Medical problems put me in the hospital a couple times toward the end of summer. By August I knew I was going to be off the bike for 6 months or more, so I sold my '09 Ultra. The savings on insurance and payments covers my loss, and in fact puts me a bit ahead. The biggest advantage is that I now get to shop for a new bike.

I'm not sure what I want yet. I've got it narrowed so far to another '09 Ultra, a '10 Ultra, a '10 Ultra Limited, and a '10 Road King Classic. This post is mostly an exercise of my buying demons and a chance to verbalize some of my throughts.

Why not an Ultra?

That's the first question my pop asked when I told him of the situation. My answer was simple ... price. But the more I thought about it the more that answer wasn't so simple. After all, price didn't bother me that much when I bought the '09 Ultra last February. So why should it be a problem now? Probably not, so it must be something else.

Hmm ... maybe it's that the Ultra has too much stuff. I never used the CB, barely used the radio, and only used the intercom once. My wife has a screwed up back so she doesn't ride with me. But, I did use the radio interface a lot with both my GPS (which plays MP3s) and my satellite radio. But is it worth that much more?

I went from an '07 Heritage to the Ultra, thinking the extras would be a big deal, but in the long run they just haven't been. On my Heritage I simply used earphones for my satellite or MP3 player. And on the Ultra, especially at speeds above 50, I tende to prefer earphones/headset as well. So the radio doesn't seem to be that big of a factor.

Allright ... maybe this will be easier if I shift my attention to the RKC. So why an RKC over the Ultra?

Looks. I like the look of the Road King Classic, especially the leather clad hard cases. Adding a Tourpak would give me about as much room as on my Ultra, so there's no real advantage to the Ultra when it comes to luggage. In fact, I like the RKC leather look luggage so much that I'd say it has a slight advantage.

Windshield or fairing. I can't honestly say that I have a preference. I will have one or the other, but I don't know that I prefer one over the other. I had a windshield on my Heritage, and I can't imagine the windshield on the RKC offers any less coverage than the Heritage. And the extra coverage with the fairing just isn't a factor for me.

Number on the road. Now that is a thing that I noticed when I was looking before. It seems there are LOTS more Road Kings out there than there are Ultras. So the Ultra did have some uniqueness appeal to it. And there's not enough advantage in the leather clad bags to offset the unique appeal.

That kind of brings me to the Limited. If I'm gonna spend extra for the Ultra why not just a couple thousand more to get the Limited? The 103ci motor would be nice, but is it worth that much more. I know that at least once on my Ultra I was sorely disappointed with the performance while on the road. I was coming up a nice mountain pass (from 3500 to 5000 feet) and noticed that I couldn't get the loaded bike above 70mph. Will that 103ci motor make that much difference?

Hmm ... what about gas mileage. The best I got on my '09 Ultra was 50mpg (flat land across Texas panhandle) and the worst was 37 (mountains). How much worse will that 103ci motor get?

So, if I get an RKC I'm looking at $18k (MSRP) plus another $1200 (maybe a little more) for the Tourpak system, so let's say around $20k with the little extras. The new '10 Ultra will likely be around $22.5k while the LImited is going to be $25k. That's about a $5k spread. Just what is that worth?

To make it harder, if I go with a color or with a two-tone paint then the RKC jumps in price. A 2010 Custom color RKC is about $900 more, so that puts the bikes a little closer. It also kind of makes the extras on the Limited seem more reasonable. If I add the same level of chrome goodies to the RKC then the price will go up a bunch more. I figure at least another $1000 for that kind of stuff, so now the difference is not $5k ... but more like $2.8k.

Dang this is either going to be really hard to pick or really easy. Not sure which, yet.

Okay ... I'm ready ... fire up the opinions and let's see where this goes.

 

..easy..sounds like your a perfect candidate for the new...................................roadglide..

 

I wouldn't get a 2010 touring model. Four O2 sensors plus the cat in the head pipe, makes them runs even hotter. JMO. I would love a 2009 Road Glide.

 

I'm with JaysonL, try a RoadGlide..

 

I'd just forget the hype of new ones. Find a left over '09 Ultra and save $$$. Splurge the extra money for vacations you longed for over the years.

Just my train of thought,

Thorey

 

I would base my decision on how I ride. How many miles a year do you ride, touring, sport riding or just around town. How important is the looks of the bike? I have had just about every model you can ride from Harley over 45 years of riding and now that I am almost 62 it's all about COMFORT for me. Try basing your decision first on what you absolutely have to have in your next bike. Make a list of must haves and a list of would like to have, then compare them to whats available.

 

Sounds to me like you would prefer a Road King and you can customize the bike the way you want it and still not spend as much as on the Ultra. JMO

 

Why are these RoadGlide boys always trying to recruit? As mentioned above, you're find some good deals on the 09's.

 

The 09 touring models were the first year of the "new frame" and the last year w/out the cat in the head. You will save a grand or a little more on the 09, that is if you can find one. Not only that but the dealers are more likely to be a little more flexible on a year old bike than a new one.
I did, and believe that the 09 is the bike to have.

 

07 Road Glide