Harley Ultra smoothed the trip to N.S.

Steve Bond

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

At 6 a.m. one sunny morning in late June, I headed east on the four-nothing-one and 1,445 km later, pulled into Sackville, N.B. at 10 that night.

Just another day at the office aboard Harley-Davidson’s Electra Glide Ultra Limited.

The $29,399 Ultra Limited comes standard with enough comfort and joy to make your touring experience a memorable one — the Twin Cam 103 engine, Brembo ABS brakes, a killer Harmon/Kardon stereo with four speakers and CD player, cruise control, heated grips, upgraded wheels, special paint and even a rack on the topbox for extra luggage capacity.

The Ultra’s hard bags and topbox have more storage than a three-bedroom condo. I packed enough “stuff” for two weeks and the bags just kept swallowing it up. Dash-mounted storage is lacking but would be nice for camera, cellphone or passport.

The quickest and shortest route to the east coast is through Quebec and that means crossing Montreal (or “Kabul à Française”). No matter what time you go through, it’s a war zone. The roads have been under construction for 30 years and it’s stop and go, stop and go, then stop some more.

East of Montreal, it’s terminally boring on the highway. Flat and straight for almost 500 km with nothing scenic until Rivière du Loup, where you hang a right and head for the Maritimes. And call me a safety zealot, but if something ahead on the Trans-Canada Highway warrants a five-square-metre sign with large, flashing lights, then maybe it should be in English as well. Just saying.

In New Brunswick, the speed limit is a civilized 110 km/h which, over a 14- or 16-hour trip, is a significant saving over the archaic 100 km/h in Ontario and Quebec. A small green “6” shows up on the Ultra’s display to let you know when you’re in overdrive and it’s geared so tall that 100 km/h equates to a very relaxed and vibration-free 2,300 rpm.

As dusk fell just outside of Fredericton, I saw several moose and numerous deer close to the shoulder of the road. With Dylan’s “Desolation Row” blaring on the CD, I hoped Bob’s wailing would keep the critters from bounding into me.

The Ultra’s seat is all-day comfortable with just the right amount of support and suppleness, although at 6 ft., 3 in., I was wishing for a bit more legroom. I folded the passenger pegs down and alternated between standard floorboards, rear pegs and stretching my legs straight out above the pods on the crash bars. This had the added benefit of directing cooling air up my pants and the downside of the occasional bee or biting insect.

At idle, the rubber-mounted 103 cu.-in. engine “shakes yer booty” as everything quakes like a southern California aftershock, but once underway, nothing gets through to any of the rider’s contact points.

The plan was to meet my buddy Ron, who was aboard his 140,000 km FZ1, at a mutual friend’s place in Sackville, N.B., near Moncton. We’d spend a couple of days with another friend, Norm, then ride on to Cape Breton, N.S. where our significant others were flying in, renting a car and meeting us at a house we’d rented in East Margaree.

After riding 1,400 km one day, what do you do the next? Go for a ride of course. Norm saddled up his gorgeous 1979 six-cylinder Honda CBX that he spent a full winter restoring, and we spent a day exploring the scenic Bay of Fundy area.

It’s only about 360 km from Sackville to East Margaree — an easy jaunt on pretty good roads. The first night in the rented house, after riding was done for the day, we toasted our arrival with an ice cold beer, had steaks on the Q, baked potatoes, corn and a nice Argentinean Pinot Noir. Life is good.

The Margaree Valley is one of the most beautiful spots in Canada. The house overlooks the Margaree River (one of the Maritimes’ premier Atlantic salmon fisheries) and trout and Atlantic salmon are constantly rising in the calm waters. Bald eagles soar overhead and not a vuvuzela can be heard.

Saturday, before the spouses arrive, we rode the 300 km loop of the Cabot Trail under sunny and calm conditions. You can do it in half a day if you keep the picture taking of scenic viewpoints to a minimum. Stop at each interesting photo op and you’ll need a week.

The Cabot Trail through the Highlands and the Cape Smoky area (so called because it’s almost always foggy) would rival the finest roads that California has to offer. Some of the scenic loops are a bit sketchy, however, and the one to Neils Harbour is, without question, one of the most disgraceful stretches of “almost” pavement I’ve ever seen.

After a great week, it’s time to head for home. The spouses steer for the airport and Ron and I decide to ride back through Maine. At 1,900 km, it’s longer and slower as it’s mostly two lane roads during U.S. July 4 traffic in 30C heat.

In total, I put almost 5,000 km on the big Harley and developed quite an affection for it even though the Ultra isn’t as smooth, quiet or refined as the Gold Wing or the BMW touring bikes. The weight makes it a bit intimidating at low speeds and when the ambient temperature rises, the rider’s right thigh still gets hot.

But the Ultra is a wonderful place to spend a 12-hour day. Whether covering ground on the freeway or two-lane roads, it’s rock-solid even under severe side winds, it gets pretty good fuel economy and the new touring chassis makes it quite capable in the twisties.

Maybe next year, I’ll ride one to California.

Freelance motorcycle writer Steve Bond can be reached at

stevebond8@yahoo.ca

Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited (FLHTK)

PRICE: $29,399

ENGINE: 103 cu.-in. pushrod twin-cam V-twin, EFI

FUEL CONSUMPTION: avg. over 4,900 km 5.7 L/100km (49.2 mpg)

POWER: 75 hp, 102 lb.-ft. torque

COMPETITION: Honda Gold Wing, BMW K1200LT

WHAT’S BEST: All-day comfortable, handles well for its size

WHAT’S WORST: Heavy at slow speeds; barbecued right thigh on hot days

WHAT’S INTERESTING: Harley’s best selling model