Palm Beach Harely Demo ride

[n4mwd]

Ride Report

The local Harley dealer had a demo ride event today and I couldn't pass up a chance to see what riding a cruiser was all about. Now I'm not turning traitor or anything. I rode home on my Ninja.

First off, the guys over there at Palm Beach Harley were great guys. Because I rode up on the Ninja, I was expecting a bit of animosity or professional jealousy, but it was quite the opposite. No less than 6 of them helped me find a bike that I would be comfortable riding during the event. I explained to them that I was used to a light sport bike and that I didn't want to ride a heavy bike.

They steered me over to several bikes they had and I ended up on a bike called the "48". I assumed that was the number of CC's.

So we all went out for a nice ride. I was thinking that for a 48cc bike, this thing really had plenty of power. About equal to the Ninja which was really mystifying.

When I got back, it was revealed that it was originally designed in 1948 and that it actually had 1200 cc's. Seems a tad dishonest to call it a 48 and actually have 1200 under the tank, but it was a nice surprise.

I liked the automatic turn signals that the Harley's all have. Seems like that's something that all bikes should have.

The bike handled fairly well, but its not a Ninja. Corners need to be taken slowly because it doesn't have much of a lean angle before something starts scraping.

Other than that, I can't really say anything bad about it. Except for maybe the Neutral. It was really hard finding the neutral. The Ninja has me spoiled with the Positive Neutral finder mechanism.

As with probably all cruisers, the gearing was really low. I don't think I managed to get beyond 3rd gear the whole time we were out.

So anyhow, I'm not going to sign up for a new Harley any time soon, but it was a good experience.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by n4mwd

..........

So anyhow, I'm not going to sign up for a new Harley any time soon, but it was a good experience.

Any pics?

[broken neck]

Be careful is you do another demo ride with Harley Davidson...

Their seventy-two model is also an 1 200 engine... héhéhéhéhéhéhéhéhé...

But, IMHO, it's the nicest HD available... If they weren't that expensive... The green metal flake one... Gorgeous...

Almost had the opportunity to test ride them... When I showed up to the dealership to take delivery of my Avon tires, the demo crew was there... I wished I had my helmet and gear with my instead of my bermudas and my five fingers...

I'll look into it next season...

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Any pics?

I hope not.

[choneofakind]

Wait. You thought that it was 48cc's because they called it a '48?? Are you for real? You realize the smallest motor they make is an 883cc twin right?


Glad you finally got to ride one so you aren't bashing without experience. Now you just need to take a CBR250 for a ride so you can do the same there.

But really; designed in 1948, still being produced in 2013. American pride, my butt. EBR's 1190RS instills more pride in American engineering.

[n4mwd]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Wait. You thought that it was 48cc's because they called it a '48?? Are you for real? You realize the smallest motor they make is an 883cc twin right?


Glad you finally got to ride one so you aren't bashing without experience. Now you just need to take a CBR250 for a ride so you can do the same there.

But really; designed in 1948, still being produced in 2013. American pride, my butt. EBR's 1190RS instills more pride in American engineering.

Now I can bash from experience. Next on the list. Honda Days Demo Ride.

[CycleCam303]

The 48 felt faster than the ninja 250. Those big motors don't make much horsepower but they make a lot of torque everywhere. Plus I believe that they are putting down like 45 whp. What I'm surprised you didn't notice was the very not confidence inspiring brakes. Small disc and a heavy bike equals loooong stopping distances. The black line bikes kill me because they are pretty quick for being a 650 lbs whale but the brake was a single disc two piston caliper deal. Wtf is a bike with this much power and weight doing with a ninja 250 sized rotor lol?

[n4mwd]

Yes, it did have a good bit of torque, especially on the lower end. With 1200cc, it would be hard not to. It had a little tiny bicycle seat on it and it was hard to keep from falling off the back during acceleration. I don't think that the 48 would have any problem keeping up with a Ninja 250, but a 650 would easily leave it in the dust.

No, I didn't notice any problem braking, but then again, I didn't do any panic stops either. Ironically, after the ride when I was back on my Ninja, a guy pulling a large boat just ran right across the road without stopping. I had to do a panic stop and fortunately missed hitting the guy. Idiots and their boats.

There was a lot of vibration and my hands ached a little after and during the ride. One thing that I totally despised was the underslung mirrors. They are under the bars instead of over them. You can't see anything with a full helmet on unless you crane your neck over.

As typical with all cruisers, the pegs were way out front. I felt like I was doing a perpetual sit-up. But the funny thing was that even though the ride was only about 15-20 minutes, it took me a while to find the Ninja pegs when I got back on my bike. Strange.

The 48 didn't strike me as a good touring bike. There was another one called the fat boy that had a much better seat that might be OK for long distances. It seemed a lot more heavy so I didn't pick it for the ride.

The 48 is a $11K bike. If someone gave me one I would graciously keep it, but it would only get used on special occasions and not every day or on long rides like the Ninja.

And yes, I want to go to the next Honda demo ride and ride a CBR 250 so I can bash from authority.