A question for the mentally delusioned

[starcruiser(aka downn2)]

Just what is the top speed of your Harley?

While I was vacationing in Colorado, I had a chance to I talked to a guy out in the parking lot of the hotel who was riding a road king. He claimed he had a hard time maintaining 70 MPH because of a strong headwind he encountered...... I was just wondering if the damn thing is stock, if it can even hit a 100 mph on a calm day? Again, that is without dumping $3K into the motor which this guy had done.

 

[FJRocket]

I had a 2003 Road King and I garun-dam-tee you that it will go over 100. I think the guy you were talking to was the one with the problem, not the bike. Unless the wind was maybe up in the triple digits.

My disappointment with the Road King was hitting the rev limiter on the fly and scraping the floor boards in the turns, not the top end. Notice I said turns, not curves. Although there's a couple guys on this board who can wail on a RK by hanging off, I found that I always had to slow down and make turns. BOR-RING.

I also didn't like the bike on the highway. With big shield, wind deflectors and engine guards covered, the air would still whip around and over the tank and come up underneath my glasses, goggles, helmet, whatever, and try to rip them off my head. Very annoying and not fun out on the open road.

The RK is fun to putter around on, though. I liked the Fat Boy even more for casual riding. For me, none of them hold a candle to the FJR.

 

[starcruiser(aka downn2)]

How fast did you even get up too?

 

[FJRocket]

How fast did you even get up too?

I got up a little over 105. I never tried to get top end. I still had motor left.

And it had plenty of ooomph. I remember being out riding in a fairly high wind, pushing hard, and passing an oncoming trooper. I was doing over 80 and was thankful I didn't get the bill.

 

[SoCalFJR]

How fast did you even get up too?

They'll do 100 bone stock. You've got to wring 'em out a bit, but they'll do it. A group of friends and I have a tradition of renting HD's for an annual 1500 mile weekend to Vegas and back. Man those are fun trips. There's nothing like abusing a perfectly good, low mile Harley Davidson that you don't own!

Ride it like a rental

 

[twowheelnut]

Fastest I had mine to was 115 indicated. That was on the slight downhill slope heading south on 101 from the Conejo grade. Stage One, chip and V & H pipes. It had maybe 10 mph more, but the chassis was so squirrelly that I dared not try and find out.

 

[EXPDSGT]

'97 Dana wide-Glide -- will do 100 stock but it is scary.

Don't try to cruise on this bike over 72 MPH -- that's it -- as it sounds like the motor is going to fly apart if you go any faster.

 

[Toecutter]

Don't try to cruise on this bike over 72 MPH -- that's it -- as it sounds like the motor is going to fly apart if you go any faster.

I wouldn't advise freeway travel then. They'll run you over at 70!

 

[Wolfhound]

I've got a friend that dyno tested his 124 c.i. Harley at 130 + hp and shredded the tire on the dyno at 191 mph.....No dillusion here...

 

[FJRocket]

'97 Dana wide-Glide -- will do 100 stock but it is scary.
Don't try to cruise on this bike over 72 MPH -- that's it -- as it sounds like the motor is going to fly apart if you go any faster.

That's funny. My Road King would go way over 80 all day long and felt very solid on the road. It should. Built and weighs like a tank.

Sounds like you'd be better off with a BURGMAN than a WideGlide. :blink: I was coming back from WFO and had to divert around St. Louis where I-70 was CLOSED due to a construction accident. Anyway, running North along the river, I passed a Burgman. Some old fart (like most YOU guys) with a girly looking helmet. I don't think he liked being passed. Well, of course I was smoking along on my FJR, heading up to about ??mph or so out in the sticks. I was snikering after passing the "scooter". Well, lo and behold, about 5 miles up the road, I looked behind me and there he was. And I'm telling you I was going at a pretty good clip. And he CAUGHT me! On a SCOOTER! :blushing: Well, we'll have none of that. So I gave her a squeeze and away we go. Then a couple miles up, I backed off again. Then I looked behind me, and THERE HE WAS AGAIN! :blushsmiley: Man, I tell you, I couldn't believe it. I gave up. I wasn't about to rely on going over a buck just to lose the guy. Then again, I was afraid he might still catch me. Then I'd be REALLY em-bare-assed.

 

[SoCalFJR]

'97 Dana wide-Glide -- will do 100 stock but it is scary.

Don't try to cruise on this bike over 72 MPH -- that's it -- as it sounds like the motor is going to fly apart if you go any faster.

That's funny. My Road King would go way over 80 all day long and felt very solid on the road. It should. Built and weighs like a tank.

Sounds like you'd be better off with a BURGMAN than a WideGlide. :blink: I was coming back from WFO and had to divert around St. Louis where I-70 was CLOSED due to a construction accident. Anyway, running North along the river, I passed a Burgman. Some old fart (like most YOU guys) with a girly looking helmet. I don't think he liked being passed. Well, of course I was smoking along on my FJR, heading up to about ??mph or so out in the sticks. I was snikering after passing the "scooter". Well, lo and behold, about 5 miles up the road, I looked behind me and there he was. And I'm telling you I was going at a pretty good clip. And he CAUGHT me! On a SCOOTER! :blushing: Well, we'll have none of that. So I gave her a squeeze and away we go. Then a couple miles up, I backed off again. Then I looked behind me, and THERE HE WAS AGAIN! :blushsmiley: Man, I tell you, I couldn't believe it. I gave up. I wasn't about to rely on going over a buck just to lose the guy. Then again, I was afraid he might still catch me. Then I'd be REALLY em-bare-assed.

That's great! Can you imagine how hard he must have been riding that thing? Man, I wish I could have been a bug on his windshield. I can just picture that old guy hunkered down, gritting his teeth, and hold that thing wide open trying to keep up with you. :lol:

 

[fjrchooser]

Are you sure his suspenders weren't caught on your mirror ? :lol:

 

[odot]

Could do 120 on my stripped down softy all day....till the screws from the s&s carb came loose and went through my cylinders. Love that scoot. Her name will be phoenix...after I resurrect her...for the fourth time.

 

[jimbemotumbo]

125 or so on my RK. 95" Twin Cam with about $1k into the motor (mild cam, supertrapp). Power wheelie from 1st to 2nd if I hit the revs right. Did several 16 hr runs at 95+. Got a little hot, but otherwise no prob. Never let me down. On my last LD ride on it I averaged 52 mpg on each of three 14-16 hour days at that speed. Surprised a few sport bikes on Highway 36 too. Great bikes really.

Only reason I switched to the FJR is cause I put on 20-30k a year, which means big dollar motor work every two years on an air-cooled twin. That, and the FJR spoke to me. Know what I mean?

 

[BrunDog]

Harleys suck.

-BD

 

[Toecutter]

I've got a friend that dyno tested his 124 c.i. Harley at 130 + hp and shredded the tire on the dyno at 191 mph.....No dillusion here...

Don't tell me, let me guess....Is his name Spider?

 

[PapaUtah]

"I've got a friend that dyno tested his 124 c.i. Harley at 130 + hp and shredded the tire on the dyno at 191 mph.....No dillusion here..." :slow_en: :to_become_senile:

124ci, 130hp is NOT a Harley-Davidson™! :nono: That would be a custom motorcycle. The Twin Cam 88 is capable of propelling the Milwaukee monsters at about 120mph maximum, but not very safely. Those wonderful frames with all 20-some welds are not the most rigid design on the road. The FLs have that wonderful rubber bushing to make them even more exciting to ride.

Oh, and by the way, 191 on the dyno is a false number. Add real world factors, wind resistance, etc. on the road and that "Harley-Davidson™" will never approach 190, much less 140. :drag: :rofl:

Harley-Davidson's™ don't suck! They are artwork. They are not designed to go fast, handle well, etc. They are designed to look good(to some people.) Artwork, pure and simple.

 

[MikeYork5]

Fastest I had mine to was 115 indicated. That was on the slight downhill slope heading south on 101 from the Conejo grade. Stage One, chip and V & H pipes. It had maybe 10 mph more, but the chassis was so squirrelly that I dared not try and find out.

Bout right, same with mine at 115 or so, V & H pipes with Stage One and a PC. Stable at speed no problem at all with softail.

 

[FJRottie]

Bone stock HDs can do 75 mph all day on the interstate no problem. Most will do 105-120 mph top speed.

The Fatboy (with its solid rims) up to the Road King and Electra Glide with there big front ends and bulky make-up are piggish in extreme wind.

These are cruisers only and do well at cruising.

Sport and Sport-Touring bikes are smaller and more aerodynamic.