Featured New Year. New Ride. New Outlook.

Welcome to 2022! I can truly say that I'm glad to see not only 2020 but also 2021 in my rearview mirror. And I am very hopeful that 2022 will be a better year for all of us.

Speaking of 2022 and rearview mirrors, what better way to usher in a new year than to go for a motorcycle ride?! After intermittent rain the whole week between Christmas and New Year's Day, Mr. Sandi, Ellie, and I woke up on January 1st to....pouring rain (and boxers ain't water dogs). But by mid-morning the sun began to peek out and by mid-day the sky was blue with big puffy white clouds and brisk temperatures around 50ºF. So with a bit of urging from me, off Mr. Sandi and I rode off to officially greet 2020. I even offered my Speed Triple to Mr. Sandi to ride. One of my "new year--new outlook" resolutions. Share and be more generous!






Yes, that is the 2021 H-D Fat Boy I've been ogling for awhile now. Last Wednesday I pulled the trigger and bought it. You should have taken bets, @Mrs Visor. You, too, @Pegscraper. I'm on the Replacement Plan for any new bikes I buy for a number of reasons--primarily space and money--so I had to make a choice which bike to trade. Which would it be, @DCS900? And no, @Octoberon, it wasn't Mr. Sandi's bike. I love my Speed Triple RS and have no inclination to part with it, and my Street Glide Special is perfect for longer rides and touring. So my Low Rider S is now on its way to a new garage and hopefully to a new owner that will love it and ride the snot out of it.

I test rode the Fat Boy last Tuesday on a beautiful sunny day but wasn't ready to finish the deal and ride it home that day. Unfortunately the following day had iffy weather so I had a small window to ride a brand new bike (with new unscrubbed FAT tires) the ten miles home on dry roads. Normally I'd be out riding a new bike like the dickens but the weather continued to be uncooperative with more rain on Thursday. Finally on Friday--New Year's Eve--there appeared to be a small window of opportunity to get my Fat Boy out on the road. By the time I'd aired up tires and geared up, the skies were very dark and ominous but I was determined to ride my shiny new bike. Six miles into the ride the skies opened up (again) and I took the shortest way home. So my first "real" ride on my new bike was 9.5 miles. Mr. Sandi was at a friend's playing guitars and I texted him these photos. He replied that he was glad that at least I got in 95 miles before I got wet. I said, um, there's a decimal in there, sweetheart.




While both the Low Rider S and the Fat Boy are in Harley's Softail line, they offer quite a different riding experience. The Low Rider S is a "club style" bike designed as a performance cruiser with mid-controls and an aggressive stance. It lends itself to, shall we say, "spirited" riding. Just getting on that bike made me want to ride fast and hard. I had a 2017 Dyna Low Rider S prior to the 2020 bike and really enjoyed them both. But, "new year--new outlook", I decided I wanted a cruiser that makes me feel like actually cruising. And that's the Fat Boy. Plenty of power when I need or want it but a stance and vibe that encourage a more mellow attitude and experience.

Our local dealership, Harley-Davidson of Tucson, has a tradition that when a customer buys a bike, he or she rings the bell and everyone in the place honks a motorcycle horn or claps and hoots and hollers. It really is pretty darned fun. So here I am ringing the bell with my big, shite-eating grin on my new shiny bike.


These are my two Tucson H-D salesmen buddies, Chris and Tommy, through whom I bought the bike. I've known them both for over three years and they take good care of me. I got an extremely fair trade for my Low Rider S and a great deal on the Fat Boy as an outgoing model year bike so I rode away very pleased.


Today (Sunday) was the first day in over a week that dawned sunny and dry--and cold at 31ºF. I had set up a Sunday morning ride with our usual group and we made it a lunch ride so the temps could climb a bit. So today was truly the first real ride on my Fat Boy. We rode over Gates Pass to our standby restaurant, Coyote Pause, then after lunch and conversation we continued on through Saguaro National Park and back into Tucson over Picture Rocks Pass. Today's ride was 55 miles or so and the route has a number of twisties. While the Fat Boy doesn't handle like the Low Rider, it managed the twisties very well but definitely put me in that cruising state of mind.

There were six of us on the ride today and bikes represented included two H-D Street Glides, my H-D Fat Boy, a Kawasaki Ninja 400, a H-D Pan American, and this red Victory which I think is a 2012 Cross Country (but don't quote me on that).


I've now got this fugly reflector removed and will take off the ones on the forks and fender struts shortly. Check out this rear tire. Mr. Sandi laughingly said I can ask, "Does this tire make my ass look fat?"


My odometer after returning home this afternoon--only 373 more miles until my break-in period is officially over.


I've never really been one for New Year's Resolutions and this year is no exception. However, I am focusing on cultivating a positive outlook as this new year begins. And my decision to swap my Low Rider S for my Fat Boy is an analogy for this shift in my outlook. I've been racing around, jamming from stoplight to stoplight, riding frenetically both on that bike and in my life. But now my aim is to "cruise" more, whatever the challenges or circumstances may be. To be mindful and appreciate the scenery as it glides by. To view bends and bumps in the road as opportunities to learn and grow. To find joy and peace in the simple things in life like the wind blowing through my hair as I ride along. Ok, well, the wind blowing through the vents in my helmet.

To all of my forum friends, I wish you a wonderful 2022!

 

Thanks, Mrs Visor! Yes, I do think cruising more will be good for the soul--and blood pressure. So, which bike did you and Helmut think I'd trade?? I hope that both have a happy, healthy, and fantastic 2022, too--filled with love and good times and, of course, loads of riding.