Music of the open road

The highlight of the first day was arrival in Red Rock Country around Sedona after a breath-taking ride up and down Cleopatra Hill to reach historic Jerome. Click on the map (or any other image in the blog) to view it larger.

A fully dressed touring machine like the Harley-Davidsons we’re riding is equipped with a radio and CD player. Some guys like to listen to country or rock when they’re tooling down the road, me, I prefer the V-twin symphony.
Although my Electra Glide Classic has sixth gear, overdrive, if you will, I find I’m shifting up and down between third, fourth and fifth when the road starts to curve in order to keep the V-twin engine between 3,000 and 4,000 RPM, mainly because of the sound.
All V-configuration engines have a distinctive sound, whether the motor is barely turning over or starting to build revs. Between 3,000 and 4,000 RPM, my Harley is in full song.
The factory-standard mufflers keep it civilized, but we do thunder down the road.
--Georgs