HD Open Road

Anyone that has spent significant hours on their bike quickly realizes the need to “dial in” the comfort level of their bike. This is done in all manner of methods. Common methods include adding tour pegs, changing the handlebars, adding a custom seat or maybe just a backrest, and even altering the suspension height of their bikes. But have you ever considered where your feet sit in relation to your overall comfort and ride?

I am 5′10″, with an inseam of 32″. Fairly common I am lead to believe. In order to increase the comfort of my bikes on long rides (and even short ones any more), I have installed both Kuryakyn tour pegs and an H-D backrest. But I have a problem in tying these two items together.

When I stretch out my legs, my heels end up at just about the end of the running boards. Not much further. If my tour pegs are too high, it puts unwanted pressure on my lower back. Having my tour pegs at a level slightly higher than my running boards allows me to rest my heel on the running board and place my foot on the tour peg. This allows me to stretch my legs out while resting into my backrest. Almost perfect.

One little catch. My lowers. And no, I will not remove them. You see, probably from years of running in sand in boots, my knees are not what they once were. Because of my lowers, I have to “wing” my feet outward to clear them, putting pressure on my knees and hips. On a long ride, this is unacceptable.

When I try to move my feet outward to the outer edges of the running boards, I find that I am working hard just to keep my feet from slipping off the edge of the boards. Too much work for a long ride. I knew what the answer was, my quest as to find it.

Tom at Harley Goodies had the answer to my dilemma, and that answer solved more than one problem.

Harley Goodies has manufactured extensions for floor board mounting brackets that allow you to move your running boards away from your engine, giving a much better ride. Tome states it on his website quite well:

“These Floorboard Extensions are a simple and inexpensive way to solve many rider issues. Many riders experience hip, knee and ankle stress while riding because of the close placement of the stock floorboards. These footboard extenders will give you a significantly better riding position, which means a MORE COMFORTABLE RIDE. These Extensions are guaranteed to greatly increase your riding comfort or your money back.

Now… NO MORE burning your boot on the exhaust pipe, NO MORE sore legs, NO MORE fighting to keep your feet on the floorboards at highway speeds. And what can I say, a wider floorboard position makes your Harley look even FAT’R and MEAN’R.”

I received my kit the next day. The installation is easy, only taking about 10 minutes per side. Not mechanically inclined? Not to worry, the instructions are real easy and written in clear English (imagine that!).

Once on, I was surprised. Although the mounting spacers are only slightly longer than the stock ones, the changes are quite noticeable. Just looking at the running board location, you can see that the boards are now moved much further from the pipes and side case. The bike takes on a wider look, too. This is nice, especially on a fat Ultra!

The true test came once I sat on the bike. My feet were noticeably further from the pipes. My hips felt better, and the normally “too wide stock seat” was now not quite too wide.

But the best result is when I kicked my feet out to their touring position. My heels were now solidly on the running boards, while the balls of my feet rested on the tour pegs. My feet were no longer cocked in an uncomfortable “winged” position. My knees, hips, and even my ankles feel much better. This is a natural position for me.

I am sure that many of you have the same problems I have in “dialing in” our rides. I highly recommend that you take a look at the floor board extensions from Harley Goodies. If your Harley has running boards, regardless of make or year, Harley Goodies makes an  extension for you (Including Softails). Check out their website at http://www.harleygoodies.com. They stand behind their product, and Tom is a great guy to work with. Tell him Coach sent you.

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The jig is up! I think my girl now knows I am having an affair. But I can’t help it. It is a long love affair with an ornery ol’ gal. She’s always there, beckoning me with open arms and a Siren’s call. And I can’t seem to resist her call for long.

My girl knows when my mistress is calling, too. She can just sense it. But she understands. You see, my other love is the open road. And she was calling once again this November.

Three of us set out once again to visit my mistress. We made plans for Four Corners. For those of you that are geographically challenged, this is the spot that 4 states all meet. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. This will be an easy 1500 mile ride, and we planned to do it in 3 days.

Setting out on the ride is myself and Panman on our trusted Ultra’s, and a prospect named Talley and his ‘96 Dyna that we affectionately named Donkey (think Shrek). Panman and I are accustomed to the road, having visited the mistress on numerous occasions. This will be Talley’s first road trip, and we figured should be interesting as he tries to keep up with a couple of road proven Ultra’s.

Friday was our departure day. We got a late afternoon start as we awaited the completion of work schedules. And although we didn’t get on the road until 1:30 in the afternoon, our first stop in Mesquite, Nevada is only 370 miles up the road. Mesquite is on the east border of Nevada, and will be our jumping off point as we enter southern Utah. We should be there just a little after dark.

I need to remember to take into account that the days are a lot shorter now, and the shadows longer too. Turned out we showed up a while after dark. The desert started to get a little chilly as we sped past the lights of Las Vegas. But it was still good.

Once in Mesquite, we grabbed a room at the Virgin River Casino, and a warm meal. This was our first road trip with the prospect, and we found a few things about Talley that cannot be hidden on the road. Talley road his Donkey hard, keeping up with the easy lope of our Ultra’s. But the 3 1/2 gallon tank on the Donkey could prove to be a problem as our 6 gallon tanks would allow us to cover a lot more ground in the day. Panman and I will have to adapt.

To make things tougher on Talley,the prospect comes with his own music box and a penchant for serenading at night. Talley quickly became the recipient of our practical joking. This trip will definitely challenge Talley and his Donkey before we are through. First night agenda: get room, check. Get dinner, check. Beer, check. Short sheet the prospect, double check!

We were off to an early start the next day. Well, we should have been, anyway. First things first though. Breakfast! As we rolled out and began entering the Virgin River Canyon, the last evening’s mischief’s were quickly forgiven. The Virgin River Canyon soon gave way to Utah, and the photo olympics began.

Although we didn’t get started until 8:00, we arrived at Zion Harley-Davidson at 9:00. Just as they were opening. Coffee all around, and t-shirts too. And extra quart of oil for the Donkey. We weren’t there long, and it was time to get moving. Next stop, Zion!

The shadows were still long as we entered the canyon leading to the toll booth at the entrance of Zion National Park. But the sky was clear, and the air was just a little crisp. Perfect riding conditions.

At the entrance of Zion, the Donkey seemed to balk a little bit. Maybe a little lovin’ and maintenance was in order. It didn’t take us long, and we were once again on the road.

Zion was every bit as beautiful as I last left it. Maybe more so, as the willow trees had now turned yellow. There was very little traffic as we made our way up the canyon. Once again, the prospect began the photo olympics. It took us 4 hours to travel 24 miles through the canyon. But I have to hand it to Talley. He took some gorgeous pictures.

After Zion, we rolled down 89 towards Page. Across the dam, we continued moving across the northern section of Arizona on highway 98 through Navajo territory. The high desert is gorgeous this time of year. But the temperatures were starting to once again drop, and we still had a lot of riding to do yet.

The day was quickly wearing on, and the shadows were once again getting long. This is no place to be riding the highways at night. All manner of critters are anxious to come into the middle of the road to see what you are doing. I would just as soon they didn’t know!

We continued the necessary pattern of stopping every 90 miles to refill the Donkey. And by now, the prospect was requiring about 20 minutes per stop to rest his other ass. That La Pera seat may look great, but it is a tough seat for the long haul.

Our long ride ended up a lot shorter than expected. We only made it to Kayenta, at the mouth of Monument Valley on highway 160 before the night took over and forced us to seek shelter for the night. During the trip to Kayenta, Panman and I happily helped Talley finish the last of his tequila he kept in a flask. We neglected to tell him that we were in a dry county, however. The prospect was not a happy man that night. OK, so let’s tie his socks in a knot!

Day three, and we definitely have a long way to travel. We had already realized that there was no way we were going to make it back to home by this evening. Guess it is now going to be a 4 day trip. Today we will ride to 4 Corners, and then ride hard to Williams for the night.

We dutifully started the day early, right into the desert cold. Temps ranged around 30 degrees as we raced across the desert towards 4 corners. And we hadn’t yet eaten.

Bundled up tight in multiple layers and leathers and hiding behind our fairings, our bikes roared as we pushed into higher altitudes. Riding into the sun proved a challenge as we moved up 160. We reached 4 corners at 8:30, cold and shivering. But the park didn’t open until 9:00! Well, we need to eat anyway, so off we went into Colorado to the Ute Mountain Casino in Towaoc. Hot coffee and made to order omelets, we were finally able to feel our extremities again when it was time to get back on the road.

Four Corners is just a concrete market of the location once thought to be the center point where 4 states connected. The advent of GPS now lets us know that the mark is actually 2 miles off. But you think they are going to relocate it? Naw!

From 4 Corners, we continued our trek back into Colorado on the 41 to the 162 towards Mexican Hat. We were now in Utah once again, and although still quite cool, the temps were warming with the morning sun. Still in Indian Territory, we marveled at the mostly bleak landscape that was occasionally dotted with a distant mobile home and multiple vehicles that surrounded the coaches like dying dinosaurs.

As we approached Mexican Hat, the mesa’s began jutting out of the desert. The deep red colored monsters loomed over the desert landscape, casting their own shadows across the roads were we intersected.

Mexican Hat lies in the beginning of Monument Valley. A round upside down hat shaped rock that precariously balances itself on top of a mesa. We took in the sight as we moved south now towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon. At the current rate of travel, we will just make Williams before sundown.

The ride through th4e Arizona desert was amazing. And the temps started to once again drop as the shadows cast by the pine trees danced across the road as we began our climb up into the forest towards Flagstaff. We cruised through Flagstaff, noting the sun as it dropped towards the horizon. Williams is just 30 miles off now, and the sun is leaving us fast. Going to be close. I hate riding at night through elk area. Not smart!

But we pushed hard, and arrived in Williams with a little time to spare. Obviously there is no way we would have made it home on this day. Chalk that one up to poor planning.

We carefully chose our lodging for the night, right across the street of the Iron Horse Saloon. Williams is a great town tucked into the forest just west of Flagstaff in Arizona. During the summer they have several rides that originate in Williams, including the “Rumble on 66 Bike Rally” held in June. The town is an intact wild west town that was built along the railroad spur in the late 1800’s. Many of the old architecture is still in take, like the Red Garter Inn. The Iron Horse Saloon also maintains that same architectural model with an old west town of it’s own constructed right next to it.

We saddled up to the bar with the Monday Night game on as we ordered pitchers of beer, shots of Patron, and ribs for dinner. It was nice to cool our heels in a true classic roadhouse. Going to sleep good tonight!

We woke up the next morning to ice on our rides. It gets a little cool in the forest at night. Apparently that night was no exception, although we were obviously oblivious to it as we staggered in the night before.

The ride was everything we expected. Our mistress challenged us, cajoled us, and tempted us to ride on. Talley earned his road wings, and Panman and I got to visit our mistress once again. I think the pictures should complete the picture.

Our ride to Four Corners answered the Siren calls of my mistress, but no doubt she will be calling again soon. I just hope my girl will understand. Because when she calls, you know I am going to answer.

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