[Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:16 pm Post subject: Ultra

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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:16 pm Post subject: Ultra

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Let me tell you my Harley dealer Ultra experience I just had. Stopped by my local HD dealer Thursday. I was talking to the owner (I've bought from them in the past) and mentioned that I was going to Knoxville to rent a Ultra (closest dealer that rents). He said ' don't do that..come by Friday at 5:00 and take my Ultra and keep it all day Saturday), try that with your Honda dealer. Anyway I picked it up last night and just took it back awhile ago. If you never have ridden one then don't knock it. It's really a pretty nice bike. Things I don't like....it will cook the back of your legs in slow/red light conditions. I mean really, really cook them. Hottest bike I've ever been on and I'lve had some hot ones. Once under way its not to bad though and I understand going to true dual's helps with that some. Brakes...not as good as the wing but OK once I got the feel for them. Faring..I actually like it better than the wing. AT 75 it was dead calm on my helmet. Radio, no problem hearing it at 75 but this was a bone stock bike with no loud pipes. Slow speed handeling...hard to explain but it feels much lighter than the Wing and being a bit shorter wheelbace its just easier to move around at slow speeds (not that the wing is hard). Power..well again its stock but it was not all that bad. Besides you can't compare a 2 to a 6, its just not fair. In the end I decided that I just like the Wing better plus it would cost me a pretty good amount to make a switch but the Ultra really is a nice bike. I've had Harley's in the past (but not the touring ones) and I still like them. ITs all about what makes you happy and just HP or performance numbers doesn't make up the whole story. Alot of people love their Ultras and I sure can understand why but for my the Wing just does what I want better. Doesn't make it a better bike though, just a different one.




I had put this on the Goldwing forum and thought I share it here. I belong to this board also because I like Harley's and like to keep up to date with them. I sure hope this doesn't come across as bashing because if you read what I have said I really like the bike. If it was just me riding I think the Ultra would work fine but the wife likes the Wing better (more room for her/no heat on feet) but all in all she was pretty comfortable on the Ultra. One questing though..does the true dual real cut down on the heat? I was really cooking the back of my thighs on this one in slow speed/red light conditions. Other than that and the lack of alot of power (which can be fixed) I loved the bike. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that alot of us like alot of bikes for diffrent reasons. I don't feel that the Goldwing is the best thing out there but that it is the one that seems to work the best for me. I also feel that the Ultra is the best for someone else for their own reasons. I just wish I had the money and garage space to have everything I like.

 

That's one of the things that makes America great - freedom to choose. They are both awesome rides and have been compared against each other for lotsa years. Both sell well and for good reason. Thank God not everyone chooses a Harley or the motorcycling world would be a little boring.....

Ride that Wing safe!!

 

Does the true dual cut down on heat? That's what pretty much all the guys on this forum say that are running duals. I'm inclined to believe them but can't say for sure. I went with a 2:1 for my own reasons. One of the biggest things you can do is get the EFI tuned so that it's not running so damn lean. Lean may be good as far as the EPA is concerned but it's not efficient for power. LEAN=HOT AS HELL! Switching to synthetic oil will also help. So there are several things you *can* do, and most Harley owners will take some if not all of these steps for performance, and the cooler running bike is an added benefit. Personally, I put an oil cooler on my bike a couple weeks ago and it's made a world of difference.

Now you have me curious. What did your Goldwing buddies say when you posted this on their forum? Did they raz ya?

 

Had a 1984 Aspencade that I rode for 10 years and 145,000 miles. Great bike but a bit Boring for me. Was somewhat poor in slow speed handling, and would wobble if you let go the handlebars. This particular year ate alternators and after the first two, it cost $600 to replace about every 40,000 miles.

Todays Goldwing turns me off because of its sheer size and I am sure the six cylinder engine isn't as fuel efficient as the Ultra. They are no doubt technologically more advanced than a Harley but it is a plastic bike. Like Garyw said, it is what works for you. The Ultra is the nicest bike I have ever owned and I have owned quite a few. After riding it for five years, I still like it very much. Whatever it lacks in comfort (heat in traffic especially), it makes up for in the spirit of motorcycling.

 

I just delivered my 1500 wing to its new owner this afternoon. It is an excellent motorcycle, but I like my 01 Ultra better. My wife loved our wing, but she likes the Ultra better too. I can't explain why I like the Ultra better. I agree with the comments about better low speed handling, but there's more to it than that. I'm just more comfortable. I think leg position is one major component of that.

Don Williams a.k.a. librarian

 

Well said, I couldn't say it any better.

 

Ok i am not trying to bash anyone ,but it seems like the people that ride harley's are what makes the difference, not just the bike.

 

Raftgyde...so far no problems with my post on the Goldwing board. Anytime Harley's are mentiond there it can sometimes get a bit out of hand but there are alot of members of that board who also own a Harley or have in the past and that somewhat keeps things in check. While I really like my Wing I have to agree with some of the comments made here. It is a big bike (I call it the Mother Ship) when riding with my FJR buddies. It is a plastic bike and I wish it had a bit less of that. For those of you that have had a 1500 Wing in the past the new 1800 is a whole different beast. It handles much better than the 1500 and gets better gas mileage to boot. You really can ride it like a big sport bike...no wobbles in a turn and killer brakes. I could go on and on about what I think are its finer points but none of that really matters if the bike just doesn't appeal to you . There is a whole lot I like about the Ultra and who knows, there may be one show up at the house one day.

 

I've owned a couple of wings and now the Ultra. In my case the wife loves the HD way more than the wing.

P.S. I have found that if you remove the lowers it really helps with the heat. The idea of the lowers other than protecting your legs is to funnel the air on to the engine to help cool it. Well that air is then pushed out right behind your legs. Too hot for me, and Liz really complains about the heat in the summer if they are on.

 

I was a Wing rider for 2 years. I had a Honda Valkyrie. The wife and I wanted to do more touring so I decided( not easily) to sell the Valk and buy a wing. I thought this was going to be the ultimate bike for me. After 2 years it was becoming apparent to me that this really wasn't what I thought it would be. I was riding a large piece of plastic. No driver or passanger footboards. Instead we had these little pegs. Some luxury that was. The seat height was too tall for us short people. 5'8" and I was tip toe when stopped. Then there was the frame issue. Which was repaired. But most of all the Wing just wasn't as comfortable as it should have been. It was top heavy, handled good in curves althought slow speed manuvers were difficult. Great engine but you couldn't see it. And it had no tone to the exhaust at all. I regret selling my Valkyrie. But now I have an 06 Ultra and am back on a real motorcycle. I have to admit, I made a big mistake with the Wing. You can't beat the Ultra Classic.