I have a 09 FLHX, My buddy has an 08. they are as identical as we can make them. it started out as a running joke, but so far, they are exactly the same, down to the hiway pegs and the KW windsheilds.

That being said, we both agree that the 09 is a signifigant improvement over the 08. It looks MUCH better from the back (and front too with the 17" wheel) and handles quite a bit better. the only downside of the 09 that we can see is a slight tendency to headshake on decel if you let go of the bars.

Going from my old 06 was a night and day difference, going from an 08 is a dawn to day one.

tim

 

Always bugs the hell out of me when folks say that tourers aren't meant to go fast through the twisties. You can push the hell out of a tourer and have just as much through the canyons as you can any other scoot.

This is where the 09 chassis shines, as someone else said, for your average weekend warrior, they probably won't see the difference, but if you hit the twisties aggressively, you will see it.

Prior to 09, the tourers had two rubber mounting points, for fore and aft movement and up and down, but it didn't compensate for lateral movement. This allowed the engine and swingarm to basically create a hinge during cornering. The 09 compensates for this movement with an additional mounting point.

By the way Manchego, my other ride is a Ducati...but 700 mile days to get to the twisties are muder...so for now, I'll ride my SG down to the twisties and travel fast.