Not sure if theres been a similar thread here but I couldnt find one . I will finally see and ride the Evo I bought 2 months ago (I have been away from home), so hope things turn out well.

Curious why people here bought Evos rather than something newer....I know we all have our reasons.

Mine were as follows:-

- When I discovered and started liking Harleys (as a teenager) they were the latest model available, so always told myself I wanted one when I was older

- Price/depreciation This was a bonus as I already knew I wanted an Evo before setting out to buy a Harley. I know some people buy Evos as its all they can afford at the time, then end up either loving them or eventually moving on

- Character - I kind of like the way they vibrate, and how you have to warm them up and put the choke on etc. Adds character in my opinion (altho I am sure some would disagree with me)

- Sound. I just like the way they sound, cant explain it

- Easy to work on. There are no dealers near me, so this suits me well, no fancy FI sensors going faulty etc to worry about

I guess some of the above will apply to others as well, but in my opinion, an Evo is one of the best Harleys you can buy today. Maybe one day I will be tempted by one of the Moco's later offerings in the form of a Fuel injected 103 or 96. Many of the newer Harleys look very beautiful & tempting too, and no doubt have many plus sides (altho I have never ridden anything newer than an Evo)

However as an overall package and for my needs and circumstances, I think the Evo is hard to beat

Edited to Add: I am only using the bike as a bar/cafe hopper and short runs to work etc, so the lack of a 6th gear didnt really bother me

 

I had a Evo powered Heritage back in the '90s. Yes, I loved the sound and the good vibrations of that non counter balanced, hard mounted to the frame motor.
It was "almost as much" as a Harley as my old kick starting '48 Panhead was.
My current ride a 2010 Limited, what I like that it has, or does compared to my old Heritage. ABS,and brakes that really do stop the bike safely. Fly by wire Cruise Control, a nice Stereo with 4 Speakers, a Sixth Geared Transmission. a 180 rear tire that last for 20K miles, that old 130 I was replacing every 8-10 miles.

 

"Curious why people here bought Evos rather than something newer....I know we all have our reasons."

For me that is not the question. The question is: Why did you buy a EVO rather than something older?

My bike is modern day Shovelhead but much more reliable. Simple, and easy to work on. Priced at a point that I could buy one.

I would love a Flathead, Knuckle, or Pan. I just can't afford them.

I look at the newer bikes and see nothing there for me.

 

The newer bikes will def have many improvements as you rightly point out, and as a practical bike probably better. However for some reason I am still more drawn towards the Evos

 

 

JK,
Where the heck is MY??? That's what your location says!! Why EVO's is like asking why chevy's or Ford, why small block or big block!!!
John

 

MY is in the tropical land of Malaysia, where the temp never falls below 75. Makes early morning starts easier

 

He's right ! These bikes have the latest technology, all the way down to the new tawainese cranks that's are guaranteed to fail shortly after your warranty expires or maybe the moco will just increase allowable tolerances again. Sigh, ps I do agree with you on the 6 speed and larger rear tire !

 

Quote from Hollowpiont on another thread:
"
Later designs, like the Revolution & Twin Cam, were compromise arrangements to satisfy EPA criteria while sacrificing simplicity, dependability, & efficiency. Many riders frustrated with this gratuitous technology were further disappointed when Harley Davidson surrounded the new “Twinkie” engines with many parts made “off shore”.

Fortunately for Harley Davidson enthusiasts, the superior quality of Evo motorcycles has reduced the need to discard their rides."

I totally agree with that. Back in the day, when I was almost buying a brand new RK, I was hanging out with a bunch of oldtimers, most of them were proudly riding 100yrs editions, I noticed that those bikes didn't quite sound and feel exactly what I was imagining of a Harley. and then there was some other old guy, a real respected big wrench, restoring vintage cars, cutting out stuff from solid metal, etc (you've got the picture). In other words the kind of guy I always aspired to be myself. He rode a Dyna lowrider, or such, and his bike did feel and sound like a Harley I always wanted. I asked him why Evo, and he told me something more or less like the quote above, adding reliability, longevity, best thing to travel on, to wrench, etc. ending with the words "Dunno, I'm an Evo guy". That just did it for me.
I never regret, got two Evos since, did lotsa miles on em already, riding mostly with TC crowd, even rented some TC in Vegas... Chewing on gettin an FXR now, hehe.
It is the matter of taste and preference indeed, but when it's your thing, it's your thing!

 

I personally don't care about large tires (got no need to compensate for certain things), but as far as the 6 speed goes - yes, I've put a 6 speed on my decker. So fcken what? ;-)