....with my buddy who is a fellow sport bike rider.I've been riding sport bikes since 1973.Never really was interested in a non performance bike,but always had a tiny bit of interest in a Heritage and Fat Boy.Anyway,we are looking around at the 105th anniversery bikes and I spot the 08 limited Screaming Eagle 105th Springer.Then it struck me,I wanted this bike! I was ready to trade my Kawasaki ZX 12 right then and there.
Pressed for time we left and I rushed home to do a litte research.Long story short,all I read is horrible reports on the 110 inch motor.Oil leaks,overheating,cranks,cylinders etc.This is the exact same thing I have poked fun of with Harleys for 35 years.I am now ready to make the switch and buy a Harley,only to be disapointed.I called one of my employees who owns a 07 96 inch Ultra to get the scoop,and he tells me he is on his second motor and it isn't much better.I assumed they had improved over the years since the AMF days.
What should I do? I can't stop thinking about that limited 08 Springer.
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I ride sportbikes still. And I ride an '07 110" SE Road King. Zero issues. None. No issues with any of the six H-D's I've owned. It is as reliable as anything out there.
Now, some will chime in with issues with their 110" engines. If I asked Honda owners about their 1000RR's or Blackbird's they would have told me about their fried stators and cam chain tensioners. BMW's?... final driveand EWS issues would have been the replies. Ducati's? -- electrical gremlins and flaking rockers. If I made a purchase decision from what is posted on the internet, a magnet for problem reporting, I wouldn't have bought the H-D, the Honda, the BMW, the KTM, the Ducati, etc... and would have missed out.All have beensuperb including the outstanding 110" CVO SE Road King.
Get the Springer. You won't have anyregrets except for the muscle strainfrom the grinnin'. You might even note, "Now Isee what is so special about this marque". If you thought looking at the thing was special, wait until you're just sitting in the bike going down the road. You will wish the destination was 50 miles further.
I wouldn't have continued to buy H-D if they weren't reliable and I have no interest in the lifestyle. Some buy the V-Rod for its performance, and for cruising, H-D big twin performance is plenty.
ORIGINAL: drogers ... I spot the 08 limited Screaming Eagle 105th Springer.Then it struck me,I wanted this bike! I was ready to trade my Kawasaki ZX 12 right then and there.
Pressed for time we left and I rushed home to do a litte research.Long story short,all I read is horrible reports on the 110 inch motor.Oil leaks,overheating,cranks,cylinders etc.This is the exact same thing I have poked fun of with Harleys for 35 years.I am now ready to make the switch and buy a Harley,only to be disapointed.I called one of my employees who owns a 07 96 inch Ultra to get the scoop,and he tells me he is on his second motor and it isn't much better.I assumed they had improved over the years since the AMF days.
What should I do? I can't stop thinking about that limited 08 Springer.
Take some time to do a LOT more research before you make a decision either way. My last Harley was over 10 years ago and I rode nothing but metrics until this year. When I looked at HD again I had the same attitude you have ... I wanted to find fault so that I could keep telling myself I was happy on a metric. Long and short of it is that the bike simply gets in your blood. As they say in the movies ... the heart wants what the heart wants. The CVO Springer is a beutiful bike, and if you do go through with it you'll find you get way more attention on the HD than on any metric you've ever ridden.
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Any effort that has self-glorification as its final endpoint is bound to end in disaster. Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
If I could add my .02 worth.. I am in retail miniture electronics, and I can tell you first hand, that when a product fails, that consumer is sure to tell everybody he/she knows, bad new spreads like wild fire, on the other hand, I never hear from the happy campers until it's time for a routine service. It's just human nature to want to prevent others from buying a product which has failed in your hands. Show me a product that man has made that hasn't failed. I agree with the previous posts, the internet is rife with disgruntled consumers. Not the best source for accurate stats. If I were in your shoes, I'd seek out large groups of Harley owners such as at a cruise/ride, I'd talk to them, ask questions, I think you'll find that Harleys' are no different than any other product out there, some will complain, but most will be hard to understand as they appear to be mumbling through thier "perma grins"!!
1 Fatboy
2 Sportys
1 SE Road King on order
A friend of mine owns an SE Ultra, Fatboy, and just bought a SE Dyna, miles & miles of smiles & smiles.
I've never for one second regretted my decision. I got to spend a month in the Great Smokies on it this fall and it was awsome. No problems, not a one. V&H Big Radius SERT ReTune
+1 to the coments about the noise level generated by the internet. The biggest problems with the 110" is that they run hot/lean. That being said, it seems that the 2008's are more reliable. There are many over at www.cvoharley.com that can give good advice and most love their bikes, even those that have had issues. I've got about 3500 miles on our 2008 SEUC and no trouble. There is a thread over on the CVO site that is tracking those with 2008's and who's had problems. There's minor stuff, but so far, so good.
I have a 2007 SE Ultra 110", 6,000 miles, only problem was a intake leak. Once I installed the SERT, SE air cleaner and pipes the bike runs cool and strong. No Problems.
So I went to the Harley shop today.........
