A little perspective ... or maybe a rant

[Jess from VA]

The Harley Davidson Sport Glide.

I had the original Grand Touring Edition Sport Glide 1986 FXRD (1 of 1000).  Actually Sport Glide covered all FXRTs from 83 or so until about 92, then discontinued (at the time, their first attempt at a sport touring bike, thus sport glide).  During that run, they also made FXRP police bikes of the same bike with cop lights built into the fairing on the sides.  My RD was just an RT with special paint, pinstripe and logos and about every Hog accessory sold for the RT added as standard (trunk, lowers, bag and trunk guards, special back seat, floorboards, air adjustable suspension front and back, instrument cluster on bars, not in fairing, heel toe shifter, yada)  All these models were center controls like the Valk, not legs forward.  Note highway pegs are outside the lowers.

This is not mine, but same bike and paint as mine.  And I had the lowers from the fairing to the feet.  And the fairing was a BMW style clam shell with single headlight, not a batwing.  And all the body work was lightweight ABS (like the Valk) no fiberglass.  80" EVO.  It was the lightest dresser they had, built on an FXR chassis (one of their best bikes ever and the original rubber mount engine), when all other dressers were fiberglass, fat tire, FLH Electra Glides.  The bike never sold well because it didn't look Harley enough, and from the front it looked like early gold wing fairings.  The FXR dressers came 12-15 hp better than their FLHs.

FXRD




Lowers off in hot weather.


From the seat, with custom speakers, radio. Fuel gauge on tank. Speedo and Tach at eye level. Vents and glove boxes. Frame mount fairing, not on the bars/forks (so light steering).


Another with different paint.


FXRP


Chopped FXRT with paint.


I had it for 18 years.  I unhooked the speedo at 99K so it wouldn't turn over, and ran it another 5K or so before sale.  Of course, at 70K,  it was given an entire top end rebuild, 10 over bore, forged pistons, HSR42 Carb (Mikuni), roller rockers, adjustable push rods, a Crane 316-2B cam, and an upgrade charging system that worked, and many other things).  At that point, it beat nearly all other EVOs, and beat the twin cam 88s too.  

It could not beat a valk.  

But you can see my easy transition to a black interstate.  Yep, I moved up.   





  

[Crackerborn]

My buddy just sold his 98 Heritage he bought new.  Had 50k on her w/o any issues.

It was a great bike, he hated selling it, but can't ride anymore.

It was and probably still is the most successful platform HD ever produced. Down the road the Heritage Softail was comfortable and handled well. They were (are) under-powered unless you want to drop an extra few sheckles to ramp up the EVO power plant and even then will fall short of most metrics. I have never bought a new HD product so I never had the pleasure of a factory warranty. The '98 I had made it from SE WI to Gainesville, FL and around the panhandle back almost to Nashville before something required an extra day in Nashville that the Nashville HD dealership did not have on the shelf. I remember it as a lost shoulder bolt but it has been too many years so I wouldn't swear that is accurate. I do remember it had to do with a floorboard falling off and me riding down the shoulder of I-65 the wrong way to retrieve said floorboard during rush hour. So I may have mis-spoke earlier, that might be considered routine maintenance.   ???

[hubcapsc]

I was kind of sad when its new owner rode away on
my Heritage Softail Springer... but that didn't last too
long as I started getting my tired eBay Valkyrie into
condition... the springer couldn't get out of its own way,
and it started leaking oil right away. And I could have bought
two brand new Valkyries (it was a 98) instead of it, that would
have saved me from having to settle for a "tired eBay Valkyrie"
in 2006...





-Mike "Valkyries clean up good    "

[Hook#3287]

Mike, your picture brought back some memories.

My close friend Terry, had the exact same bike, but in red on black.

He loved that bike even though it had electrical issues.

I had to force him to get it fixed by telling him I wasn't push starting it for him anymore

Unfortunately, he crashed it in Fort Myers, went to the hospital and never came out.

It's sitting in his cousins garage, exactly as it was when he dismounted, because his daughters can't bear parting with it.

Here's a picture of him on it in Daytona.

R.I.P. - T.J.

[hubcapsc]

Sorry to hear about your friend... I know you were his good
friend, since you pushed his Harley for him 

RIP Terry...

-Mike

[Hook#3287]

I sure did 

Several times

Thanks 

[LTD]

Love how the Valkyrie performs on all of my rides to Inzanes no worries about reliability the only problem last year was starting my valk  on a 40 degree morning in Idaho Springs, Colorado at about 7700 feet altitude was touch and go on starting but she started.  My Harley friends all love the Valkyrie but they would never own one just cant let go of that Harley Mystique.  I have no brand fixation if its a bike I like I ride it period.  My best friend over ten years ago told me the Valkyrie was the best bike he had ever ridden I rode it and the rest is history.

[3fan4life]

On a ride with my oldest brother (BRP I think) we were stopped waiting on some Harleys in front of us that were parking their bikes.

One of the guys swung around to back his bike in and just before he started backing it into the graveled space his female passenger jumped off, grabbed the sissy bar and helped back it into the space.

My brother spent the rest of the day laughing about what a good woman she was.

[Hook#3287]

On a ride with my oldest brother (BRP I think) we were stopped waiting on some Harleys in front of us that were parking their bikes.

One of the guys swung around to back his bike in and just before he started backing it into the graveled space his female passenger jumped off, grabbed the sissy bar and helped back it into the space.

My brother spent the rest of the day laughing about what a good woman she was.

She was probably tried of picking it up.