Ok folks, I'm a dyna guy and I thought I would always stay a dyna guy but lately I have this strong desire to move up to a bagger. I love the minimalistic style of my dyna but I want to be able to travel on it without having to pack my bike like gypsy wagon. I've already decided to buy a bagger but I'm really torn on which one to get. I've narrowed it down to these 4 bikes. I really hated the Road Glide for a long time but lately it's really growing on me and the guys who ride seem to absolutely love them. The Street Glide is my favorite but is expensive for what you get. Both the Road Glide and Street Glide would get a tour pack immediately after purchase or I may make the dealer throw it in as part of the deal. That brings me to the Ultra Classic and Ultra Limited. Both are awesome bikes but there's a $2,000 difference in cost and other than paint schemes and a few chrome trinkets here and there, I can't tell what's different. Sorry for the n00b questions but I really want to know the ins and outs of these bikes before I go make my purchase. Any advice or help that you guys can give me would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

MSGS

 

I rode a Low Rider Shovel for 32 years. A couple of buds bought Ultras. An 06 new $19.5K and an 05 in 2011 $14K with 9K miles. Made me start looking. I got a great deal on my 07 Ultra this year and love all there is about it. I took a bigger step than you are but when I shopped arround dealers were telling me there is not that mucjh difference in a Classic and an Ultra and I could do the upgrade myself. Look into the differences and the cost if you do it and it is pretty extreme even with used parts. They are giving bikes away right now and from the looks of the economy it won't last long. If you don't have to have the warranty buy a used bike. I saw a 2009 Limited on Craigs list today for $17K with V&H pipes and PCV. Pipes and Tuner are the biggest expense you will encounter outside of bigger bore. Look around and wait for it, the money you save will buy you the tools and the knowledge to work on it yourself. IMO Most warranties are justified by the dealers cost to fix not actual cost.
Good Luck and don't let those butterflies make you rush into anything.

 

the SG is a styling excercise- it is what happened when riders took the now obsolete base ElectraGlide standard and made it nice.
you pay for that.

look at an ElectraGlide Classic- not quite as nice as the Ultra, lacking some lights on the tourpak ( so more room inside it), lacking the CB ( breaker, breaker), rear passenger speakers ( so what with speakers, my Tbag doesn't fit) and lacking a few other minor things.

The Limited has some cosmetic and feature add ons that some Guys like and are willing to pay $2k for.

My first EG Classic was a '95, I have an 09 now and it's great.
add detachable tour pak for in town, a selection of seats and windscreens, fairing lowers- it is a very flexible bike at a better price ( and I kept my FXR too)

Make sure you get a bike with ABS, the security is nice and the cruise I can't live without, having thought " I would never use cruise on a bike!"

If you are not sure on fairings, test ride. the RG suits some, not others- and it's not a looks thing it's how the bike feels in the saddle.

here's the Electra Glide Classic with added fairing lowers, tour pak off, road king rear signal bar, lowered shocks, solo seat and lower windscreen. ( For touring in gets the stock ultra seat, tour pak, regular height shocks and higher windscreen)



Mike

 

If you can ride your Dyna all day, go ahead and pack it like a gypsy wagon. That's how I used to tour back in the '70s, and those were some of the best long rides of my life.

 

Dyna to bagger is a pretty big step-up. If funds are an issue, you could look at the Switchback (touring dyna with the ability to strip down for cruising, handling would be similar to what you're used to), a Heritage Classic (again, can be whatever you want it to be), or a Road King (true touring bike without feeling like you're in a two wheeled car). Luggage for a sissy bar/rack combo is a lot cheaper than a tour pak, and you can carry more stuff in them too. Plus, you can take it off and into the motel with you.

Just throwing some ideas out there for you.

 

I think that the first thing that you need to do is to break it down to, do you want...

• a) Bat Wing Fairing
• b) Fixed fairing

I'd say rent both and see where you go from there.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies. I've been riding all types of bikes since I was 5 so the step up from a dyna to a touring bike isn't that big of a deal for me. I had a Deluxe before my WG and I don't want another softail. I really like the idea of a fairing because it helps with the wind and the radio is always a plus. I wrench on all my own bikes so a warranty isn't a must but it sure is nice. Right now my dealer has all of the '11 touring models on sale plus $1000-$2000 in accessories EXCEPT the Street Glide so a "new" bike is probably in my future. Some of this decision is me wanting my wife to be comfortable on the back on long trips. She loves to ride with me but I foresee her being miserable on the WG after a couple hundred miles. She's only 120 lbs, we both fit well on the bike and we have a C&C Sport Tour seat but there's no storage to take stuff with us. For the $$$ I would spend to get my WG set up for "touring" I might as well just buy a touring bike. Money isn't really an issue. I already have financing secured so now it's just a matter of deciding what I want. I really only want to do this once in the next 5-7 years so I want to make sure that I'm getting the right bike.

 

I have a buddy with a RG that's gonna let me ride it for a day to see how I like it. I like the batwing fairing and I don't think it feels heavy at all. The RG is the only bike that I haven't been able to ride yet. I do love the Street Glide but it's as much as an Ultra...

 

I had a '97 Roadking and put 84K miles on it when I traded it in on this 2011 Ultra Glide. I really like the RK. Great handling bike that even a short guy 5'5" could toss around. I like to ride alot and not just a little putt of 100 miles. Took me a little time, some extra bucks but I've finally got my Ultra feeling balanced and very managable. Putting 300-400 miles on her is a easy ride. The batwing and lower fairings do wonders at keeping the wind from beating you up alot. Plus, playing the Ipod and being able to hear it makes the riding that much more enjoyable.

Go for it, get at least a 2009 or later so that you get the revamped touring frame, larger tires and stronger motor. Unless you're a HP freak my 96ci motor has more than enough low end torque and plenty of HP on top end. It's cheaper to go with the Electra Glide if you ride 2up alot and want the luxury of the Tour Pak than to go with the Street Glide and then add a tour pak and all the quick release mounting hardware.

 

Have you thought about the switchback?