News from Oakland Harley-Davidson

Swing your leg over ANY motorcycle for the first time and it will feel overwhelming. This is true if you are short or tall. Participating in professional cycling or being able to drive a stick shift offers no comfort. The more time in the seat, the more experience you have... these are the things that separate new riders from those that pull a motorcycle up off the kickstand with confidence. Time, ambition and patience builds this confidence. That being said there are some things to consider when picking out your first motorcycle.

Sitting on a motorcycle do you feel scrunched up? Are your knees and elbows all bent. There are specific challenges of feeling comfortable on a motorcycle as a "tall" rider. Just because you can touch the ground comfortably doesn't mean every motorcycle fits you. Short riders get most of the attention on fit but tall riders need a good fitting bike as well! Don't worry. There are solutions.

EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON YOUR CUSTOMIZATIONS FOR FREE.

Harley-Davidson Custom Coverage program is available free to anyone purchasing a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Take up to 60 days to have eligible street legal Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Parts and Genuine Motor Accessories installed by our team on your new motorcycle. These parts and accessories will receive the Custom Coverage extended Limited Warranty rather than the standard 1 year Parts and Accessories post purchase over-the-counter warranty.

The Harley-Davidson^® Pan America^™ redefines ADV with a new powertrain and category-firsts: all to help you find freedom on your own terms across new terrains. Let us go over some of the key features of the Pan America 1250 and Pan America 1250 Special.

One learned to ride on a Harley-Davidson^® motorcycle, the other became a dealer.

Together, Linda Dugeau and Dot Robinson made motorcycle history when they formed the Motor Maids, the oldest running motorcycling organization for women in North America.

Smartphones are everywhere, and even those of us who ride to “disconnect” probably have one along any time we get on a bike. After all, bringing your smartphone on a road trip is great peace of mind, just in case you need to call the cavalry.

While there are many travel and riding apps available for smartphone users, these five useful apps can take your road trip to the next level. You can download the apps free for iOS and Android phones from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the features of these apps that can help make your next ride even better…

Harley-Davidson Service Consultants and Technicians are highly trained professionals. But what can you expect when you take your bike to an Authorized Harley-Davidson^® dealer for maintenance or repair?

First and foremost, scheduled maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and customization – our Service Technicians are experts at all of these. Our Service Consultants are there to ensure you get the best possible experience from your visit.

You’re at a rally, and there are bikes everywhere. You pull into a big parking lot and assess the situation. Riders have been coming and going all day, and the rows have gotten a little … “irregular.” Bikes are popping out of nowhere, and it’s hard to know where to ride. You see a path forward, but it’s tight. And crooked. And a little bit challenging.

To its critics, GPS navigation is a distraction, eliminates the elemental joy of riding a motorcycle, and has spawned a generation of idiots who might know where they’re going but have no clue where they are. It’s indicative of all that’s wrong in our modern technologically riddled world.

To its defenders, GPS navigation provides directional certainty, greater safety, and an overall more enjoyable motorcycling experience. It has solved far more problems than it has created.

Question: What’s worse than a stranded motorcyclist?

Answer: When that motorcyclist is you.

THREE WAYS TO AVOID ROADSIDE BREAKDOWN

1. Punch T-CLOCS

Sure, you get free Roadside Assistance as a H.O.G.^® member. But why use it if you don’t have to? Even with all that help on tap, getting stranded is still a massive pain. One you can avoid with a simple inspection. Yes, we’re talking T-CLOCS – the pre-ride checklist developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Learn it. Live by it.

Tires, Wheels, & Brakes

Carefully inspect tread depth, wear, weathering, bulges, and embedded objects. Check air pressure. Check wheels for loose or bent spokes, or cast wheels for cracks. Check rims for out of round. Check bearings for free play in tires. Check brakes to determine that each brake alone keeps the bike from rolling.