"Gadget-Glide"?

At Jack's Place in San Jose the other night, I pulled up on the new toy, and got a subtle dig from one of the regulars - tantamount to him questioning my manhood, or suggesting that I secretly ride Japanese cruisers... he looked at the new FLHX and said "Oh, it's the new Gadget-Glide".

It stings because as my friends know - I am a gadget freak. Some of my favorite blogs are gadget-related (Engadget & Gizmodo to name two of the best). And yes, I did equip the new Street Glide with the Advanced Audio System, and the MP3 player, and am about to place an order for the GPS. (Truth be told - it's the new Ultra-Glide that has been nicknamed the "Gadget-Glide" by the H-D faithful, but I'm still guilty as accused).

Sigh.

Personally, I find it very cool to have something so raw and lo-tech as big, air-cooled V-Twin rumbling away, but the bike having well-integrated modern conveniences. Having a bunch of random crap hanging off it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. At least the items I'm talking about are seemlessly part of the bike, and probably wouldn't be noticed unless I pointed them out to somebody.

Which brings me to the point about the GPS...

I am debating equipping the FLHX with either the new Road Tech (read: H-D badged Garmin) external GPS pictured here, or with the new integrated GPS navigation built into the Advanced Audio System. Problem is, on the AAS you only get directional arrows and text prompts. Down on the radio's LCD.

Standalone GPS:
Pros: Large color screen, sits better in the line-of-sight, easy to program waypoints & routes on the PC and upload them.

Cons: Big honkin' thing hanging off the edge of the fairing. Even when removed to be locked away, you've got an ugly-ass bracket sitting there.

AAS Integrated Navigation:
Pros: Clean - no extra doodads hanging off the bike to ugly it up, and less invitation for theft.

Cons: Harder to read, practically impossible to program waypoints without going through some obscure sequence of buttons.

Your thoughts people?

The New Ride - '06 FLHXI

Well, at long last, my first new Harley.

Picked up a brand, spankin' new 2006 FLHXI Street Glide this past weekend at House of Thunder Harley-Davidson in Morgan Hill, California. To say that there's a permanent grin affixed to my face is an understatement. After months of renting HD's on the weekends, its sooooo nice to have a new baby to call my own.

Struggled for a long time with which HD to get. Everything except the two ends of the spectrum was under consideration (no Sporster, no Ultra). The new Street Bob is great - particularly with al l the changes they've made to the Dyna platform for '06. Goodness knows I was more impressed with the VROD I rented in Switzerland this summer than I'd expected to be. The new fat tire Fat Boy certainly has it's attractions. Decisions, decisions.

It all came down to my wanting a bike for the long haul, but still "streetable". Plus the slammed look just says "bad ass" to me more than most other models (though the Low Rider, Night Rod and Street Bob all do the same in their own way.)

Was only able to put 270 miles or so on it, and seeing as how I have to be back on the East Coast this weekend, I'm gonna be eager when I get back to put some miles on it.

Morning in Zermatt

Morning in Zermatt,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Birds chirping, a hearty Swiss breakfast in the hotel room, and THIS ight outside your window.

Definitely have to come back in winter. It really is charming, and so Swiss-efficient. They have everything right here. It's very hard to leave.

The saddest part of the trip so far...

The saddest part of the trip so far...,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

...an empty stein.

Zermatt... Matterhorn

Zermatt... Matterhorn,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

...'nuff said.

I Claim This Mountain In The Name Of...

I Claim This Mountain In The Name Of...,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

...Me!

Top of the Alps pass at Gimslepass. Motorcycle heaven up on this road. 3 out of every 4 vehicles are motorcycles. Stranger still is all the bicyclists who are making their way over the pass. Seeing those guys pedaling up past the glaciers in their little nylon shorts is impressive.

Funnier still was at the very top of the pass, there was a little gravel turnout, with a little sandwich wagon with drinks, sandwiches, cheese. All the way up here. Three other Harley riders parked up here along with us. I guess the biker trade is good enough for this guy to make a business out of his little wagon, but you gotta stop an think about how in the hell they tow his trailer all the way up here.

Convenient

Convenient,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

This little chapel sit here 1/2 way up the Alps in Gimselpass, so you pray before continuing up that road in the background.

Ride of The Valkyries...

Ride of The Valkyries...,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

playing on the MP3 player, seems just about right. Stopped for a coffee in Grindewald. The damn shame is that, as far as this trip goes, I've run out of f*#@ing adjectives. Please email me some, or leave them in the comments!

The Big Cheese

The Big Cheese,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

So you come through this valley, and up on a hilltop to your right, about 800 feet up is this monastery. These guys make some damned fine cheese here. Gruyere they call it. Hmm. You know, tastes better than the same stuff from my local Safeway. Go figure.

Why We Came

Why We Came,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Juan (prn. "Yoon") Pass, on the way to Interlaken. Words can't describe the road. Thing of fast, rythmic downhill skiing - only with about 90 horsepower under your ass.

THIS is why we came here.

Afterwards, it took about 5 minutes for us to get oyr helmets off, 'cause we were grinning so hard.

Can I tow this behind the bike?

Can I tow this behind the bike?,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

More chocolate goodness from Broc.

Brian And The Chocolate Factory

Bruan And The Chocolate Factory,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Nestle' / Callier's Factory tour here in Broc, near Gruyere... Awesome is all I can say. They claim they process about 6 tons on a given day. That means I'm good for about 1/2 a day's production before I'd start to get sick.

Where's the factory outlet for the pens?

Where's the factory outlet for the pens?,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Mount Blanc in the background, Brian checking the map in the foreground. I want a discount on the pens, dammit.

What are the odds?

What are the odds?,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Brian and I, who can probably speak 4 words of French between us, pull into this little village to try and find some lunch. We pull up to the first place in town, and with no discernable signs other than "Ouvert" (open?), we walk straight into a biker bar.

Helmets hung from the ceiling as lamps, clock made out of a Honda crankcase, and MotoGP posters all over the walls.

See... this entire trip is fate I tell you, fate.

Black Is Sliming

Black Is Sliming,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Yeah... I make the fashion statement, no matter what language they speak.

A friendly little joint for lunch

A friendly little dinner joint,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Made it around to the waterfront of the lake, decided to stop in this quaint little joint for a late lunch.

Given all the strange looks I got when I came through the lobby to the cafe, I'm guessing they don't typically cater to the "biker crowd".

What a country!

What a country!,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

You hang out on a waterfront for a few minutes, and strangers come up and offer you FREE BEER.

I think we Americans can learn a LOT from our European friends!

Luis, Celine and Marie-France just up and offered me beers, apparently intrigued by the whole Harley ensemble'. The only price? I had to give the girls rides around the town. (sigh... such a sacrifice)


Remind me again why I should come home?

Roman ruins

Roman ruins,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

For those of you that didn't know (I didn't until recently), that CH you see on car stickers or currency abbreviations stands for "Conderation Helvetica", or the old Roman name for the territory.

Seems the place is littered with old Roman ruins around the countryside. There's even supposed to be a small ampitheater nearby, if I can learn to read the French language maps.

I love being able to walk up and *touch* thousands of years of history. How cool is that?!

Obligatory T-Shirt Stop

Obligatory T-Shirt Stop,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Couldn't come here without stopping by the local Harley shop. Best part was my limited French with the owner's limited English... But speaking that Int'l Language of Love... horsepower and great rides.

The owner told me they're having the European Harley Owner Rally in St. Tropez this week, through the weekend... Hmmm... Might have to extend the trip... : )

This afternoon's destination

This afternoon's destination,
originally uploaded by Thom Kozik.

Looking out across Lake Geneva from Lausanne, that mountain range on the other side holds the village where we'll spend the first night.