We found a Harley Davidson dealership that allows test drives (not all of them do) so we paid them a visit. My wife wanted to try a FXDWG - Dyna Wide Glide. They had none on the showroom floor, so we picked something similar, an FXDB -- Dyna Street Bob. This one had the narrow wheel up front, the 96 cubic inch motor, after market pipes, and ape hangers.
I hesitate to write a report about a customized bike -- the pipes were not stock. But since this is a common customization -- it seems like everyone who buys one of these bikes puts on after-market pipes -- it seems a relevant review.
I had expected a dealer-escort along a four mile course. Instead, the kid handed us the keys, and told us not to be out too much past 4. It was 2:45. He pointed us toward a twisty road and said have fun.
We rode for about 45 minutes out of town up an old twisty road.
After that amount of time, my ears were ringing. The vibration was not as bad as I had heard or imagined. Rubber mounted engine, I guess. I could feel the vibration in the hand grips.
The power and throttle response was worse than I had expected. I would describe the performance as Lackluster. I've heard it said that a Harley engine "Turns gasoline into noise and vibration with the least amount of power imaginable."
[See Editor's Note, below]
Backfiring on deceleration, for a moment it reminded me of the Magna before I cleaned the carbs. Makes me wonder whether there really was a problem with the fuel injection mapping. I know that the fuel injection has to be modified when custom pipes are installed. Looks like they didn't quite get it right.
I'll never know how much of the power and performance problems were related to faulty fuel injection mapping, and how much was simply "as good as it gets". I'll have to test drive other bikes - perhaps with stock fuel injection mapping and stock pipes - to be sure.
Back to the dealer, they debriefed us on our ride, and tried to urge us toward a purchase. They knew we were in the "early planning stages" of my wife's next bike, and that there would be no bike-buying today. They had my wife pick out her favorite color, talked about finance options, yada yada yada. Very low key, not hard sell tactics.
"What did you think of the Street Bob?" they asked her.
"Too loud," she said.
"What about you?" they asked me.
"Not enough power, too sluggish." I replied.
Editor's Note: This review was lifted from a longer post of mine, in which I reviewed several different bikes and also gave an account of the trip there and back.
Also, I should note as a follow-up, the problems I describe in this bike, including the unfair cliche about Harley-Davidson noise-to-power ratio, seem to have been caused either by the after-market pipes, or the fuel-injection mapping, or both. The stock 2009 Harley Davidson Dyna Super Glide, which has the same engine and same chassis, didn't exhibit any of this behavior.
No comments:
Post a Comment