Posted by Armand on July 26, 2000 at 09:21:40:
In Reply to: Can I jump in? posted by Jim on July 26, 2000 at 05:48:46:
At 75 mph the Savage feels quite comfortable, and it still handles well up to itīs top speed of 140 kph. German Autobahn seems to be very different to American interstates however. People around here are driving much faster and more aggressive. On the Autobahn, 120 - 140 kph isnīt fast, so you may be stuck behind a truck (usually 95 kph) for quite a while before thereīs a chance to pass it. The feeling of discomfort at the Autobahn isnīt based on the bike, itīs the surroundings, i.e. the faster going cars. For longer Autobahn trips I wouldnīt recommend a Savage either, because you have to ride faster if you donīt want to be bothered by cars. Autobahns are differnt however. When going from Frankfurt to Cologne for example, there are two higways on both sides of the river Rhine. The A3, the most common one ist a very aggressive one with high speeds. Going by car, I do between 160 and sometimes 180 kph and this is just average speed around me, I am not drivung much faster than others. The parallel Autobahn (A61 ?) is quite a different thing with itīs beautiful landscape around. Itīs fun cruising there with your bike at 120 kph and, because cars are slower you do not feel bothered or endagered at all.
As for Harleys, the Savage goes for roundabout 9.400 DEM (about 4.600 USD), often you can get it cheaper. I bought mine for DEM 8.000 as a "Tageszulassung", which means the dealer had the bike registered for one day without riding it.
A 883 Sporty comes from DEM 13.500 (round 6.5000 USD), Fat Boy etc. from DEM 35.000 up.
Harleys arenīt built for German Autobahn speeds either. For Autobahn riding - apart of idiots on sports bikes doing 250 kph until they get killed - most folks around here use BMWīs or big dualsports like Honda Africa Twin and, of course there are alot of Goldwings around