a variety of bikes fitted with the new tyres in Sydney
and sent us off on a two-day ride encompassing
highway, backroads, mountain passes and suburban
streets, and that was just the first day! We had a
variety of bikes to ride including H-D Touring and
Softail models, an Indian Scout Bobber and 111
Chieftain, a Yamaha Bolt and, perhaps most intrigu-
ing, a new Honda Goldwing, which indicated that
Metzeler have a lot of faith in their product. The
‘Wing is huge, with huge power and weight to match.
Departing Sy’s H-D in Campbelltown we headed
toward Woollongong in clear weather. The benefits
of the new tyres were not clear going from light to
light although my Heritage was very easy to steer
through roundabouts.
After the obligatory photo overlooking the ’Gong
we headed south toward Nowra before hooking right
to begin the climb up Macquaries Pass. And here we
started to see what these Metzelers were about. The
Pass is tight and twisty with plenty of hairpin turns.
I was lucky enough to be on a FXDR 114, Harley’s
hotshot new performance model which I already
knew was a great bike but I was not expecting the
improvement I could feel.
Chasing a few blokes up ahead the FXDR was very
stable and neutral in the corners. You could feel exactly
what the front tyre was doing and cracking on the
power in the exit produced enormous drive – partly
due to the big motor, of course – but the tyres were
definitely helping. They were gripping right through
the corner which meant the throttle could stay open
for longer. Eye-opening, to say the least.
Stopping at Robinson’s Pie Shop for an obligatory
curry pie we headed towards Goulburn via Kangaroo
Valley. This road is a mix of beautiful sweepers and
rotten, broken, bumpy goat tracks, all of which the
FXDR took in its stride. The Cruisetecs, too, offered a
decent controlled ride with excellent agility, proving
very useful in avoiding serious potholes. We arrived
at the entrance to the Hume Highway in weather
which had turned nasty pretty quickly, in fact, it was
snowing only an hours ride away.“ONCE ON TRACK, THE
CRUISETECS PROVED VERY
GRIPPY AND OFFERED
SMOOTH TRANSITION
BETWEEN CORNERS.”