, was alive and well. Having garnered a tentative green light from Sue, I began looking for a suitable ride. All I really wanted was something I could use to ride to work, and save a little gas in the process.

I have ridden mostly Hondas, Kawasakis, and Yamahas, so those were the first things I chose for my future purchase. Although they had some interesting options, they didn't quite fit the new me. My crotch-rocket days were behind me now, and what I wanted was a more comfortable ride. Some of the rides that interested me had a seat height too high for my current taste. Others that had possibilities were not reviewed well, and had certain qualities I wasn't interested in. Believe me, I looked at a lot of bikes. Some I sat on. Others only required a look to know that this wasn't the bike I was seeking.

I have never owned a Harley. In fact, I had never even sat on one up to now. I remember my dad's oldest brother had a Harley shop in Ohio, but I was very small, and I only have some old black and white photos to jog my memory. The Harley shop has been gone for decades, but I still remember the corner it was on and I could get there, even now.

In my case, I had stopped at a Kawasaki dealership, but left feeling more than a little disappointed. My last previous bike was a 900cc Kawasaki Ninja, and could blow the doors off of nearly everything on the road at the time. I didn't want another one like that, but I thought they might have something that would still interest me. They didn't.

The Harley Davidson dealer was down the street a couple blocks from there, so on a lark I thought... well why not take a peek, just for the hell of it. Chester's Harley Davidson is a well put together place. Their motorcycles are lined up and arranged in a way that calls to even the most novice rider. For someone like me, it was that much better. I met Alan, and he gave me a brief overview of my options. I sat on several and it was like it was everything I had been looking for. He offered to let me take one out, but I wasn't ready to commit yet. I still had to discuss it with Sue, before getting too in love with the idea.

Our discussion was fun, and I must have sounded like a kid before Christmas, talking about all the things I wanted under the tree. I received the next green light from her, so it was full speed ahead. Over the next week, Alan and I shared a few emails, and I made it clear, I was in the hunt.

When the day finally arrived, he had me try out three different rides. Each one had it's own personality, but the one that sang the best for me was a Sportster Super Low. It isn't the most powerful, but it felt perfect. I didn't expect to walk away with one that day, but I was ready enough to make the jump, and had already gotten everything I needed to make the purchase set, so it only took the tiniest of nudges to take the leap.

I used to drive to work in my car listening to the radio. I was never in a hurry and took my time, listening to my favorite rock or the local PBS station. These days, I still take my time, but the only thing that sings to me is the sound of my Harley's engine. There are some days when it's tough to finally turn into the parking lot at work, knowing that it wouldn't take all that much encouragement to take another spin around the block.

I haven't given much thought about longer rides and the like just yet, but I gave Sue her first ride ever on a motorcycle, and I think it opened her eyes a little of what it's like to straddle a motorcycle and feel the wind... and freedom.