Long time, no post. Life has been busy, lately. So, I sold my Meteor 350 and bought a Harley-Davidson Nightster, a 975cc, 90 bhp beast. I was not looking for such a powerful machine, but I wanted to experience a V-Twin & didn’t want a motorcycle engine with pushrods and this was the most practical choice.

I made the decision on a Saturday morning, applied for a bank loan the same day and got the motorcycle on Monday. No time to change my mind.

No long rides without the number plate, but I still clocked 300km on it in the last 2 weeks. These are my first impressions with it :

Things I like

• The (90 bhp) power is mind-blowing (at least for me). It’s raw and un-filtered. It hits suddenly & feels never-ending across the rev range. It took me a while to get used to this much power. For context, my first car produced almost half the power and my last car produced just a bit more.
• It’s not a high-revving sports bike, you can still feel the engine pulse. Eg, even at 100 kmph, the engine is only doing 3000 RPM.
• Torque is impressive, so you don’t need to shift down very often.
• Despite the hefty kerb weight (221kg), the motorcycle feels light and nimble because of a low centre of gravity.
• Great presence on the streets. Among a sea of plastic scooters in Bangkok, it stands out on the road. People have been making way more often, now.
• Beautiful gurgling V-Twin sound. Not too loud, not too muffled. People have been pestering me to change the exhaust for something louder, but I don’t feel like it.
• Traction Control is impressive and has prevented me from spinning out in the first few days using the motorcycle.
• Provision for plenty of electrical connections without stripping wires and voiding the warranty.
• The clutch is quite light.

Things I don’t like

• City riding is a bit of a pain.
  • Takes more than 1 lane on the road to make a U-turn.
  • The stock mirrors protrude outwards beyond the edges of the handles, making weaving in traffic difficult.
  • The gear shifting is hard and the lever peg is sharp.
• The Engine heat is something else. Even on the highway, you can feel some of the heat on your legs. In traffic, the motorcycle actively punishes you by turning on the radiator fan, which blows hot air right up your trouser legs.
• The stock handle is not very comfortable for long rides, results in a lean-forward stance.
• The fuel tank is tiny (12l).
• The motorcycle is a bit bare-bones; it doesn’t even come with a rear seat. You are expected to modify it and add things as you see fit. Sends you down a rabbit hole of modifications (Which will be the next topic I cover)