Natchez Trace Harley Davidson

[Nice Goat]

I stopped into NTHD today just to take a short break, use the restroom, and check out their inventory.  I'm not a Harley enthusiast, and I usually can't relate well when talking to most Harley riders.

But I was pleasantly surprised at this dealership.  As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted and offered something to drink (water, coffee, soda).  They had a Pan-American demo right inside the door.  I've seen the reviews, and I had told myself that it might be nice to try one someday, but I wasn't expecting to see one today.  Not only the demo, but they had another PanAm also, also prominently displayed.  I was admiring the demo (before I knew it was a demo), and the salesman, Cody, turned on the ignition and started walking me through the menus on the display.  I was impressed at his knowledge of the bike, the ADV rider's needs, and why Harley needed to make this move into the ADV market.

I asked if the bike was used, because there was a little dried dirt on the side and bottom of the engine, and he said that this was a demo bike.  Then he promptly asked if I wanted to test ride it. 

Uhhhh... does a bear poop in the woods?  Hell, yeah!

They had a little trouble starting it up, so I guess they haven't had a lot of test riders, but a quick jump and we were off and running.

Harley has done a very respectable job on this bike.  The adaptive ride height feature is completely seamless.  You literally cannot even feel it.  I also sat on the other PanAm, just because it did not have the adaptive height feature.  It is a tall bike... I was not tippy toe on it, but I wasn't flat-footed either.  The demo bike was perfect.  Flat-foot it when stopped, and it lifts up slightly after you get moving.

The bike is heavy, like all big ADV bikes.  It was not noticeably different in that regard from my Super Tenere that I used to have, or the Tiger Explorer.  The Africa Twin and the Versys 1000 feel a bit lighter than this bike.

But it handles very well.  It's nicely balanced, and I was surprised to see that it has a steering stabilizer.  I was able to do Gymkhana circles in the parking lot with little difficulty.

The engine has a guttural, raw character to it, almost like a KTM.  I'm not sure what I was expecting from the motor, but it wasn't that.  It certainly is not the typical "potato potato" sound for which Harley is known.  The sound reminded me of my 2012 Super Tenere.

The only things that I did not like:

- The kickstand looks very thin and fragile.  I'm sure that it's a hardened steel, and it had kind of an I-beam design, but it's not confidence inspiring.

- It was easy putting the bike on the center stand, but you can't put the kickstand up while the centerstand is down.  That's because the kickstand is forward of the centerstand, and they interfere with each other easily.  That might make it hard to do some maintenance procedures.  I should have tried putting the sidestand up first then putting the centerstand down, but I didn't think of it.

- Lastly, this bike has a strong motor, but it didn't seem to have much torque at low RPMs.  It doesn't really like being lugged.  This motor wants to be run hard.  It starts to really wake up around 3,500 RPM.  I didn't push the bike hard on the test ride, just enough to see where the power kicks in.  After the ride, the GM of the dealership was talking with me, and he said the motor screams above 7,000 RPM.  He said it will definitely put a smile on your face.  I asked if he had ridden the bike, and he said that he owns one and that he did his first Iron Butt Ride on it.  I asked if he had heard of the ADVRider forum, and he said yes, that he had joined after getting his Pan-Am.  We talked a while longer, and I was impressed with his knowledge of other riding styles such as sport touring and dual sporting.

In short, I was very pleased with the dealership and with the test ride.  If I ever decide to buy a Harley, Natchez Trace HD will get the first shot at selling me one!

[JBMFT]

"Most" Harley riders. Snicker...

[jrobinson]

We've learned to "dumb" down the conversation for the commoners.  :D :D

[Nice Goat]

We've learned to "dumb" down the conversation for the commoners.  :D :D

If that's the case, y'all might have overshot your target.

In all seriousness, Harley riders make up a very large group.  There are many types of Harley riders.  I was talking specifically about the wanna-be tough guys who use get back whips and fake ponytails.