Not necessarily. CCE sells an upper triple tree & fork tube kit for ~900. I installed mine on my 09 using race tech springs and ricor valve for about $1100. The 14 tubes I think are thinner even if 49, so I believe my front end us better than a 14. Probably much better.

Also, my 96 is now 106, and waaay better than stock 103.

 

The 2009 is basically the same as the 2011 I had. I really liked that bike, but loved the new features of the 2014. The one drawback, IMO, to the 103" is the heat issue. It gets freaking HOT!! But the other features make up for it and I'll soon take actions to lower the temps some.

Difference in the bikes other than the little doodads? The 103" motor really is that much more powerful than the 96". And the stiffer front end makes it so much easier to ride. To me, it literally feels like a 500-600 lb cruiser instead of a 800 lb touring bike. I was astonished at how much easier it is to ride than my old 2011.

I only have one real regret. Got the vivid black like my 2011. And it sucks. Orange peel is very bad and the paint seems "cloudy" for some reason. Not the deep dark black that the 2011 was. From what I've seen, the black is the only color affected. I heard that bikes built in the early part of the year were affected by some paint issue. Mine was built in March 2014. So check it over closely.

You really can't go wrong with either, but the 2014 is a great bike and you'll get the two year warranty with it.


PS: You won't get linked brakes on the 2014 unless you make sure you get ABS. Standard brakes aren't linked.