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Frankie- I think you mean a Bonneville similar to mine. It was a 2001, the first year when they were 790 and carbureted.
It it was very pleasant to ride. I painted the tank Marlboro maroon over creme (with era correct gold pinstripe) with some pre-unit retro badges, Western wider bars and (eventually) bobbed slightly and painted both fenders (one is still green in this photo).
My wife is way happier with Corvettes and not motorcycles and I'm also fine not riding...but it was a great runabout. Vintage feeling but modern all at once.
Last edited by ChattanoogaJSB; 07-21-2017 at 05:33 PM.
I had a long string of big street bikes in the 1970's (750 Honda, 750 water-cooled 2-stroke Suzuki, Norton Interstate, 900 Kawasaki, and finally got the BMW R90S I really wanted in 1977 or so. After a couple of years of watching my fellow bike-riding engineers get mowed down by inattentive car drivers, I figured I owed it to my family to stay alive and sold it and haven't been on a bike since - bad survival odds for bikers these days - much worse than the 70's.
Not really surprised by the younger generation not having as much of an interest in Harleys. A few good reasons why:
Harleys are expensive. You can get into motorcycles for a lot less and young people are much more price sensitive.
The Harley image, while a positive for some, is also a negative for some, and those are likely to be younger people.
Harleys are, by design, new antiques. Millennials buy products that project an image of high technology and efficient design, two things even the most ardent fan of the bar and shield has to admit does not apply to Milwaukee's finest. I kind of think of a new Harley as if I could walk into a Chevy dealer today and buy a new LS6 Chevelle. Would I do that as a toy? Well my wife wants to buy a HD when we retire to New England so there will be one in the household in the future. I'm more inclined to lean toward a Japanese bike, most likely as my first experience as a passenger was on a 750 Yamaha. I was blown away by the way the tach moved with the speed of a windshield wiper and the incredible shriek of 9,000 RPM...the acceleration was intoxicating.
I got my first Harley at 17 in 1970. It was a 1947 45ci flathead chopper and, was the only kid in high school who had one. One other guy had an old Indian, chopped of course.
We rode together and were both hot $hit in those days! Back then, just the ownership of a Harley really MEANT something. Now, EVERYBODY has one!
I've been riding over 52 years, my first bike was a honda 50 at 12. Rode professionally, did the "club" thing "back in the day" and, have owned over 30 bikes but now, for most part, the allure is waning.
Now, I rarely ever ride anymore, ESPECIALLY to any type of event or "run".
Just can't stand all those "dentists with attitude"!
I've had three bikes, the last being a 2009 Indian Chief Vintage #31 they were hand assembled in North Carolina in Kings Mountain. They were pricey listing at $37K for the Vintage like mine (I bought it out of Wichita Kansas for $32K) I rode it here in South Florida about 11,000 miles. I never had a close call, maybe cause it stuck out like a sore thumb (people saw it). I preferred to ride it around in an upscale rural neighborhood just north of me as there was no traffic and I could just putt along looking at the huge mansions with neat wildlife in the yards Shetland Ponies, Llamas, Ostriches, and Peacocks. I sold it, as the closest dealership was in Daytona Beach for service, a good 5 hours away. The next year Polaris bought Indian and now there's a dealer 20 minutes away, go figure. I knew my chances for a mishap were high so it's just as well I sold it.
I've had three bikes, the last being a 2009 Indian Chief Vintage #31 they were hand assembled in North Carolina in Kings Mountain. They were pricey listing at $37K for the Vintage like mine (I bought it out of Wichita Kansas for $32K) I rode it here in South Florida about 11,000 miles. I never had a close call, maybe cause it stuck out like a sore thumb (people saw it). I preferred to ride it around in an upscale rural neighborhood just north of me as there was no traffic and I could just putt along looking at the huge mansions with neat wildlife in the yards Shetland Ponies, Llamas, Ostriches, and Peacocks. I sold it, as the closest dealership was in Daytona Beach for service, a good 5 hours away. The next year Polaris bought Indian and now there's a dealer 20 minutes away, go figure. I knew my chances for a mishap were high so it's just as well I sold it.
Thanks, I really liked that bike, it also had a seat for a passenger and also a quick release windscreen. The saddle bags also had quick releases to change the look
Bought my first bike, a 1948 Whizzer in '63', and it didn't even run. From there it was a Vespa 150 in 1965, 1957 BSA Road Rocket, 1974 Sportster that I bought through the PX in Bangkok and picked it up back home in Providence. Then came a 1980 FLH. That didn't last long as the guys I were running with had Beemer's and Ricer's and would be cruising 80-90's on a run. I could keep up but the vibration was incredible. The fuel tank mounting broke from vibration on one run. Quality control was horrible when AMF took over. Finally, got this 1983 FXRS which I still have today. Quality greatly improved once Harley took back the company. As posted previously, riding today ain't as much fun as it was back then. I seldom ride now and then only in off hours or when the traffic is down.
There is a resurgence of the little motorized scooters around town here. Youngsters flat out at 45 mph with flip-flops and shorts and, in some cases, texting. No kidding.
I think those riders are called future organ donors...
There is a resurgence of the little motorized scooters around town here. Youngsters flat out at 45 mph with flip-flops and shorts and, in some cases, texting. No kidding.
I think those riders are called future organ donors...
Hell Frankie, I see idiots dressed like that riding Harley's on the freeway around here all the time!
They DO have they're "beanie" helmets on though.
Gary
Last edited by Gary's '66; 07-22-2017 at 01:32 PM.
HD is still the bike to own in my part of the woods. I still ride all the time, with many friends that are older than I, one is 72. Most of them drive over 20k a year with one doing over 30k. One just rode to DC last month and put on over 6k in 3 weeks. Most of them trade at 75k miles, and get another..... But, it is getting more dangerous, as I was almost taken out twice last summer by texting drivers, told my wife if I had any close calls this year, I was going to sell it....my first road bike was a 76' KZ 900, but since then all HD.
07-21-2017, 05:32 PM
Back then, just the ownership of a Harley really MEANT something. Now, EVERYBODY has one! 
