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If you're budget is 7K, you probably can stop looking at all those TC Baggers. Possible, but not probable.
For 7K you can find a decent heritage or Road King. I picked up a Road King last year, 2006 model with hard bags for $7,000 which included shipping to my house.
It sits in my shop waiting to be turned into a drag bike when life slows down a bit. I wouldn't hesitate to ride it across country. It's a solid bike.
When ever the topic of longevity comes up I always think of cacomly on here with his 2006 Sportster. Do a search for some of his posts.
Having a mishap with an oil change caused a catastrophic failure around 260,000 miles and with a replacement engine the bike now has well into the 300k miles.
Then there was the recent posting of the 100,000 miles in 100 days.
Having a hard time figuring out multi-quote feature of this forum on my mini iPad. Trying to multi quote so I dont double post as I have been given a heads up about not doing such.
Last edited by N2 Motorcycles; Feb 27, 2022 at 02:40 PM.
For the funding you have, I think a low mileage EVO would be your best option, although I'd look for a 2012 up Twin Cam, but you may not find much in that range. They are not as powerful as the later twin cam and M8 engines, but are fairly easy to maintain and are reliable if cared for. There are a few things that need to be addressed over the long run, like hydraulic lifters and cylinder base gaskets. When replacing lifters, adding a torque cam will help with acceleration.
I'm just under 6' and about 180, I've owned several Touring models, including Twin Cam and M8 Road Glides. I've also owned Superglides and prefer the Touring bikes for comfort on the road. As others have mentioned, once rolling you don't notice the weight. In low speeds turn around maneuvers you needs to be aware and practice until you are comfortable with it.
Paul
Originally Posted by deadhawg
If high performance modifications are done right, by someone who knows what they are doing, a Harley motor will last a long time. Done by a hack, not so much.
A bone stock Harley ridden by someone who regularly thrashes it, does burnouts, full throttle shifts, redlines a cold motor, won't last as long as a highly modified one ridden a little more conservatively most of the time.
Regular maintenance makes a difference too, oil changes, belt adjustments, etc. go a long way towards keeping it running right for many thousands of miles.
Originally Posted by LoneBone
If you're budget is 7K, you probably can stop looking at all those TC Baggers. Possible, but not probable.
For 7K you can find a decent heritage or Road King. I picked up a Road King last year, 2006 model with hard bags for $7,000 which included shipping to my house.
It sits in my shop waiting to be turned into a drag bike when life slows down a bit. I wouldn't hesitate to ride it across country. It's a solid bike.
Originally Posted by Andy from Sandy
When ever the topic of longevity comes up I always think of cacomly on here with his 2006 Sportster. Do a search for some of his posts.
Having a mishap with an oil change caused a catastrophic failure around 260,000 miles and with a replacement engine the bike now has well into the 300k miles.
Then there was the recent posting of the 100,000 miles in 100 days
The term bagger or bagged refers to saddle bags or air suspension bags? I am assuming saddle bags. I just want to make sure I am understanding everything correctly as I have seen several air ride bikes “ low riders “ that can adjust the ride height at the flick of an electrical toggle switch. Not sure if those air suspensions would improve or degrade the ride quality.
I have a little money saved for a rainy day if needed and for purposes of keeping my house payments up in the even income takes a hit. We never know what is down the road. I am also going to be coming into some money should be close to $10k, it could be couple thousand more. I’m just waiting for the judge to make a ruling. So not knowing how much or when that will be puts me into the lower end of the budget range as I have many hobbies and projects that require financial support to complete. Example ‘95 Bronco 5.8L that wants a lift, bigger tires, AC pump replaced, some body work and front/rear lockers. I think the bike would bring more smiles per miles though and be way more fuel efficient while bringing those smiles
I have been pondering all the possibilities like buying two bikes, a wrecked newer one and one with high miles and marrying the two to make a nice one with a low mile engine electronics from a newer wrecked bike. Definitely not in a hurry to get it as I have other hobbies to keep me occupied in the meantime. This is the main reason I joined to get to know as much about these bikes as I can.
2012 twin cam, is that when the 103ci was released? I have to go back and look at that wiki again for the year releases of Ci displacements?
I don’t intend to do burnouts etc, I think those days are behind me for the most part. I quit drinking lately too so that saves me some money while keeping me out of trouble “ well hopefully anyway “ and should help with improving my health so I can enjoy the bike for a few more years to come.
For now I can still do all the wrenching for adding performance enhancers but when it comes to programming a tune if it’s not plug and play then I’ll leave that to a well known good technician. At the moment I don’t know of any good techs off hand that I can trust to do good work with a good reputation.
Last edited by N2 Motorcycles; Feb 27, 2022 at 05:16 PM.
Its how they're ridden more than what's been done to them, IMO.
FWIW, I retired (donated) my '00 FLTRSEI (Stage II,) to charity last year at 170,000 miles. I never split the cases. I never replaced the original clutch plates.
It could have taken me to Daytona one more time if I'd chosen to wait until March. Still strong, still dependable.
It was ready for a tear down chassis wise however and I'll let some youngster pick it up at an auction somewhere and have at it.
A bagger generally refers to a touring bike, with hard (painted) saddlebags, a tour pack on back, and a full fairing in front.
A Road King is considered a touring bike, because it has the same FLH frame and suspension, but it's not a full bagger.
A Softail Heritage would also make a good first bike. I've ridden all over the Country on one. Some say it isn't meant to be a touring bike, blah blah blah, but there's plenty of guys on here, myself included that have really racked up the miles on a Heritage. Plus it's a little bit lighter than a Road King, great bike for a new rider to learn on.
Here's a pic of my Heritage Softail when I toured on her....
OEM is designed to leave you on the low end. So they can sell you a weak Stage 1. This will cause you to fall for the less than expected stage 2. They then hope you fall for the stage 3.
Of course over building, using cheap parts **** poor builders can and will lead to bad results
These engine have room to grow. Done right they will be more reliable . Simple Examples any build that gets rid of HD lifters is a plus. Good aftermarket Cams are made better that stock or SE cam.
Prime example the EVO. Good reasonable cam ,maybe some head work, AC exhaust and proper tune . Rock solid many still on the road today. But when many started pushing the limits crack cases , failures..
Some engine depending on year we know they have inherent weakness . Correcting that with a build is commonsense . Examples 2019 below oil pumps there is so much information in the aftermarket on these engines just do you home work and figure out what works for you.
Always keep in mind at some point the build will effect other parts like transmission , belt , sprockets Clutch.
103 Was standard in RGU in 2011
103 was a upgrade option in others
103 Standard on all Touring bike 2012.
2007 was the standard TC96 and the end of the TC88
Last edited by smitty901; Feb 27, 2022 at 05:59 PM.
N2…others may vehemently disagree but barring any unforeseen production errors,faulty parts or a hiccup in the engineering, the best reliability and mpg means leave it stock. Hyping up the performance accelerates the wear and tear and chips away at the reliability.
I am somewhat under the impression OEM stock injection profiles tend to run a little lean which if I understand it correctly can cause overheat issues. Watched a video the other day regarding adding a radiator style oil cooler as well as an electric fan to cool the rear cylinder jug as it runs hotter than the front and surprisingly the hottest while at highways speeds.
If you check out Dynojet Power Vision or Vance & Hines FP3 you will see they do a tune for a stock hardware setup that will richen the mixture. I did this before changing mufflers and air cleaner and it made a noticeable difference albeit on a 1200 Sportster.
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