I need the wisdom of the group assembled, please.

I have this nagging desire to once again own a Harley. For background, I've been riding 50 years, lots of bikes and lots of miles on them. I own a GL1800 now, and I ride it every day. There are days where I think I'd like to have the choice of a ride, and having owned 2 Harleys, a SuperGlide and a TourGlide, years ago, those memories come back to me. At this stage of my life, I want a comfortable ride, decent performance, and the ability to hear the stereo over the sound of the pipes. Maybe that's not possible with today's Harleys..

But, the more important question is: Reading this forum and everywhere else available on the net, I see that, especially with the new models, the '07s, the bikes run so lean, so hot, surging, transmission noise that shouldn't be there with the new 6-speeds, problems with the electrical system, all that stuff that's been reported; it doesn't look like those bikes are money well spent. I want a bike that runs right, out of the box, without the need for another $1K or so worth of "Stage 1" mods, or whatever, to get it to run right and give me a good ride.

Is this even a possibility anymore, to buy a new Harley Davidson bike, without having to pay for ECM/fuel mixture/exhaust system mods, just to get the thing to be road-worthy?

 

Yes. Buy a used bike. I bought a three year old RKC with almost everything on it and spent 8K less than new.
/runs off and googles walter mitty

 

I would say that it isn't "Positively, Absolutely, Mandatory", but......you could also breathe with one lung and live..but wouldn't you want to have both working to full capacity? These newer bikes are kinda like that...they run half decent(but blazin..and I mean BLAZIN hot in stock config.). Spendin the $1500-2000 for a stage 1 with pipes makes em hum...so you have to decide how fussy you are BEFORE you buy...

 

The bikes run fine 'out of the box'.

My 06 Street Glide runs fine after adding some slip-on mufflers, an air cleaner, and fuel management (HD download) but it ran fine in the stock configuration. Does it run warm? Yes, it's air cooled, which doesn't lend itself to great efficiency in warm weather. It pops a bit on deceleration due to running slightly lean. It makes Harley-type noises which can be unnerving to the Harley novice, especially compared to imported bikes. It runs strong and has never 'surged' on me, though it has hesitated on occasion when I first pull out of my drive. I attribute that to insufficient warm-up on cool days.

That's my experience with my latest Harley.

And remember, you are probably reading the absolute worst reviews here. The nature of message boards is that a LOT of people only post about their negative experiences, so you have to take it with a grain of salt. I love my bike, with all of it's 'warts' and wouldn't trade it for anything (maybe another Harley). Are there better bike out there? From an engineering standpoint, probably yes. From a sheer fun standpoint, not in my opinion. Of course I'm basing that on an 06 model, and haven't ridden any later models.

 

Actually, an "out of the box" HD will run okay. It's jest that most of us enjoy usin' any possible excuse ta tinker with 'em.

Havin' owned Goldwings mahself, ah also know that most of them "require" modification, as well....

 

you been ridin for 50 years,,, then you owe it to your self to once again be on a Harley
the few , the proud,

besides, ya wanna be able to chat here dont ya? lol

 

Agree with Curmudgeon - A used bike might be the best to suit your needs (Out of the Box).. As the '07s & '08s do have a heat thing going...
You can find a lot of USED BIKES Here - E-Bay & Cycle Trader

 

I just bought an '07 Ultra and I'm very pleased with it's performance. Like you, I've been riding for many decades. I have a mutant cafe Sportster that makes well over 100 HP, just as a point of reference. I refuse to put loud mufflers on my Ultra, it will remain all stock. I wanted a quiet bike with a radio and luggage room. I have my hot rod Sportster to take care of my "go fast" jones. Besides, what kind of person puts headers on their Cadillac?

 

Has headers:
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/...&year=2007

Also has headers:
http://www.mbusa.com/models/main.do?modelCode=SLR

I think...

 

I came from a Goldwing andalso have been riding forever. I bought an 07 Road King Classic and it has way more power out of the box than I'll ever use. I'm keeping it stock. It does run a tad warmer than water cooled bikes but after all it's air cooled. I bought it because I was bored with the Wing and wanted to feel like I was on a bike again not in half a car going down the road. For me riding should be about how you feel on the bike and this bike makes me feel young again and puts some feeling back into being touch with the road. It's as smooth as a Wing once up and riding and my wife will not let me go back to a Wing no matter what....she's just a kid in her mid 40's so loves the Harley stuff and the immediate acceptance and help by others who are HD riders. Believe it or not it's a totally different feeling from the dealership to the riders. Go test ride some HDs and decide for yourself.