Just lookin for a little input. Had 08 in showroom to buy. New job, ARM on house, blah blah blah. Put the bike on hold.House re-fi done, now going to purchase an Ultra. My question not considering price,which year.Plenty of low mile 07's on the market. Alot of dealers still have new 08's on the floor. Or do I buy the new model 09. I am kind of leaning toward the 08.
THANKS: Smitty

 

Money is not a problem, then go for the 09. You get all the improvements of the 08 over the 07, plus you get the new frame,upgraded wider rear tire and new exhaust routing.
Just my .02!
Good Luck,
Mr_Bill

 

2009 is the way to go. much better bike

 

I would get the 09.I always buy new and keep my bikes a long time.Still have my 97 Roadking which hardly ever leaves the garage.

 

Most of those that pony'd up for the 09 will sing the praises of the 09 over the 08. Most of those that have the 08 will say the changes in the 09 aren’t worth the extra $$. just human nature. So most of these opinions are subjective. The only objective analysis would be to get some riders that weren’t aware of the changes, have them ride and look at both without knowing which one was which and then make a choice on the merits of handling, performance, aesthetics, etc. Than you would tell them the price of both and have them choose.

The other thing to consider with the 07 is that you might be able to find a great low-miles deal on a bike that has some nice upgrades already done.

For me, I had the choice about a month ago. Decided I wanted new so the 07 didn’t come into play. Here is what I considered in going with the 08 after researching everything, including this site.

1. My primary concern was the talk of “wobble” and the 09 frame change to fix it. So I took some time and hung out down at the dealer and talked to a bunch of Ultra owners. My conclusion was that unless I’m scraping footboards at 80 MPH, it’s really no big deal and that the jury was really not yet out on the new frame design.

2. I personally didn’t like the looks of the wheels on the 09. I also didn’t like the “cross-under” pipe that looked like it would be mighty close on a parking lot speed bump.

3. I did like the look of the rear tire on the 09 a little better than the 08.

4. Both had ABS and security

So all in all, I thought the changes for 09 were OK but not really all that monumental and I actually preferred the look of the 08.

Came back the next day and cut my deal on an 08 Black Pearl because I personally liked it better than the 09. Paid with my miles card so I also get a free round trip to the Caribbean which is exactly where I will spend the 2 grand I saved.

Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide. I know you’ll love your new Ultra no matter what year you choose.

 

09

No question. The changes are NOT minor.

 

Tough question to answer. I bought an '08 last year in Dec. 07. So I suppose if I had to do it again all over again, I would probably buy an '09.

 

Simple, 09. Too many good changes to ignore. Cost difference couldn't make the changes to an 08 to bring it up to the 09. Do the math.

 

Ride em and then decide.

 

If $$ is not an issue then go 09 to many good improvements Number on e being the frame to pass up.