To all who have read and commented here, these are my observations after one full week on the '05 Ultra.

1. I can't believe I waited all this time to own the right bike! I counted 7 Jap bikes the other day. This IS the ONE!
2. Underpowered; maybe a bit so compared to the 100 HP RS Venture, but who cares. If I want to pump it up a bit, the parts and accessories are there to do it.
3. Handles WAY better than the previous Yamaha as far as I'm concerned.
4. Engine heat; well, yeah, a little (so far) but its only March here in New Mexico. Time alone will tell on this one.
5. Lousy brakes; NOT. I had no problem making my first quick (not quite panic) stop the other day on a busy throughfare.
6. Tire wear and alignment: again, only time will tell.
7. Shifts better thatn the Yamaha too. The Yammie had an annoying tendency to lurch just before the clutch was let out all the way when pulling away from a light in first gear.
No such feeling with the Ultra. I suspect the belt drive contributes in some subtle way to the smooth power delivery to the rear wheel. Whatever the cause, I like it! Shifting is smooth and natural, with only the slightest clunk at times. The Yamaha was difficult downshifting, frequently getting caught between gears, especially when making sudden (eg, heavy traffic) stops. Neutral is a bit hard to find at times, but not any more so than most any other bike I've had. (With one exception; The 1999 Kawasaki Vulcan I owned for about 2 years had the best "neutral finder" I have ever seen on a bike - bar none.
8. Enough has already been said here about the past premature cam bearing failures, so lets move on.
9. Saddle bag rails; cramped passenger accomodations; passenger wind buffeting/ Lets see, here. My co-rider said nothing about the bag rails, but did comment that the passenger footboards are just about perfect. The passenger seat is a bit more cramped (I could tell this too, as I could feel her pressing up against my backside while riding).
But I have already got the tour-pak relocator on order for that - it was one thing I knoew for sure even before buying the Ultra. But heres the thing; on a casual outing today, she was able to enjoy the radio on the Ultra, something she could never do on the Yamaha. Too much wind buffeting on the Yammie. The intercom works better too, The Yamaha intercom was always on, which contributed to significant wind noise at all times. And when you did talk, only one earpiece was used for the intercom; the other one continued to play the radio. This means you were always competing with the radio when using the intercom.

As for other items of interest, I don't think the clutch is any stiffer than the Yamahas hydarulic clutch was. When you are sitting at a long traffic light, you willwant to drop into neutral instead of holding the clutch in for a long time. Same was true of the Yamaha. And as far as the inescapable head-turning-quotient, nothing can beat the Harley. After only a week in the saddle of this luxo-tourer, I can honestly say I should have never waited this long to buy one. I have a lot of catching up to do.

I hope to see all of you out there on the open road one of these days. Thanks for all the help and guidance.

 

Jim, I knew it all already
You will love the bike more each day [sm=bling.gif]

 

I have about 1250 kms on mine after riding today. Shifting into neutral seems to be getting easier as it gets more miles on it. I have tried a couple of shorter windshields to help with buffeting and tomorrow will order a 15" windshield. I think this will get rid of all the buffeting. This windshield might help with the buffeting you wife is feeling.

 

Just dont show her she can control the radio from the back seat What else is nice about the radio system ( use headsets) is the rider and passenger can adjust volume control seperately, I like loud she does not. And you can do this for radio, intecom and cb.... Great set up. I have had the Tour Pak relocater on for over a year and you wife will like the extra room especially if you use the drivers backrest.

Have fun

Doug

 

Okay dad here's the deal. I just purchased the ultra classis 2005, two weeks ago.I went to Laughlin and have put on 1300 miles. I just completed a stage 1 because being in Calif. I really know the bikes needs some air. It runs like a stripped *** ape now! Sounds like a HD too. The brakes work great. I also have a 95 fatboy with the single caliper and there is a big difference. My passenger who logged all those miles says the only thing wrong with the bike is she now want's to fall asleep in the seat. The tranny shifts great and netural is a joy to find in any gear. There is some heat that comes off the cross over pipes while at a stop sign or sitting in very slow traffic. That needs to be fixed. The bike handles like a race car, stops on a time and has plenty of power. I am more then satisfied. The stereo sounds great and there is plenty of leg room (am 6-3) and no, the passenger does not hit the bag rails. Look, it's about the most expensive touring bike you can buy. You will certainly get what you pay for. It's top of the line HD. You wanna turn heads, tour the US in style without worrying about breaking down, nad feel the power of a HD, then do it. You will NEVER be satisified with goldwing, and no one will ever wave at you.

 

Coda, welcome [8D]
You won't get the ugly sh it here like you do over on vtwin
At this place, things are freeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

Glad you are happy,

I always loved my Ultra's. Never had a problem with brakes, clutch or underpower. If it will run 80 with two people on it then you have enough power. Being overpowered is way fun though.


Terry