Good write up about your bike Charlie and also some good straight talk about trucks on the Interstate.I got some advise a long time back about riding the super slab- Stay the hell away from trucks as much as possible and to do EXACTLY as you said when passing them: Do it quickly and decisively.

Enjoy your new HD,Ride hard,ride safe.

 

That’s the most honest write up I’ve seen posted, nice job Charlie. My dad is a retired trucker and while reading that it was like listening to him lay out the rules of the road.

Congrats on your new ride!

 

#2. people riding pocket rockets and pushing the limits.


I think you meant "crotch rocket" and not "pocket rocket". A crotch rocket is a metric sport bike. A pocket rocket is a small device women use. Look it up!

 

He wasn't too far off...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...kee%20vibrator

 

I got confused. You are right.
I was thinking angryly about these two kids. One died right there on the 90 on the way to Milwaukee one early morning.
He came around the rig at 100+ mph. 20 minutes later I was in this traffic jam. It was the kid. He was killed.

He was on a crotch rocket and had on his body armor, heavy boots, and a full faced helmet and good gloves. The State Trooper was just picking his head up from a field as I passed.
He hit this barb wire fence right on his kneck and it cut his head off.

Then the following fall, this time in Michigan, an elderly couple on a Wing were towing this trailer and I watched it pass me. They got about 1/2 mile ahead and hit some bumps in the interstate. The trailer was overloaded and started to oscillate. It took the rear drive tire of the wing off the road and flung it in the air. The woman went first then the man did, right over the fairing. I could see the glass windshield bend as his knee caught it while the were still doing 65.
They were both wearing helmets but this did them no good as they both landed almost upside down on their heads infront of the bike. Then in an instant, that wing and that trailer crushed them and drug their bodies into the center median.
This all happened in just 3 or 4 seconds. An over loaded trailer did this.

But hey. You can overload any vehicle which pulls a trailer, a pickup truck or anything. This is why I'm in awe of the design of a SEMI. It's the ONLY vehicle on the road which can carry MORE than it's own weight and do it for years!

Makes one wonder why they can't make a safe trailer for a bike. Perhaps it's in the fifth wheel putting the mount point ahead of the main drive axels thus creating a condition where the trailer can not actually pick up the rear tire nor can it shove down on the back so hard it causes the bike to perform a wheelie.

Anyway, thanks for the correction.
I ran into a guy and his wife pulling one of those things down on OK 1 today, the trail. I kept my mouth shut. He didn't even have electric brakes on the trailer to help him stop it.
I asked him.

 

What a story. Anyone debating to buy an HD should read this post. Thanks and enjoy your bike.

 

Just curious...what's up with the "I'm not going to respond to anybody" attitude? Seems like everybody here has been respectful and courteous, and with a dozen posts under your belt it's a little early to be telling people to f-off for no apparent reason. You don't have to reply, but I hope you give it some thought.

 

Very informative and well written. Thank you.

But...shouldn't you be riding?

 

you're a good writer....organized...to the point.

and good 'points' you made about the comparison of bikes.... but more important for me..your comments about 18-wheelers and safety.

I will remember what you said; "...they are a bomb....stay 100 yards ahead or behind." ...thanks for the safety information.

but I'm confused about your attitude. I don't understand why you said you would not respond to comments...and later in your 'safety' post you said; "And that ends my preaching. I'm truely sick of this."

you should feel good about your post...it is interesting...informative and helpful.

thanks again,

 

Hey Charlie, coming from the same bike - a V-Star 1300 Tourer, I completely agree with your assessment of how the two bikes compare. My Road King is better suited for the long haul, and just feels more solid, finished, refined, and surprisingly, although heavier, handles much better than the 1300, and I don't drag the floorboards as much, though I am able to take the same curves at a more "fun" speed. I also don't miss the "clunk" of the front forks. The low speed and overall throttle response is also much more smooth and accurate.

Thanks also for your additional input in your other posts.