| We went to York PA to visit the Harley-Davidson motor cycle assembly plant. The weekend before we went they had an open weekend
and 20,000 Harley riders turned up. You could not get a campsite for miles! |  |
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A small plant alongside the main factory makes custom 'Ltd Edition'
motorbikes with special accessories and paint jobs. They are built by teams
of 2-3 workers who move with the bike to each workstation as assembly
progresses. Needless to say they are a 'little' more expensive! This is a
Road King Classic, one of the touring range of bikes. |
| I understand that a Harley-Davidson is an American
icon but I don't actually like them much. They are very different to
European and Japanese bikes, not least in the way in which you sit on them
with your feet stuck out in front. This is a big heavy bike with one huge
seat. It may be very comfortable but I found them all too big for me to sit
on comfortably. |  |
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They are also quite long and low which maybe makes them more stable. They
are also very noisy! When we asked about this the answer was that that is
how the buyers like them to be. |
| This is one of the few with a pillion seat although it
looks as though it was added as an afterthought. These are known as 'softtails'. |  |
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You can't take photos in the factory but you can in the showroom where there
are bikes available for photo opportunities. I sat on one and felt somewhat
lost. I began to understand why most American bikers are large men (and only
a very few women). Having ridden European bikes it seemed a very strange
posture. |
| I expect there are adjustments you can make to fit
your riding position. Of particular note are the footrests which are like
shelves. However many riders put extra footrests higher up the front frames
and so drive with their feet even further forward. |  |
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Jan tried one but looked even less at home. If it ever fell over she would
never get it back up again.. |
| The tourers looked better to me but I think I would
rather have a Honda Goldwing. Those you can't hear as they pass you, whereas
the road shakes as a Harley goes by. |  |
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They do make some bikes to a European style. These are Buells and they are
well known in racing circles where they are serious contenders. |
| My father had a BSA with a sidecar and I have memories
of travelling in that. This felt quite comfortable although a sidecar on a
Harley seemed strange. They do make quite a few of them although we have not
seen many on the road. |  |
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There is a very comfortable rear seat but we didn't try out the sidecar
seat. |
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