No question, 2012. The new stuff is way worth it.

Mark

 

2010 SG WITH 16K IN 18 MONTHS same as above great bike an don't have to bolt a brace to the eng for it to be safe. if parking in garage , cleaning it and maintaining it is a crime, then I'm guilty

 

The ultra is 900lbs plus That's alot of motion to stop. Why would you ever consider NOT having ABS.

 

I dont ride as much as some. I've only ridden about 16k miles this year. Yall cool your jets. The garage queens I'm reffering to is the guy with an 09 that has 2800 miles as of saturday. Yes he bought it new. Another with a 2010 bought in 09 with almost 5000. These are garage queens. I never said the new bikes were all bad. Some have great luck witht hem. I was simply stating facts about what i've seen first hand, and based on that my advise to the OP is don't be blinded by the hoopla about newer is better. If more power is needed, punch that 96 out to 103, choose the parts that fit your needs and run circles around a "factory" 103.

 

i had a 2008 anniversary with abs i loved it for 40k .i was not thinking even for a minute of trading up to 2012 until bike got rear ended and totaled.
That said i do enjoy my 2012 limited and extra features including better ride and handling which are very hard to quantify.
Do get abs , and if those two bikes were your only choices i would get the one with abs .Yes it makes that big of a difference. You will be in deep sh@t trying to sell a bagger 4 years from now without abs. I saw a beautiful used 2011 ultra used, loaded with extras priced right, but no abs, and i passed on it only because it did not have the abs brakes.
Mazz

 

This is right on. If you ride a lot it's gonna cost ya more.

 

I like garage queens. Thanks to them I got a 2006 Ultra with only 6500 miles.
Garage queens are cool for those us unable or unwilling to buy new.

 

Good point. The number of clean, low mileage bikes on the market is unbelievable. Bikes under warranty can be owned for much less money than new. Someone else has taken the initial depreciation hit and covered incidental costs for freight, prep, etc.

 

There have been a lot of comments for both sides of the debate. Never having had any experience with the new frame and am comfortable on the older frame, I don't think it is something I would miss. A point that "mazz" brought up about ABS is a good one. I have sent the dealership an email about my interest for the 2008 Ultra with ABS. The extras it has would be costly to put on a new one, including true duals luggage rack on the tour pack, and some other chrome pieces.
It will be hard to get rid of the RKC but my wife has some health issues that I'm hoping a more comfortable bike will interest her in getting back out with me.
Now I wait for the dealership to get back to me.

 

Walkin one step behind those people who feel the need to keep up with the jones' has its benefits!