Chessie's Tales, Motorcycles and Rides

The New Harley Davidson WIDE GLIDE 2012/ REVIEW

2011-09-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

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.

MORE CLASSIC CARS

2011-09-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I can tell most of my followers are lovers of motorcycles. The cars are not their bag, but that's life. I have more to post, I like them and I know some of you do as well. So without further ado: MORE CLASSIC CARS!

HOT RODS AND CLASSIC CARS: ALMOST AS GOOD AS MOTORCYCLES

2011-09-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

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On Sept 10th, I backed the bike out of the carport warmed her up nice, and took a little spin downtown to the local CRUISE IN. I love this town and when you see these photos, you'll understand.

Elizibethton, Tennessee is not exactly a sleepy little town, nor is it an industrial town. It's just a town with loads of history, a very cool covered bridge, an old "downtown" section perfect for hosting a cruise in. Every Saturday form May to October, from 5PM to 9PM the owners of beautiful antique and classic cars gather to show off the pride of their garages. They'll set up shop on the covered sidewalk, they will back their beauties into the curb with the nose pointing to the street.

Traffic is blocked off to be 1 lane and everyone knows this ain't no drag race. It's a quaint town with American Flags waving outside the doors of the local antique and furniture stores. There is cool 60's music piped through the overhead sound system all up and down the street, and folks are just smiling and enjoying the cars, the company of their neighbors and the guests like me who come to ogle the cake.

The 1st car to catch my eye was this little Camero.

Then all bets were off from there. Every step took me from one beauty to the next. What do I photograph? What will I leave alone? (I forgot to charge my camera battery before I left. I needed to be frugal.) Well, the following shots are the ones I chose, some didn't make it in because of lighting others because of shadows, but damn near every car on that 3 block stretch should be highlighted, cuz these folks are spending hard earned money and loads of time fixing these sweeties for our enjoyment.

Are ya ready for some sweet machines?

This is just a teaser for y'all. I'll post more during the week. I do hope you enjoy the photos. I had a great time at the cruse in, hope y'all will come to my little town and check it out!

RIDING THE REAL FLORIDA

2011-08-17T10:09:00.001-04:00

Did ya make your way down to Biketoberfest in Daytona, only to follow the suggested routes given you by Daytona’s Chamber of Commerce? It’s their job to keep you in the area so they can reap the rewards of their efforts to get ya down here to Florida. That’s all well and good, until you’ve ridden in the same grid so many times you feel like you’re in your own version of “GROUNDHOG DAY”.

So I’m here to give you a few more options to riding in the Central Florida region.

Many newcomers to Daytona stay within the confines of the party. They ride to Main Street, then to Beach Street and attend the parties, visit the vendors and watch the parade of characters that ply the streets. They ride to Ormond to visit Destination Daytona. Here they walk the parking lots of Rossmeyer HD and JP Cycles, visiting the various tented venders. When the shopping is done, they leave the opulence behind, turning their front wheels toward The Iron Horse Saloon and the Broken Spoke, and the White Eagle Saloon. Upon arrival they leave their steeds in dusty lots and mill about the masses of humanity exploring the venues. They will find food, drink, bike shows and live music.

If you’re here for 7 to 10 days, don’t you want to ride? I believe you do! I recommend you gather your sweetie or best friend, mount your steed and discover Florida. You’ve come to celebrate the advent of fall so how about discovering Florida’s swamps, lakes, space shuttles, gators and manatees? Let’s ride the “REAL FLORIDA”.

A ride I enjoy quite a lot is in Brevard County: Brevard lies just south of Daytona by about 55 miles. When I’m in the area, I try to fit in a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. I like capturing my Lil Girl in front of the Space Shuttle on display there.

After visiting the Space Center, a must ride is North Tropical Trail south from the Cape to SR-528. This is a pleasant stretch of road with Spanish moss hanging from stately oaks along the trail. You’ll also find historic churches and a county park (Manatee Cove) with a lagoon where Manatee stay during the winter months. I recommend you park your bike here and walk the edges of the lagoon, allowing you to visit with as many as 20 manatees sunning themselves near the water’s surface!

After a visit with the manatee, I re-join North Tropical Trail just south of SR-528 and continued south, crossing SR-520. It’s here the name of the road becomes South Tropical Trail. This part of the trail is magical. The beauty of both the natural and the human habitat coincide with each other. It’s a magnificent ride to the finale of this visually delightful road.

There is a marina and a swing bridge at the end of the trail. I generally stop and walk over the bridge to observe the sail boats as they roll gently over lapping waves while lying at anchor on the river.

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Later I ride to SR-513 East toward A1A North for Port Canaveral. I recommend stopping at the port to enjoy Grill’s Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar near Flounder Street. They love bikers! From here it’s an easy trip back across the SR-528 Causeway to US.1 north to your vacation abode.

The next day I rode into the splendid Ocala Forest. The route I took was SR-40 west to US-17 North. I travelled to Satsuma, Florida to visit with a great friend, Banshee. Banshee led me to 2 cemeteries; both are the final resting places for soldiers of the Confederate States. I am a huge fan of old or forgotten cemeteries as well as a collector of the images of decaying headstones dotting the American landscape.

After leaving the cemeteries we arrived at a biker bar far off the beaten path called Hermit’s Cove Marina. It can be found near the Seven Sisters Islands which are off small roads known as East Buffalo Bluff Road and St. John’s Court. The bar fronts the St. John’s River; enabling you to sit on their dock, have a few beers, perhaps some BBQ and enjoy the gorgeous view of the Seven Sisters.

Central Florida has many roads that explore the REAL FLORIDA. I mean the Florida where history comes alive, where swamps, wildlife and river culture combine. ARE YA WILLIN’ TO COME RIDE THE REAL FLORIDA?

IRON WORKS MAGAZINE/Riding in the Appalachians

2011-08-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

MY AMERICAN MASTERPIECE

2011-08-03T23:40:00.001-04:00

THIS IS JoAnn Bortles MASTER PIECE, entitled: ALL AMERICAN TRIBUTE FOR A SOLIDER

JoAnn has entered this work in a contest the general public votes on. At the link I have provided for you here, you can zip on over to see JoAnn's work as well as the efforts of the other artists who've entered. You judge!!!! Check out how the flag drapes then flows over the bike. The fluidity of movement she's captured causes your eye to flow from the front fender, back to the tanks and continues on back to the bags in one static movement, which captures the emotions we Americans feel when we see our National Banner displayed with such love and intensity.

See for yourselves, then vote. I think you'll vote for JoAnn's work too!

http://myamericanmasterpiece.com/mam/