Good post, but I admit that I am one of those who will be doing a motor upgrade as soon as I get the extra money. My situation is my wife and I together are about 500 lbs. (We don't need a diet, it's pure muscle) You add that with a 700 lbs bike and some luggage and we get pulled over for going too slow. Sometimes I need that extra power for passing and to avoid other cars on the freeway. When I'm ridding alone the stock motor is just fine. But 90% of the time I'm 2-Up.

 

First of all, I'm 57 years old and have been riding for 42+ years. With that being said I've never done anything (speed/power wise) to any H-D I've owned, and I've owned quite a few. Not that I think any less of anyone who "hops up" their H-D, I just never saw the need to do so. These things are fast enough, powerful enough, and loud enough for me.

With that being said, about two years ago I was riding a Heritage Softail and took my brother's advice to take a test ride on a Gold Wing. At that time I had the Heritage and also an H-D Ultra. I ordered a Gold Wing and sold the Ultra when the Gold Wing arrived and rode the Wing for about a year and a half. My wife loved the ride, and the power and handling was unbelievable. Honestly, I never liked it near as much as any of my H-D's.

After a year and a half I sold the Wing and traded the Heritage in on the '06 Classic I now ride. I'll probably never have anything but an H-D and I love the Classic, but the power, smoothness, and handling of the Gold Wing are really something.

 

To each their own. A lot of guys just want to have a fast bike with lots of grunt and a 6 speed. A lot of guys like to "bench race" on the internet as well. If there happy, great.

Honestly, I run a stock '89 Evo with an S&S and a set of Stock pipes with a 5 speed and can cruise all day at 75 / 80 on the highway and putt around all day on the back roads at 50. When I get off the bike after a long day of riding, I'm happy as hell and don't sit there pouting wishing for more of this or that. But that's just me. Some guys would be out of thier minds and figuring out how to stuff a bigger motor and 6 speed into it.

 

Personally I think my issue with a stock bike was sound and passing power while riding two up. My RG is still 88" but the few things I have done did increase my passing power and torque which I believe is a safety issue. Lord knows we've all riden our bikes "stock" two up and wondered if we were going to have enough power to pass that slow car on a two lane road or kick in the butt trying to pass going up a hill. I didn't buy my Harley to race it but I do like to have the power when you need it.

 

GUYS,
Don't misunderstand me please ! if Wrenching is a hobby thats great ! and more power to ya !and if it weren't for guys like you that are always looking for a way to make a good thing better guys like me who have questions would always be dumb founded and technology would slow down and come to a stale halt and we don't need that for sure,But when I see an Ol'e timer cruising in his Model T-FORD going 40mph with a smile ON HIS FACE grinning from ear to ear with his gray haired wife beside him reminiscing a sweeter and more pure time in AMERICAS history !! it just tells me that there is more to life than the BIGGEST!! THE BEST!!! THE MOST POWERFULL! It's about taking time to SMELL THE ROSES !!
Tj

 

I still have a VFR800 for days that I feel like tilting it way over and going fast. That said, I find myself on the HD far more than the VFR lately.

Regarding the question on why people hop up their HD's: It's because that's the American way! Nothing I do to my HD is to make it comparable to fast sportbikes, I do it because I look at the numbers and say, ok, 88", 65hp, 75lb-ft. I can make it better. The trick for me is finding a balance of cost vs. gain. I don't envision a time that I'll strip the motor down and convert it to a 110" because the effort and money required to get there for the power increase isn't worth it to me. On the other hand, I'm already looking for a bolt-on cam because the time and cost are fairly minimal compared to the gain. ~$600 if I do it myself and that includes converting to gear driven cams.

For the record, I've never done anything to the VFR engine. That thing is bloody fast enough.

Why leave well enough alone? I make changes to my machine for the same reason some people climb Mt. Everest: "Because it's there"

 

I'm gonna have to agree with TJ however, I wouldn't put down anyone who enjoys wrenching on their scoot. It's a matter of preference I suppose. All I've done to mine so far is fight with the docking kit and install a 2 up backrest.

That's the nice thing about H-D.... we can all have different opinions on how to make our bikes better (and they're as different as the shades of a sunset) But at the end of the day... all you really need is the camaraderie and to hear someone say "nice bike".

 

My 07 will be here in a couple of months, I plan on just upgrading what it takes to get the epa out and let the bike preform as it should, I hear a few whinners about the trans, the heat and so on but most are new to either the ultra or harley, there are going to be a few problems with any year bike, saw a post today, just bought my 07 anything bad to look for? I was expecting a barrage of crap, but last I looked everyone just said ride and enjoy, thats how it should be. Harley is a laid back american cruzin machine, What's funny to me is the guys who spend umpteen amounts of cash on their bike thinking it's the **** now! When anyone could take 6k into any metric shop and buy a bone stock 600cc crotch rocket and clean their plow! The baddest bike out there just hasn't ran up on the baddest bike out there. And no matter how fast yours is there's faster ones just around the corner LOL But to each their own...

 

Men,
Yes !! just like back when the ol'e 57 chevys were souped up ! its a wrechers thing, But its still about the RIDE and smellin the roses!! I guess smellin the roses for Dale EARNHARDT jR is different from me smellin the roses, but he has sucombed to his weakness and goes as fast as he can everytime he can, just to WIN !! For me it's gonna just be the slow rumble and the beautifull sunny days just cruising with my favorite girl or just by myself takin it all in before time gets close to the end.
Tj

 

I hear you Brother. Nearly everybody I know that started adding to their bike, usually after a Dyno at Myrtle Beach or somewhere, had lots of problems. My stock 2000 Ultra runs fine like it is. I spend the extra cash on the imporatnt things, like beer and lap dances!