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Simple. They guys who like the TC bikes are the ones who are not really turned off by digital dash and complex engine sensors on a HD. The guys who appreciate the simple and elegant mechanics of singe cam HD V twins are turned off by that stuff and feel that completely flies in the face of what we like about Harleys. Nobody is right or wrong, neither is better. I don't think you will ever see guys who are really into Evo's, shovels and pans jumping to and from Jap cruisers, but you can more often see it with TC guys. I remember before the TC, there were a very rare guys who did not like the EVO...they were mostly Panhead rigid type guys. But almost everyone embraced the EVO in it's day, even if we thought it was ugly. Here, 17 years later and many HD guys are not wanting the TC. As to mechanics, I know very little about the TC. But the EVO is a 100,000 mile engine and from what I have been learning, the TC is no better as a powerplant in reliability. Mostly larger and changed to address modern emission standards. Guess it is kind of like 68 Mustangs v 88 ones. Is one better? Depends on what you are wanting get out of it and value. For me the HD's are retro by definition and what I love in them. They are timeless. Kind of like a classic Rolex. If I start having crank and O2 sensors, then IMHO they loose me. That is the stuff I want on my crotch rocket, a marvel of high tech engineering...love that too....Just not on my time machine. You either love knowing what every part is doing on your HD and how they work together to make you go and love that, so get a single cam V2. Or you simply appreciate the look and heritage of the HD and get a TC. Really depends on what Harley cruisers represent to you. I know having gone through my bike and other evos, my evo should be more reliable than any TC. There's really few things I can't fix on one when on the go, or easily diagnose. and as someone else mentioned, many less things to fail. So simple in fact, that when maintained, there is very very little to fail. So to me, mechanically the evos are a better bikes.
I am probably a minority, as I do have an old EVO and a metric cruiser. I equally enjoy em both, each for their own reason. BUT I can say, I have no desire to own a TC. I like the simplicity of my just about 25yr old machine! I am a tech guy and I actually really enjoy the fact that there aren't a boat load of sensors and a computer in my EVO. It's ready to go when I want to ride always!
Harley was one of the first bike manufacturers to adopt electronics! Our '90/'91 Evos have electronic ignition system, regulator, flasher unit, tach, they ain't the analogue dinosaurs that some make them out to be!
Some of what you say is true, but HD uses the term "obsolete" for parts that they no longer keep in inventory. A good dealer will make an effort to still support EVOs, but the parts that are deemed obsolete and removed from inventory still reach the market. The market has always seen a robust amount of aftermarket parts and shows no sign of slowing down.
That's what I've found here - not a single piece I've needed for my '86 that the dealer doesn't have. If it's not OEM they got it from the aftermarket. Including my rear brake, which Harley had issued a bulletin on back in the day for changing the retainers due to uneven pad wear. Instead of the cheap aftermarket kits, the dealer parts man came walking out of the back room with the OEM rear brake update kit for it.
My wife and I were at the Harley dealer today looking at bikes and talking to bikers coming in, and just sort of sluffing off on a hot day. Salesman comes walking over and says, "If you want to take anything for a spin, just let me know."
So I told him actually what I noticed was that they never have a single Evo model there in the used bikes, and they got over 100 pre-owned bikes there.
The salesman laughed and said he's got a waiting list of people that want 'em and he's got 'em sold before it hits the showroom floor if there's even a hint that one might be traded in. Then he says, "I seen what you rode in on. If you decide to sell it or trade we need to talk."
For pete's sake, I don't know if the salesman was giving me a line or if our 30 year old Evo is really that desirable. But I have not seen one at that dealership for sale for a very, very long time.
We took our 'Glide to the upholstery guy this morning and we both sat on it and showed him what we want. Brought the bike home, took the seat off and took it back to him. He pulled the staples and took the cover off to look at it. The foam is shot in it and all broken down and crumbly.
He said he'll have it fixed by the end of the week.
Chances are, the foam in your seat is probably broken down too.
i took the bike to the upholstery place today and he looked it over. he's going to put a jell pad in and replace the foam. the leather cover is in great shape so that will be reused. he quoted me $150, how's that compare to your cost? i'll take it in over the winter. he says he likes to do a bunch of motorcycle seats in a batch run.
i took the bike to the upholstery place today and he looked it over. he's going to put a jell pad in and replace the foam. the leather cover is in great shape so that will be reused. he quoted me $150, how's that compare to your cost? i'll take it in over the winter. he says he likes to do a bunch of motorcycle seats in a batch run.
Ken, I don't know about the cost yet. We didn't get a quote or anything - just told him to fix it. We're hoping to get it back before the weekend.
bagga someone doing seats at bike week told me it's best to use memory foam over gel foam but I don't remember why. I'm sure which ever you go with will be way better than a plain stock seat. Mean city cycles was $60 to shape the seat an 150 to shape seat an replace old foam an add memory foam. the pass section was not included at this price so it prob doubles or close to doubles for a full rebuild. That $150 sounds pretty good.
Our '86 has the stock pillow style seat and I'll just post a photo of it here:
The cockpit part is fine - no complaints from me. My wife said the pillion gives her a "sliding forward" feeling. So, I don't know about this because I never ride back there. I put the service lift under the frame so the bike was sitting level, and I sat in it. She's right. The foam in the front of the pillion is soft and the rear is harder. So instead of sitting back and being able to relax, it makes your *** slide forward and feels uncomfortable.
In later models they changed the shape of the pillion so it slants backwards slightly and keeps your lumbar area of your back in contact with the backrest instead of having that "falling forward" feeling.
Mustang makes a seat that they claim fixes this. I haven't seen one. The other option we're looking at is taking it to an upholstery place and have them put new foam in it and reshape it the way she wants. So if we go with the Mustang seat I'll PM you with more details on this one.
Here's the Mustang Regal pillow top I have on my '91. While it looks great I wouldn't recommend it. I have had it for about a year and it still has yet to "break in". The wife does like the 2" extended arms on the backrest, but that's about it. I have to use a sheepskin on longer trips because its just not very soft. Not like the oem seat is. FYI I had a thin piece of rubber matting tool chest drawer liner that I put on the rear pillion seat for her when I bought it to stop the sliding forward action. It worked very well and was not bulky. I recently considered a Lepera touring seat as a replacement, or getting stocker rebuilt. Probably going to do that latter this winter.
Here's the Mustang Regal pillow top I have on my '91. While it looks great I wouldn't recommend it. I have had it for about a year and it still has yet to "break in". The wife does like the 2" extended arms on the backrest.
Thanks for that info. Those are the things that you don't know about until you hear it from somebody that has experience with one. I talked to the guy that's doing our seat and he said he will have it done tomorrow. The foam he ordered came in and he said he will get it shaped today and put the seat together so we can pick it up in the morning. I did ask him about the cost and he said "about $175". So I'm not going to complain about that if he does a good job with it.
No doubt people will be saying the same thing about what ever engine Harley comes up with next, remember guys wearing "hear no Evo, see no Evo, speak no Evo " on their Tee shirts years ago, when the thing to have was a Shovel, gotta say though funny how many Evo's seem to have disappeared, I rarely see one these days, as for what the OP says when I traded my FXR in for a TC Nightrain I actually got Ł2,000 over book price, the dealer liked them because he could always shift them on to HA guys, and a week later it was sold.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
