Harley Chopper Ride Comparison

Welcome to Ride and Rally with Fix My Hog. Brought to you by Gatorz Eyewear. Fit, form, function. Proudly made in the USA. Footwear provided by Harley-Davidson Footwear. So I've put about a thousand miles down on my new chopper. And I'm gonna run you down some of the differences that I've experienced between riding my 76 Shovel, my 2015 Sportster, and the M8s that I've been riding on a lot of the recent ride and rallies. One of the first main differences, and one that I immediately experienced was fatigue. When you're riding a hardtail chopper it's way more fatigue on your lower back than I experienced on my Sportster, which doesn't have the best suspension but it's absolutely better than a hardtail and the M8. The new M8 chassis, I've found, is probably one of the best feeling chassis, if not the best, that Harley has come out with. So when you go from that to a hardtail chopper, I've really noticed that it's very fatiguing on my lower back. Not only is it physically fatiguing, but it's also very mentally fatiguing. You know, riding an old bike, an old chopper, you're constantly listening to the motor, listening to what the bike's doing, you know, no front brake, no turn signals, you're really having to pay attention to, you know, looking far down the road, looking right in front of you, and really staying on your game 100% of the time. As opposed to like an M8 you know, where, it's a brand new pavement, maybe, there's no traffic, you can look long and kinda sit back and enjoy the ride. So it's really a lot more mentally fatiguing as well, riding an old chopper, as opposed to a Sportster or a newer M8. I've also found that, like, before I take my chopper out, I have to plan my rides a lot more. By bike has about a 1.5 gallon gas tank, and with a '76 Shovel into a super E S&S carb, I'm only gettin' about 30 miles per gallon. So every 40 miles I really gotta find a gas station. So I'm on Google Maps, planning my rides. You know, where's the gas station, is it 91 octane, is it, you know, non-ethanol, that kind of thing. Where, as opposed to on my Sportster, I can go about 90 to 100 miles before I'm lookin' for a gas station. Or on an M8, you're just kinda stopping to, you know, stretch your legs, and you might as well fill up. So really planning out rides, I've found, is a lot more critical on a chopper, as opposed to a newer Sportster or an M8. And then lastly I found maneuverability. On the chopper, with the hardtail, you're sitting much lower into the frame, so it feels very, you know, very stable, very solid. However, I fabbed up a pair of handlebars, that are only about 23 inches wide, so it's a little bit tricky when you're going at slow speeds on the chopper, as opposed to, you know, say, an M8 which I've found to be very well balanced, and actually for a bigger bike very easily maneuverable. Absolutely though, for maneuverability, the Sportster wins, hands down. A little top-heavy, but definitely way easier to maneuver at lower speed and higher speed conditions as opposed to the chopper, which, when you're going straight it's great, but when you slow down it gets to be a little difficult. I love riding all different kinds of Harley Davidsons, and the different feelings you get from each. And I absolutely suggest jumpin' on as many bikes as you can, and if you can get on a chopper, plan your ride and don't run out of gas is the only suggestion I can give you. But until next time, ride safe, wrench safe, and we'll see you on the road.