Big Dog

Riding all day at freeways speeds is not only possible but can even be enjoyable. However, when you come to the off ramp, you better chomp on the full set of 4-piston PM's and bring the 'ol girl down to first gear and be happy they moved the kickstand rearward this year, because the ground clearance is pretty much what you'd expect, non-existent! Lean angle, what's a lean angle? Don't even bother hitting the twisties on a bike like this. Most guys stick to wide sweepers and freeways when enjoying the 'Ol Dog, instead of fighting their way through a couple hundred turns at 15mph.

As the only rigid framed chopper in the Big Dog lineup [The Pitbull model doesn't have the 8" stretch to its downtube like the Ridgeback and is 12" shorter in the forks.], most of the time the Ridgeback left me wishing it was the softtail version. The Big Dog "Chopper" has pretty much the same look and features as the Ridgeback, but includes a soft-tail type frame and rear suspension. If you want the comfort to ride from SoCal to Sturgis, the "Chopper" is your best bet and I'm anxiously waiting for a chance to prove it! The "Chopper" and "Ridgeback's" low-slung saddles put the rider "behind" the gas tank, sparing you from much of the windblast, kinda like a dual-purpose fairing. This helps to ease the usual strain that an ass-low, hands-high, feet-foreward riding position causes at sustained freeway speeds. Another "comfy" feature I found during my stint riding this beast, is the saddle length and foot-pegs. Although there is no pillion seat to speak of, the stock passenger pegs come in handy for lifting your butt off the saddle in a jockey type riding position, saving your spine on choppy roads. Slide back a few inches and settle on the high-point of the saddle for the thickest cush. When you do find a comfortable long distance riding position, you still need to be mindful of your fuel mileage.

As the only rigid framed chopper in the Big Dog lineup [The Pitbull model doesn't have the 8" stretch to its downtube like the Ridgeback and is 12" shorter in the forks.], most of the time the Ridgeback left me wishing it was the softtail version. The Big Dog "Chopper" has pretty much the same look and features as the Ridgeback, but includes a soft-tail type frame and rear suspension. If you want the comfort to ride from SoCal to Sturgis, the "Chopper" is your best bet and I'm anxiously waiting for a chance to prove it! The "Chopper" and "Ridgeback's" low-slung saddles put the rider "behind" the gas tank, sparing you from much of the windblast, kinda like a dual-purpose fairing. This helps to ease the usual strain that an ass-low, hands-high, feet-foreward riding position causes at sustained freeway speeds. Another "comfy" feature I found during my stint riding this beast, is the saddle length and foot-pegs. Although there is no pillion seat to speak of, the stock passenger pegs come in handy for lifting your butt off the saddle in a jockey type riding position, saving your spine on choppy roads. Slide back a few inches and settle on the high-point of the saddle for the thickest cush. When you do find a comfortable long distance riding position, you still need to be mindful of your fuel mileage.

The petcock's reserve position leaves about as much gas as you'll find in a Bic lighter. When you switch to reserve, hit the turn signal and find gas ASAP. One block of stop and go cruising on the Sunset strip cruising will deplete the reserve and leave you parked, if you're not watching for filling stations, I speak from experience.

Now that your 86 Testarossa & Miami Vice suit have gone out of style, you've latched onto the leather boy look of the HD crowd. However, your matching chaps and tassles actually seem to make you feel like just another midlife-crisis non-conformist strictly conforming to the pseudo-trendy fashions of the herd. Panic, horror, despair! What will you do? The folks at Big Dog Motorcycles think they've got an answer for you.
Personally, I think you're an idiot, if you actually go out and buy one of these pigs, but I'll be the first to admit that I simply "don't get it". On the other hand, EBass, our resident self-proclaimed "poseur", seems to think that Choppers (and probably disco, tattoos, cigars, piercings and Howdy Doody) are the cutting edge of "cool" and just the ticket to elevate him to moto-god status. Didn't somebody once say: "A sucker is born every minute"? Anyway, EBass decided it would be a good idea to use the MO name to wrangle one of these $27,000 rolling codpieces from a chopper manufacturer. Unfortunately, EBass decided to sell the story to another rag, so even though MO was legally responsible for the bike, we didn't really get anything out of it, aside from Fonzie using it as a prop to shoot nudie pics of a lady friend (see below for the rated-PG versions). Anyway, I digress... I must admit I was more than a little curious what a modern "state of the art" chopper would ride like and I did get a chance to spend some time on the Ridgeback, before it went back to its kennel.