Change: Road King to Ultra Classic

I learned a few things owning a 2005 Road King. Here is a list of those things that I have learned in no particular order and with a great deal of divergence along the way because I just don't care to be all organized and shit.
First and foremost, I learned not to have two separate brands of tires on my bike. That was a bad idea. Everyone says it is fine, but I think not. Right after I bought that Metzler, I crashed. I will not make that mistake again if I can help it! The tires were not very scuffed in. They were cold from sitting a long time outside as I taught inside. The lot was unfamiliar to me and I didn't think of the sand and gravel on the pavement. It was dark. I leaned too aggressively and Blammo! Broken leg, broken life.
Another thing I learned is that I don't like being uncomfortable. I used to not mind it so much. It made me tougher, I thought. Pussies want comfort. Well then call me a pussy. I want comfort. My old back rest was not very restful. It had a hard area to it that went right into my spine. Not enough padding. Plus, it didn't tilt. That sucked. I was stiff-dick straight on the saddle, and that was not very comfy at all.
Another comfort detail was the saddle itself. It was a Sundowner saddle, designed for long-haul touring. My tailbone would start to ache within 20 minutes!
The handlebars looked so cool! They were low and wide beach bars. That bike looked bad-ass! But steering it was always awkward, especially on right turns, which was probably why I leaned too hard on that right turn. The cables would hit my leg if I had to turn sharply right in a parking lot situation. That made me lean more than turn the bars.
And it made for an awkward sitting position when riding. You could not use the bars to hold onto when riding. You had to rest all of your weight on the seat and could not "hang" at all from the bars. That hurt on longer rides.
I took off the windshield and went without it for years. The bike looked better without it. With it, I was happier, but it just looked wrong. So I had it off and dealt with the wind and the noise and the bugs and rocks hitting me in the face. Made for an uncomfortable and not very relaxing ride.
The noise was another thing. Wind noise is awful, and then the louder pipes I put on made it even worse. On a long ride, even with the ear plugs in, I could not avoid having a ring in my ears afterwards. That sucked. The pipes were simply too loud. I wanted loud and tough and bad-ass when I was younger. Now I want smooth and quiet and comfy.
I like to carry stuff. I could only carry things that fit in my saddle bags and they were hard to get into because of the saddle bag guard rails. Plus, I could never carry an extra helmet and I was always aware that nothing locked on the bags, so anyone could steal my shit.
The Road King started to feel old and clunkitty to me. All that vibrating felt like it was shaking the chrome loose.
And I overdid it on the chroming. It was nice at a point, but my tastes have changed and I am not so much into all that chrome and metal and heaviness. I am heavy enough, thank you very much, and I don't need extra chrome adding weight to my tonnage!
I own a VW wagon with bluetooth connectivity and satellite radio. I have voice recognition in that and I can send texts or make calls or listen to youtube videos with just the sound of my voice and maybe a tap or two. Couldn't do that on my Road King!!
Ever since my accident, I just didn't trust that bike. i felt like it would go over again in a turn. I felt like the front end might just come apart on me. I felt unsafe.
The bike felt wobbly and droppy in parking lots. It felt heavy and slow.
When you are in pain all the time and it hurts to walk, any other level of discomfort in your life is too much. You avoid it, which was why I hardly ever rode my bike anymore. And of course I was scared of going down again and hurting myself even more. I lost faith in my Road King.
So I had to get rid of it.
I tried putting it on the market, to no effect. Not even a nibble. I didn't really sell aggressively either. My heart wasn't in riding and it wasn't in selling. I was in limbo.
What I never thought of is the fact that owning a new bike, a different bike, might rekindle that love. When I was asked if I wanted to trade my bike in, I was instantly energized about Harley and about riding again.
So I went in for an oil change and came out a week later with a brand-spanking-new motorcycle.
It is an almost top-of-the-line 2014 Electra Glide Ultra Classic. The color is Blackened Cayenne Sunglow. This means that it looks black, but in the sunlight, you can see the cayenne pepper in the paint underneath. It is pretty cool!
Now when I ride, I am more comfortable because I have a big fairing that takes the wind away. the headlights are better now, so I can see farther at night. It has a great stereo with bluetooth connectivity. I can call and text and play music from my phone without needing to use my hands! Six gallons in the tank will get me farther down the line than the old bike, and the 103 cubic inch engine will get me there faster and quieter. Hell, I even get SIX speeds to play with. Throttle-by-wire technology means no cables gumming things up, and a hydraulic clutch makes shifting easier and less strenuous. The seat is better and the normal handlebars make for a better riding position. the new frame makes the bike corner better, turn better, and feel lighter than my Road King. The new tires are designed better than the old ones and they are bigger too. And I get Anti-Lock Brakes!
Now all I can do is think about riding. I want to get the hell out there and enjoy the road and the bike and the comfort!
I don't know if this is a mistake or not. I could get killed or worse --put in a wheelchair! God forbid! But I have to get busy living life again. I don't want to waste away on the sofa anymore. I need a passion again, and hopefully, this has reignited my fire for life.
Only time will tell . . .