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  #1  
Old 11-10-2009, 12:21 PM
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Gummiente Gummiente is offline
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2009 Cross Bones Demo Ride (16 Jun 09)

So I was aimlessly surfing the net one night and happened across the website for my local Harley dealer, FOX HD of Owen Sound, Ontario. It had recently been updated and there was a new blurb posted about them having a Buell Ulysses, an Ultra-Glide Classic and a Cross Bones available for demo rides at any time.

I showed up there on 16 Jun at 10:30am and, after signing the necessary waiver form, swung a leg over a dealer modified Cross Bones and heading out for a ride. The mods were mostly cosmetic and consisted of header pipes wrapped in high temp cloth and Reinhardt slip-on mufflers which, despite having a pleasing rumble, were far too loud for my taste. The stock seat had been replaced with an aftermarket unit that retained the stock springs and pivot point but had noticeably less padding. Recessed pop-up fuel filler caps were added, giving the tank a nice sleek profile. The left side cap, of course, is still fake but contains a series of sequentially lit blue LED's that show the fuel level remaining in the tank. Very trick. The digital odometer is the same as on my Road Glide but now comes with an added feature - it has a setting that shows the number of km's left before the fuel tank is empty, a handy feature to have on a fuel injected bike with no reserve setting.

The seating position and floorboard placement were very surprisingly comfortable and the "apehanger" handlebars weren't near as awkward as they looked, although they did take some getting used to (remember, my normal rides are an '07 Road Glide and an '05 Ural Tourist which both have different ergonomics). Handlebar controls are standard Harley issue and the gear shifter and rear brake pedal were in similar spots as on my Road Glide.

With the counterbalanced engine, vibration is pretty much non-existent at idle and barely detectable at speed. In an odd way this kind of takes away from the bike's visceral appeal, but it sure does increase the comfort factor. I fudged up the first shift because the dealer had removed the heel shifter, but other than that it was a smooth takeoff from the dealer's parking lot.

The bike winds up to speed with no fuss or strain and the wide front tire helps the bike maintain a stable and straight line on the road. The brakes work well, although the first few practice hard stops were a bit unsettling due to the rubber mounted bars. Harley rubber mounts all their handlebars to further reduce any high frequency vibes from transferring to the rider's hands and a certain amount of forward and backward flexing is normal. However, due to the height of the Cross Bone bars the movement is exaggerated and it gives the false impression that the bars are loose and in danger of falling off. They flexed a good 2"-3", which in addition to feeling weird also had the result of swinging the mirrors up so that the view behind was of the sky and not the road. Do your mirror checks BEFORE braking when on a Cross Bones.

Handling and ride comfort were on par with and slightly better than my wife's '06 Softail Deluxe, mostly due to the sprung solo seat. It could probably handle an all day ride, but for extended long trips I'm certain the Road Glide or any of the touring lineup would be a much better choice. There is a surprising amount of cornering clearance in both directions and I didn't scrape the floorboards once while navigating a twisty country back road, nor when turning at intersections in the city. The springer front end operates well and acts like a normal front end for the most part until braking or accelerating. Nothing alarming, just that the geometry and actuation of it feels quite different from the traditional telescopic fork.

I'd forgotten what it feels like to ride a bike without a windshield or fairing and at speeds above 90kmh I felt my glasses being pushed back into my eye sockets. The apehanger bars had my underarms dried out in no time, but I could see cold weather rides being hard on the upper body because of the exposure to the wind.

Overall, it is a nice bike and IMO one serious piece of eye candy - the bike just oozes cool all over the place and it felt good to ride it. Would I trade my Road Glide for one? Well, no, but if I ever have room in my garage (and marriage) for another bike the Cross Bones would be the one!
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Old 11-10-2009, 01:00 PM
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Redleg Redleg is offline
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Good write-up. Have never ridden a bike with apes. After reading your description, I don't think I will be anytime soon.
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Old 11-10-2009, 01:40 PM
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Awesome review,


Everyone should own at least ONE bike with ape hangers.....
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Old 11-10-2009, 01:44 PM
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Nice write up! Thanks Ducky
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