2008 Harvest Classic

Getting There:

Attending the 2008 Harvest Classic must have been written in my destiny by the hand of God himself. Honestly, with so much working against my attendance for this year it is unbelievable to me tat I actually made it, even if I did miss some of the best parts.

In talking over rally options with my riding buddies earlier this year, we decided to skip it in favor of the Lone Star in Galveston (we have an agreement of no more than one Motorcycling weekend per month). Having never attended an event like the Lone Star, I agreed reluctantly. Then came Hurricane Ike, washing away most of the Island and I just knew it would be rescheduled and we could attend the Harvest Classic. Nope, the organizers of the Lone Star decided that despite hell and high water it would go on. The owners of the beach house we arranged for were not so committed and the damage was not going to be repaired in time so we would be commuting each day. Personally, I had been planning to close down the infamous Balinese each night which was now lo longer practical or possible.

Then the organizers of the Lone Star recognized that retreat was the better part of valor and rescheduled it. Unfortunately, I had a senior moment and thought the date for the Harvest Classic had already past. Wondering why I had not seen any posts or links on the Triumph RAT forums I made my senility public by asking for photos and comments. My mistake was pointed out, very politely (gotta love those guys), by a couple of folks on the board.

It was too late to get the camping gear and logistics arranged so I decided I would just drive up for the day. None of my riding buddies could go as they had all committed to other things in anticipation of attending the Lone Star the following weekend. Non-riding friends were not interested enough to join me on an eight hour round trip drive and the wife was feeling under the weather, which was another challenge in itself. Poor judgement prevailed and I left the house, late, to make the trek to Luckenbach.

I can think of very little that is as un-fun than three and a half hours of super slabbing it on I-10 so I was really looking forward to turning of on RR-1376 for the final bit to Luckenbach. Just as the road opened up and the curves and hills started I ran into the tail end of a parade of about 15 Jeeps and drive the last 30 minutes going under the posted speed limit; significantly so on the curves. Doh!

Parking and directions once I reached Luckenbach were less than clear but I must admit that this could have been caused by the red I was seeing from following pokey Jeeps on some of the best stretch of road I have had the chance to drive in a long time.


The Rally:

I have not attended many motorcycling events. I am more likely to spend an opportunity to get aware actually riding that going to an event of any kind. I may have to rethink that for this particular event.

The First thing I spotted as I walked in was a gorgeous Norton in awesome condition. I have never had the opportunity to see one in person and I was amazed. These are beautiful bikes. Once I passed that there was an old Indian, then a Kawasaki bobber and at that point I went into a haze of classic bike overload. I spent the first hour or so wandering from one bike to the next snapping pictures. There were so many bikes I wanted to get pictures of that I was afraid if I stopped for too long I would miss something. I did. As I have been many times before and will be many more times I was amazed at how much you miss trying to capture the sights on camera.

Overcoming my initial rush of classic bike overload I slowed down and started to take my time and really look at the bikes as opposed to just snapping pictures. European bikes definitely seemed to be the primary focus here but there were plenty of classic Japanese and American motorcycles as well. Here are a few of the more interesting bikes I saw:

For those interested in more of the pictures I took you can also check them out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbaker33/2008HarvestClassic#

The people at the rally were pretty great as well. The percentage of poserpiratebikerwannabes was pretty low and most of the people in attendance seemed to be there because they love bikes and riding them. The conversations were all about the same, “wow, that was the first bike I...” The last part of the statement was different for each person there; some finished it with wanted, for others it was rode, bought, wrecked, or broke 100 MPH. Far from being repetitive, each story was unique and from the heart. There were a number of generations there so the motorcycle in question may have been an Indian, Triumph, or a Honda but the passion was the same.

There was live music on the stage and plenty of beer but no one was overdoing it on either one. There were signs all around warning against burn-outs and other dangerous behavior so the only dangers to actively avoid there the kids on little dirt bikes or scooters. I don’t know if I was supposed to but I took a stroll through the motorcycle only camping area across the dry creek bed from Luckenbach “proper” and I must say I was envious. The bike parked here were at least as interesting as those on display on the other side of the foot bridge.

People seemed to be grouped by marque with the largest grouping being the BMW folks who seemed to occupy a full fourth of the campground. They also seemed to be the best equipped and I swear I heard an espresso machine as I walked by. The Ton Up Club (no affiliation) was in attendance but no one was around when I wandered by. I was more than a bit envious of the folks camping. Te atmosphere was awesome and everyone seemed to be having a good time looking at, listening to and talking about the bikes in attendance. This will definitely need to be on next year’s agenda, one way or another.

As the sun dipped behind the oak trees around Luckenbach it was time to get back on the road and head back home. They were just finishing up the auctions, getting set up for the BBQ dinner and the portable movie screen was going up as I walked out and I can honestly say that I was not ready to go. Well, at least I would not have to follow the Jeep parade back to I-10.


Getting Home:

I went over to 290 to top up the tank and to make sure I was able to enjoy as much of RR-1376 as I could. Coming back I was behind a group of bikes going slowly as they tried to find there way into the rally. Once they turned in, I had a clear road in front of me and opened it up. I remember why I love the hill country roads and reaffirmed that I need to make it back here next year!

Until I came up on two more bikes.

At first I thought maybe they were looking for a campsite too but as the miles rolled on it became clear that this was their planned speed. Now I understand that some people follow the speed limits and I have great respect for folks who can contain their inner hooligan, especially on roads like this, but dropping to twenty or more below for the curves was starting to really annoy me after a short time. On a clear stretch I passed both bikes.

In fairness, he did politely pull to the side as I passed. He also seemed to pick up the pace a bit at least until the next curve when he disappeared from my rearview mirror. I am not sure what he felt about being passed by a Miata that probably cost half what his chopper did but he might have to buy something bigger and with more chrome to make up for it ;-)

Bonneville vs. Sportster

It took a little effort but I recently had the amazing opportunity to ride a Sportster and a Bonneville on the same day. It was not a perfect opportunity since the Sportster was an 883C instead of the 1200N (Nightster) I was hoping to ride but since it cost me nothing but gas I really have nothing to complain about. What follows is my (very) subjective observations of each bike.

2008 Sportster 883C
This was my first time on a Harley of any sort and there were a few things that took some getting used to, mainly the turn signals. Harley’s have two turn signal switches one for the right and one for the left. I know BMWs are like this as well but this my first time on a bike with such a configuration and it took a little getting used to. The left signal being located where I was familiar was a non-issue but remembering to signal right turns with the throttle hand was a bit more troublesome. A few times reaching for the turn signal resulted in a slight twist of the throttle which on a bike with this much torque can be a little exciting, especially when riding in close formation with a dozen other bikes. I do not think anyone noticed since the other bikes in the group were all “real” Harley’s with 96 inch motors and a few were equipped with Screamin’ Eagle exhausts. I could not even hear my own bike at stoplights. My other challenge was with the forward mounted controls of the Custom. I have always ridden sportbikes or standards so my feet had a hard time remembering to go forward instead of straight up after leaving a stop. I think everyone noticed this but no one laughed; it at least not that I could hear (refer back to the comment on Screamin’ Eagle exhausts). The reach to those forward controls was at the very edge of what my inseam challenged legs could handle making the rear brake essentially useless.

Fortunately the front brake was more than adequate for the laid back riding we were doing. The brake lever required a firm pull and did not provide quite as much feedback as I would have liked but it was much better than expected and, again, more than adequate for the job. I am sure a hard trip through the twisties or a track day could overpower the brakes but they were more than capable for this ride. The clutch pull was similarly firm but not overly so and the engagement was very liner. Even being totally new on the bike I never had an issue pulling away cleanly.

One of the nicest things about the Sportster, especially for those of us well below the six-foot mark, is the seat height. Even though this bike is relatively heavy, the ability to flat foot it through parking lot maneuvers along with the low center of gravity made it seem like a relative lightweight trough the parking lot. At higher speeds the weight remained a non-issue probably due to the neutral steering and wide bars. The bars while, well spaced and at a really nice height that seemed to call to my hands did seem to have some sort of an odd bend to kink. This had my left elbow feeling a bit stiff about halfway through the ride. This could have been a light misalignment or even my imagination but for some reason my right elbow was stiff shortly into the ride.

Even the “small“ 883 Sportster offers more torque than many bikes with far more displacement and it offers it up very low in the rev range. With that said, after having ridden one I would not recommend the 883 Sportster unless you are getting an incredible deal on it. The little Sporty had to work a little to keep up with its’ bigger cousins on this ride. If you want a Sportster, spend the extra bucks and get a 1200 or be ready to invest in an aftermarket upgrade fairly quickly.

The Sportster motor is not the smoothest you will find. In fact this thing shook like a paint mixer although the rubber engine mounts made sure that the vibrations rarely reached the rider. The gearbox was a little rough and there was a definite “klunk” as gears were engaged. Over some of the larger bumps there was a lot more rattling than I would have expected from a Harley. The bike reminded me of a tractor, gobs of torque and solid but unrefined.

Is that a bad thing?

Not at all.

This is one of those examples where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. This thing was an absolute hoot to ride and I really could not stop smiling throughout my time in the saddle. In some areas the bike was not quite up to the level of smoothness and refinement I have come to expect from even lower the end Japanese bikes I have ridden but these rough spots seemed to meld into a term I have heard and read often but never truly experienced until now; character. The critical areas; steering, throttle, brakes were close to flawless. The “rough“ edges in less important areas contributed to the overall riding experience rather than detracting from it.

Would I buy one? Absolutley.


2009 Bonneville SE
I did not have nearly as much seat time on the Bonneville as I did on the Sportster. Nor did I get to experience quite as many different types of road surfaces but I was able to get a pretty good feel for it.

The most striking aspect of the 2009 Bonneville was the throttle. I have never ridden a bike with a lighter throttle pull. When I first got on the bike I checked to make sure the spring would have enough power to return the throttle to a closed position. It did. Once past the initial surprise, there was no issue at all. The response is very quick but also very smooth and predictable. There was no surging during steady cruising and none of abruptness or jerkiness I have experienced on some other machines. The bars are wide and fall to hand easily and were comfortable at both low and high speeds.

The controls of the Bonneville are pretty standard and unremarkable, in a good way. They are there, they do the job and you don’t notice them. One really nice touch is the adjustable levers. Both the brake and clutch levers are adjustable for reach which is a very nice touch and very helpful. The shift lever was a little cumbersome and I found myself trying to shift using the bend in the lever rather than the lever itself. It is nothing serious but a quirk that will take some getting used to. The seat height is a little taller than the Sportster making for a long reach to the ground for my short legs. Swapping the seat for the narrower Thruxton seat would be helpful but for most people this will not be a significant issue.

The engine has a completely different character than the Sportster engine. Where the Sportster is loaded with tractor-like torque the Bonneville likes to rev. Combine the free revving engine with the light throttle and you have a recipe for smiles that last as long as there is gas in the gas tank. Since I never ran our of gas on my all too short ride, I never stopped smiling.

The steering was light and neutral and at the admittedly lower speeds on this ride the bike felt planted and tracked well. Direction changes were smooth and on the one set of sweepers I encountered the Bonneville tracked accurately. With the exception of the light throttle spring this bike seemed to do everything I asked of it willingly and without fuss. Even with the short amount of time in the saddle I had already started to feel completely comfortable; forgetting that I was on a new bike that I had never ridden before. The bike as a whole is a lot like the controls. It is there, it woks the way it should and gets out of the way. Instead of there being three factors in the riding equation (road, bike and rider) there was just me and the road. It felt as if the Bonneville and I were one on the road. This is what riding should always be like. Adding some louder pipes might change that equation a bit but probably not.

Would I buy one? Absolutely!


Conclusion
As different as these two motorcycles are they share one thing in common. They are motorcycles in the most basic and complete sense of the word. In this time of specialized, single purpose machines they are both generalists. Each of these motorcycles capture the core essence of motorcycling, the pure wind in your face freedom of the open road experience that has drawn so many of us to this sport.

Both of these motorcycles are reasonably comfortable and well designed. Both are reasonably priced. Both are lot of fun to ride but in very different ways. So, which is the winner? In this particular case the winner is the rider. The basic question I ask myself at the end of any bike review is, would I spend my own money to buy one? The answer for both of these bikes is and unequivocal, yes. Now the tougher question, which would I buy first? The Bonneville.

Why? There is nothing objective about buying a motorcycle. It is a subjective decision based on desire. The Sportster has a little more character: the Bonneville is a little more refined. But the bottom line is this; my face hurt from smiling when I was finished with my ride on the Bonneville and I had to fight the urge to pull over and call the dealership and give them my credit card number over the phone.

What's The Word? Thunderbird!

That is the question and answer on the cover of the November issue of Cycle World magazine. They have a pretty good article on the new Triumph in that issue. If you are a fan of Triumph’s or big cruisers, check it out. By the way, there is also a nice editorial by David Edwards on Brit bikes including his classic bobber.