HD demo ride

Chris-CJ

Well-known member
The HD dealership at Dixie Auto Mall had their demo ride today.
The only bike that did not have the feet-forward riding position was the new 975cc Nightster. It was the bike that I chose for the ride,
It rode and accelerated well, I was able to keep up with the 1300cc bikes. Surprisingly smooth and it had a three-option ride mode + cruise control.
The gal who was signing up the ride slots is a ride instructor from Barrie, what blew me away is that her bike had been ridden to Colarado, Pikes Peak and the Tail - it had 160k on it and the use showed. Thing is that the bike had zero issues.
Was it a H-D?
No it was the three alpabet bike from Germany.

All in all, it was a well run dealer demo.
Being H-D there was a good number of the tattoo/leather/patch groups around.
I used to ride with a "patch" group and out of courtesy, with that group, the patch vest would be removed at public gatherings, not so with many of the other bros today.
 
Pretty bike and big jump in power from the read here
Dunno about 11L tank ..it was barely adequate on my BMW310
Screen Shot 2025-06-08 at Jun, 8    2025    1.53.02 PM.jpg

What is " 3 alphabet" ?
$24k Australian does not seem outrageous.
 
I've demoed a lot of Harleys and yes they are well organized. The fact you (and I) struggle to find a bike to demo that doesn't have FC is the problem.
 
All in all, it was a well run dealer demo.

FYI for the nerds among us who might be interested... Not sure how things work now, but when I used to work for Harley-Davidson Canada about a decade ago....

Harley differentiates between 'dealer demos' and demos at dealers.

A dealer demo would be one held by the dealers themselves, with their own vehicles.

The more traditional Harley-Davidson Canada demo is an 18 wheeler that travels the country (there are actually two of them, one goes west, one goes east), and stops by at local motorcycle dealers along the way... the local dealers who are in good standing, and pay the fee. Then the events team from Harley Canada shows up and runs the demo with/for the dealer. That leaves the dealers staff and sales team free to mingle with customers before and after their demo rides.

Some dealers prefer to not to pay to have the big ol truck come visit, and hold their own demos with their own demo bikes instead. Blah blah blah, no one cares, I'll see myself out.
 
FYI for the nerds among us who might be interested... Not sure how things work now, but when I used to work for Harley-Davidson Canada about a decade ago....

Harley differentiates between 'dealer demos' and demos at dealers.

A dealer demo would be one held by the dealers themselves, with their own vehicles.

The more traditional Harley-Davidson Canada demo is an 18 wheeler that travels the country (there are actually two of them, one goes west, one goes east), and stops by at local motorcycle dealers along the way... the local dealers who are in good standing, and pay the fee. Then the events team from Harley Canada shows up and runs the demo with/for the dealer. That leaves the dealers staff and sales team free to mingle with customers before and after their demo rides.

Some dealers prefer to not to pay to have the big ol truck come visit, and hold their own demos with their own demo bikes instead. Blah blah blah, no one cares, I'll see myself out.
no 18 wheeler on site, the gal incharge of the paperwork was a rider instructor (instructress?), the peeps leading the demo rides were not H-D staff - so I am guessing that this may have been a "dealer demo". The head honcho was a guy from the dealership named "Mike".
 
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