I am biased with 2 FXDX's I had a 2000 previously with a Jerry Branch 96
The 88 ci Harleys can take a beating, overbore it with a 96 and they rock.
Don't get caught up in the newer long stroke small bore 96.
I you really want to have fun, I recently put a T124 in the black bike 128/132 for a little over 5k.

Get on & hang on a FXDX

 

If you gave me the '07 FXD for free, I'd sell it and buy the '02.

The '02 is a way better motorcycle.

 

Good choice, but I would avoid the 2006 Dyna--it's an in-between bike with several weird things that are different from the older bikes and from the newer bikes. There's also some design flaw (I might not have this quite right???) in the primary where HD agreed, after it was discovered, to replace a bearing every 15,000 miles for the life of the bike. Don't take my word for this, but look into it. You can research it here on the forum.

 

Too many saying the FXDX is 'better because of this and that and this blah blah blah' yet nothing to back up anything in their posts as to *WHY* that and that and that and blah blah blah is 'better'...other than coler of engine.

Do research on what's gonna last longer, which has to have work done on it more often, and how easy-to-get/expensive parts will be for each.

I love carb'd bikes too. Miss them badly. I also miss kick starts on H-D's. Does that mean non-kick start bikes are 'worse'? Nope, sure doesn't.

My '09 has the grey cases...not what I'd have put on it if it were me, but color wasn't one of the main things I was looking for as its stupid to think about if one is looking for a bike that will be the *only* transportation one will have for the rest of ones days. Thus, the EFI was a 'gotta have'...as far as I've found, it's got the least amount of problems to piddle with and so far on my bike it's given absolutely *zero* problems with starting or altitudes or temperature (I've fired the bike in 18 degrees F and rode half that day in it and didn't think twice and the bike never even hiccuped).

The 96" and six-speed tranny made a huge difference in the transfer of power and the gas mileage (good mpg's being another *must have* for me).

Is it easy to work on? Yep, my FXD I'm very content with when working on it. I've not got a bunch of BS parts to take off just to get out of my way to get at something that should only take a short time to fix/work on. (This could be said for the FXDX too, so I'm just comparing the FXD's to softtails and tourers).

Parts are still easy to find for both, but I don't have the knowledge to say if parts for one are cheaper or easeir to find than for the other.

It all comes down to what *YOU* really want to do, what you want to do *yourself*, and what you'rre willing to let others do for you to your bike. As far as others saying a part here and there is 'better' on the '02...that's simple to fix on the '09 and the '09 being newer you *know* that upgrades have been done by lessons learned from mistakes made making the '02. That means you'll want, or *have* to fix the screwups on the '02, just as you would whatever ones are on the '09 (in my case I don't know of any real screwups on the '09 as all I'm doing is upgrading things now that I'm at 70,000 miles and figure I'm being pre-emptive in keeping ahead of parts wearing out).

 

Good info all around. And I know picking a bike can be a hot topic with many biases etc. Glad to be getting some solid info.
Vaquero- You are right from what I have been told also about the 2006 models. I spoke with a nice knowledgeable HD mechanic at the dealer today about this very issue (spring vs hydraulic upgrades done in the 2008+ models) and he told me to avoid the 2006/2007 years if possible just to be safe. Nothing extremely wrong with them, just that they can be prone to issues that have since been resolved in the 2008+ models.

As of now I am still stuck on the EFI thing. Just seems easier for me now and maybe in the future.

Thanks everyone for chiming in. I know these threads can be a bore...
-Bp

 

That is true in some cases, but HD has also cost-reduced parts (crank and crank bearings for example) in the recent bikes too. Personally, I would rather address the known pre-2003 model twin cam weaknesses (cam chain tensioner) than pull the later model's crank, have it welded and trued and, of course, replace the problematic newer inferior crankshaft bearings with the superior Timken bearings used on the early twin cam engines plus deal with the potential issues with the compensator sprocket assembly on the later model.


If the OP plans to hot rod his new bike, there are pluses to the older bike (the better crankshaft assembly for sure, the carb IMO, and potentially better handling at the limits, but if he plans to only perform minor performance mods and ride the bike moderately, either one of these bikes should fit the bill. It then boils down to style and features. I have to admit that I like the stock looks of the later bikes more and the six speed tranny is a big plus. Again, it really comes down to style and feature preferences for the average casual rider.

 

Yep, Thats what I did

 

Well let me help ya' out there...

The '02 has a hot forged crank WITH the Timken lefty bearing (last year for it.) The '09 is cast. Want the bearing set up? It's in the S/E Perf0rmance Parts book and you have to disassemble an '09 to install it.

The '02 has a shorter stroke which means less piston speed and a faster revving engine.

The '02 has double row 21 mm wide wheel bearings that last and last (I switched mine out at 100,000 miles, the second set now have 45,000 miles on them and still running strong.) The '09 has single row 15mm bearings that should be changed with the tires (IMO.)

And the early inner primary bearings lasted forever (Mine is still original.)Try that on an '06 and later Big Twin.

So I have no interest in any Big Twin Harleys '07 or later. The '02 is simply a better motorcycle.

 

That's just retarded to make a statement like that because it has a few things better than the new ones.

It basically boils down to what features he likes over others. If he thinks adjustable suspension, better wheel bearings and dual disks are better than a stiffer frame, stiffer front end, a six speed, fuel injection and a bigger motor than maybe he should go with a FXDX.

I don't think one is better than the other, it just depends on what features the owner is looking for.

-Chris

 

Agreed. Thats a really good price for the 09. I paid $8,500 for mine last year but it had a quick detachable backrest, windshield, slip ons, stage 1 intake, Vance & Hines fuelpak already installed and I got a new back tire out of the deal.