Saturday, February 19, 2011

It's an addiction!

I really wasn't looking to buy another scoot just yet, but I am a bit of a Craigslist/Cycletrader junky so I'm really always looking for that "find".  While browsing Cycletrader I found it at the same dealer I bought my '06. I had been wanting an old iron head sportster for a while, but was in no hurry to buy one as most I had found had been very modified or were basket cases. However, this one was the exception, a 1976 XLH 1000, one owner, 10,400 original miles, almost showroom condition, the only non-original items are the Mustang seat, sissy bar pad, Python slip-on mufflers, and forward controls, topping it all off was a brand new set of tires and oil change. Once I called and talked to the salesman and haggled the price to under $3000, my wife and I went to get her!



The 100 mile ride home was awesome! Riding an iron head sporty is definitely a very visceral experience. I felt very in touch with the machine, it was like being a part of, rather than sitting on top of. I must admit that the ride quality was way better than I expected. After years of hearing how bad the old HD's vibrate and shake, I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it did ride for a 35 year old machine. It vibrates like a Harley at a stop and once under way she smooths out quite nicely with the only noticeable vibes being in the after market forward controls. She loves 65 mph, that is her sweet spot on the highway.

Plans? The only thing I know I'm going to immediately change are the forward controls. They're more for someone over 6', I'm 5'8" and had a hell of a time reaching them, lol! Other than that, my plan is to ride her for a year, learn her, then decide what I want to do. For now, I'm going to enjoy riding her.

It may be kind of cliche, but she has a name. I've named some vehicles over the years, usually ones I've grown attached to and it usually takes a while for the name to surface. On the ride home yesterday she told me her name was Cherry.