Now to the real stars of the show - the bikes that the Mild Hogs will ride on their trip.
First up is the 2009 Harley Davidson Road King Classic (FLHRC), as chosen by Paddy Hogg.
They say that you can tell a lot about a man from the bike he choses on occasions such as this, and so Paddy is clearly a man who enjoys the benefits of modern engineering, wrapped up in a stylish package which honours the history and traditions of the brand.
Like the majority of the bikes being ridden on the trip, the Road King Classic features the latest incarnation of Harley Davidson's 1584cc fuel injected, air cooled, V twin engine. The bike weighs in at 773lbs before filling up the 6 US gallon fuel tank, and adding Paddy's svelte figure on it's back.
I'm sure you will agree, the Road King Classic is a thing of extreme beauty, and it shows impeccable taste on behalf of the Hog who choose this.
Next up is the close cousin of the Road King Classic, the 2009 Harley Davidson Road King (FLHR), ridden by GInger Hogg.
If "they" are to be believed, GInger must also be a man of impeccable taste, although the slightly more angular lines of the Road King may perhaps suggest him to be more of a modern man than a traditionalist.
The main differences between the Road King and Road King Classic are that the Road King has rigid, lockable panniers and a 17" front wheel, whilst the Classic has leather, non lockable panniers and a 16" front wheel (and the fact that the Classic looks much better !).
Daddy Hogg's weapon of choice is the 2009 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic.
Given this size of this beast, if our theory is to contnue to hold true, one would have to speculate that either Daddy is supremely confident in his masculinity, or .... let's just say he is a shoo in for all the single rooms booked during the trip.
The Electra Glide Classic weighs in at a whopping 852lbs (dry) (or over the ton if Dumpy was to climb aboard). It also boasts all the usual features you would expect to see on a motorbike such as cruise control, a 12v outlet, and a CD player/stereo, although the latter will allow Daddy have Kylie on the bike with him as we wend on our merry way. (He should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky)
The fourth bike in the beauty parade is Dumpy Hogg's 2009 Heritage Softtail Classic.
There are so many things to say about this bike, and why it is so well suited to "the Dumpster". Unfortunately not all are suited to a public blog, especially as it is open to minors, and so, dear reader, we will endeavour not to go down that route. Suffice to say .... (stop it .... Ed)
Dumpy's choice of the Heritage Softtail does put him in quite a responsible position the group, as, because this particular model only has a 5 gallon petrol tank, Dumpy is always going to run out of petrol before anyone else. Therefore, every time we see Dumpy chugging to a stop at the side of the road, we will have to think about getting some petrol as we wave at him as we continue on our merry way.
And so to Boss Hogg's choice.
As we know, Boss likes to plough his own furrow, and is no slave to convention.
Therefore, when it was suggsted that the Mild Hogs would ride Harley Davidsons around California, it came as no surprise to anyone that "the Boss" decided to think outside the box, and go with another make.
The big question was always "what will he choose?". Would he do a Ewan and Charlie and opt for a big BMW, or maybe it would be the KTM 990. Perhaps he would plump for a big Japanese muscle bike, or maybe break the habit of a lifetime and show a bit of class with a Ducati ST3?
Perhaps he would even stay close to home and go for one of Hinckleys own like the Triumph Sprint?
Perhaps he would even stay close to home and go for one of Hinckleys own like the Triumph Sprint?
Nope, Boss has opted for reliablity over all else, and opted for the worlds most popular motorcycle, a 1972 Honda C50.
In a remarkable coincidence, both Steve and the Honda "Cub" both saw their first light of day in the same year - 1958.
The bike weighs ins at 170lb (dry), and it's 49cc 4 stroke engine, generating 3.9 bhp, will push the bike from 0-60 in .... well, never, given that the top speed is actually 50mph.
As befits a such performance bike, the Cub has 0.9 gallon tank which, remarkably, is good for 410 miles .... providing you can hang on as you speed along at 24 mph. If you are lucky to reach this optimal speed, then the drum breaks should be able to stop you into about 300 yards.
In 2006, the Discovery Channel rated the C50 as the greatest ever motorcycle after they unsuccessfully tried to wreck one by using used cooking oil as fuel, hugley overloading it, even being dropping it from a high place. No matter they threw at it, they couldn't prevent it from starting .... anyone want to bet Boss manages it before he hits the San Bernardino Freeway (!)
Just in case there is an issue with "the beast", Boss Hogg does have a plan B - a 2009 Harley Davidson Street Glide.
Like Daddy's Electra Glide, the Street Glide has that most necessary of features on a motorbike, a CD player. Thankfully Boss's taste in music is different from Daddy's - unfortunately this means that if another Hog happens to find themselves sandwiched between the two of them, they may be unfortunate to catch snippets of both Jason and Kyle, albeit singing different songs, just like they did on their number one hit "Especially for You".
The Mild Hogs would like to thank Laidlaws Harley Davidson of Baldwin Park, California, (http://www.laidlawsharley.com/) for providing the bikes, and especially Ty McPherson for his patience in putting up with the countless emails in the run up to the trip, which, quite frankly, must have seemed as if they had been written by a group of excited schoolgirls.
The bike weighs ins at 170lb (dry), and it's 49cc 4 stroke engine, generating 3.9 bhp, will push the bike from 0-60 in .... well, never, given that the top speed is actually 50mph.
As befits a such performance bike, the Cub has 0.9 gallon tank which, remarkably, is good for 410 miles .... providing you can hang on as you speed along at 24 mph. If you are lucky to reach this optimal speed, then the drum breaks should be able to stop you into about 300 yards.
In 2006, the Discovery Channel rated the C50 as the greatest ever motorcycle after they unsuccessfully tried to wreck one by using used cooking oil as fuel, hugley overloading it, even being dropping it from a high place. No matter they threw at it, they couldn't prevent it from starting .... anyone want to bet Boss manages it before he hits the San Bernardino Freeway (!)
Just in case there is an issue with "the beast", Boss Hogg does have a plan B - a 2009 Harley Davidson Street Glide.
Like Daddy's Electra Glide, the Street Glide has that most necessary of features on a motorbike, a CD player. Thankfully Boss's taste in music is different from Daddy's - unfortunately this means that if another Hog happens to find themselves sandwiched between the two of them, they may be unfortunate to catch snippets of both Jason and Kyle, albeit singing different songs, just like they did on their number one hit "Especially for You".
The Mild Hogs would like to thank Laidlaws Harley Davidson of Baldwin Park, California, (http://www.laidlawsharley.com/) for providing the bikes, and especially Ty McPherson for his patience in putting up with the countless emails in the run up to the trip, which, quite frankly, must have seemed as if they had been written by a group of excited schoolgirls.
