“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, at a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” James Madison
I must say, every once in a while my partner in crime actually comes up trumps and treats me to a present that turned out to be really enjoyable. I’m one of life’s difficult people to buy a present for…not because I’m picky but rather because I’m very easy going and rarely do I ever want anything. So the good lady often buys me something to do with motorcycles or finds a motorcycle experience that I might find interesting.
So this is how I came to ride an ex American Police motorcycle produced by Harley Davidson out of The American Motorcycle Experience from Haselmere in Surrey UK.
Now, I’ve ridden all sorts of motorcycles over the years and have gradually been won over by Harleys after successive test rides. In fact before getting my Triumph, I was seriously looking to buy a HD Street Bob. So although I’d not ridden a Harley in a few months, nor had I ridden a HD Road King or for that matter a cop bike…I was looking forward to the experience and the ride through the South Downs National Park.
Well, fortunately I lucked out with the weather as it was Harley blue skies, which just made the whole afternoon an absolute treat as we left Haselmere and headed towards Goodwood Motor Circuit for a cup of tea…or a ‘single decaf skinny capu’ in my case…to watch a few hyper sports cars being hooned around the circuit on one of their track days.
I met Brian of AME, housed within the premises of S.T. Engineering…and after pleasantries and a quick walk around the bikes with a good explanation of the controls etc, we set off. If you’re used to riding other bikes, then getting on a Harley with forward mounted foot controls, can be a little strange at first…but gradually I grew into the bike as it did in return.
Remembering to add a bit more throttle than I would normally do on my daily bike because of a short clutch, I quickly got to grips with launching it off from standing still and found that it was quite nimble for such a heavy beast and very well balanced too. However the overall lasting impression was how comfortable the bike was to ride…no saddle sores for me today.
As we meandered our way through the forest roads and the quaint and quintessential old English towns and villages, I began to really get a feel for the bike and the Harley experience became really relevant and more so appropriate. Yes, it’s relatively basic engineering and the engine design concept is out of the last century…but the pleasure it gives the rider and how it feeds the biking soul certainly overcomes any modern biking deficiencies.
Harleys tend to get a bad press from non HD riders, but they are quite capable of being ridden hard and well…even on the twisties. However the point of a Harley is to let the rider immerse themselves in the environment, possible even more so that other bikes. Simply chugging along and being able to take time to appreciate the passing scenes is a joy in itself, whilst the high torque and comfort, make the ride an absolute breeze.
As for the Police riding experience…well in truth I totally forgot I was riding an ex Police bike and it only came to mind when I got off and looked back at the bike. Most of the Police livery had been removed and the bike had been ‘de-policified’ for the UK roads. So the lights had to be changed or removed to make it legal, however the panniers still retained the Police stickers.
That being said though, the overall experience was amazing, the scenery and company was great too. Brian of AME, made the day seem effortless also. He was very relaxed which made everything else more pleasurable too but still was professional and safety conscious too.
After getting back, we sat down and had a coffee and a chat…and I must say I came away thinking that I’d like to do this again one day too, which is a first for me in terms of these ‘experience’ rides. Perhaps it was the HD Police bike itself, perhaps it was the weather and the route we took…or most likely it was the company I kept on the day.
You see, any biking experience can succeed or fail based upon the overall impression and how it made you feel on the day. Of course, this ride wasn’t a challenge or wasn’t technical in anyway, but it didn’t need to be either. In fact, that was its charm! It was simple, easy going and a great route too…but having a guide like Brian whose calm demeanour and enthusiasm was also infectious…really made the day. So take note all other motorcycle tours or riding experience guides…the point of the experience is that it should be thoroughly enjoyed by the customer…which Brian and American Motorcycle Experience have got down to a fine art.
There is no finer accolade I can give but simply to advise anyone to go do this, take an afternoon on a Police Harley and enjoy the hell out of it too…you won’t be disappointed!
Here is a link to the movie length video produced on the day too. Enjoy.
