Wow... what a BEAUTIFUL day was forecast: Clear sky, temps headed for the upper 70's... and we're to ride our Deuce for the last time as we take it to our dealer and exchange it for our Ultra.

We left about 7:45 AM for the 35 mile ride to Fort Smith, AR. Did I say the weather was forecast to be BEAUTIFUL? Well, it was!

Later, that is.

When we left it was still deep into the 40's! No windshield... cold air... was a "chilling" experience. Guess I was giving the wife one more "dose of the Deuce"!!

Any rate, we arrived... did the title swap thing... and got the 30 minute: "Here's all the features your Ultra has" tour. Thank God for owner's manuals. I could NEVER remember all that stuff in one drive by shooting like that.

After that it was off we go. Left the dealer about 10 AM. Destination: Eureka Springs, AR and Bubba's BBQ.

Quick stop at Mulberry, AR to honor a promise that we'd show my older sis & brother-in-law our new toy. Gave her a ride on the back. She liked!

NOW it was off to Eureka Springs, via the "Pig Trail", aka Arkansas Hwy 23.

Lots of bikes out today! We met many as we twisted and turned our way up the Pig Trail.

Instead of waiting until Eureka Springs, we decided to opt for lunch at the Oark AR, General Store. Their BBQ was great, too!

From there, it was off again.

Now, bear in mind this is only my SECOND "road" bike to own. Coming from my dirt bike world a few years ago onto the Deuce was an eye-opening experience in regards to WEIGHT. Well... the Deuce weighed-in at 650 lbs... this beast is over 900!! I'm starting all over in regards to getting comfortable with it. I have to admit I rode tense, especially when "walking" the bike to back in/out, etc. HEAVY. In addition, the foot controls ain't where I'm used to (as on the Deuce)... so that too, gets my attention when I'm braking and shifting! I figure it will be about like it was on the Deuce: About 2000 miles of saddle time before I'm at ease and comfortable with it.

Riding impressions? Lots of them. Of course, my only comparison truly is the Deuce I owned. Anyway, for whatever its worth, here are my first impressions...

The thoughtful "Hmmmm" points:

* Weight!!! (Did I mention it was heavy? )

* The rubber mounted motor feels "different". Odd that the Deuce was smoother at idle.

* Brakes hit harder and quicker.

* Gonna' take a bit of saddle time to adjust to the new gear spread of the 6 speed transmission. (Such as when downshifting for a turn, etc. I often will not go down in gears far enough.)

* The steeper steering rake requires a bit more attention in the curves.

* The windshield (my first) is gonna' take some time to get used to. (View distortion, mainly.)

Now, for the "This is GREAT" points:

* LOVE the windscreen/fairing. NO BUGS. The fairing and windscreen are now peppered with bugs. I would have been wearing those bug guts if we were on the Deuce! Not ONE bug hit today.

* It feels agile in the twisties and doesn't "wallow" like the Deuce would in a curve at speed. Got a feeling once I catch up to the bike, it's gonna' handle pretty good.

* LOVE the Cruise Control!

* Super slabbing: We intentionally hit the interstate on the last stretch to see what it was going to be like. Easy peasy! 75 MPH feels like NOTHING! Where's the wind resistance against my chest??? Why aren't my neck muscles straining?

* LOVE the easy access to, and spaciousness of, the Tour Pack! Ditto the side cases. By day's end, the Tour Pack alone had jackets, water bottles, extra gloves, extra layers of clothing... and TWO helmets!! And we still had some room! Not bad!

* LOVE the fact that the wife kept commenting how comfortable she was and when I would lean back and ask, I would get the "A-OK" sign.

There's more... but let's wrap this up:

We did 311.6 miles on the Ultra, plus another 35 on the Deuce. That makes over 340 miles, and the wife's behind was just fine and dandy. (In more ways than one! )

Including the several stops, the 340+ miles was spread over about 11 hours. Given the slow pace of the type of riding we did most of today, this equates to about 10 hours of saddle time. I reminded her we're talking about an occasional 500-550 mile day on a road trip: "No problem", she says! I then pointed out that 10 hours saddle time at super slab speeds equals a LOT of miles. So, you get more miles per saddle hour, so to speak.

Any way... we're on an Ultra! We're already tentatively planning two week long trips this riding season. In the meantime, we will be doing some Saturday jaunts, and some weekenders. This will help me get the needed seat time on the Ultra to get very familiar with it and much more relaxed.

Here's a couple pics...

1st pic: The proud owners at the dealership with the owners. L to R: Yours truly, Michael, his sister Debbie, and my wife.

2nd pic: Wife at Withrow Springs State Park, just north of Huntsville, AR. (The spring-fed creek runs out of that cave in the background.)

Later!!!

 

Sounds like a great first day on your new Ultra. Beautiful bike, ride safe and enjoy.

 

I know you've been pumped about the new Ultra. Love the excitement. Hope you and the wife enjoy many, many safe miles and trips!

 

Glad your enjoying the new ride. Your finding some of the same things I found on moving from my Softail Custom to the Ultra Classic in December. Kept my softail though. Wife and I are putting a few miles on tomorrow going down to see the Cherry Blossoms in DC tomorrow since it looks like we'll finally have a nice day. Did the Riders Edge Advanced Rider Course last weekend on the Ultra just to get some practice on it. Felt I was doing better on it than most of the guys and they were riding Buells. The ABS on the Ultra means you don't have to worry as much about locking up the brakes. I was stopping in shorter distances than the Buells and they were locking up the rear tire at 25 mph. My wife and I already have 2 week long trips planned this summer on the new Ultra. Good luck to you and yours and ride safe.

 

What took you so long to get here with rest of us sissy gliders?? Corgrats and enjoy !!

 

I just sold my VN750 and bought an 03 FLHTCUI. Thanks for your tips. How come your wife is so much better looking than you? J/K Ride safe

 

Nice ride Laming! Now you'll really be able to rack up the miles this summer!

 

Good luck with the new toy. So does the wife like the vibes at idle? Mine didn't Tickled her but not in the right spot!

 

Congrats on the new Ultra! I was out riding mine today too, love it.

 

Nice Bike! You will enjoy the music too! Practice your low speed manuvering...you really start to get the feel of a bagger rather quickly...counter steering, counter weight...Just dont take any jumps or pop wheelies with it like in your ol dirt bike day's! Enjoy~