Life sometimes gets in the way of riding-- and in the case of my long term Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo, it also meant postponed enjoyment of the bike's recent parts and accessories spruce up, which were documented in this photo gallery.
What's it like to "spend" over four grand and transform Fatty into a rolling showcase for Harley aftermarket parts and accessories? I discuss the process in Long Term Update #6: $4,280 Later... and talk about what I think went right, and what I'd do differently.
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Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for gallery
Remember when I flipped through Harley's 856-page "Big Book" of parts and accessories and plotted a makeover for my Plain Jane Fat Boy Lo?
When the day of reckoning finally arrived, I picked up the transformed bike and took some snapshots of Fatty in its new skin.
Take a look at the altered bike in this Customized Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo Photo Gallery, and read about the mods in Long Term Update #6: $4,208 Later...
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Photo © Basem Wasef
Click for gallery
We've been hearing about Dainese's airbag suit for years (and watched MotoGP riders like Jorge Lorenzo crash test them at the world's race circuits.) But here's where the rubber finally meets U.S. roads: after a decade of development, American consumers can now get their hands on a D-air system.
D-air uses a GPS sensor, three gyroscopes, three accelerometers and a gas charger to detonate the collar-mounted airbag seen here (somewhat) discreetly beneath a full leather racing suit, unlike earlier versions which used an external airbag. D-air responds in 15 milliseconds, and the bag fills with air in 30 milliseconds-- literally quicker than the blink of an eye, offering protection to the shoulder and collarbones, as well as shock absorption to the neck and upper chest region. The D-air full leather suit is priced at $3,999, or $4,999 for a custom fit.
The D-air's only real competitor is the Alpinestars Tech Air system, which is currently available in Europe with a €6,000 price tag-- roughly $7,800 at today's currency rates. Tech Air uses a dual charge system which deploys two airbags in 45 milliseconds and offers 5 seconds of protection; roughly a minute after the bag deflates, a second dose of airbag protection is offered again to crash happy riders*. Alpinestars hopes to bring Tech Air to the U.S. by summer, 2012, though that timeframe is still tentative.
Sure as eggs is eggs, skeptics will criticize bike-related airbag systems. But riders who've been slapped with hefty medical and rehabilitation bills following a wreck might take a different attitude towards gear that could help avoid painful injuries and keep them riding.
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* Both Dainese's and Alpinestars' systems require servicing after deployment-- Dainese offers one airbag protection "event," Alpinestars offers two.
Diagram © Dainese; click to enlarge
Sometimes a bike's color-- like "Suede Nuclear Sunset," seen here-- says all you need to know about its personality.
Continuing their tradition of stripped-down, custom style rides (like the High-Ball), the just-announced 2013 Victory Judge gets a 106 cubic inch (1,731cc) air-cooled mill that pumps 113 ft-lbs of torque and 97 horsepower, mated to an overdriven six speed 'box. Seat height is a reasonable 25.9 inches, and details include drag bars, blacked-out components, and tall 90-series Dunlop Elite II tires with raised white lettering.
Best thing about the big-bore Judge? Its price*, which starts at $13,999 in Gloss Black, and jumps to $14,399 for Sunset Red and-- yes, Suede Nuclear Sunset.
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* Add $250 for California bikes
Photo © Victory; click for 2012 Victory Buyer's Guide
