Rain or shine, I’ll take a Harley Davidson 48

by JonQ on Jun.26, 2011, under Bikes, Podcast, Reviews

Rain. That incessant, unyielding kind that I thought only the Lake District could produce, has somehow made its way to London. And on the same weekend I have borrowed a Harley Davidson 48.

It’s only then, weird plastic murmur tapping on my half hat, that I realise it’s an odd argument as to why anybody would prefer to ride two wheels over four. It’s always colder, usually wetter, more dangerous, there’s no radio, no bluetooth for your phone, you can’t really chat to your passengers, you look a bit of a tool arriving at work and, as I recently discovered at an airport check-in, all the time you’ve gained on the road threading through traffic is lost having to strip off your multiple layers of kit.

But having grown up on the smell of two-stroke scooters, I just can’t seem to shake the habit. I value the perspective I get from a bike and, now I’m older, I can finally get insured for less than the price of a small house.

To my surprise, the Harley 48 has proved to be the most most remarkable town bike. The frame is compact and narrow enough to weave in and out of traffic. The chunky tyres, seat and suspension have been set up to make no drama out of potholes and the 1202cc engine has so much torque (98NM), you find yourself just burbling around in any of those five gears. It’s a massively infectious riding style and one that keeps your license in tact.

Equally surprising is just how useless the 48 would be on a trek to the Scottish Highlands. The forward pegs and wide bars get uncomfortable at prolonged high speed - seriously, anything above 60mph and the vibrations hit you hard and the burly ‘potato potato‘ thrum becomes inaudible. All your ears pick up is the apparent ticking noise of an old cinema projector.

The most frustrating part would be that piddly 8-litre ‘peanut’ fuel tank. The range is supposed to be around the 100-mile mark, but in the city, I was seeing the fuel light flash on after half that. Come to mention it, I find it quite weird that a bike with an odometer and a trip computer does not also have a fuel gauge. I could imagine becoming quite paranoid if I was ever planning a route out of town. Keep this bike in the city however, and you will fall in love.