Gary
Member
Still have the 2003 Bonneville T100, and still have the Honda CFR250, but the Harley Superglide was traded in on a 2016 Harley Street Glide Special last Summer.
After only 800 miles, I totaled the Harley. I was riding in the Ozark mountains by myself and riding too fast for the roads. I ran wide on the last of a series of tight curves and when it looked like I might get into some gravel, I made a poor decision to ride through some tall grass on the roadside. The tall grass was hiding some very large rocks (bigger than a breadbox), the left floorboard hit one of the rocks, the bike flipped and I was awakened face down in the rocks by a passerby. Fortunately, I was wearing Kevlar jeans, riding boots, quality gloves and a riding jacket with pads in the elbows and back. Unfortunately, I was wearing a half helmet (with 3 Shoei Neotecs in the closet) and while it saved my brains, it left my face unprotected against the rocks and my face lost the battle. I broke all of the bones inside my right eye socket, had a gash that took 12 stitches over my right lip, ended up with a 3/8" hole in the upper eyelid on my right eye, soaked my jacket in blood, broke several ribs (in the back - much more painful that breaking a rib in the front) and broke some vertebra.
After 56 years of riding this was my first wreck that was my fault.
I have recovered. But now 5 months later the right side of my face is still tender and the only other lingering injury is a bad sprain in my right wrist (everyone says sprains take the longest to heal). I had double vision off and on while the right eye socket bones healed and I kind of "blew out" my right pupil so it is now about 20% larger than the left.
No more half helmets (or three quarter helmets) for me - and that's forever.
Anyway, Progessive paid me the market value of my bike with accessories plus sales tax, and that was enough that I was able to buy a New 2017 Harley Street Glide Special in December with the new 107ci oil cooled engine (1750cc). There were several other improvements in the 2017 over the 2016, but the 107ci, 8 valve (Milwaukee 8) engine is much stronger and smoother than the 103ci twin cam engine was on the 2016. I have had it out on a half dozen or so 100 mile plus rides (I have one local group I ride with each Friday when weather permits and this winter has been very warm, and another I sometimes ride to meet called ROMEO [retired old motorcyclists eating out]) and its pure luxury to ride. An hour or so one way suits me (and my diabetic bladder)well at age 69.
Oh yeah, I did consider the 2017 Bonneville with the 1200cc engine, but I doubt it is as fast as my modified 2003, and why own 2 bikes that are almost identical? Now if they had squeezed out 100+ HP from that 1200, I might have bought it (after all its was less than half the cost of the Harley).
I have an invitation from another group to ride to the Daytona bike week, but my back and shoulders just are not up to that many hours per day in the saddle.
I also still ride the Bonneville about once a week and it feels like it weighs under 100 lbs.in comparison to the 900 lb. Harley.
Also unfortunately, the bike wreck gave my wife some leverage over me and in January I had to do 3 days in New Orleans then a 7 day cruise and. of course, it all had to be "first class". We had a penthouse suite on the cruise ship which came with a steward and a butler, and in February came a breathtaking credit card bill. What amazed me was that in 3 of the 4 "ports" where the cruise ship stopped, there was a Harley Davidson brand T shirt shop. One stop had one of these that had just opened and they had made a major ordering mistake - the only size they had in men's T shirts was Small; needless to say no one was buying men's T shirts at this shop.
After only 800 miles, I totaled the Harley. I was riding in the Ozark mountains by myself and riding too fast for the roads. I ran wide on the last of a series of tight curves and when it looked like I might get into some gravel, I made a poor decision to ride through some tall grass on the roadside. The tall grass was hiding some very large rocks (bigger than a breadbox), the left floorboard hit one of the rocks, the bike flipped and I was awakened face down in the rocks by a passerby. Fortunately, I was wearing Kevlar jeans, riding boots, quality gloves and a riding jacket with pads in the elbows and back. Unfortunately, I was wearing a half helmet (with 3 Shoei Neotecs in the closet) and while it saved my brains, it left my face unprotected against the rocks and my face lost the battle. I broke all of the bones inside my right eye socket, had a gash that took 12 stitches over my right lip, ended up with a 3/8" hole in the upper eyelid on my right eye, soaked my jacket in blood, broke several ribs (in the back - much more painful that breaking a rib in the front) and broke some vertebra.
After 56 years of riding this was my first wreck that was my fault.
I have recovered. But now 5 months later the right side of my face is still tender and the only other lingering injury is a bad sprain in my right wrist (everyone says sprains take the longest to heal). I had double vision off and on while the right eye socket bones healed and I kind of "blew out" my right pupil so it is now about 20% larger than the left.
No more half helmets (or three quarter helmets) for me - and that's forever.
Anyway, Progessive paid me the market value of my bike with accessories plus sales tax, and that was enough that I was able to buy a New 2017 Harley Street Glide Special in December with the new 107ci oil cooled engine (1750cc). There were several other improvements in the 2017 over the 2016, but the 107ci, 8 valve (Milwaukee 8) engine is much stronger and smoother than the 103ci twin cam engine was on the 2016. I have had it out on a half dozen or so 100 mile plus rides (I have one local group I ride with each Friday when weather permits and this winter has been very warm, and another I sometimes ride to meet called ROMEO [retired old motorcyclists eating out]) and its pure luxury to ride. An hour or so one way suits me (and my diabetic bladder)well at age 69.
Oh yeah, I did consider the 2017 Bonneville with the 1200cc engine, but I doubt it is as fast as my modified 2003, and why own 2 bikes that are almost identical? Now if they had squeezed out 100+ HP from that 1200, I might have bought it (after all its was less than half the cost of the Harley).
I have an invitation from another group to ride to the Daytona bike week, but my back and shoulders just are not up to that many hours per day in the saddle.
I also still ride the Bonneville about once a week and it feels like it weighs under 100 lbs.in comparison to the 900 lb. Harley.
Also unfortunately, the bike wreck gave my wife some leverage over me and in January I had to do 3 days in New Orleans then a 7 day cruise and. of course, it all had to be "first class". We had a penthouse suite on the cruise ship which came with a steward and a butler, and in February came a breathtaking credit card bill. What amazed me was that in 3 of the 4 "ports" where the cruise ship stopped, there was a Harley Davidson brand T shirt shop. One stop had one of these that had just opened and they had made a major ordering mistake - the only size they had in men's T shirts was Small; needless to say no one was buying men's T shirts at this shop.
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