Mike’s Typo

Who’s racks up more FL miles?  Who’s worked ’til the wee-hours of the mornin’ with the Harley engineers on Police Road Kings?  Who’s tested every FL handling gizmo to hit the market?  Answer: Bob Davis.  Mr. Custom Shop to you.  So.  I asked Bobby to give me his impression of the all-new for 2-0-09 FL.  An hour later, he was still talking….

In the interest of brevity - well, I asked Bob if he’d drop me an email and give me his Top 10 of the new FL.  Comin’ at you straight.  Here it is.

#1  The Ride!  This new chassis really rides nice (understatement).  Noticeably stiffer with excellent rider feedback especially at higher speeds.

#2  Love the new exhaust system.  Looks like a 2 into 1 (my personal favorite design) from the side view but has the look (rear view) and function of a dual system.  The real benefit to this new exhaust system is the heat is directed away from the rider by not passing under the riders left leg.  Awesome!  And, it works.

#3  Frame design.  The frame is really stout.  Lots of cast members; a bolt on removable rear subframe section; wire harness neatly tucked away in several locations (easier service and cleaning); well thought through and laid out.  No wonder this thing rides as well as it does.

#4  Swingarm (rear fork in Harley terms).  The rear Fork has been re-designed to be considerably stiffer to handle the stress and load of the new frame and wider rear tire.

#5  Rear fender and saddlebag mounts.  The rear fender and saddlebag mounting brackets have been completely re-designed, the fender is obviously wider to accomodate the new wider rear tire and the saddlebag framework is much beefier than previous models which allows more load carrying capacity.

#6  Wheels.  New wheels and tires!  17″ front (most models) and a wider 16″ rear with brand new designed Dunlops.  More load carrying capacity and a better ride.  Promised longer life too.

#7  Engine and Transmission.  Although this has been out since 2007, the “new” 96ci engine combined with the 6 speed “cruise drive” transmission is well worth mentioning for those of you still riding ‘06 and older machines.  This engine has plenty of usable power, stock, and for those who just gotta have it all - my personal favorite upgrade is the “103ci” kit.  Street legal of course.

#8  Brakes.  The new Brembo brakes are great.  They offer excellent feedback and with the ABS option, superior stopping in all weather conditions.

#9  Fuel capacity.  This feature was new last year, but definately has to be mentioned.  A 6 gallon fuel tank which is a “must have” for all of you long distance travelers.

#10 Accessories.  As usual, Harley-Davidson has more and more “new” accessories available for there different models and for 2009 they have made some really nice features available for the Touring model family.  How about an integrated GPS/XM Radio combo from Garmin.  Zumo.  Check it out.

You gotta ride one of these new bikes!

2-0-09 Springer CVO.  It’s on the floor.  Paint is outrageous.  The whole bike - a home run.  THIS IS A HEAD TURNER.  Think Tina Turner hair.  Ok.  Forget that.  You gotta see this bike.  My favorite.  The ‘rod louvers.  Kick ass.  Come see it.

BTW.  It’s blue, not purple.  These blobs mess up the colors every time.

Want another view?  Here you go.

How many times has Indian died and risen again?  Certainly this isn’t the second coming.  Third?  Fourth?  Who knows.  But, I’m sure tired of it.  I suppose it’s news.  The “new” Indian company is claiming 2009 models and they are showing pictures to back it up.  So, in the interest of covering the interesting and the absurd - you decide which - here is a link to the site.

Well, it’s July, so it’s time to start speculating what might be coming from Harley for model year 2009.  Did 2008 just fly by?  Model year that is.  We’ve still got a few months of the calendar year left.  Thank goodness, because I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet.  Where did I get off track?

When Harley launched the XR1200 for “Europe Only,” dealers and the press alike bitched.  “Why can’t we have it in the States?”  That was the common refrain.  When you looked at it, there really wasn’t a good reason.  So.  Why not?  When?  How about model year 2009?  Maybe.

Click here to download the latest article aimed at wetting your appetite for this go-fast, curve-lovin’ sporty.

Wanna read our previous post on this bike, click here.

I’m not in this snowboard/skate scene.  Don’t know the lingo.  Don’t have the dexterity.  Got the Vans shoes though.  That’s a Santa Cruz thing.  But.  Came across this new hidden gem on the H-D site.  Some new Dark Custom raw stuff here.  Check out the Jeremy Jones section.  Interesting couple of bikes in there.  (Don’t know who Jeremy Jones is either.  And, no idea which one he is.)  I for one am loving some of these new Dark Custom bikes.  The Cross Bones, in particular, is a vintage bike with the appropriate amount of “no shit” attitude.  These bikes have gotten lots of attention and I’m starting to see them on the road.  We’ve got a couple of them on the floor, so if you haven’t seen one - another reason to stop in this weekend.

I understand many of you are glued to your Internet and have no time for TV. Or, perhaps you given up on the Giants, A’s, and Nascar - they’ve all sold out. Right? But, we didn’t want you to miss our latest commercial message - if for no other reason than it’s entertainment value.

It’s going to be another gorgeous weekend in Santa Cruz. And, we just uncrated a bunch of bikes that arrived yesterday. They’re being prep’d as we speak and will be on the floor for the weekend. Come down and check them out. There are some outrageous custom paint from Harley. There’s a new Cross Bones in Vivid Black - it looks fantastic. A few other gems in there too. So, swing by. We’d love to see you.

By the way. If you click-through to the commercial - you’re seeing it first. It doesn’t go live until this weekend. It’s fresh off the cutting-room floor!

Harley’s come out with a new battle cry and I, for one, think it’s pretty refreshing. Thanks in large part to my journalizm friends - we’re all full of FEAR, UNCERTAINTY & DOUBT. Guy I once new, they called him Chicken Little, was all about the sky’s fallin’. Last time I checked, it was still there. Shit happens. But look around, is it all bad? Check your reality. Our lives are pretty good. So what if gas is $4. Can’t afford milk? Drink beer - it’s still cheap. You ain’t lived ’til you’ve eaten Captain Crunch with beer watching the sunrise over some part of this beautiful land. Check out this link. I think Harley got it right. Live life. Now.

We’re ready to help you realize that dream. We’ve got up to $5,000 off a 2008 Big Twin right now. We’ve also got 3.99% APR financing. Come see us this weekend for the details. Legal beagles make us tell you that not everyone will qualify - “well hello Johnny, there’s an epiphany.” And, you can’t mash all our cool offers.

Oh, and hey - Thanks for giving us a great life.

We ride with you!

This message written under the influence …of common sense (and wonderful Harley propaganda).

Can be the best time to buy a new Harley.  This shouldn’t really be news.  But, I think a lot of people forget it.  Or, forget it on the last day of the month.  Reality is that the sales team - salesmen and managers alike - are trying to make their number for the month.  So, they give a bit more here, or maybe even there, to get a deal done.  They love to see happy customers ride off on new Harleys.  But, when it comes to the last day of the month, they’ve also got an eye to making sure “the boss” is going to be a happy customer.  Kidding aside, if you’ve been waiting, maybe today is your best day.

We got a truckload of bikes last week.  And, another truck is waiting to be unloaded this morning.  Chances are we’ve got your bike.

Hope to see you in the store today.

As noted last week, the six vintage Harleys that have been on display in the Santa Cruz store for the past 13 years are to be auctioned May 3. The collection was accepted into the Bonhams & Butterfields auction to be held in conjunction with the Legends of the Motorcycle event at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. You can view the auction catalog online. The Santa Cruz Harley Collection begins with Lot 121.  It appears you can bid online and track the bids - online. Lots of reasons to be there in person, but if you can’t check out the online catalog and then log in Saturday afternoon and watch the fun.

Ever wanted to sit around in your underwear and customize a new Harley; your own Harley; your sig other’s Harley?  Well, those smart, geeky guys/gals/neuts they keep locked up in the basement of Juneau Ave have done it again.  Voila - the Harley Customizer.  This looks like a first pass at what, when you think about all the accessories and option in the P&A catalog, is a daunting task, and it really came out nicely.  My intent was to take a quick peek and then if it passed the sniff test throw it out there to you.  An hour later, I’d built 3 customs.  I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours!  Check it out.