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Im looking to buy a used Heritage softail. Should I look for an 07 or later because of the 6 speed tranny and hydraulic cam chain adjusters, or would an older model do just as well. I'm looking for pretty much stock. I put 90K miles on an 02 Electro Glide and never had to do anything with the cam chains. Any help would be appreciated.
What is your riding style - over night stays, long day rides, etc.. I loved my 02, did the cam tensioner upgrade & ran like a champ, my brother now has that bike & its been trouble free. There are a lot of garage queens out there & this time of year people start posting up for sale, many I have seen are dreaming but some are realistic with price, depending on your budget, you can get a nice 08 to 2012 for 7 to 10K at least where I am that's the pricing.
I just recently bought a 15 heritage absolutely most comfortable bike Ive ridden. Having the six speed is great for highway riding around here. Ive seen 12-17s going fairly cheap right now with the 2020s starting to hit the showrooms.
Bought my 2005 new, no problems. I did put a Baker 6 speed in only because I've been hard on it. The five speed was fine.
Almost 41,000 on the clock and it's scheduled for new cam tensioners, hotter cams, tune etc
Its truly been a great ride, I'm very happy.
Im looking to buy a used Heritage softail. Should I look for an 07 or later because of the 6 speed tranny and hydraulic cam chain adjusters, or would an older model do just as well. I'm looking for pretty much stock. I put 90K miles on an 02 Electro Glide and never had to do anything with the cam chains. Any help would be appreciated.
I would look at a 2007 and later because the 6-speed is nice, the hydraulic cam tensioners won't need to be addressed, and most important, it will have O2 sensors, so part of the EFI map will be closed loop (instant feedback and adjustment) and part of the EFI map will be open loop (no instant feedback or adjustments). The OEM narrow band sensors allow for the tune to be in closed loop during the majority of your riding (cruising speeds) so it gives you a better tune....
However, if you can find a pre-07 bike that has had the cam tensioners dealt with, or they will give you a discount to deal with them on your own.... The 6-speed & better tune wouldn't be a huge difference in my opinion.
I have a carb '01, EFI '03, and EFI '16..... For both the early models, I dealt with the spring cam tensioners, and those engines run very well, and I would take them anywhere.... to the store or cross country... I wouldn't hesitate to get a pre-'07 bike for a good price, in great condition, and there are a bunch with low miles.....
The only "gotta change" in my opinion, on the pre-hydraulic tensioner bikes, are the spring tensioners... And while you're in there, replace the OEM INA brand inner cam bearings (caged style) with the much better Koyo-Torrington bearings (captive needle style)... while there are many bikes that didn't have failures with the spring tensioners, they are an undeniable weak spot. The high mileage ones are certainly not the majority. That problem is pervasive enough, that in my mind, it falls under, "it's the not the odds of it happening, but what at stake if it does".... you eat a tensioner, you're gonna probably have to split the cases to fix the engine properly, or just throw it away...
Last edited by hattitude; Sep 8, 2019 at 12:31 PM.
I have a 2009 Heritage and have no complaints about anything. Do like the 6-speed, I wouldn't give that up.
+1 on an 09.
Got 40K on it and other than the regulator going **** up the bike's been trouble free.
Just got back from Sturgis and ran that girl 85-90 mph for practically 8 hours (other than stopping for gas and lunch).
At 90 mph it purrs at about 3200 rpms in 6th gear.
I wouldn't go with a 5 speed.
I have an 06 and love it. I did have the tensioner taken care off when it had an ESP, but it is not an overly difficult job to do. My wife has the 08 softail with the 6 speed and 96 cuin motor.
I love both bikes and can swap between the two and not have a thought. I will say that on the highway for road trips the 6speed is awesome. I have a usb commander III on the 06 and the tune is pretty good with the exhaust and intake combo.
I think they are both great bikes in the end. The tensioner and trans are the only things that I noticed and both can be resolved quite easily. Here they both are. The one with the fatboy front is the 06 and the 08 has the Lace wheels. My wife loves hers.
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What year heritage
