Hello all, After lurking for a while. I have decided to reach out to the knowledgeable folks on this site for help.

I am in the market for a new (used) Ultra Classic. I have oned many bikes, but after giving my Wife a ride on my buddy's Electra I decided to sell (sold) my bike and buy an Ultra, this will be my first Harley. Are there any years that I should stray from, and what would be considered high mileage? My price range should put me somewhere between a 2003 up to 2008 depending on mileage and deal that I can make. Ideally I want to make this the last bike I buy.

 

I watch craigslist in PHX, you want me to tip you to what I think are good deals? ( the classified board here can also be good)

I would suggest thinking of an evo ( pre-1998) great bikes, easier to work on etc. Could possibly find a great bike for under $7500

I would suggest staying away from 1999 ~2002.

2003 was the "Anniversary Year" do NOT pay extra for a "100th" .

...you know the 09 was the new frame.-- if you think you can't swing one of those, the EFI became much better in 2007


Consider an Electra Glide Classic- it is similar to an Ultra- but lacks the following:
rear speakers
intercom
CB Radio
fairing lowers
some badges

and usually runs 3 or 4 grand less than an Ultra.

I bought my 2009 EG Classic ( FLHTC) for 15 K, 1 year old, 5000 miles. It was up in Kingman, the Guy kept advertising it at $18k and nobody would go up and look at it.
I did and he was ready to sell.


and NO sales tax here on a private party sale- stay away from the dealer and save 9.5% right there


Mike

 

Stay away from 2007. Period.

I would either really save some money and go with a pre '98 bike, or go for a 2009 or newer - even if that means you need to drop to an electra glide classic.

You can get most of the parts pretty cheap on ebay to upgrade your egc to an ultra, but you might not even miss the things you don't need.

Another option would be a 2008. They really did have all the kinks worked out for that bike. Bigger tank, Oil cooler, and a few other things. They go for much cheaper than a 2009 because the demand for them is so low comared to the '09 and up. If you don't require that ultra smooth ride, 103ci engine, and wider tire.... Find a good, low mileage 2008.

Everyone wants an '09 or newer because they completely changed the frame. It rides much smoother and handles much better. To me, '08 to '09 was like going from a Crown Vic to a Town Car.... they may look similar, but they don't ride or drive the same.

I will also say DO NOT buy a bike with 20k plus miles without some verification of service records. I bought a used Ultra that was treated like crap for 40k miles and ended up with a 900lb paperweight just 3 months later. It was a $3000 lesson for me after I had to fix everything he had not taken care of.

We may have better suggestions with a more accurate price range. Iv'e seen 2008's ranging from $8k to $30k.....

 

Yeah Mike that would be great.

I'm now thinking "more bang for the buck" by getting the EG. The only item on your list that I would need is an intercom so the Wife and I can talk and listen to tunes in our helmets.

PS... I grew up in Kingman, moved to Gilbert about 15 years ago.

Learing to post on this forum - Next time I'll attach my comment to your post.

 

The 08 did not come with a oil cooler....That said. I got no complaints with mine. (Well I did, but I fixed them!)

 

Sound advise on the service records - Thanks.
My inital thought was to buy a newer bike with more miles since it will be ridden on weekend trips and 4 months of the year it's too hot to comfortably ride. I'm glad that I posted on here, i'll start viewing stock EG's I'll shoot for 08-09 with lower mileage.

How important is a 6 speed gear box VS a 5 speed? Do all EG and Ultra's have 6 speed after a certain year?

I ask because a few years back I had a bmw, at about 75 it felt like it was going to explode and would make my hands go numb from engine vibration. Definately needed another gear and because it was shaft driven I couldn't rectify by changing the sprocket sizes.

I have 15K cash to play with. Would like to stay around 12k to have a little left to spend on it, an intercom for instance.

 

2007 up Ultra's have 6 speeds. No issues with my 5 speed, faster it goes... the smoother it gets... Tough deal, out here $12k right now thru Oct. will get you a lot of bike, I would check into the Mtn. towns for deals; ShowLo/Springerville etc.

 

I thought we would use the intercom a lot more than we do. 90% of the time we don't bother with it, don't like being wired to the bike, don't really have that much to say that she can't lean up and tell me when necessary. The little wires are constantly breaking, pulling free, etc. Maybe just my experience. If I didn't have that intercom system staring me in the face every time I look down I would have already gone with a wireless, blue tooth set up.

 

That's a good idea. I'll look into getting bluetooth wired into our helmets. My last bike had an embilical cord set up, it was a pain for sure.