My dad wants to trade in his honda shadow for a used ULTRA.
The place he is looking at has several 06 and 07's...

The 07 is likely to have some warranty left and has the bigger engine and 6 speed tranny.....
The 06 strong points (depending on who you ask) is that it DOESNT have the hotter engine and noisy 6 speed....

My gut instinct says my Dad needs a good reliable bike not the latest and greatest....
On the other hand.... pipes/AC/tuner and an IDS seem to address the 07 issues (right???)

I welcome opinions on what might be the safer purchase for him!!

(also... can I tell by looking if the bike allready has an IDS installed??)

 

go with the '07s.All bikes, like cars have issues, and the '07s are a great bike and the bigger engine and 6 speed, plus the value of a newer bike are the way to go (assuming you can make a reasonable deal on the price)

 

07.

 

A vote for the '06. Less initial $$$ to purchase, and no need to spend more $$$ to cool it off, add IDS, etc. And for those who haven't had heat issues with the '07, there is no question that they run hotter than '06 because of the very lean a/f for EPA compliance and no one knows what the long term effects of the increased heat will be; not saying it will be a problem long term, only that the issue isn't presented by the '06.

Either would be a great bike; just less cost with the '06 for purchase and comfort.

 

I've got an 06 Ultra, best bike I've ever owned and I have had a few. Good power, cool ride compared to the 07, so you do not need to spend the extra money to get it where it should be to start with.

 

I'd go with the 06 given this is his 1st Harley and perhaps lacks knowledge on the bikes. Lower cost and not many of the issues of an 07. Plenty of good bikes with low milage on the market as well.

 

I'd go for the '07 because it's got more warranty remaining.

 

07.

 

07. Warranty and there's probably one there with stage 1 already done.
Also ask for the IDS install as part of the deal.

 

07-- Plusses: Bigger engine, 6-speed tranny, higher resale. Minuses: Hotter engine, possible noisy tranny, probably higher purchase price. I wouldn't base my decision on model year, but rather on condition, color, add-ons/accessories, and overall value.