The New Harley Davidson WIDE GLIDE 2012/ REVIEW

Wide Glide 2011 FXDWG: A Nimble Beast. Simple, Yet Elegant

Harley Davidson is testing a new program through their website.  It is a way to request test rides at your local dealership without leaving the comfort of your home.  I found this method of applying for a test ride easy and comfortable.  I’d recommend it to everyone.

My original ride choice was the Fat Boy Lo, but my dealer [Smith Brothers Harley Davidson of Johnson City] didn’t have one available to test ride. I then opted to ride the Wide Glide.  When I looked at this bike on the showroom floor, I was transported back to the days of the FX and the FXE Super Glide. 

The Wide Glide I was looking at in 2011 was reminiscent of the old AMF days, except for the super elegant appearance that our old AMF machines never possessed.  Oh, well that and the fact the engine today is 103 cubic inches (compared to 74” of AMF years), twin cam designed, uh- the huge 4.7 gallon fuel tank vs the 3.0 gallon tank.  OK I give up.  I know the differences are too numerous to count here, but if you look at it from all angles, you soon realize HD has tried to keep the lines reminiscent and true to the Glide of old.   I don’t know how that sits with the younger guys and dolls, but with me it’s what sets off sighs of happiness. 

The 2011 Wide Glide comes in 4 color themes: VIVID BLACK (my choice for a ride), Two Tone Big Blue Pearl with flames, two tone vivid black with flames, and two toned “ember red sunglow” with flames.  I’ve never seen a photo of the red, but I would like to.  I’ll bet it will be a popular color among the ladies. 

Now for the test ride: this bike’s seat sits at 25.5 inches: a perfect height for the folk who have a deficiency with their inseam like me [I stand at 5”4”].  The seat is quite comfortable for the notorious stock Harley Seat, but it’s designed with the leggy guy or gal in mind.  Its deep seat places the rider in a very comfortable butt hugging seat pan which places your weight perfectly in the center of gravity for this bike.  Unfortunately for us who are short on stature, this placement is a tad too far away for the safe operation of the rear brake.  The forward controls that come standard force me to scoot my posterior (ass) further up the neck of the seat, leaving little to no support for the butt cheeks and that sliding ass sensation while braking is kinda un-nerving at times.  If I were ever placed in a position when the rear brake needs to be used hard, I’d be in trouble. 

This shouldn’t cause you to NOT consider owning the FXDWG. There are very simple fixes either by changing the seat out for one that places you better or by making adjustments to the length of the brake pedal.  You just have to be ready to think out think the problem.  (I like adjusting the length of the brake, thus allowing my weight to stay centered.)

I took the bike along a river/lake route which affords the rider to get into the leans of the road, tossing the bike hard left or right and always enjoying the ride.  The 6 speed transmission however, never rose above 4^th gear during this portion of the ride. I needed to put her on the highway in order to feel that thrill of SIX GEARS!  The big 21 inch laced front wheel stayed well grounded through every maneuver I asked of the bike.  I even took the bike to a parking lot (empty) so I could do some hard breaking techniques with it.  The skinny front wheel with the Wide Glide front end handled admirably.  I loved it.  I’m a rider who hasn’t owned anything newer than a 1993, so bear with me when I gush about the “innovations” of the new and improved Harley Davidson.

How nice to ride a bike whose front suspension don’t nose dive.  (OK, so I’m talking from the perspective of a Sportster rider whose front end is very tired.)  I rode this motorcycle through the sharp “S” curves around the lake, 1 very good hair pin, and some roads that left a lot to be desired in the pot hole avoidance department.   This bike is nimble.  Its performance was nothing short of exciting with its   instant response at the throttle and her pleasurable lean angle: she seemed to almost bend around the 90 degree hairpin (well not like a sport bike, but for a big bike it’s impressive!)

On the highway, the 2012 Wide Glide didn’t suck ass either.  Her 103 inches and the fuel injected twin cam response to my pull of the throttle put her into 6^th gear quickly as I came off the ramp and onto the busy commercial truck laden lanes of I-26.  I easily pulled ahead of the traffic and hummed along the highway, avoiding the huge voids [potholes] in the cement left over from the previous ravages of winter.  The suspension didn’t disappoint, and the tracking and trail of the bike felt good too. 

This Wide Glide didn’t disappoint me.  I reluctantly returned to Smith Brothers Harley Davidson in Johnson City, Tennessee after a test ride that put me and the bike through our paces, afforded me a smile and a feeling of wonderment at the innovations Harley has provided over the years, and the feeling of great satisfaction of having ridden a factory production machine that allowed me to feel pretty damn good about its appearance and its performance.   I’d buy it.

YORK PA. HARLEY DAVIDSON GOES IN HOUSE WITH TRIKE BUILDS

Harley-Davidson reps announce trike production will be moved from Lehman Trikes, based in Spearfish, S.D., to the Springettsbury Township plant in York County.

"Our decision to move trike assembly is based purely on the restructuring of Harley Davidson's York operations, which now provides the opportunity for us to build trikes in house and streamline trike assembly and distribution," says Julie Chichlowski, director of Trike Platform at Harley-Davidson.

Production of trikes at the Springettsbury Township plant starts this summer, when work on 2011 models begins.

It's been reported on Fox 43 out of Harrisburg PA. that Harley is recruiting about 400 "casual" workers.  This announcement was made on the 13th, while the announcement for the in house trike builds was widely reported on January 18th.   Harley, rather than calling back and rehiring the hundreds of worker who have been laid off over the past 12 months, invited hand picked ex-workers to come back and interview for the "casual" work slots.  The casual worker is not entitled to any employee benefits.  So it's not going to be any secret how they are going to save money doing the job in house.  The Casual worker will not be able to acquire 40 hours a week, but they will receive $16.75 an hour in compensation.  

I'm happy for Harley Davidson of York.  Some of you maybe aware, I lived in  Lancaster County PA for about ten years.  I'm proud HD has found a way to stay in business and recall some of the laid off workers...even if only as casual part time workers.  I believe the labor union may have something to say about this...depends on how smart HD was in the restructuring of the company.   I have a feeling the Union will have a hard time getting their way...most unions are pretty ineffectual these days.

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

When I was getting geared up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Basic Rider Course I was looking for a black biker boot that looked more like a cowboy boot than the regular bikers engineer boot. One day at lunch I was browsing a local bike shop in Grapevine Texas called Biker Alley, which has since closed, and found what I was looking for. They were Harley Davidson brand and were a cross between an engineer boot and a cowboy boot. The price was reasonable and I purchased a pair.

The boots looked great but after wearing for several hours in the rain they became soaked and my feet were all wet. So, I went looking for something to make then more water repellent. I picked up a can of Penguin brand Himalaya Wax and coated them excessively. Then I polished them up to a beautiful black leather shine. Himalaya Wax is made of beeswax and is very water repellant. My feet have been dry since, however I have not had them immersed in water for any great length of time.

I have had the Pecos boots now for over a year and they have held up well. I do not wear them every day. Usually I wear them on Fridays, on days that are raining, or when it looks like it might rain. The leather has held up well, even the top of the left one, used for up shifting. They have picked up some minor scuffs, but do not look that bad for not having polished them again. For sturdiness and protection these boots are equipped with an inside metal support shank.

The Harley Davidson boots are as comfortable to wear as any good quality made boot should be. Rumor has it that Wolverine manufactures these boots for Harley. There is a metal insignia plate with the Harley Davidson Logo on it located on each heel. The tooled leather straps with steel harness hoop are riveted together. As a nice touch Harley Davidson Motor Co written around the head of each rivet. The uppers are constructed of supple full grain leather. The stitching is of good quality and the pull tabs have lasted with me using them to pull and tug the boots on every time I wear them.

The soles of the Harley Pecos boots are made of Goodyear welted construction. A Goodyear welt construction is good for water protection and the possibility of resoling. The Dual-density rubber/EVA outsole is oil, water, and slip resistant. The traction of the Pecos boot is good on cement and blacktop roads, but get them on wet painted or polished smooth cement and they are not so slip resistant. Part of the tread pattern is bright orange in color and is very aggressive. The Harley Davidson logo is embossed on the sole shank towards the heel. There are parts of the sole that are starting to wear smooth from all my walking and riding in them.

The interior of the Pecos boot is lined with a full length cushion sock made of Taibrelle. This liner helps wick perspiration away from your feet. The insole is removable and is made of dual-density polyurethane for comfort. These boots are very comfortable to wear, but may take some time to get used too if you have never worn boots with a true heel on them.

If you enjoy wearing a comfortable pair of cowboy boots but want something to ride your motorcycle in, these boots fit the bill. I have enjoyed wearing and riding in these boots. They offer a lot of protection for your feet, ankles, shins, and calves. Torch gives the Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boots a M.M.M Rating of 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Ride on,
Torch

DKW

DKW...or, Dampf Kraft Wagen. A German crafted motorcycle with quite a history.
DKW started out as a factory that produced steam fittings. It's owner, Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, started the factory in Saxony Germany back in 1916. In that same year, Rasmussen tried to make a steam driven car engine. He was unsuccessful in the endeavor, but by 1917 Rasmussen had made a two stroke toy engine which he called, called Des Knaben Wunsch — "a boy's desire".



Rasmussen played around with this engine, and decided to put it into a bicycle frame, calling this newly designed bicycle: Das Kleine Wunder — "a little marvel".
The automotive world considers this move to be the true start of the DKW brand. DKW and it's motorcycle engine had become the world's most popular motorcycle, thrusting DKW into the leadership in motorcycle manufacturing.



By 1932, DKW became known as Auto Union, having joined forces with Audi, Horch and Wanderer. By 1957 Daimler-Benz bought the Auto Union brand continuing building motorycles until they sold the rights to the Volkswagon Group in 1964.



During the war years, DKW produced very famous models such as the RT 125 pre- and post World War II. After the end of World War II, it was decided that the design drawings for their two stroke engine would be doled out to Harley Davidson and BSA, this was a punishment to Germany, and was to be used as reparations. I guess it's true, "to the victor go the spoils." The HD version of the engine was known as the Hummer, and BSA called theirs the Bantam. Both of these engines are known to me, so I would guess they did pretty good off the engine designs from DKW.

The Little Girl Gets a Dyno Tune

February 17, 2009.
I’m not a sentimental kind of person, but I am quite pleased with being able to document the dyno tuning process of my little girl.
In 2008 I had the top end of my 1993 XL 1200 90th Anniversary Edition Sportster rebuilt. Along the miles, before the total rebuild, I have had the jugs bored out and new oversized pistons (+.30) installed. Shortly after having the work preformed, an ex-boyfriend went down in front of me, and I ran over both him and his bike with my little girl. In the process of rolling up and falling down on top of Mr. Elmer’s bike, some damage ensued. All kinds of little niggling problems…and I wasn’t happy with the performance of the bike.

After a season of riding the bike in a condition less than stellar, but still better than what it was, I took the bike to a professional to run through and fix. During that fix, I asked him to please pull the heads and check the condition of the pistons and the slide path of the metal against the jugs. Trouble in paradise, scoring…I couldn’t believe it. This shouldn’t have been, the work is less than a year old…oh wait a minute, it couldn’t be from me not breaking in the engine properly could it? I’ve always been very proud of how hard I can beat up an engine. Yes, dear…you bought yourself another top end.



Shannon, (my mechanic) was going through the bike, I also asked him to check my carb, as I wasn’t very happy with it’s performance as of late either. She had been spewing gas through the overflow tube. It was really messing me up while out on short runs here and there, I was too scared to ride it away from the area. Shannon took the carb apart, discovering a blown diaphragm, so he rebuilt the carb as well. Here in is my problem,not that the carb was rebuilt, but that the slow jet was replaced with an incorrect sized jet. For some reason he went smaller? I dunno…maybe that jet was in there all the time…maybe it wasn’t…but I never had the problems with the carb that I had been experiencing until the rebuild.

Well now we have the problem properly discussed, I guess I should get on with the dyno day at the dealer.

I arrived at the appointed time: 1PM. I walk into the service department, announce my arrival, and go back outside to change the air filter. I was running late again and didn’t get around to changing out my K&N filter for cleaning. I own two of these filters, no down time waiting for the filter to dry this way. While I was changing the filter, a mechanic comes out (one I haven’t talked to before,) who walks around the bike checking out the oil dripage that has accumulated at the top of my cam case and at the base of my pushrods. Yes, boys and girls, what a mess. I try to keep her clean, but it’s become one of those battles that just become such a bore. After I ride for a day, less then 500 miles, the accumulation of oil, road grime and gas in that area was a real drag.

The mechanic sees my James gasket has a place where it appears as blown out.

I’ve seen it before, it’s been like that forever I think. This guy thinks the gasket is blown and wants to get into the cam case to check it out. He goes behind the counter and we start talking about the bike, how many miles I have on it…and his jaw drops. I tell him the bike has 150K on it and the bottom end hasn’t been touched since I owned it. I bought the bike in 2004 with 1200 miles on it. So I should know about the bottom end. He REALLY wants to get into the cam case now! Tells me I should have the oil pump looked at, because in the early Evo Sportster such as this one, the oil pump had less than desireable traits, that will only become enhanced with age. Yeah, I know, I’ve read about these problems, I even kinda experienced one of them back in early ’06 (which is what led to having the first mini top end done). I ask him how much…sheet…of course I’m not gonna get outta there for under five hundred! No, I think I can get this bike to give me another season, and if I am lucky…(fingers crossed, knock on wood…) I want to get another 30-50K out of her this season.

He goes away, not gonna get any money out of me this trip. The dyno was a freebie, they owed it to me from the rebuild. I wait around, talk to the service desk guy for a while, walk over to the wash rack where they have led my bike to…the guys really like to work on clean bikes there…also, they wanted to check the cam case to see if it was blowing pressure out through that gasket. I don’t think so, and neither does my dyno tuner guy. So I’m leaving that be for a season.

Anyway, I snap a few pics of the bike as they hosed her down with the pressure washer, arriving just in time to hear them discussing the melted shit on one of my pipes, so I was obliged to inform them of the other blonde moment I had last week. I rode my bike to cover for my sister at her job, and wore a knit pants suit. Bad idea, as the right leg blew against the pipe and melted the material, sticking a nasty black crap to the pipes, which will melt off in time. The wash man did manage to get some of the crap off. I got a picture of the wasted material left behind on the pipe.



After the bike went through the wash process, she was left out in the sun to dry. So I waited out there with her….and I waited some more, and I kept on waiting until the dyno tune guy showed up from his EXTENDED lunch at 3 pm. Uhhhh, my appointment was at 1PM Mr. Prima Donna….I kept that to myself, I wanted him to not screw me over with a piss poor test and tuning. I believe that to be an excellent choice. He spent some extra time with my bike…and we talked tuning for some time during and after the tuning.

You know, Mr. Prima Donna gave me his name, but I’m lousy with names, I never remembered it. So from here out, he’s “Mr. PD” OK? Mr. PD arrives, rolls my bike up the ramp, ties her down till she’s trussed up like a 19th century whore, and he starts sticking stuff up her tail pipe…such indignities to be suffered while others watch. Ah well, these things have to happen if she wants to get better, and I so know she does!



Mr. PM starts taking her through the performance run. He likes the read outs. He runs her again, and is quite satisfied with her performance. I ask him if he felt the drag or what I was calling the “dogging” of the carb. It wasn’t bogging down it just didn’t have umpah at 2K. Once through the 2K point she sling shots through the RPM until we hit 3K. He puts her through the paces again, with the machine, and tells me he can’t feel what I’m talking about. We discuss it further, and it hits him that I am not talking about a decline in power, but rather a flat spot where no more power was available. He starts to thinking it’s the slow speed jet. He takes the bottom end of the carb off, (I’m impressed, the didn’t even have to take the air cover off…did it all by feel.)

Check out a few things before checking out the jet…and there it is. It’s a Mikuni Carb jet size 42. I need a 45 in there says he….”OK…do it” says me.



After he ran her through the torturous regime again, he shuts her down and we discuss the details of the run. Yeah, the low end is running a wee bit richer now between 3.0 and 4.0…and the bike is tits. Yeah…I like tits!
These are the numbers:
• Pre larger jet= Max power~66.17
• Pre larger jet= Max torque~63.29
• Post 45 jet = Max power~69.31
• Post 45 jet = Max torque~73.05



It was a great experience. Standing in the room with the machine, feeling the vibration from the engine in the air…so much, that my nasal cavities rattled, braking loose the snot drying from my cold assed ride into the shop. It was such a good feeling, and you know, I swear I could see the disturbance of the air molecules from the engine. Do you think that’s what it was? Or were my eyeballs vibrating in their sockets so bad, I could see waves in the air? Either way, it’s like a new kind of high for me…I really liked how it made me feel…you know what? Better yet was the ride home. The bike ran perfectly. No slingshot effect after the 2000 RPM mark…solid performance, steady pull and power increase throughout the ride, no matter what RPM I was riding at! I have a warm and fuzzy feeling again, just remembering the ride in order for me to write it down here.

One last thing: for the last few hundred miles, I have been hearing a vibrating plastic noise in back of me. I assumed it was the left rear turn signal, as it kinda has this way of wanting to rotate at the end of the extension. But as I was photographing the bike, and standing at the rear, I could see it is the brake light assembly. SHIT…SHIT…SHIT…I don’t wanna have to detach the shocks in order to tighten that fricken assembly. SHIT>>>SHIT>>>>SHIT!

Gearing Up For The MSF Basic Rider Course

On my quest to get a motorcycle I had done a lot of research on-line and off-line. There is a deluge of information available out there. I read books, magazines, forums, blogs and websites. I also talked to a lot of other riders. As with anything, don’t take everything you hear or read as absolute fact. There is a lot of misinformation out there to.

One of the first things I needed to do if I was going to get into motorcycling was get my license. I already had my spouses’ approval, now I needed the states. I also found out some riders don’t have a motorcycle license but continue to ride anyway. I wonder if they have insurance? For the most part I have always been a law-abiding citizen. No need to change that now.

Everybody’s consensus was the easiest way to get the license was first to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation safety course. That way I would not have to take the riding test at the Department of Public Safety office. I would be able to just go in and take the written test to get my license. Either way, the MSF course was already on my things to do list before getting a bike.

I went back to the MSF website and found a local class held close to me in my city. There website has a wealth of information and I recommend it to any rider, old or new. The website listed several requirements including some riding gear, boots or shoes that covered your ankles, gloves and at least a long sleeved shirt. If you did not have a helmet they would provide one for you. So now I needed to start collecting some riding gear.

I picked up a pair of Motoboss Airflow Gloves, (mesh backed motorcycle gloves, this is Texas), from the local Cycle Gear store one day at lunch. A couple weeks later I had enough saved up for some riding boots. I was looking for a black biker boot that looked more like a cowboy boot than the regular engineer boot. One day at lunch I was browsing a local bike shop in Grapevine Texas called Biker Alley, which has since closed, and found what I was looking for. They were Harley Davidson brand and were a cross between an engineer boot and a cowboy boot. The price was reasonable; I had been looking for a while. I even had the funds to purchase them, so I did.

Now that I had the minimum amount of gear I needed it was time to plan and set a date to take the MSF course….
　
Ride on,
Torch