My dealer finally had a 09 FLHX on the floor that I got to test ride today. I took it out for about 30 minutes and put it through the paces pretty good. I will summarize my impressions below but take these comments with a grain of salt. I am comparing it to my 2008 Ultra which is a totally different bike. I wish they would have had an Ultra to test ride but for now I will have to wait.

Looks & Finish - The bike was flawless. It was pewter pearl in color and looked great. I really think the FLHX rims look so much better than the Ultra rims; especially the 17" front. The 17" on the front of the Ultra I saw last week looked a little undersized. I think its becuase of all the trim and bumpers. To my surprise, I actually liked the white guages. They looked really cool in the sunlight and the chrome bezels looked trick.

Fit - The seat on the FLHX has a lot to be desired. It looks great but is not nearly as comfortable as my 08 Ultra. The FLHX seat is a little wider too which I noticed when stopping. My ride was only 30 minutes so I don't know how it would feel after all day riding. The mirrors are pretty cool but again I prefer the position of the traditional bar mounted mirrors.

Ride - Slow speed manuvering was a breeze on this bike. Its lower than the Ultra and is just a little easier to start and stop. The bike ran flawless. The first thing I noticed is the vibration at idle is about half of my 2008 Ultra. You feel the motor but it is definately more tame at idle.

The suspension is much firmer than my Ultra. In fact, it was downright rough by comparison. I don't think the bike will tour nearly as nice as an Ultra. I don't know if this is the result of the lowered rear shocks or the frame change or combination of the two. Its probably both and the seat difference. I didn't ride it 2-up but I know my wife well enough to know she would much prefer the Ultra ride in stock form.

The winshield on the FLHX looks really cool but I would put an 8" on it just like my Ultra. There is too much wind in stock form for touring although it would be fine around town.

Handling on this bike was excellent. There is an improvement compared to my Ultra. I am sure a lot of this is the frame, the tires, and the lower CG on the FLHX. The bike just seemd sportier to ride in the curves.

One final note on the ride. While vibration is lower at idle, it is much more noticable at speed; especially when decelerating. I believe the frame stiffness contributes to the additional vibes at speed. By comparison, my Ultra is a lot smoother and its not even close. The difference is about half. So, while they cut the vibes at idle by about half, they increased them at speed. At least compared to my Ultra.

Exhaust - The exhaust is stock;what can you say. It sucks and needs replaced. The good news is the heat is pretty much gone. I didn't notice any heat at all during the ride. Perhaps I am used to my 08 Ultra and having my gonads fried.

Gearing - Almost forgot to mention, perhaps my favorite improvement is the gearing change. I have always thought the gearing on the 07-08 bikes had too tall of a first gear. It is really noticable when loaded for touring and 2-up...especially taking off on hills. For 2009 they got it right.

Overall impression - I think Harley has a winner here. They are doing a good job of improving the line up over the years without abandoning most of what makes the brand. I still pine over no carbs available but I digress. The bike looks great with that 180 and the 17 up front. If you only own one bike, this one would be hard to beat. It won't tour like the Ultra but it looks the part both around town and can still be toured on. With the detachable stuff available it would make a versatile choice for those who want a bike in the Touring family.
I still need to ride the 09 Ultra to do a direct comparison and decide if I want to trade. I don't think I will trade my Ultra in on a FLHX simply because of the ride quality, touring comfort and 2-up comfort.

Just my .02. YMMV

 

Forgot to mention the brakes. This bike had ABS and I gave the rear a pretty good parking lot test and it did not lock up. Overall, the brakes are excellent when comparing to pre 08 bikes. My 08 has the brembos but unfortunately doesn't have ABS. This is the main motivation for making a trade. I should have found a bike with ABS or waited until they had one.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

I test rode both an 09 SG and 09 Ultra this past weekend. I agree with what you said, I noticed more vibrations through floor boards and while riding on the SG than the Ultra. Salesman said there werent any differences, but there must be something because there was a difference (at least between the 2 I test rode).

 

One thing I've heard and I'm curious about is that the 09 SG rides much better with more air in the shocks than the earilier models. It would have been interesting to asked them to add air.

Beary

 

Thanks for the excellent review!

If I ever sell my Street Glide it will be to get a Street Glide with ABS. Just hate the idea of starting over on all the customization. Heck after 3 years I still don't have my bike finished yet. Would hate to lose all the cash in upgrades I've done.

Maybe in a few years... We will see.

 

I rode a 09 ultra, SG and SE RG at demo days. Very nice bikes. To me the SG looks the best with the new fat rear tire. The vibration is less at idle than my 08, but in my limited riding experience with them, I felt the ride was about the same. I might feel diffrent if I had one for a weekend. Not enough difference for me to trade off the 08. I didn't notice any differnce in vibration at speed but I was not looking for it either. I went with
abs and I like it, it may not be for everyone but it's for me. Ride safe.HMT

 

I wish I would have gotten ABS on my 08. If I had, I would not even consider trading. When I bought my 08 it was the end of the year and selection was limited on the Ultras. They didn't have any in stock or coming in with ABS. At the time, I was ok either way. But since that time, a good friend went down and was hurt pretty bad. ABS would have probably prevented it and it has been weighing on my mind ever since it happened. Seems like a good idea to have them if at all possible. I can afford to trade so it makes harder to justify not having ABS. Especially when I consider that 90% of my riding on the Ultra is with my wife. She doesn't even ride on my Softail any more.

 

Great review - thanks!