6 Month Product Review- Adaptive Headlight and LED Turn Signals

Well MotoReaders, if you've been following my blog, you will have figured out a couple of things by now- 1, I like to give my honest opinions on new products, and 2, I like to review them after I've had some time to use them and put them through their paces. You'll also know that I'm not on anyone's payroll, nor do I get discounts for the products I'm reviewing, so there's absolutely no bias or influence for me to sell you on the products... if I like it and think it's a good product and worth the price, you'll know... but if not, I'm going to give it to you straight so you don't waste your hard-earned dough.

With that said, let's get to it!

My basic criteria

Today I share my 6 month review of the J.W. Speaker Adaptive LED Headlight and the Kuryakyn Tracer diffused LED turn signals that I installed on the MotoWriter Road King Special back in May of this year (see My Inner Cheapskate Lost!). 

In my previous post, I mentioned a few points that I'll touch on briefly here. 

1- Price and value. The number one thing I look at when buying or upgrading any product is the price and the value. When I say value, I mean, what am I going to get out of this product for the price I'm going to pay for it? Is it cheap enough to try it, then toss it if I don't like it, or is this going to be a significant investment for me? What is a significant investment for one person, may be quite a bit different for someone else, so I'll qualify that question with this- I'm a blue-collar working man with bills to pay. I don't have "family money" or a job that pays 6 figures, so a headlight that costs more than my motorcycle payment, is going to fall under that "significant investment" category.

2- Cool factor. Yes, this may seem like a very superficial point to consider, but it is an important point nonetheless. Why? Because it's a motorcycle and, while I want it to be functional, I also want it to look good while being functional. Let's be honest for a moment, if we are only concerned with functionality, then we probably wouldn't ride motorcycles in the first place. I can think of several different options for improving the lighting on my motorcycle that would be less expensive, but would look horrible in my opinion (which is all that matters when it comes to how my motorcycle looks). 

Bottom line- it's gotta look good, function well and do what I expect it to do for the price I paid for it. 

J.W. Speaker adaptive headlight (model 8790)

First, let's talk about the big one... the $550 headlight. I've known J.W. Speaker products for several years and I know who they are building products for (I'm looking at you, Harley-Davidson and Indian). There's no shame in it though. Rarely, especially these days, do major manufacturers make their own specialty products. For example, companies like Showa, Brembo, Mikuni, Keihin and Delphi have been supplying their parts to a wide array of major manufacturers because, simply put, they have their products dialed in so well (and patented so thoroughly) that it is more cost effective for companies like Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Indian and so on, to simply buy their ready-made components and either re-brand them, or market them as a selling point (case in point, look at how many companies brag about using Brembo brakes).

So with the J.W. Speaker Adaptive headlight, the biggest question wasn't if the quality of the product was sufficient, but rather, was the functionality of the "adaptive" technology worth the price tag? Living in South Mississippi provides a very long riding season, but the trade-off is, there's not a whole lot of really curvy roads and there's even less mountain roads. So, in order to do a full, fair product review on a headlight that is supposed to illuminate your way through curves, I made a trip to the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, just for my loyal MotoReaders. 

The headlight functions surprisingly well. I do notice it more in left-hand turns and curves more than right hand turns, but it's not because it's not working properly, but rather, the fact that I'm on the right side of the road, so there's less road to be lit up. In right turns, it lights up the shoulder and ditch instead which is still good because now I can see those woodland critters on the edge of the road that are waiting for their chance to ambush an unprepared motorcyclist. The light functions exactly as promised and, as a matter of fact, has spoiled me so much that I don't even want to ride my Dyna at night because I've become so used to the extra light from the Road King's adaptive. It really is that nice. 

While the price tag is hefty, it is worth spending the extra money if you ride at night, especially on curvy back roads. If you are a daytime only rider or do most of your riding on long, straight stretches with little to no curves, then first of all, I'm sorry for you because that sounds awful, but my advice would be to save your money. If, however, you enjoy the peace and solidarity of riding under the stars on sweeping curves, then bust open that little ceramic pig and order yourself a new adaptive headlight from J.W. Speaker. 

Kuryakyn Tracer diffused LED turn signals (2904 & 2906)

The Road King Special, by its very name, is supposed to be "special." One of the biggest things I like about this bike is the styling- it's modern, yet maintains its heritage as a classic Harley-Davidson FLH. With that said, one of my biggest pet peeves is cutting corners and, in my opinion, Harley-Davidson got lazy and cut some corners on this bike. It just annoys me when something is so well executed... 90% of the way, then the last 10% is half-assed because no matter how great that 90% is, the only thing that will be talked about and remembered is the 10% that sucked. Changing an incandescent light bulb on a motorcycle that cost almost as much as an economy sedan, is a good example of that. It's not a deal-killer, but it sure is a stupid thing to have to do, when there are so many better alternatives already on the market. First of all, LED bulbs should be standard on all motorcycles, especially Harley-Davidsons. Why you ask? Because the execs at Harley-Davidson HQ are going all-in on the concept of the company being a "premium brand." So, if H-D is marketing their motorcycles as "premium" then why are they using the same incandescent light bulbs they have been using for the past 20+ years? LED bulb technology has dramatically changed the landscape of artificial and supplemental lighting in everything from street lights, to the lights in your home, to the lights on your vehicles, and everything in between. Several years back, I realized that the incandescents on the Road King Special were sub-standard for this slick, black, Cadillac of a motorcycle (oh yeah, that was a Quiet Riot reference... click the link to rock out, '1980's style!), so I replaced them long ago with some off-the shelf LED bulbs from the local auto parts store. 

While the replacement LEDs functioned well thanks to Harley-Davidson so thoughtfully using an, already load equalized, CAN bus electrical system on the bike (meaning, you don't need to install load equalizers due to the lower amp draw with LED bulbs on the newer Harley-Davidson models), they didn't look that good. I really like the look of the diffused LED tail lights on newer cars. My wife's car has them and they just look like they're from the future... they're one of the few things of the modern age that I do actually like. So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw the Kuryakyn Tracer diffused LED lights available for my, modern classic, Road King Special. At over $100 a pair, they are considerably more expensive than the LED bulbs that I had already picked up, but these lights had the modern look I was after, so it didn't take nearly as much decision making on these. They are super bright, look amazing and, in my humble opinion, really match the sleek, modern aesthetic of my Road King Special. 

For what you get- a very well made, plug and play, aftermarket device that offers an immediate improvement over the stock lighting with a modern, updated, and just plain stylish appearance- all for around $250.That's not too bad for a full LED upgrade, in my opinion.

Final thoughts

So, in the case of this review, you may be wondering why it may seem to be a little more focused on the "pros" than the "cons" and my simple response is this- I pride myself on doing thorough research before I drop a wad of dough on something. In the case of upgrading the lighting on my 2017 Road King Special, it was a deliberate, albeit unnecessary, choice. To be more clear- the Special's stock lighting was sufficient in its stock form. The headlight was bright, the turn signals, signalled and the brake lights lit up sufficiently to satisfy the DOT standards. It was my decision to upgrade the lighting to better suit the style of the bike and improve it's functionality. Is the added expense of the upgrades worth the overall price tag of around $800? Well, that will depend greatly on two things- your budget and your desire. For me, and the kind of riding I do- long road trips and plenty of night time riding on two-lane backroads and the occasional curving mountain roads- it was absolutely worth the expense.

Stay safe MotoReaders and if you're going to get lit, get lit safely and make good choices.

Video Blog

Hello MotoReaders!

I'm contemplating bringing back the video blog... at least every once in a while. Even though it's a lot of work (and no recompense), I actually sort of miss editing and creating videos and, it turns out that, I have a few different reviews that I think I'd like to do. Of course, with autumn in the South usually bringing a bit more rain and cooler temperatures, it's also a good time to sit in a warm, dry garage (or house), editing video content, too.

If I do break out the GoPros... I have a few cool things to show you guys. First, I've done a bit of work to the MotoWriter Street Bob that has changed the look a bit and, I've added some new lighting to the MotoWriter Road King that I'm pretty excited to talk about. I've also picked up a couple of new motorcycles that I'm eager to share my thoughts on. I'm sure I could add in a few product reviews and I've even thought about doing another long(er) term review of my Road King Special... as a follow-up to my previous video, since I've done a bit of work to it since making that video. 

When, and if, I do start shooting and posting new videos... look for the links to them here on theMotoWriter.com, since I'm adamantly opposed to getting back on social media (I might even talk about my reasoning for that in a video, too). 

Finally, if you are one of my loyal readers, and have wondered whatever happened to my plans for offering up some MotoWriter merchandise... the person I was working with to make my decals and t-shirts has shut down her operation indefinitely and I've just been too busy with my "real job" stuff to seek out another vendor for it. Maybe, if all works out, I'll be able to get that done in the next couple of months and will be able to add a link to the site, where y'all can order from. 

Whatever happens, stay tuned for more content here on the MotoWriter.com, because as the temps drop and the rain starts to come more often, I'll be doing less riding and doing more writing.

THANKS for being a part of this! Ride safe and make good choices!

A Star is born... and then it's gone.

A Star is born

The year is 2006. The motorcycle under my carport is a 2001 Honda Shadow 750 American Classic Edition. It's raining, so I'm on the couch, watching T.V. A commercial briefly teases an all-new motorcycle under an all-new motorcycle brand- Yamaha introduces it's new "Star Motorcycles" and the all-new, 113ci air-cooled, pushrod V-twin lineup- The Roadliner, The Stratoliner and the Stratoliner Midnight. I'm intrigued. Very intrigued. The motorcycle has neo-classic styling taken straight out of the 1930's automobile design handbook, a big, pushrod V-twin and classic American styling. The Midnight edition is an almost all black bike and it is nothing like any other bike on the current market. It is a stunning machine and I love it. 

The test ride

After going online and visiting the Star Motorcycles website an obscene amount of times, requesting brochures and promotional DVDs, then reading the specs and watching the DVDs until my eyes hurt... I decided to make a trip to a dealership to check it out in person. I brought cash. The bike was huge, especially compared to my 750 Honda. It was fuel-injected and fired up instantly with a low rumble. I slowly eased the bike out of the dealership doors, feeling like a little kid on his first bicycle. The bike was huge, but it was beautiful. I slowly pulled onto the service road and eased into the throttle, carefully upshifting to get used to the gear ratio of each gear. The bike was huge, but it was geared well and easy to control. I took it up through 4th gear and then downshifted to start slowing to turn around. I pulled into a parking lot and began my u-turn. The bike was huge, but it was nimble and well-balanced. As I headed back to the dealership, I got a little more comfortable and twisted the throttle and let the 1900cc engine roar. The bike was huge... and it was powerful. If you didn't catch it... the bike was huge.

I bought it that day.

Miles of fun

It was on that Stratoliner Midnight, that I became more adventurous on my moto-journeys. Having the reliability of a brand spanking new motorcycle (the first new motorcycle I had ever had) gave me the confidence to travel further, longer. For the most part, I still stayed in my local area, but my rides were longer. I used to only average a couple thousand miles a year on my bikes- the Shadow 750 was a reliable bike, and I loved riding it, but it was small and got a little cramped after a while in the saddle. The Strat, as I came to call it, was big and roomy and had plenty of power to pull me down the highways easily and pass traffic effortlessly, so I more than tripled my yearly mileage, averaging over 6k miles a year. The only real problem I ever had was caused by an uneducated tech at a local dealership. Turns out, the all-new 113ci engine on the 'Liners had 3 holes to drain the oil, but when I brought it to the local dealership for the break-in oil change and inspection, the tech only dropped two, then filled the engine to spec without checking. That ended up blowing an O-ring inside the engine, near the base of the pushrod tube. After fighting with every "local" dealer about it, with each one refusing to fix it, I ended up bringing it back to the dealer that sold it to me (almost three hours away) and he was able to fix it at no cost to me. He even put me on a used Road Star that he had in stock, while my Strat was down. The bike was great and I was totally happy with it... until I got the fever.

Harley fever and the death of a Star

Just a few short years later, in 2009, I caught the Harley fever. With too many reasons to list, and in an attempt to not get distracted from the original story, I'll save my tale of getting Harley fever for another day and simply say- I used my beloved Stratoliner Midnight as a trade-in, on a cold winter night in South Louisiana, and rode home on a sweet new Harley-Davidson Road King Classic. Even though I left the triple tuning forks behind, I never trash talked Yamaha, the Stratoliner, or the Star brand. On the contrary, actually. I encouraged several of my friends to buy Star motorcycles because of their styling and their nearly bulletproof reliability. Once I started riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles, I never went back. Over the next decade, I went through a few different Harleys, added a couple extra to the garage and settled in on my current bike- a 2017 Road King Special. It has the all-black styling of my beloved Stratoliner Midnight, but with the performance, features, rideability, vast dealer network, history, lineage, reliability and styling that I have come to know and love with the Milwaukee USA Motor Company. Fortunately for me, switching to a brand that had been in constant production for over 100 years was the right choice, because not long after, the eventual death of Star would come.

Unfortunately for Star and Star owners, after only ten years as it's own brand, Yamaha decided to scrap the Star brand and fold the remaining bikes back into the lineup under the Yamaha moniker. 

The company you keep

It makes sense, I suppose. Yamaha Corporate is a huge company with products ranging from musical instruments, to motorcycles, to factory automation equipment. To say that they have their hands in several different industries is an understatement. While the Star brand was a popular one, I think that Yamaha recognized that there is only so much room in the motorcycle market for an American made motorcycle. You see, a lot of people probably didn't realize that Star Motorcycles was operated out of the Yamaha USA offices in Southern California, and that the motorcycles were designed in the good ole US of A. At their core though, much like many of the V-Twin cruiser motorcycles, they were replicated versions of original designs from the original American-born motorcycle companies, Harley-Davidson and Indian. My Shadow 750 was, literally, named the American Classic Edition (or ACE, for short). It was designed to look and sound like a Harley-Davidson FL; The Kawasaki Drifter was a blatant... umm, let's call it... "tribute" to, the original Indian Chief; The Yamaha Road Star was designed based on the Harley-Davidson Softail models and the 'Liners were designed to take on the Harley-Davidson Touring family. The biggest difference in how the designers did this, was to give it a fresh, new design that, in my humble opinion, was one of the most elegant and unique designs that, while it was still American inspired, still had it's own individual look and personality.

What made the 'Liners so popular was the size, the power and the styling. While the styling was still very retro-American, it was unique to the Star brand, as no other American motorcycles had such unique, sweeping lines and movement-inspired shapes. No other bikes had a big speedometer inspired by a "grandfather clock" and no other bike had a big, chrome strut on the front fender (just for looks) and most of all- a big fuel tank, devoid of any names or monikers, just simply adorned with 3 elegant chrome strips. But, at their core... with their big, air-cooled, pushrod V-Twin, prominently displayed in the frame, a big headlight with custom nacelle and leather covered saddlebags, the Stratoliners were easily mistaken for Harley-Davidsons. While that's not a bad thing, with a price tag similar to that of a comparable H-D and a limited aftermarket (by comparison), the Star brand was fighting for it's place on American soil. I believe that Yamaha saw the writing on the wall, when Polaris bought the rights to the Indian name and introduced their first models in 2014. Market analysts surely predicted that Polaris' Indian brand would re-ignite the battle for supremacy in the US market between the two iconic American brands and, after watching the decline of Victory Motorcycles' sales, they were proven right. 

In 2016, Yamaha discontinued the Star moniker, absorbing all of the most popular models back under the Yamaha name. Shortly after, in 2017, Polaris discontinued Victory after years of waning sales. It made sense for Yamaha. The name recognition of Star just wasn't there, not compared to the household name of Yamaha, that is. After all, everyone knew Yamaha. From jet skis, to dirt bikes and ATVs, to your kid's keyboard or saxophone... Yamaha was a brand name that was in practically every household in America. 

The end of the road

Unfortunately, 2017 not only brought the end of Victory, but it also marked the end of the line for the prestigious Stratoliner. Yamaha discontinued the big cruiser to focus on the Star Venture. The Venture is not a new name for Yamaha's touring motorcycle line, far from it, actually. The Venture name first saw production on the 4 cylinder Royal Star as it's luxury lined version, but Yamaha is now using the name on their only "Transcontinental Touring" bike- the Star Venture. The motorcycle is still basically a Stratoliner, but with a full, frame mounted fairing, new bodywork and of course, saddlebags and tour pack. Basically, Yamaha combined most of their big, heavyweight cruisers into one bike to compete with the venerable Honda Goldwing and Harley-Davidson's Road Glide Limited and Ultra Classic Limited. Yamaha has always had a long history of very successful sport and off-road bikes and, it's obvious by going to their little corner of the interweb that, they are clearly focusing more on that market instead of the heavyweight cruisers.

Hope is in the ever changing market

While I wish this story had a better ending, at my core I am a motorcycle optimist and I choose to see the best in every motorcycle story and this one is no different. The Star brand may be dead, but the enthusiasm of it's owners is alive and well. Thriving, actually. Yamaha still makes the 113ci, air cooled mill and, as such, they are still building parts for it. That means there is still factory support for the big machines. There is also a growing aftermarket for those that saw the light of the Star, long after it was already burned out. Stratoliner and Roadliner enthusiasts are now finding these amazing motorcycles in the local ads for a fraction of the prices they used to demand. That means more and more of these beautiful machines are being seen on the roads. 

While I may have moved on from the giant Japanese companies' offerings, riding my beloved Harley-Davidson Road King along the interstates, highways and backroads of this beautiful land I call home, I still get a little excited to see a Stratoliner or Roadliner on the road. As a matter of fact- I have several friends that have moved up to 'Liner ownership and I couldn't be more proud for them. The 'Liners are amazing bikes, with lots of power and plenty of style to bring a smile to any real motorcycle lover's face. 

As a genuine motorcycle enthusiast- I don't really care what you ride, as long as it brings you joy, fuels your sense of adventure and gives you a deeper appreciation for this journey we call life. 

Ride safe and enjoy the ride, no matter what you ride. See you out there, MotoFriends!

PRODUCT REVIEW! Road King Special Handlebar UPGRADE!

Product Review- KST Kustom's 12" StraightJacket bars

If you watched the long-term review of my 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special that I did on my YouTube channel, you will no doubt know that my biggest point of contention with this motorcycle was the absolutely awful handlebars that the MoCo installed on this, otherwise fantastic, machine. I don't claim to be a great video blogger, hell, I don't claim to be a great blogger... but I do consider myself to be an extremely fair and impartial judge of motorcycles, moto-gear and moto-parts. It's in that fair and impartial judgement that I try to bring you good folks- my devoted readers- some insight and some, hopefully, helpful information to help you decide on what to spend your hard-earned dough on. So, if you've dropped a stack of Benjamins on a Road King Special and you are tired of the pinched wrists and numb fingers from those stock bars, keep reading because this review might just help you decide.

Now, without further adieu, let's talk about these bars!

KST Kustoms- company background

KST Kustoms is based right here in the good ole' US of A, operating in the sweet southern air of Bremen, Georgia. According to their website, they build their handlebars in a 21,000 square foot facility using over 30 years of experience in the motorcycle industry dealing with several major manufacturers, to include Harley-Davidson, Victory and Indian. Why is that important, you might ask? Well, simply put, they understand the importance of high quality parts with premium finishes and high grade materials. In other words, you aren't likely to buy anything from this company that is going to bend, twist or corrode.

Google Earth view of KST Enterprises 21k sq ft facility

Another interesting note from their website is that they "strive to exceed" their customer's expectations with a "commitment of respect and honesty." Well then, color me intrigued. Those aren't values commonly seen in many of the companies we deal with these days. The folks over at KST, Brett Kent and Ret Tolleson, also claim to design their handlebars "to maximize handling and minimize fatigue all while looking aesthetically pleasing." If you watched my video review all the way through, you probably noticed that I spent an unfortunate amount of time complaining about the bars on my beloved Road King Special because, while the finish was nice, the shape was awful. My fingers would go numb, my hands would hurt and my wrists would get cramps from the angle of the grips. I also noted that one of the most significant things that attracted me to this bike was the appearance- it is an absolutely beautiful motorcycle- so putting a set of cheap, crappy handlebars on it was simply not an option for me. Being a working man, though, spending a thousand bucks on bars wasn't an option either. There is always a middle ground and that's what I found with these bars. 

Opening the box

My first impression of opening the box was pretty basic- a big, more or less, empty box with a set of very well wrapped bars in it. I don't need much more than that. The bars were wrapped from tip to tip, with nowhere for any of those pesky scratches to get in. The label was attached to the bars and the wiring was attached to the label- simple, basic and to the point. I liked it. Not sure if you need the wiring extensions? No problem, their website explains what you need for your particular bike. If you still want to make sure, just shoot Ret a message and he'll tell you exactly what you need for your bike. If you have a 2017 and up Road King Special, though- you can take my word for it- you only need the wiring extensions and KST sells them for $35. Your stock hydraulic brake and clutch hoses are long enough.

Installation

These bars feel good and have a nice weight to them. They feel like a high-quality component. Installation was pretty straightforward- a few basic hand tools and a couple of beers paired up with some good music in the background for... ambience. But seriously, you just need to cover your tins with blankets to protect them from dings or scratches and take your time. You can always pay someone else to do it for you, but why would you? It's an easy job and you'll have the satisfaction of telling your wife (or husband) how much money you saved. One thing to note- when you are removing your brake and clutch assemblies, take a couple of plastic bags and bag them. The handles are great for suspending them up and out of the way, and the plastic makes sure that they don't inadvertently leak fluid onto your paint. This is a review, not a how-to, so I'll spare you the detailed steps, but basically it goes like this- remove the clutch and brake controls from the bars (DO NOT remove your hydraulic lines from the reservoirs), remove your headlight to get to the wiring behind it, remove the handlebar clamp cover and remove the clamp. Once you have your stock bars off, take it to your work bench and swap the hand controls over to the new bars. 

One thing to note- the largest of the plugs need to be removed from the wires. It's easy to do, (google it, if needed), but just make sure that you take note of which wires came out of which slots (the slots are numbered and the wires are color-coded). I used baling wire to fish the wiring through the new bars, but you can use whatever you have- just make sure it's strong enough to pull your wiring without breaking. Once you have your controls set up on your new bars, plug in the new wiring extensions and head back over to the bike. I left the protective wrapping on until I had them mounted and adjusted to the position that I wanted them in- no need to invite scratches to the party this early, after all. 

GET A Grip!

The stock Harley-Davidson grips are exactly what they need to be- functional and cheap so that there is no regrets about taking off a good quality part to replace it with something that looks or feels better. Grips, mirrors, pegs (or floorboards) and exhaust are the most common things to be replaced first on a motorcycle, so it's best that the MoCo doesn't put too much time and money into these particular items. I've always chosen Avon grips for my Road Kings and Biltwell grips for my Sportster and my Dynas. The Avons have durable rubber inserts over a really nice aluminum core with a beautiful finish that goes perfectly with the look and style of the elegantly refined, highway cruising, Road King. The Biltwells are inexpensive, soft and offer just the right amount of vibration dampening needed for those loud, shaky boulevard bruisers. I've owned three Road Kings and I've haven't been disappointed by Avon grips yet.

Mirror, MiRROR ON MY BIKE

Rusty stems on my stock mirrors

Talking about disappointment though- another point of contention with my Road King was the stock mirrors- the finish was truly despicable for a motorcycle that costs as much as a small car. The ironic part is, I actually like the factory Harley-Davidson mirrors. They have a unique, "Harley shape" and they have a great field of view. Most of the time, the finish on their stock mirrors is good, if not great, but for some reason, I guess my bike got the "Friday at 5 finish"- you know, the "it's almost quitting time, this is good enough" workmanship. Maybe they were just a bad batch or maybe some little road gremlins took a leak on them when my bike was parked, but either way- I wasn't about to keep these crusty, rusty pieces of crap on my flagship cruiser. Now, I'm not an uppity person. I don't require brand names or high price tags. I like what I like- functional components with a nice design. The better the price- the happier I am. 

When I found these mirrors on eBay, I kept a close eye on them. The seller claimed them to be new old stock "Kuryakyn Hex II" mirrors. I honestly didn't care who made them, I just liked the shape and the price- under $50. They came wrapped in bubble wrap and when I pulled them out, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. They are all aluminum and have crystal clear glass. When I installed them, though... they didn't look right to me. There was just something funky that didn't set right, so I contemplated my next move- buy another set and shelf these, or make some kind of modification to them. I had an epiphany and decided to swap the mirror heads from one side to the other. The result was a much more aggressive look, that had a lower profile and a more streamlined shape. It was definitely the right thing to do. Whoever made these mirrors needs to be proud of their workmanship. They are well made with an aluminum body and aluminum stems. They have a clear field of vision and hold steady even on the worst roads I've found. Not bad for less than $50.

Final thoughts

The guys at  KST make some bold claims about their products and company and I'm here to tell you- they back them up. They are friendly, helpful and very responsive and the best part is, they deliver exactly what they promise- high quality parts with a great price and exceptional customer service. These bars are well designed and perfectly executed and best of all, they look like they were designed for this motorcycle. No more suffering with numb fingers and pinched wrists. The height on the 12" Straightjackets are perfect for my five foot, nine inch tall "dad-bod" and I've even noticed that they make the bike feel even more nimble than before, probably because of the additional leverage gained by the extra 3" in height. 

Look, I'm a simple guy. Harley-Davidson hit a homerun when they first introduced the Road King in 1994. It had everything that a rider could need, a big comfortable seat perched atop a big frame that was purpose-built to stand up to hours out on the open road. It had lockable saddlebags to keep your gear dry and secure and a basic, removable, windshield to keep most of the bugs and some of the rain off of you. Over the years, the engineers in Milwaukee refined that machine, over and over, making it more comfortable, more fuel efficient and more powerful. In 2017, they gave it a makeover to give it a more aggressive look and, in my humble opinion, they knocked it out of the park. I absolutely love this bike, but over the past twenty thousand miles, I've grown to despise the sorry excuse for handlebars that the Motor Company mounted on top of that majestic Hiawatha headlight. If anyone from the best damned motorcycle company in the world is reading this blog, I would strongly encourage them to give Brett and Ret at KST Kustoms a call about giving this badass bike an upgrade on the assembly line. In case they don't though, and you have a set of those awful, 9" tall atrocities that came stock on the FLHRXS, check out the products offered by KST. Place your order, grab your service manual, crack open a tasty beverage and get to work making your Road King Special, truly special.

Until next time, ride safe and make good choices, y'all... I've got some riding to do.

Stock grips are... well, stock grips- cheap and easy to replace

The new bars behind the stock H-D CVO Windsplitter windshield

Just a couple of upgrades from factory-
J.W. Speaker headlight, KST Kustoms
Straightjacket 12" bars, and some "mystery"
mirrors from eBay.

The new mirrors didn't look right to me...

...but with a simple swap of the mirror heads, I got the look I was going for.

Before and after, showing the height difference

These bars look good with the windscreen...

...and without.

 

Brand Loyalty- how far is too far?

Brand loyalty... how far is too far?

OK, I'll admit... I may not be the "best" brand ambassador for Harley-Davidson. But in my defense, I'm honest, hardworking and I don't make a lot of dough, so I need to actually get what I'm paying for. I would consider myself to be more of a spokesman of the working class for Harley-Davidson. I love my Harley-Davidson motorcycles but I'm not a blind follower of them, or of any brand for that matter. If they do something right, I'll sing their praises to everyone I meet, if they shit the bed on something, I'll do my best to try to point it out so they can improve. Think of it like getting constructive criticism from your best friend. 

Take my boots

A year ago, I picked up a pair of TCX riding boots from Union Garage in Brooklyn, NY. I paid $199 and got free shipping... so I got a sweet pair of boots and still had enough left over for a Snicker bar. I bought them without ever even trying them on. Why? Because I read a ton of honest reviews from fellow riders who, like me, refuse to blindly follow a brand name. I believe in the tried and true method of evaluation and review from people who understand that sometimes companies get it right, and sometimes they don't. I did a six month review of my boots back in May (and I'll be doing a one year review soon) so that anyone on a budget that is looking for a new pair of riding boots can read it and, hopefully, get a little insight on them. I got some good feedback on my review and even had some guy claiming to be a rep of the company reach out to me and ask if it was okay if he posted it to the company website (I told him yes, but I don't know if it ever got added). I look at it this way- there might be somebody out there who, like me, has just enough extra scratch at the end of the month to be able to ride motorcycles. Chances are, they probably don't have thousands of dollars a year that they can spend to experiment with gear, so just like reading Yelp reviews on the local greasy spoons- we can get a better idea of where to, or not to, spend our hard-earned money. I don't believe in being a rude, over-critical ass; I just believe in the effectiveness of constructive criticism. 

Die-hard loyalists

I get a kick out of these die-hard loyalists who take the brand loyalty thing way too far. I have a friend, who will remain nameless, that is that guy. His bike is the best- it is the fastest, makes the most horsepower, the most torque, has the best paint, the highest quality finishes and is the most nimble, as well as the most comfortable, motorcycle that has ever been built in the United States and abroad. Of course, that is strictly his, not-at-all humble, opinion. I also get a kick out of these Indian riders who claim that Harley-Davidson is now suddenly going to file for bankruptcy because Polaris has recently breathed life back into the long-dead Indian name. I seem to remember all those same comments being made by the Victory Motorcycle guys a few years back and we can all see how that turned out.

You might be saying, "now hold on just a dag-gummed minute Mr. MotoWriter... you can't compare Victory to Indian!" No? Why not? Because Indian has been around "Since 1901" or because it was "America's FIRST motorcycle company"? Well... I wrote a little nugget about that, too. You can read the brief history of Indian Motorcycles here if you'd like. Look, I like Indians and I think that they have a LOT of potential and if the executives over at Polaris want to give me a loaner bike for a year, and some of that sweet Indian swag to go with it, I'll do a fair, honest long-term review and evaluation of their bike and products. Hell, if I like their products enough, I might even buy 'em. 

Harley guys aren't the worst, but they're close

Harley-Davidson is an iconic brand. It has somehow survived over a century, through good and prosperous times and through countless recessions; not to mention, surviving the Great Depression which befell the country a mere 26 years after the company first rolled out their first production motorcycle. They've managed to keep a consistent customer base over the decades, have seen years of profits and years of losses, but yet they remain. The guys and gals that stand behind the Motor Company are, no doubt, a big part of the reason that the Milwaukee based company is still churning out new bikes after all these years. With that said, they can be a bit ridiculous. I've heard people say things like "I'd rather push my Harley than ride a Honda." Really? I'll call bullshit on that one. "Harley's don't leak oil, they mark their territory." Yep- bullshit. If I buy a brand new motorcycle (or any vehicle for that matter) and it leaks oil- somebody's gonna hear about it. I think that one of the reasons Harleys catch such a bad rap from other brand enthusiasts is because of those die-hard loyalists who defend the company even when it's failed or failing it's customers. 

Warning- this next part might offend you.

We may not all agree on this- but defending a company when it produces a crappy product is akin to giving out participation trophies. You're doing them a disservice. You're telling them that putting in a half-assed effort is good enough and that losing is still winning. By blindly defending Harley-Davidson, you are basically telling the MoCo that it's okay that they made a crappy product. In my long term review of my 2017 Road King Special, I beat the MoCo up a little. I wouldn't say that I picked the bike apart, but I did point out some deficiencies in the quality. Maybe, if we are all lucky enough, somebody over at H-D HQ will watch that video and say "damn, we need to correct those issues." If you go to a restaurant and the food is awful, are you going to tell your friends how great it was? I would certainly hope not.

Let's help them survive

Look, I don't know about you, but I want ALL of these companies to improve and survive and the best way to do that, is to hold them each accountable when they screw something up and not be so blindly loyal that we refuse to offer them any sort of criticism, or even recognize what their deficiencies are. I'm not saying let's boycott Harley-Davidson because they put a shitty finish on a few parts and I'm not suggesting that we force Polaris to kill off Indian because they have had some electrical issues. I am, however, suggesting that we, the customers, give them good, honest and constructive criticism so that they can improve their products for us. After all, we will all benefit from those improvements- we (the customers) will get a better product and the companies will make more money in return sales and be able to stay afloat going into the future. 

I truly love the diversity in the motorcycle market. I don't just love Harley-Davidson motorcycles- I love ALL motorcycles. I want Polaris-Indian to put pressure on Harley-Davidson and I want Harley-Davidson to continue making motorcycles that set the standard for overall style, comfort and performance (some people will roll their eyes at this, but history proves this statement to be true). I really hated to see Polaris shut the doors on Victory and it was such a disappointment to see Yamaha dump the Star line of cruisers. Honda is still going strong, introducing an all new Rebel 1100 for 2021 and Suzuki's Boulevard line and Kawasaki's Vulcan line both seem strong. BMW's new R-18 is an exciting addition to the cruiser world and Triumph's line of "Modern Classics" offer even more styles for us to choose from. To be completely honest, I'd love to see the resurrection and success of some of the old motorcycle companies that have fallen to the wayside. Can you imagine if BSA, Brough Superior, Vincent, Victory, Excelsior-Henderson, Pierce-Arrow, Ace, Crocker or Acme were still pushing out new products? Think of the innovation and the options that we might have! I get giddy just thinking about it! 

Competition is a good thing 

Competition drives advancement and each one of these companies should be in a head to head competition with each other, not to destroy the other guys, but to earn our money instead. If we do our part as the end-user and tell them what we want, what we don't want, what we like and yes, even what we don't like, we can give them a clear path to the future to build products for us that we can enjoy for years to come. They might even earn the business of our kids and grandkids and if things work out- maybe every motorcycle company can eventually brag about being in business for over a hundred years.

As for me- I'll just be down here in South Mississippi riding my Harley-Davidson along our beautiful coastline, and writing a few things to entertain you good folks, while I'm waiting patiently for one of these companies to reach out to me to do a long-term review of their products. 

Stay tuned for more reviews coming up, and in the meantime, ride safe and make good choices!

An Open Letter To Harley-Davidson Executives

An Open Letter To Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz And The Rest Of The Milwaukee, USA Executives

As a blue collar, working class customer that has spent well over $100,000 on your motorcycles and products... I humbly request your attention for a moment.

Dearest CEO Zeitz and all of your fellow purveyors of Milwaukee's finest Steel Horses,

I hope this letter finds you well- happy, healthy, stress and COVID free. I am writing this "open letter" to you on my blog because, well... simply put, I'm sure that you get more mail and letters than you can possibly keep up with and I have no doubt that you likely don't have enough time in your busy days to read any of them. I also have a few readers of this blog and I'd like to think that I can speak for them, when I say that we need to talk. I'm writing this letter "openly" so that I can share it with my readers, as well. 

Now, I don't honestly expect my simple little blog, being written down here in South Mississippi, to be read by any of the powerful executives in the ivory towers of the Motor Company of Milwaukee, but as I've said before- nothing will happen if nothing is done, or in this case- if nothing is said, so I have to at least try.

First of all, let me begin by saying that this is NOT a letter of dispute or animosity, but rather, an honest, working class evaluation of your products, marketing and business practices. 

Motorcycles are a major part of our lives. We ride them, some of us race them, many of us wrench on them and some of us even customize and build them. Some of us can afford to buy new ones, others can only afford to buy used ones, but we all find our own ways to get out on two wheels. For many of us, our ultimate goal in motorcycle ownership is becoming the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

A little over ten years ago, I bought my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle- a brand new 2009 Road King Classic. I traded in my 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner "Midnight" in January of '09 and rode home on what seemed like one of the coldest nights of the year. The Stratoliner was the first brand-new motorcycle that I had ever bought- the Road King was the second. As the years went by, I began to have some minor electrical gremlins in my Road King- the speedometer and cruise control would sometimes stop working and the "check engine" light would randomly come on. I brought it to the dealer a couple of times, but they could never seem to find the issue. It didn't matter, not really. I racked up around 35k miles on it in over the next few years until I happened to walk into the dealership one day in 2013 and found myself ogling the new bikes. You can probably imagine where the story goes from there. I ended up trading in one bike for another over the next 4 years, starting with a brand new, 2013 Road Glide Custom. I moved on to a 2012 Wide Glide, then finally settled in on a 2011 Road King Classic. I truly believed that I would keep the '11 Road King until the wheels fell off. Unfortunately, I got on my trusty Road King one morning and noticed that the rear brake pedal was locked in place. As it turns out, the ABS system was failing, apparently due to moisture in the system. The year was 2017 and the month was July. I had already seen the new Milwaukee 8 and test ridden a new Road King Special, so when I got the brake diagnosis... it was a pretty easy decision to make- trade in the '11 and ride home on the '17. 

Needless to say, I've spent quite a lot of money on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, as well as parts, accessories, clothing and other products, in the past 11-ish years. Even though I've dealt with some mechanical issues, I've stayed loyal to the brand. Not because I have some unhealthy or unreasonable obsession, but because I like your motorcycles and I want to support an American company that has been able to stay afloat since the early 1900's. That being said, I think it's extremely important for you all to remember that, much like many of your customers, I am a blue collar, working class American. I don't make a lot of money, so I prioritize my spending on the things that I enjoy the most- one of those being riding my motorcycles.  

An honest review

When I bought my 2017 Road King Special, I had come to terms with my motorcycle addiction and settled in on the, very real, possibility that I could end up trading it in on another bike within a year or three. I came close a couple of times, but the sheer beauty of the bike (and power from the 107 M-8) has kept it safely parked in my garage for the past three years. If any of you are actually reading this, then I would encourage you to click here and check out the video review that I did on my beloved 2017 FLHRXS. I wont get into all the details in this post, but I will just tell you that I have some complaints about some of the quality and craftsmanship issues with this bike.

Make no mistake about it, I'm not about to run down to the Indian Dealership to trade it in (although those Dark Horse Springfields do look pretty badass and that new Challenger is quite intriguing), but I paid a premium price for, what I thought was supposed to be, a premium product and that's where you guys failed me. Harley-Davidson motorcycles have long been known for their quality fits and finishes (at least since the buyback) and every one that I've had before this one hasn't let me down. In my relatively short time riding this gorgeous scooter, I've seen trim parts fall off, painted parts rust through the finish and other parts oxidizing or rusting. I know what you're thinking- I keep it outside, right? Wrong. This bike (along with all of my other ones) rests safely in an enclosed garage every night. While I'm not a fair weather rider, I do try my best to avoid riding in the rain and I do a better than average job of keeping it clean. The bottom line is, somewhere along the way, someone in the MoCo started authorizing corners being cut and the people that suffer the consequences are blue-collar working folks like me. 

Seize the opportunity to improve

You have a unique opportunity at your feet right now. With the global pandemic threatening the very way Americans (as well as bikers from across the world) ride our motorcycles, you have a chance to set things right. Want to know what riders want? Just ask us, I promise we'll tell you and we won't hold back. Fly me to Wisconsin for a week and I'll give you some ideas that will increase sales, reach more customers and improve customer satisfaction... and I'll even let you take all the credit for them... more or less. 

One thing we'd like to see- better quality and more attainable bikes. I know what you're thinking- "we can offer 84 month financing to make the $25k motorcycle more attainable", but I'll stop you right there. You're not going to be able to sell too many people on the idea of financing a toy for the same amount of time it takes for their kid to go from kindergarten to junior high- it's just not reasonable. Why does a Road Glide Special cost nearly $30,000? Why does an 883 Sportster need to cost almost 10 grand? I know why... because somewhere along the line, somebody heard the term "diversify" and went nuts, making tons of T-shirts, jackets, pants, belts, wallets, watches, hats, etc, etc, etc... and that's just the apparel side of the house. The diversification of the company's products extended into motorcycles and motorcycle parts, too. I mean seriously... how much sense does it make to kill off the entire Dyna line, a line of bikes that had (and still has) a cult following, to save money... just to replace it with a whole new line of bikes that were an absolute failure (I'm looking squarely at the Street line of bikes). I would love to see a Milwaukee 8 powered Wide Glide or Super Glide, but no... someone in a corner office in Milwaukee made the failed assumption that H-D fans are too stupid to realize that the new Softail Standard and the Softail Street Bob are the same bike.

Let's look at this reasonably- Harley-Davidson motorcycles has the largest aftermarket of any brand... do you really need to have your hands in the pockets of the aftermarket companies? You sell the bikes, those companies make them better. If I want to replace the shitty stock grips on my Road King (and I do), I can spend around $60 for a nice set of premium Avon grips, or I can spend $150 for a set of similar grips that say "Harley-Davidson" on them. You guys spend more money trying to flood the market with your own parts, just trying to steal a few extra bucks away from companies like Kuryakyn, Avon, K&N, Vance & Hines, etc, when you could have spent that money maintaining the quality of your bikes, or even lowering the price a bit, instead. 

Instead of screen printing a half a million T-shirts every year that you are just going to stuff in your dealerships with $30 price tags, or re-branding $180 HJC helmets with the H-D logo and trying to sell them for $350 (yeah, we know you guys don't make your own helmets), why not save that dough, reinvest it back into the company and drop the prices on these bikes by a few thousand bucks, instead? I may be a simple nobody from South Mississippi here, but I can tell you that it makes a helluva lot more sense to sell 100 motorcycles for $20k each, than it does to sell 50 at $25k each. Not only would you make more money, but you'd also get your product out there to more people, thereby increasing (and improving) your brand recognition which would increase customer demand for your bikes. More bikes on the road means an increase in maintenance services and more sales of maintenance parts. Hell, you'd probably even sell significantly more motorcycles when folks realize that they can more easily justify the cost of them. If you think that keeping prices extra high to promote the "premium brand idea" is the wisest choice to make- let me remind you of how that worked out for the Stellican Ltd. Indians. They were beautiful, expensive failures because only the uber rich could afford to buy them. 

Look, I could go on and on, but then we might not have much to talk about in the Harley-Davidson Headquarters' board room after we negotiate the terms of my consulting fee (I'm more affordable than you might think). The bottom line is that I, along with millions of other avid motorcyclists, love the Milwaukee Motor Company and we love our bikes. We just want to see future generations be able to buy and ride them, too. 

It would be a damned shame to see the legacy of William Harley and Arthur, Walter and William Davidson, wither and die because of a few too many bad decisions made by those men and women who were entrusted to keep the company alive. 

I'll be waiting to hear back from you on when to expect my flight and hotel reservations to come through, but in the meantime- be safe, make good choices and enjoy the holidays.

Sincerely, 

J.D. aka, the MotoWriter