[Haroon]

I have been following this thread for a while now and my 2 cents.

Firstly, the more research you do with a variety of bikes in the mixture, it takes you in various directions getting you more confused. Secondly, if you zero in on one and then start searching international forums etc on how the bike does, there is a good chance you will run away from that bike!! Why? Well in most cases its the small percentage of users that have problems due to either ignorant use, abuse or simply bad luck getting a lemon, whereas the vast majority would be happy riding the particular bike rather than sitting behind a comp keyboard & ranting their frustrations. I will not even go into magazine shoot outs..each one has a different verdict although the difference in their set testing parameter results may be very marginal. Thirdly, one mans food is another mans poison. This just does not apply to the whole bike, but also parts of the bike, like seat, windshield, suspension, looks etc etc...For example, I was never comfortable doing long rides on my HD Sportster, but there are plenty of riders who do long rides on the Sporty & swear by them. Also the BMW GS I presently ride is an absolutely fine touring machine, but I never liked the stock seat from day one. Whereas on GS forums there are plenty of riders who are 'very happy' with the stock seat. Similarly with the K1600GTL that I rode, I found the stock seat very comfortable, but plenty of riders on the net say the seat is rubbish. So it boils down to individual liking.

Coming to your 3 bikes, they all look wonderful in their own right, but to me the Diavel looks the most gorgeous and its packed with a whole lot of goodies. As for the ride I am not qualified to comment on the Diavel & Rocket, but having ridden the Nightrod for more than 200kms, it was probably the most uncomfortable bike I have ridden. So its worthwhile that you try & sit on them or if possible get a TD esp since these bikes will set your purse back by 20-30 large and would be a costly blunder to realize later that particular bike doesn't do it for you.

Lastly, I always feel its difficult & probably not correct to recommend a bike to another person coz each person has a different set of requirements, likes & dislikes, but from what you have described so far taking into consideration- stand out factor, limited usage, not too high speed runs etc...the Harley Fatboy(somebody already mentioned above) would be a nice choice. Its a HD, so 20 years later it still carries its special place in the biking world, its a simple bike so you dont need to spend time & money on complicated maintenance. No need to go searching for 97 Octane petrol. While Sportsters may be flying off the shelf in India, the Fatboy sales are very few so its still a 'relatively rare' bike and if you like to customize it....you have a million options to make it an individual statement of your personality. Its suitable for your weekend starbucks ride. Add an easy detachable windshield & saddlebags and its ready for a long ride. Besides, with Harley sales & service spreading across the country, you have your back covered.

So whatever bike you decide, enjoy the bike and ride safe

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by Haroon

Firstly, the more research you do with a variety of bikes in the mixture, it takes you in various directions getting you more confused.

True Haroon, and that's the reason of shortlist and looking no further

Secondly, if you zero in on one and then start searching international forums etc on how the bike does, there is a good chance you will run away from that bike!!

Have been following http://www.r3owners.net/ and what you mentioned is just soooooo true

Coming to your 3 bikes, they all look wonderful in their own right, but to me the Diavel looks the most gorgeous and its packed with a whole lot of goodies. As for the ride I am not qualified to comment on the Diavel & Rocket, but having ridden the Nightrod for more than 200kms, it was probably the most uncomfortable bike I have ridden. So its worthwhile that you try & sit on them or if possible get a TD esp since these bikes will set your purse back by 20-30 large and would be a costly blunder to realize later that particular bike doesn't do it for you.

Had been to the HD showroom but they didn't have a test ride Night Rod. However, I sat on one display bike to get a feel of the riding position (while the bike was held upright by the sales guy with front wheel between his legs) and could feel the uncofomfortable seating posture!

So whatever bike you decide, enjoy the bike and ride safe

Thank you sir!

[madbullram]

Been reading this thread for sometime now. Have had little experience with these bikes, but the one my heart always loved was the Night Rod, there were times I would just stand and admire it or get the MF and relentlessly wipe a small spot which had a stain. I know it did not have the best posture compared to the ducati or bmw, but it had something that had me mesmerized, my vote is for night rod given u need of heart and considering Harley's investment in India.

NR ticks heart quotient and mind quotient with its service centers

[AlokSriva]

Bumping an old thread to bring it to a closure.

Finally I ended up purchasing Triumph Thunderbird Storm in 2014; dealer wasn't able to offer a test ride of Rocket, and I wouldn't have bought one without a test ride.
Rode the Storm for 2 years and did almost 30k kms, which also included a solo ride to Leh in summer of 2016.

But neither the Diavel nor the Rocket bugs had gone away, I ended up with an xDiavel S a year ago and a Rocket about a month ago.

[vivekiny2k]

I bought a diavel, just this weekend. Here are some pics and VR videos. I sold my last bike because I hated changing to suit for work. Now I have given up. I just ride.

https://youtu.be/9OhCPZOY-Os

https://youtu.be/QJhBqrXuKjc

[sridhu]

Let me give you a perspective (not really a 'choice'). It will not answer your question but you will thank me for it later!

The bike itself does not matter much - I know Navroze who is about 75, has had a bypass but rides a Monster.

I see that you have marked your location as Fremont. CA, I presume. So you have the locale for riding.

I am 52 and have fallen back in love with bikes. I got myself a Duke 390 as it reminded me most of the beloved RD 350 - a mad bike, very capable and fast. But, in the last 4 years, I have ridden totally 8k KM's. 4k in the first year!

The things I learned are these:

- You need to be in a biking friendly place; else you will stop wheeling out the bike after the first few weeks. More so in the USA, I presume. It would be stupid to try & ride a bike for pleasure in say, Madras, after you hit midlife. Fremont is nice for it though.

- Never ride alone. I have heard too many horror stories to attempt it - everything from dog induced accidents to highway robbery to locals randomly creating trouble. Might be lesser in USA but that country has its own issues. You need a bunch of friends (in my case 3-4 of them. I hate riding in a crowd) with similar attitude, skill and physical capabilities.

- you will never ride to get to a place. But you might ride to get to an activity. I managed to get to the track a couple of times & to the India Bike week once. I rode a bit more once I combined it with with my other passion - photography.

- Your bike will give you trouble. It is better to get a bike that has a strong community to support you. In India that would be RE & HD. While there are a lot of other bikes sold, they do not have a committed user advocacy base. The Duke community seems to be loners, like me, mostly

- Early on I decided that sports bikes are not for me. While I am fit physically, I could not see myself enjoying myself after long rides crouched up. My idea of riding is a bit five star - after the ride, I want a nice bed, good food and a drink in hand. Sports bikes did not fit that image. I don't like cruisers because in India you can't maintain the speeds & airflow required to keep them comfortable. And biking , to me, was about the twisties rather than the straights.
So, naked bike it was. You need to understand yourself.

- You will spend a lot of money on stuff you don't require. Try and avoid It if you can. Try to buy something after you hit a problem, and more than once. This one is going to be difficult to follow!

- Invest in safety equipment. But the twist is, don't over provision it. Safer equipment is invariably more uncomfortable. So, if you are never going to go on track it does not make sense to buy a full body suit. On the other hand, it hurts you pretty bad if you just have a leather jacket on if you have a spill, even if you are just riding a Harley. Be sensible.

- Get a luggage box fitted. You look like a pizza delivery guy but it is much more comfortable than having stuff hanging off your back. Panniers are good enough, I think. And a BT helmet headset.

Looking back, I think I would have been happier with a Triumph Bonnie.

[supercars]

I love all these bikes. I have an odd opinion. Buy all of them. You won't regret it. The Diavel is very powerful for it's cc. The Rocket is the Biggest Production Cruiser in the World. The Nightrod is one of Harley's fastest creations.

The Rocket is very heavy and you have to take care while making slow turns.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by supercars

I love all these bikes. I have an odd opinion. Buy all of them. You won't regret it. The Diavel is very powerful for it's cc. The Rocket is the Biggest Production Cruiser in the World. The Nightrod is one of Harley's fastest creations.

The Rocket is very heavy and you have to take care while making slow turns.

You are right, I ended up doing so, except that I couldn't convince myself to buy an HD, ever.. So its essentially (All -1 + x)

-1 because I have only 2 of them not all 3; +x because it's an xDiavel, not a Diavel

[Met_Jazz]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

Bumping an old thread to bring it to a closure.


Rode the Storm for 2 years and did almost 30k kms, which also included a solo ride to Leh in summer of 2016.

I apologize for reviving an older thread, but I believe I captured a photograph of you in Leh back in 2016. I recently joined as a member and wanted to share the picture. Please overlook the image's low quality, as it was taken in 2016 with the Motorola Nexus 6 at that time. I recall you had a Ford Ecosport for your company.