3-Ride Review: Harley-Davidson Heated Jacket Liner

Good afternoon, loyal reader(s)!


It's time for another one of my very sporadic 3-Ride Reviews.  Today I am reviewing a Harley-Davidson heated jacket.  I'm not exactly sure of the model as it is an older one given to me by a friend probably a year and a half ago.  I didn't immediately put the pigtail on the battery as last winter I wasn't riding as much as I plan on this winter due to a different job.


First, a description of the jacket.  It's a black lightly insulated jacket with a windbreaker like exterior and wiring throughout-the front, back and sleeves are all wired.  It zips all the way up to a closed neck (good) and has light elastic cuffs and bottom.  There are plenty of extra plugs for gloves and probably heated pants liners too.  On the inside left is a pocket that holds the lead to the wiring harness on the bike, and it had an on/off rocker switch when my friend gave it to me.  The front outside right has a plasticized H-D patch that is tasteful and I could likely get off if I really wanted to (I no longer own a Harley) and the back center has a 1x2 inch or so Harley eagle and "AN AMERICAN LEGEND" patch sewn on.  I'm not sure I'll ever run this jacket without some top layer, so these patches are no big deal.


My first ride in this jacket was Sunday morning, and it was 36 in my garage, 39 per the official weather app on the phone.  Jacket warmed up quickly and I could feel the welcome heat at in town speeds.  About 10 minutes later I was on the freeway and cruising along for about 25 minutes at California early morning freeway speeds-so plenty of cooling wind.  I was wearing an Aerostitch suit, but the top zipper is malfunctioning and opened partway through the ride.  No big deal, as the liner kept up and I never was chilled.  Riding home at 10 AM I plugged in the liner, so test ride 2 was at more moderate temperatures-roughly high 40s/50ish.  This time I had to cycle the liner a few times, as I kept the suit sealed and the liner generated more than enough heat.


Ride three was this morning.  Again, the temperature was below 40 when I left the house.  I kept the suit sealed better this time, and once I got off the freeway for the last ten minutes riding to work I kept the switch off.  I was only wearing a light dress shirt under the liner and could really feel the heat after about a minute, and then for the rest of the ride.


This liner is an XL, which might be one size too big for me (I'm 5'10" and 180) but also allows easy layering under and above, which might not be possible if it was a large.  Considering it was a gift, I'm quite happy with the size!


Pro's-plenty of heat, easy hook up to battery then one plug, quality construction
Con's-A bit extra wiring  in leads (at least the way my bike is laid out), ripstop outer construction requires outer layer

Quick Post-Update on Connie Projects

Being TWO (Two Wheels Only) for seven months now and not traveling for work anymore has meant lots of miles but also lots of wear and tear on the Connies.  Here's a quick update on projects, maybe I can post more specifics on what I did and why in future posts.

1986 Connie

Rolled it over 100,000 miles
Cracked the Main Fairing Bracket (again)
Stripped main fairing off and removed bracket for neighbor to re-weld (again)
Changed Front Tire
Changed Oil
Had a pinhole radiator hose leak (see 1994 Connie projects...)
Removed and re-installed hard bags and antlers

1994 Connie

Used as transportation bike for almost 1,000 miles/good shakedown
Had a friend repair tank leak
Killed two fuel filters in four days using said tank due to rust inside it/replaced fuel filter three times (lol-but wasn't funny limping a starving for fuel bike home twice in four days, including some roadside networking with a Sheriff Deputy!)
Relocated 1986 tank and bodywork and spare bodywork to make 1994 all red
Moved/removed antlers and hard bags for commuting use, then back to 1986
Re-bleed front brakes but still too soft.  Replaced pads but still not gripping right
Drained radiator fluid and scavenged down pipe and hose for use on 1986
Documented brake and fork repairs needed prior to returning to full-time use

So I've been using 2.5 Connies to keep one on the road.  Tomorrow I celebrate 7 months of not owning a truck or car for me and only occasionally using a family members or friends!

Keep the knees in the breeze friends!

Demo ride on a Harley-Davidson Street 750

Yesterday I was able to test ride a Harley-Davidson Street 750.  San Diego Harley-Davidson was hosting Demo Days ’16.  They had a great variety of bikes-everything from Sportsters and Streets to V-Rods and Dynas up to full dressers.  As expected, the demand for test rides tended toward the larger bikes.  Since I have written on the Streets before, I actually went to the demo rides to try out a Street.  I have owned a Sportster and a Fat Boy clone, so re-riding one of those bikes wouldn’t have been a demo ride anyway.

So after a short wait, we got a short ride brief from the instructor coaches and HOG road captains, we went to our bikes.  First impression was that these are definitely smaller bikes and marketed well as in-town and commuter bikes.  Everything seemed kind of compact and close.  I’m 5’10”, about average for a guy.  The reach to the handlebars and pegs was easy but probably would have felt cramped on longer rides.  The grips and pegs are very basic, bottom of the line rubber. The bike fired right up and idles easily.  Of special note, the clutch lever is much lighter than I remember my Sportster being.  This is a big improvement for a commuter bike, as I recall lots of “clutch cramp” when stuck in rush hour traffic and not able to lane split.  There is also a lot of engagement “sweep” as you let out the clutch lever and the friction zone engages.  With the torque this bike makes, this is an improvement from trying to learn or commute on a Sporty.

One reason Harley makes both a 500 and 750 Street model is the 500 is the bike used for their new riders class.  The coach I spoke with said it was a great bike for the course.  I can see this-the bike just felt well laid out and basic without extras to confuse or scare a new rider.  I’m not sure I would want a 500 somewhere like San Diego, where you almost have to get on the freeway to get anywhere.  While the 750 was able to cruise with the big bikes the short time we were on the freeway, a 500 would probably struggle to quickly accelerate on shorter ramps or to get out of tight spots with a larger rider onboard.  I remember some commutes and rides on my Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic when I was looking for another gear as I was topping out the power band in 5^th.

Of interest, there are few accessories for the Street as a first year model, but both NY Mike and the employees at SD Harley said more were coming, including bags.  This will be interesting to see, and an improvement in my mind.  As a motorcycle computer who doesn’t like riding with a backpack, saddlebags or hard bags are a must.  Hopefully they will be functional as the rear fender area behind the shocks isn’t very large-maybe even shorter than Sportsters.

At $8,000 the Street 750 isn’t cheap, but it is a solidly built, well-laid out basic cruiser by an iconic motorcycle company.  I think it’s a better first bike than a Sportster, and depending on your long-range riding plans probably a better commuter.  For longer rides a 1200 Sportster with highway pegs and a larger screen would be a better bike, but for reasonable days and commuting I’d recommend checking the Harley-Davidson Street out!

Taking a break-not from riding or wrenching, but blogging

I'm going to be traveling extensively and accomplishing many goals these next few months, so blogging is one of the things I'm going to limit. I appreciate the few readers I have and look forward to starting back up in 3-6 months time.

1400 miles to go

Just a quick post as I haven't updated this blog in a while.  I'm still riding the 1986 Connie and slowly getting the 94 back together.  The 86 now has 98,600+ miles on it and depending on work travel should roll over 100,000 miles in April.  Then it will be time for a tough decision as the registration is due that month.  It's not very expensive to renew, but I will be re-registering the 94 once it's back on the road too.  Insuring and registering two bikes (plus the project bike when it's done) gets expensive since I travel a lot and can only ride one anyway!

3 Ride Review: HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet

I recently bought an HJC CL-Max II Modular Helmet from BikeBandit.  As you may know if you've been a longtime reader, I am an affiliate marketer for BikeBandit.  I like their wide selection, good prices, free shipping for orders over $99, and as a (mostly) local company, fast fulfillment of most orders for my friends and me here in San Diego county.  Why "mostly"?  Well some warehouses aren't in San Diego, and some parts have to be backordered and may be drop shipped from other places/manufacturers.

OK, on to what I'm going to start calling "3 Ride Reviews".  These will be reviews of new parts, modifications and accessories after just a few rides.  Not just one ride-as either excitement over a new toy or unfamiliarity could shape the review, but also not long-term, having lived with it reviews either.  I've found three or so rides are generally enough to highlight whether the purchase was a good one, future modifications needed, and pros and cons of the part.  So my first "3 Ride Review" will be on the HJC CL-Max II helmet.

This was my first modular helmet, so I went and tried a number of models and brands on.  Some shops had lower priced helmets, especially the Cycle Gear house brand Bilt.  Prices went up from there, with the HJC being on the lower end and the usual suspects being the more costly.  I tried on a Shoei helmet that really felt good, but at nearly 4x the price of the HJC and over 5x the price of the Bilt I felt it wasn't time for that expensive a helmet.  Maybe if I was doing the Iron Butt Rally this summer!  I settled on the HJC and while I often support my local shops, I also needed some maintenance parts for the Connie-too old a bike to normally have the parts at dealerships, so they would have to order them too.

The helmet and parts showed up fairly quickly-not as fast as usual for BikeBandit, but still within about a week.  I have ridden in the helmet a few times, both during the day and at night.  Here's the pros and cons.

Pro's
Value for price.  While the Bilt is less expensive and more expensive helmets are definitely made to higher standards the price point of the HJC, especially from BikeBandit or if their price is matched ($134.99 with free shipping) is a good to great price for a modern, well-made helmet.

The modular faceshield allows easy access with a chin bar-so the pluses of a half or three-quarter helmet with full face protection.

Reasonably light-This helmet feels much better on my head than previous full-face helmets (a lower priced 707 and other cheapies) and about like my 3/4 Bilt helmet.

Consistent construction-All the parts seem to be of high-quality and no one part stands out as a place HJC cut corners to knock a few dollars off the price or make a few more bucks.

Con's
Differing wind noise/buffeting-Some of this is an "attack angle" and windshield height issue.  After the first ride with lots of varying wind noise I experimented with both angle of the helmet on my head and my head in the wind and got much less noise.  When I focused on a more upright, chin up position the wind noise is definitely lower.  That said, there is still a moderate amount of wind noise where the face shield and helmet meet.

The cheek pad foam feels comfortable but kind of cheap.  This is the biggest difference other than likely the wind noise I could find between this helmet and the much higher priced Shoei.  Also due to the size of my head (big, square headed freak here) the cheek pads are pretty tight.  BTW what everyone seems to say about HJC helmets being sized .5 to 1 size too small is right-I ordered an XL and it's still kind of tight.  Of course, it will compress to match my big 'ol melon over the next few weeks so it's best to start tight.

I would definitely buy another HJC helmet based on 3 rides and anticipate this being my main helmet.  I may rig a bluetooth system to it-it has a pre-molded mounting area but this wasn't a purchase point for me.  If you have done this and can add a comment I would appreciate it!

Ride there!
Bur

It's been over a month....

Wow, just realized I haven't blogged in a month!  But I just got a new HJC helmet, so I'll post a "2 Ride Review" later tonight or tomorrow.  Sorry for the break.