Hello Harley experts. I have my first Harley on order, an '06 Denim Street Bob, and am gathering information on various aspects. I have ridden off-road and raced motocross off and on for the last 30 years so my questions may not be valid. First, are the stock shocks and forks good enough or do they need to have different springs, valving and heavier oil? I weigh 200 pounds and will ride southern CA, both twisty roads and freeway. Do you think H.D. will always honor the free transmission bearing change? Do all the nuts and bolts have to be tightened prior to every ride? Is the stock engine set-up good enough for cruising and riding the speed limit? Is it possible to put 150,000 miles without a major engine rebuild? Do aftermarket companies make inexpensive and easily removable PAX pegs and seat extension, and also freeway footrests? Thanks in advance for answering a novice's questions.[8D]

 

Congratulations on your choice of a 'Bob. Good looking factory bike.

The stock shocks and forks are fine for the type of riding you are describing. Can they be improved? Yup, just like on all those dirt bikes you wheeled. Ride it first, but don't compare it to a dirt bike; apples & oranges, y'know?

HD will have to honor the bearing change issue as they have said they will do so, until they come up with a suitable fix. Don't worry about them honoring it, just worry about the down time when the bike is in the shop having the bearing changed.

Tightening all the nuts & bolts is an old wive's tale. Even in the bad ol' days if we used a bit of LocTite where necessary, and the bike was otherwise properly maintained, things didn't shake loose and fall off. Will something come loose sooner or later? Yup, just like on any other vibratin' machine. Check all the fasteners like you did on your dirt machines for awhile. Then you'll learn which ones will need more frequent attention.

I've got 110,000 miles on an old '87 Evo motored Softail. I change the oil & filter every 2500 - 3000 miles. I let the motor warm up properly, and don't hammer on it unnecessarily. But ya gotta let the ponies run every now and then! If you take care of it, and have a bit of luck, 150k can happen.

What are PAX pegs? And this is a different world from the dirt; no seat extensions. But there are about a kajillion companies that make seats for any HD you can come across. Same thing with the highway pegs. There are probably more aftermarket parts for HD than all other bikes combined. And they make 'em forever, or close to it. You can still get every part made for HD models that are over 60 years old.

I'd definitely replace the seat. It's like the typical stock seat; ooglier than a booger on the end of Jennifer Lopez's nose, and less comfortable than riding on a sway-backed broken down jackass in Death Valley.

 

Thanks Pococj, That is exactly the straight shootin' advice I was looking for, and from a legacy biker at that! Now I'm really motivated!

 

Legacy? If'n I could get up outta this rocker I'd come whop you once or twice!

 

Motosurf,

When you take final delivery of your 'Bob, there is an official document that you'll have to sign that explains what the inspection/replacment is for and it specifically states that HD will pay for this for the lifetime of the bike. As best as I can remember, it doesn't limit this to the original owner so this shouldn't be an issue if you ever decide to sell the bike. Signing the document signifies that you are aware of and understand the need for this service.

Enjoy your Dyna!

 

From an old moto-crosser myself (79 YZ 125F), let me give you my take. (Presently-02 Dyna lowrider waiting to trade on same bike as you!)

Up to 2005, The stock shocks totally BLOW!! Both front and rear. The performance can greatly be improved here. The 06 front end however is much beefier and may perform worlds better. The rear shocks belong in the trash. alot of riders never complain about them because they have never experienced other better aftermarket shocks as a comparison. Progressive Shocks work great and are priced right too.

The riding position possibilities are literally endless with the massive after market support for harleys. Just wait til you see your first Drag Specialty parts catalog or even Harley's own parts book for that matter. Handle bars, seats, grips. hi-way bars, forward controls etc are widely available to the point where decisions are hard to make because of all the options. DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE SPENDING!! Ask any biker, and he'll show you many old parts in the garage from projects and ideas from the past that they dont use or like any more totalling hundreds of dollars- me included..lol

The Engine performance market is mind boggling as well. I recommend screamin eagle performance parts. They are the factory HD performance parts which translates into factory OEM quality!!. The fit/finish is hard to beat. Some Other after markey companies dont even come close and can even be a joke- be careful- do your home work!! 95% of the buying public replace the stock air cleaner and pipes or mufflers right off the bat when buying new bikes. (Called stage 1) Both items are WAY restrictive from the factory and the bike wont even sound like a harley upon delivery. Obviously, Air:Fuel ratios need adjusting after doing this mod for best results and to avoid 'too lean' conditions. The HD shop may want to do a 1 time map download to remedy this but i recommending buying the SERT (screamin eagle race tuner) This will enable you to do your own custom mapping over the entire life of the bike regardless of how radical a set up you desire. Also, The 1 time down load from the dealer is not adjustable once purchased and is supposedly on the lean side as well. (The dealer selects a pre-programmed map that is suitably tuned based on your mod combos)

I recommend Riding often to see how much of the available power you use up, in many cases the stage 1 is enough to get the job done for a bar hopper like the FXDB, the fully loaded dressers is another story.


Your MX experience should be a big plus on the road once you learn and adjust to the new bike..

Welcome to the family and keep us posted on your decisions...

When is your bike comin in? I have around 4 more weeks to wait after waiting over a month already..Grrrrr

 

Hey Pococj,
No offense intended, I'm sure your experience is envied by all us wannabe poser hardcore bikers![image

Billybobber,
Just looking at the stock shocks, they looked marginal at best. My first aftermarket purchase will be performance shocks, but old school looking if somethimg like that exists. I will wait with the remapping and slipons.
My bike comes in December....whoyaaa! [IMG][/IMG]

 

If there's one thing that I have learned about HD is that if you can dream something up you want to add to the bike. Someone is making it, I raced motorcross for years and also have a quad now and you cant compare the two types of rides. The new front end on the 06 line looks beefy as hell and I think you should be happy with it. Im not happy with my 04 forks they squat way to much when breakin. The rear is fairly desent if you dont know any better but they can be easily upgraded to a progressive shock most likely the 440 with your weight and possibility of passenger as for highway pegs figure where you want them and they make them.


steve

 

I have had my Black Denim Street Bob for just over two weeks and have put on 425 miles. I am 5'10" and weigh 235lbs. The stocks forks and shocks have been very adequate so far. I guess I will have to see haw the shocks wear as I put on more mileage and they "break in". As for the seat, I will probably upgrade some time int he near future. It is an adequate seat for short rides (under 50 miles) but after that the *** and legs get a little numb. I would suggest a two up seat if you plan on a passenger, the optional passenger pillion that goes with the stock seat does not look at all comfortable. If you do a two up seat or a passenger pillion you will need to install the passenger foot rest kit. Just check out the 2006 HD parts catalog, the possibilites are endless.

Hope you enjoy your Bob, I know I am.

 

Hey guys...

I have a bobber coming in as well ( in December ) & was already looking at some parts. Can you guys tell me real quick, is the clutch Hydraulic or standard. Want to get some skull levers & cant really tell which clutch system the bike has. I believe it's standard, but i'm not sure. Let me know if you will.

Thanx
Chap