When I went up to the NEC bike show (2013) I finally persuaded my mates to let me go have a look at the Harley stand: Most of them disowned me which I thought was a bit mean! However, I know I have been guilty of bike snobbery in the past so shouldn’t complain too much!
Always Interested
The Forty Eight has been a bike I have been intrigued with since I first saw one: A very nicely proportioned machine and is the only bike of it’s type to have even remotely ticked boxes for me. Having said that, there was a proper ‘blinged-up, and mean looking Harley in the show room over at Guildford costing over £20k even seconhand!
Anyhow, I arranged for them to get my closest dealers to give me a tinkle so I could take a demo ride.
On Message
I turned up at the showroom and was very impressed with the brand identity and image they portrayed. Triumph need to go a long way to even come close. I imagine that BMW is probably the only other motorcycle manufacturer that could touch them on branding and presentation. Steve the sales guy, had to go fill the bike up before I could take it out. I thought was great that they did so: It not only ensured I had a full tank of go juice but it was from their pocket not mine! At least I did until he told me I’d need to look for fuel after 60 miles! I thought my Husqvarna was bad, but at least that had the excuse of a tiny 7-litre tank. The Harley’s tank was bigger. Not by much though to be honest.
Neat, minimalist
The feet forward riding position took some getting used to: It wasn’t till I’d covered around 20 miles before it seemed to make sense. I found the whole bike to be about 1-2″ too big for me too. Where the seat was in relation to not just the bars but also the foot-pegs which meant I was not hugely comfortable. However, I do think if I was 6′ tall then it would have been very comfy as the seat was nicely padded.
Had to Take it Easy
The engine was very tight still as it only had 40miles on the clock when they handed me the key. Incidentally the key just consists of a cheap steering lock and an electric fob. What this actually means is you don’t have to take them out of your pocket which is a nice touch. In my opinion Key less entry is the future! The engine was also quite quiet especially for a Harley. My Davida lid blocked out what noise was left after the standard exhausts had muffled it all out. Being honest, I was a little disappointed as a Harley is supposed to be a noisy bugger.
Riding, once I was accustomed to the reach to the bars and pegs was good. In fact it was mostly relaxing until I got to an un-scrubbed part of the rear tyre on a corner and went proper sideways! That did knock my confidence a little. It meant I was wobbling round corners after on the country lanes where the tarmac was wet.
In town and traffic I really enjoyed filtering. I was very surprised how well the Harley filtered. I think the sight of big, black bike in your mirrors does tend to get folk to move out the way. This is much more the case than when than riding a sports bike though!
More Work Required
The brakes were not amazing: Both front and rear to be utilised to do any kind of hurried stopping. The suspension was also below standard for me. Not well damped and perhaps a tad harsh.
Due to the location of the dealership I didn’t know my way around the area. Combine this with having to learn the feet forward riding as well I was not very relaxed to start with. However, once I had a few miles covered I did go on to massively enjoy the experience. That said I cannot see me owning one any time soon. The Forty-Eight would need too much money spending on it straight away. Just to get all those ‘vital’ extras fitted from must have bolt-on bling and on to suspension/brake upgrades etc.
Words and Pictures: Pete O’Connor