Harley Davidson is Looking Ahead

Harley Davidson is trying to bring some new riders into the fold. The hype surrounding the new LiveWire electric motorcycle has been in high gear for several years, and dealers expect to have the bikes in their hands this fall. One dealer in Milwaukee reported to The Business Journals that he has deposits on all ten bikes in his allotment.

The rollout hit a bit of bump in the highway this month when Harley halted production. There was a glitch in the home charging mechanism. It turned out that it was in only one bike, though, so production is back underway.

Ease of operation is one reason that Harley thinks this bike will be an opportunity to draw in new riders. Riders do not have to master clutch or shift pedal operation, something that will appeal to those who do not enjoy that part of the two wheel experience. It is difficult to find a new car with a standard transmission now and part of the reason for that is not many people are interested in learning to drive with a clutch. This attitude will be an advantage when sales people are pitching the LiveWire to potential buyers.

In 2016 Harley introduced the Dyna Lowrider S. This was Lowrider with the Screaming Eagle 110 engine, dual disc brakes up front, cruise control, ABS, and an upgraded suspension. These were all upgrades from the standard Lowrider and it came with a modest cost increase. The bike was popular with buyers and well-received by the motorcycle press. It was only in production for two years and the next year the Dyna platform was discontinued.

For 2020 Harley has issued a Lowrider S based on the new Softail frame. It carries over many of the styling features of the original Lowrider S, but there are some inexplicable deficiencies. The most glaring is the lack of cruise control. This is a major step backwards and I cannot understand the though process behind this. One styling change that I do not like is putting silver clutch and brake levers on the bike. It is a blacked out bike, so this seems like a blatant move to encourage the buyer to switch out the levers. The reviews of this bike are favorable, but the writers continue to praise the 2016-2017 model.

My 2016 Lowrider S at UW-Green Bay Phoenix sculpture.

It will be interesting to watch Harley Davidson over the winter. They have two other bikes that they have teased over the past couple of years. One is an adventure style bike and the other is in the streetfighter type. The new LRS was announced without much fanfare, so these two could appear at any time.

It is a difficult time for motorcycle manufacturers and I applaud Harley for making an effort to keep there base of riders while attempting to draw in new and younger ones.

Four Rustic Roads in Southwest Wisconsin

My quest to ride all of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads continues this year. Even though the summer passed without a Rustic Road trip, it turns out it is not too late. Today I got out and rode four of the remaining six roads that I have not ridden in southwest Wisconsin.

I probably would have taken this ride last month, but with my new bike on the way I wanted to wait and take it on this ride. I picked up the bike on Tuesday, 24 September, and took it on a few short rides to figure out some of the new technology on this 2020 BMW R1250 GSA. This is my first bike with the BMW navigation device, the Nav VI, and so far it is worth the expense.

The weather was not what I would have wanted, but at least I was able to ride. It has been a record breaking year for rain in Wisconsin, so just being able to ride in dry weather is a plus. When I left Green Bay at about 1000 it was not raining, but there was mist off and on all the way to Necedah. A bigger issue was the temperature and the wind. The skies did not completely clear all day and the thermometer never rose above the fifties. A west wind made a compass unnecessary as it was always apparent in which direction I was riding.

My route took me south and west onto Highway 21. After a gas and snack stop at the Kwik Trip in Necedah, I rode south toward LaValle on Highway 58. I was not too confident in the Nav VI yet and was happy that I had the route memorized. Rustic Road 112 is an easy ride through pastures and farmland a bit south and west of LaValle. The end of the road led me back into LaValle and set me up for the ride to my next Rustic Road of the day.

My first Rustic Road with my new bike

It was getting near lunchtime already, due to the fact that the rain kept me in Green Bay until mid-morning. I did not find any interesting places to eat in Reedsburg, so a Kwik Trip chicken salad sandwich and a muffin served as lunch. I was glad that I brought along my military issue thermos filled with coffee to wash it all down.

Highways 23 and 154 led me to Rustic Road 21 south of North Freedom. There are a few branches off of it, so it is not point to point like most roads. This road provided me the opportunity to experience riding on gravel with my new bike. It is much more capable than I am and we both came out unscathed.

The next road, near Stitzer, was about 60 miles away via Highway 60 and 18 and I was not completely confident in my new navigation device. So I compared it with the map app on my phone before I headed south and west. I was happy with the route chosen by the Nav VI and my confidence in it grew.

Rustic Road 70 began south of Stitzer. It turned out to be the most challenging as far as road conditions. There was some new gravel in places and it was quite narrow and hilly. Combine that with the setting sun and people returning from work or school and it was a memorable ride.

Fortunately, my last target was not far off. My new NAV VI took me right into Rewey and on to Rustic Road 75. This one was all pavement as it wound through some pleasant countryside. There are a lot of small herds of beef cattle and dairy cows in this part of the state.

The north end did not have number sign

Once I completed the ride I punched in my hotel address and the NAV VI soon had me in a nice warm room. It was a long day today, but I am near finishing up the southwest region. Two more to go tomorrow and next year it is on to the multitude of Rustic Roads in the great northwest.