Harley Davidson Boot Camp Experience : Mumbai

chintan15 · 23rd November 2009, 13:08

@Rehaan & Manson,

What a write up guys, I don't think anyone could give such an unbiased report other than a team bhpian.

Ride safe.

Technocrat · 23rd November 2009, 13:46

Thats a fantastic report on the bikes. Thanks Rehaan & Manson

I was shocked to hear that most of them are air cooled & I agree with Manson on his comments that this might not be good for Indian Conditions. I also agree with his concerns.

But All said I am glad to hear that HD have long term plans & I am sure if they are serious they will try to come up with solutions for some of the shortfalls.

ac 427 · 23rd November 2009, 16:49

well written report of the event.

Some how i am getting pulled towards the Sportster 833. Like the look of the bike and am sure this one would be very comfortable for long trips.

Also was wondering that these HDs would be lovely on flat roads, but not sure how they would be off road ... like how would they fare if we want to take them to a place like leh ...

cheers,
ac

shrini78 · 23rd November 2009, 23:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocrat

I was shocked to hear that most of them are air cooled & I agree with Manson on his comments that this might not be good for Indian Conditions. I also agree with his concerns.

I totally agree with you, thats why HD makes an accessory called Oil cooler "26151-07" thats that part number for a dyna...
What this does is basically when your engine reaches 185.F the thermostat kicks in and maintains to cool your engine and the oil, if the engine doesnt reach that much temp the thermostat never kicks in.

I do have one of these on my bike,since I live in Seattle the weather barely reaches 75.F in summer but still have this as I'm bringing it to India

Technocrat · 24th November 2009, 12:29

Thats an interesting piece of information, thanks for sharing it

Now only if someone can confirm that HD would giving this as an option & at what price.

shrini78 · 24th November 2009, 12:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Thats an interesting piece of information, thanks for sharing it

Now only if someone can confirm that HD would giving this as an option & at what price.

For dyna the oil cooler price is 299$ and for softail and touring they have and i've never checked personally as I dont ride them

HD makes money by selling their parts/accessories so honestly speaking they will definitely recommend this to their bikes per Indian conditions and will make money on them...
Dont know what would be the INR will be on it

Rehaan · 24th November 2009, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrini78

...My stock Dyna from the factory was 64HP and 77lbs TQ, I did the upgrade what we call as stage I (stage I = go for a bigger Air filter,change your exhaust and remap your fuel system...this is the cheapest way to gain more power)
AFter I did the stage I my bike has 77HP and 92lbsTQ and sounds like a real HD......

~20% increase from those relatively simple modifications is indeed quite a jump! However, to be fair, the specific output that the bike started with is far from impressive.

Thanks for your posts on this thread - they have added a lot of valuable points.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Speedophile

...I think the low quality on Harleys has been trabsferred to their event kit also...shocking to see the typo 'Electric" on Ultra Classic Electra Glide

Well those signs were not CBUs!

Overall the event was very well organized. (Notice the black cloth on the ground in front of the bikes - probably so the ground doesn't reflect in the chrome when taking photos)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac 427

....
Also was wondering that these HDs would be lovely on flat roads, but not sure how they would be off road ... like how would they fare if we want to take them to a place like leh...

I can't comment from experience, but the HD guys kept mentioning how solid the bikes were (forged sections of the frame on some bikes (?) etc).
Of all the bikes i would also guess the Sportster family would be the best suited for something like what you have mentioned.

cya
R

shrini78 · 25th November 2009, 10:41

As I promised pls look at this URL

YouTube - 2009 FXDC with Stage I upgrade

This is my 2009 FXDC. I did a stage I and have explained in the video.
I did a Dyno Run with this, and if you guys are wondering what Dyno Run means here it goes...

The power commander V which I've installed is a EFI system which dictates how much fuel to send in different speed/gear...When you install the power commander we have something called dyno jet where you put your bike on the dyno jet machine.
You then run your bike in different speed right from 1st gear all the way to 6th gear and you do this individually for both the cylinder and finally you even it out...
The power commander V usually comes with a downloadable maps which you can plug and play for your bike, but if you want the best then its absolute must that you need to do a dyno run...

Guys if your head is spinning, then I dont wanna confuse more, pls PM me with any questions and i'm glad to explain

straight6 · 25th November 2009, 11:37

They don't even have any dealerships yet. When do they intend to start selling the bikes?

shrini78 · 25th November 2009, 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6

They don't even have any dealerships yet. When do they intend to start selling the bikes?

I beleive there will be 5 dealerships throught the country..
B'lore, mumbai, delhi, rest 2 i'm not sure
HD will start selling sometime middle of 2010

rockyb · 26th November 2009, 10:57

Fantastic report and lovely photos. Very good initiative by HD. Are there any more boot camps planned for this part of the country? 7+ for base version sounds better than 14+ as mentioned earlier. Time to save money

Rotorhead · 26th November 2009, 13:32

A lovely report . What is the criteria for the invite, i suppose the invitees need to have owned a superbike is it?.

OT, this question is for those familiar with the american motoring scene, what is the popularity of Indian(read Indian chief) bikes right now in the US?. The older chiefs as I read were a pain to ride, but with the launch of 2009 chief seems like this brand is fast catching up with the HD name. Below a link review of 09 chief from one of the owners found from the net

2009 Indian Chief: Ride report - Harley Forum - American Iron Magazine Harley Magazine

Spals · 28th November 2009, 14:50

It is great that HD is launching their bikes in India. The bikes are really good. And the fact that most of them are air cooled may not matter much because their engine oil quantity is so high that it cools the engine very effectively and also the RPM of the engine is very low compared to the normal superbikes which again does not increase the engine temperature. This is the info shared with me by one of HD's R&D engineers i happened to meet in one of the conferences.

arun1100 · 29th November 2009, 16:29

I just saw the Harley Davidson rally in Bangalore. It started from Jayamahal Palace Hotel.

lancer_maniac · 29th November 2009, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by arun1100

I just saw the Harley Davidson rally in Bangalore. It started from Jayamahal Palace Hotel.

i was about to ask when was this happening in bangalore

23rd November 2009, 13:08	#16
chintan15 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 81 Thanked: Once	@Rehaan & Manson, What a write up guys, I don't think anyone could give such an unbiased report other than a team bhpian. Ride safe. Last edited by chintan15 : 23rd November 2009 at 13:12.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2009, 13:46	#17
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,770 Thanked: 2,705 Times	Thats a fantastic report on the bikes. Thanks Rehaan & Manson I was shocked to hear that most of them are air cooled & I agree with Manson on his comments that this might not be good for Indian Conditions. I also agree with his concerns. But All said I am glad to hear that HD have long term plans & I am sure if they are serious they will try to come up with solutions for some of the shortfalls.
	() Thanks

23rd November 2009, 16:49	#18
ac 427 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,423 Thanked: 462 Times View My Garage	well written report of the event. Some how i am getting pulled towards the Sportster 833. Like the look of the bike and am sure this one would be very comfortable for long trips. Also was wondering that these HDs would be lovely on flat roads, but not sure how they would be off road ... like how would they fare if we want to take them to a place like leh ... cheers, ac
	() Thanks

24th November 2009, 12:29	#20
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,770 Thanked: 2,705 Times	Thats an interesting piece of information, thanks for sharing it Now only if someone can confirm that HD would giving this as an option & at what price.
	() Thanks

25th November 2009, 11:37	#24
straight6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,561 Thanked: 306 Times	They don't even have any dealerships yet. When do they intend to start selling the bikes?
	() Thanks

26th November 2009, 10:57	#26
rockyb BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 254 Thanked: 13 Times	Fantastic report and lovely photos. Very good initiative by HD. Are there any more boot camps planned for this part of the country? 7+ for base version sounds better than 14+ as mentioned earlier. Time to save money
	() Thanks

26th November 2009, 13:32	#27
Rotorhead BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 939 Thanked: 29 Times	A lovely report . What is the criteria for the invite, i suppose the invitees need to have owned a superbike is it?. OT, this question is for those familiar with the american motoring scene, what is the popularity of Indian(read Indian chief) bikes right now in the US?. The older chiefs as I read were a pain to ride, but with the launch of 2009 chief seems like this brand is fast catching up with the HD name. Below a link review of 09 chief from one of the owners found from the net 2009 Indian Chief: Ride report - Harley Forum - American Iron Magazine Harley Magazine
	() Thanks

28th November 2009, 14:50	#28
Spals BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 40 Thanked: 17 Times	It is great that HD is launching their bikes in India. The bikes are really good. And the fact that most of them are air cooled may not matter much because their engine oil quantity is so high that it cools the engine very effectively and also the RPM of the engine is very low compared to the normal superbikes which again does not increase the engine temperature. This is the info shared with me by one of HD's R&D engineers i happened to meet in one of the conferences.
	() Thanks

29th November 2009, 16:29	#29
arun1100 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,154 Thanked: 6,223 Times View My Garage	I just saw the Harley Davidson rally in Bangalore. It started from Jayamahal Palace Hotel.
	() Thanks