I do see a lot of good deals on 09 touring bikes, and i think theyre great bikes.. good frame, sufficient motor, 6 speed, no cat. I bought my 09 purely for the new frame, i dont need a 6 speed and could care less about the motor because they dont stay stock for long in my garage.

Now ask someone with a 103, and youll hear that the 96 is insufficient
ask someone with abs, and youll hear that abs is a necessity
ask someone with a 2010, and they will tell you that something is better about the 2010
ask someone with a 2009, and they might tell you you dont need all that stuff

everyone wants different things out of their motorcycle, and has different budgets to get these things. Your dream bike might be something i wouldnt/couldnt ever own.

The best bargain out there is whatever you can afford that is closest to what you really want.

 

I really don't see the CAT as being a big decision on buying a used bike. It can be removed in about an hour. I have owned a 2010 96" bike and currently ride a 2011 103" bike. For me the difference was significant enough that my wife could tell the difference when riding 2 up. So in the end, buy what you can afford. If you can afford the CVO then by all means, buy that. If you are on a 2009 96" budget then buy that one.

 

Matt,

I'm really glad you found such a great deal. Congrats!

To answer your question though, I had a number of friends quiz me as to why I was so bound to buy new. Many of them had found very sweet deals on used Harleys like you did and were thoroughly enjoying them.

I guess my best answer is, this was my first Harley after riding for almost 40 years. I knew I was going to be doing quite a bit of modding and I wanted to start out with a clean slate. I didn't want to buy someone elses add-ons and then wind up swapping those out for what I really wanted. I wanted to make it into "my" bike. So, that's what I did and I've had a total blast doing it. Did I save any money doing that? Nope, but I don't regret the decision. I also tend to keep a bike for a long time. I rode my previous ride for 10 years before seriously considering moving on. My 09 Ultra will be four years old at the end of this February. It's still going strong and I have no plans to get rid of it any time soon. If it all works out like my previous ride, I'll get my moneys worth out of it!

Time will tell!

Ride Safe,
Steve R.