i moved to the ultra from a 1100 honda shadow sabre, ultra is more than double the weight... had me kinda nervous. took a ultra for a test ride...the weight is only there at stop to 15 mph, then its gone. its easier to control than the sabre was. ive yet to scrape anything on the ultra on turns that the sabre would drag a board through at slower speeds even. what really led me to harley was a friend had went down on his electra glide 3 years ago on a ride, he lives about 3 to 4 hours from where the ride is at and we stay there for a week. bike banged up to point it could not be rode hes fine but banged up...we get it back to the hotel and then take it to the local hd store for repair. they bumbed all other service/repair work to fix his as fast as possible due to the fact that he is traveling! thats some pretty nice service and piece of mind to have when touring. when another friends honda broke down during a trip to the outer banks( luck had it another bud had his in his trailer so we offloaded his and put hers in the trailer, he rode the rest and she drove) once there we find a honda shop and they would much less hang up on us rather than help us, put a bad taste in me for honda. really sucked cause i never had an issue with mine, i still had the original battery in it when i traded for the ultra and that made 6 years! your ' local' hd store can be the deal breaker, closest one to me is like 15 min but i bought mine from a store 30 miles away cause of their customer service. go ride one and see how that sits with ya first and take the wife with ya so you both can sit on it.
i love mine...do i miss the sabre? yup. for like 20 minutes after i rode off the floor with the ultra, and have not looked back!

 

Thats not a bad price, actually, imo, if it has extras on it. Try it out and see how you like it. He may not come down on price much, but maybe they will throw in some gear for you. Dealers seem more willing to do that than move much on price.

Good luck. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

Some very good information here for you. My worth is take a weekend and rent one. This would answer 99% of your questions. Just remember that the stock rental units are very lean an require some modifications to get them to your riding style and comfort.
I have had several bikes and can state for a fact that my Ultra is the best bike I have ever owned for touring.
Whatever you ride...ride safe

 

I've got nothing to say but great things about my 08 Ultra. I can do a 700 mile day (just did that this last weekend) and feel great when I climb off. Wife loves it, too. She even rode with me not long after a tail-bone area related surgery and was nothing but comfortable. Suprised even me.

 

Had 'em all currently 2007 Ultra.Great great bike.The only downsides are heat when it's hot in traffic.The weight at stop signs and parking spots will keep you on your toes.Once it is underway I'm really livin on this thing.

 

One of the things I really like is that I don't feel the need to own two bikes; my Ultra feels great regardless of the distance.

 

Yea me as well. I drive mine everywhere. Don't feel the motorhome analogy at all.

 

as for the cost -
a couple of weeks ago when getting my new 09, there was a guy picking up a used 07 ultra with black cherry (luv that color) and he had paid 14.5k for it. not sure all the details like what was on it.

so i am thinking that 14.5k for an 05 might be a bit high.

 

To put it short and simple, you can't go wrong with an Ultra, you will love it!