When I went in to Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson to pick up Kandy for my last review (2018 Road Glide), my daughter saw a “black one” on display in the parking lot and apparently fell in love. So, when I came home with a red one, she was more than a little disappointed, and I have not heard the end of it since. This time around we decided we would let her make the decision as to what was going to be reviewed next and we made a family trip in to SVHD to pick out the next bike. We lined up a bunch of black bikes for her to pick from and she made her selection and I had a very proud poppa moment. I must be doing alright as a father because my little girl picked out the nicest looking bike on the showroom floor, and I road home on a 2018 Breakout.

Breakout Styling

Let’s first discuss the style. This thing is bad ass looking. The 21” front wheel is accentuated with a single brake caliper to show off the massive front rim and out back the 240-rear tire looks like it was taken off of Batman’s Batpod motorcycle from the Dark Knight. So, I decided to name my Breakout, Michelle, after my personal favorite Catwoman, Michelle Pfeifer. The side license plate lets you really see how big that thing is back there and help me notice for the first time that Harley has their own tires for this bike.

The other style piece that has to be mentioned is the instrument cluster, which at first glance appears to be non-existent. Harley crams all the information you need, speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, all of your idiot lights, and even a gear indicator, into the tiny little LCD display built in to the risers for the handlebars. It gives the front end a very clean look.

The Ride & Journey

The ride on the breakout is an interesting one. When I initially saddled up I was greeted with a familiar riding position with my hands and head leaned forward and I started to get excited. But then things took a weird turn, the foot position is also forward and I felt like I needed longer legs, or longer arms, or maybe both in order to fit on this thing. As I rode I did get more comfortable with the riding position and the wife even commented that though she still liked Kandy the best, I looked good on this bike and since I’m primarily in to motorcycling for the chicks (correction chick) I’m OK with it.

Performance

The motor is the same Milwaukee 8 that I have had in the past 2 bikes so there were no surprises this time around. The motor is strong and smooth and the transmission shifted with the signature Harley clunk. Seeing as this thing is over 200 lbs lighter than the Road Glide the motor was free to put a gigantic smile on my face as I kept playing with the 109 ft-lbs of torque. You do have to be careful going through the twisties on this thing though. The bike is low, really low. I felt like I could have gone Fast and Furious style and ducked under a semi riding this thing. That low ride height also meant I was scraping a lot and I put those little scrappy things on the bottom of the pegs to good use. The other thing you have to be ready for is that monster rear tire out back means that quick turn ins are not going to happen on Michelle. To aid in the process I liked to move around on the seat while linking corners on the winding roads that I got out on.

Stopping Power

The Breakout, ironically, taught me something about braking in our time together. I’ve been teaching motorcycle safety courses for a few years now and have always preached the importance of using both brakes when stopping, however, as a sport bike rider I would get lazy using my rear brake and many times I wouldn’t use it at all. I thought about all the cruiser riders that I have had in my class that told me that they only use the rear brake and I always thought they were insane. Well, with only a single caliper up front, the massive amount of rubber out back, and the rear weight distribution on Michelle, I was forced to work on my skills using the rear brake. By the time I had to give her back I found myself getting more and more comfortable with it and developing a better appreciation as to why the cruiser riders were hesitant to use the front brakes in class.

Closing Thoughts

I had a lot of fun in my short time with the Breakout. This thing is low, fast, and looks absolutely amazing. The Milwaukee 8 engine is smooth as always and full of torque. The two best parts from my time with Michelle however have to be that I got to feel like Batman, if only for a short while and most importantly I have fulfilled my obligations as a father because I now know that my four-year-old is capable of making good decisions on her own. Now all I need is for her to get a job so I can stop paying for daycare and start saving up for my next bike.

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If you didn’t know it already, I now have concrete evidence that women love shiny things. Gold, Platinum, Diamonds ­- all those things get made in to jewelry. One could argue that it’s maybe not so much that they are shiny but that they are jewelry… and women love jewelry, right? I inadvertently performed a nice little experiment to prove once and for all that shiny stuff wins.

I road in to the parking lot where my wife and kids were waiting. “Kandy, a glistening 2018 Harley Davidson Road Glide finished in hard candy red, made quite the impression on my wife. She simply says “now that’s a beautiful bike.” I was pretty shocked as this was one hell of a reaction coming from the woman who looks at each one of the Ducatis I bring home and says “…it looks just like the last one” or a “meh” reaction.

The Road Glide Rundown

This is by far the largest motorcycle I have ever been in control of. At 820 pounds dry, it weighs more than me and both of my other bikes combined. Getting used to that weight is not something I was able to accomplish in the short time that we had together. Though I thoroughly enjoyed starting the learning process.

Kandy came with every bell and whistle imaginable. It took 10 minutes for Brittney at Susquehanna Valley, just to show me some of the basics. We barely scratched the surface of everything the Road Glide has to offer. I never figured out the voice commands, or how to deactivate the rear cylinder, or how to activate the shiatsu massage feature (ok it doesn’t have that), but I loved being able to listen to my music through the bike as opposed to through the tiny little earplug speakers I normally use. Everything is displayed through a beautiful touch screen display and the media controls on the handgrips were really convenient and easy to figure out.

Lois and Dave must have read my last post and heard me complaining about the lack of the signature Harley Davidson noise coming from the Fat Bob, so this time they made sure “Kandy” came with some louder pipes. As much as I enjoyed the streaming music, the song of those pipes is what makes a Harley something special. I wound up shutting off the jams when I got in to some wooded sections where I could really enjoy the sound of the Milwaukee 8 turned up a few notches since last time as it resonated off of the trees.

The Milwaukee 8 motor was the same as the one that came in Fat Bob and it was just as smooth as it was before. Naturally the added weight of a fully dressed cruiser was unmistakable and “Kandy” did lack some of the throttle response as was to be expected. The motor does not feel like it is strained in any way pulling around the weight of “Kandy” and myself. All that was required was one or two more downshifts than I would have used with Bob.

Road Glide Amenities

As this was the first time I have ever been on a big bike like this, it was also the first time I had a bike with storage. I have become quite the connoisseur of backpacks over the years and it was nice to be able to empty my pockets and leave the bag at home to go run some errands. My wife asked me if I could pick up some groceries one time while I was out riding and I told her I would, forgetting that I didn’t have a backpack on that trip. I was forced to cut her requests down to just the bare essentials of what I could fit in my pockets and I maxed out the on-bike storage with a bunch of fresh cilantro.

When I was out with Fat Bob, I was able to get away with some of my more aggressive riding. Kandy was not as receptive to the peg scraping style of riding, which is the reason why I only own sport bikes. Let’s be honest though, you don’t go pick up a bike like this and see if you can set a new speed record around your favorite corner.

The Ride

I decided to take Kandy to some of my favorite roads that I usually hit with Penny, or Cammy (RIP), and I did have a bit of a revelation. When you are on a bike like this, you really get to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I think of all of the times that I’ve gone to one of my favorite roads and been disappointed when I caught up with a bunch of New Yorkers that think they have found the secret road to Hersheypark. So, there I am stuck somewhere in between first and second gear putt-putting angrily along. When I went to that same road with the intention of seeing how well “Kandy” would respond to the twisties, I found myself still having a great time laid back and listening to my jams. I was enjoying the corners in a completely new way, even at the same speeds that would have been very disappointing previously.

I do have to apologize to that minivan of New Yorkers that was in front of me because I am sure they thought I had lost my mind riding behind them. I discovered something really interesting though. For as big as “Kandy” is, she can bob and weave like Muhammad Ali. When you do a quick swerve technique, she responds immediately and then pops right back up with a second push. I had a blast swerving back and forth for a few miles dodging every imaginary thing in the road I could find. They must have thought I was having a seizure behind them.

Final Impression on the Road Glide

“Kandy” and I had a great time and I was a little heartbroken as I dropped her back off at Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson. As I was leaving, I felt like I had a glimpse in to a future relationship, maybe one I’m not quite ready for just yet. After all, it took me this long just to figure out that women like shiny things.

Schedule Your Road Glide Test Ride

Don’t take my word for it, schedule a test ride in the Harrisburg area at Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson. I guarantee their staff will treat you with the same care and respect as they treated me. There’s nothing like experiencing the ride and enjoying the journey unless you see for yourself. I’m glad I did.

The post Sport Bike Rider Motorcycle Confessions, Part 2 – Sweet As Road Glide “Kandy” appeared first on Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson.

All of the bikes that I have ever owned have had a name. Of course, they have the name that they came with from the factory but I have always felt that it’s important to give them a name myself as soon as I get them home and in to the garage. There was Anastasia, and Celeste, then came Daphne, and Heather, and now there is Penelope and Cammy. The ladies have always treated me nicely in my riding and they have always been beautiful to look at in the garage. I’ve always been drawn to a bike that looks like it is going 110mph while sitting still and making me look even prettier than I already am.

I have to think that Penelope and Cammy got a little nervous when Fat Bob rolled in to the garage last week. He was definitely a departure from the types of ladies I’ve been bringing home, and I’m still not sure who made who look prettier.

The real question is what is it going to be like to go from riding a little gal to a Fat Bob.

I went in to this thinking that I was switching from a jet ski to a pontoon boat. The reality is Fat Bob has got some moves.

Bob came with the keyless system that Harley is using on its bikes now, which was a little weird to get used to but very cool to be able to just walk up to the bike and start riding. This was my first time experiencing the new Milwaukee eight from Harley Davidson. If you haven’t had a chance to take one of these out for a ride yet, they are a much different riding experience than the previous engine designs from Harley. The last Harley that I had out for a quick ride had me checking to make sure my fillings were still in my teeth from all of the shaking at idle. The Milwaukee 8 fires up smoothly and doesn’t feel like you’re sitting on a lopsided washing machine.

The cable clutch engagement in first gear is pretty nice however I am more of a fan of a hydraulic system. The power from the engine to the road is the definition of a smooth power band. There’s no need to get the RPM’s up to get to your power band. The power comes on and stays there right to the end. Shifts do come on a lot sooner than what I am used to but each shift gives you a nice little kick in the ass as you move through the gearbox.

So, Bob has got some power and the trip down 22 leaving Susquehanna Valley Harley Davidson was a lot of fun going from light to light, but I enjoy curves a lot more than the straight lines. With a name like Fat Bob, I was expecting taking the trip up Gold Mine Rd to be like asking The Fridge Perry for a piggy back ride. Bob was surprising yet again though. He took to the corners naturally. You have to be prepared to get your ass off the seat to accommodate the lower ride height but I’ve never had a bike that was meant to be sat directly on top of anyway. Moving around on the seat was a lot of fun and the bike responded to my movements and made the trip a ton of fun.

Speaking of the seat, that was a pleasant surprise. Harley Davidson actually puts something squishy in the seat that they call “padding.” It does this really neat thing when you go over bumps, and absorbs the impact. My other bikes like to use bumps as an opportunity to absolutely destroy your brovaries. The headlight on Bob is a little funky for a Harley but I like the way that it looks and I love the way it lights up the road at night.

My one gripe about the bike, and this is probably the last thing I would have expected to be disappointed in from a Harley, it’s quiet. Harley Davidson has a signature sound and one of the best sounds in the world of motorcycling, Fat Bob is begging to be un-muzzled. Like the radio friendly version of a song that was never supposed to listened to by your 7-year-old niece. Don’t get me wrong though Bob lets you know that the Milwaukee 8 is packing some power.

Fat Bob was my first taste of something from the new Harley Davidson and I was pleasantly surprised. The new Milwaukee 8 is an impressive piece of engineering and the way they put it to work in the new Fat Bob makes it a lot of fun. Fat Bob is like the fullback of motorcycle football team. He’s too chubby to be the running back but he’s got the power to move and if you need him to he’s more than happy to bob and weave a little too. Maybe Fat is the wrong adjective for Bob. How about Husky? Like the chubby kid’s jeans in middle school. Husky Bob can come visit me and the ladies in the garage anytime he wants.

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