Im still in the market for a 2014 ultra and think ill get mine around august. So ive been cruising these forums for since sept see how the new bikes are working out. Seeing how many issues the limited has had with repeated cooling issues and nav issues and stereo issues has made me really lean toward the ultra. I like all the extra bells and whistles of the limited but my thought is i can add those on to the ultra. What i cant do is handle seeing my bike in the shop or on the back of a tow truck because its leaking fluid again.

Im really concerned because were not even in the heat of the summer yet. It will be interesting to walk main street in sturgis this year and see how many limiteds have fluid underneath them. All the time ive spent browsing here ive yet to see a ultra have any major issues.

Ill use my bike mailnly for touring with the wife and living in the black hills, im not too worried about sitting in heat like you guys down south. So in summary, i think ill lean towards the ultra, not the limited. But i would welcome listening to compelling arguments as to why the limited would be the better choice.

 

Whoa boy! You've opened a can of worms here! Be ready for all the Limited owners to defiantly insist that there are no issues with the cooling system (anymore), and they may be right. The Boom! infotainment system is the same on either model if you opt for the 6.5, and it really is not a problem. For me I went with the Ultra Classic. I like the simplicity of a time tested air & oil cooled system...no fans, no radiators and extra fairing space. To be honest, I think you should go with the color scheme you like the best, be it Limited or Ultra Classic. I happened to like the Candy Orange.

 

Yep Bought the Classic with the Boom 6.5 and security. Did not want water cooled. Keeping it simple. No issues with the Boom that I can find and I have used it for calls, Nav, USB music, nary a glitch. Only issue so far was backlighting on fuel gauge, HD is replacing it this week,

 

all I will say is I am in Central FL and we are already in the low to mid 90's and I haven't seen a drop of coolant in over 6k miles. I do not use a GPS and if I am riding I could care less about taking a phone call or seeing a text ect so I cannot speak to any of those issues. But as far as the radio itself I have no complaints.

 

This was just posted today in another thread. Seems to be a rare event, but it still happens:

 

I think most of the issues were early on models. Talked to mechanics at dealership and only 2 incidences of water leak and it was a bad cap on one and the cap was loose on another. Mine hasn't leaked a drop or had any sort of issue.

 

I realize that for every problem reported here, there are 1000 that are running with no issues whatsoever. I love the idea of liquid cooled heads but i would hate to be 600 miles from home in yellowstone or the rockies and have a bike dump on me and ruin a vacation. Air cooled head have been running fine for years obviously and i think with decating the headpipe and opening up the exhaust, it doesnt sound lime heat will be much of an issue.

I love the candy orange ultra and think thats the direction ill head as well.

 

I also wonder about longevity of the liquid cooled heads. Im no metallurgist but if you cool one valve but not the other and you take that cyclinder through thousands of heating and cooling cycles, how can thencylinder wear evenly? I know the intake cylinder is cooler than the exhaust, thats why they cooled the exhaust but im interested to see how well the valves hold up in 2-3 years.... When all the warranties have ran out?

 

I am taking my 14 Limited to Yellowstone this July for couple of weeks. Will let you know how it turns out. Will also have 12 limited with me just in case. Not really it belongs to son in law. Not the least bit concerned about the water related problems. If it happens just get it fixed.

 

Man you are getting me confused. The cylinder is the same as it has always been. Only the heads are water cooled and they still have the same air cooled fins as always too. they are also still oil cooled from the bottom of the pistons with oil spray jets. If memory serves me right I think all V-Rods are water air cooled and all Metrics are water cooled. Doubt the liquid cooling is going to cause metal fatigue.