Not sure if this has been discussed, it probably has so I apologize in advance. I was looking for everyone’s opinion on a 06 ultra classic vs a 16 street glide. 2 completely different beasts, I know. I currently ride a customized softail deluxe that is not practical to ride daily anymore. Looking for something I can ride to work and to the store, carry work crap and bring home some food. I live in Hawaii, so there’s no real touring. I’m 5’6/160 with 20+ years riding experience if that factors in to my questions.

The ultra is cheaper by far but is it still a decent bike by today’s standards?

Will the perks of the newer bike outweigh the practicality of the old?

Is the the added weight of the tour pack and the bulk of the ultra a real concern?

Thanks in advance. I will probably have other questions later.

 

If it were me,I'd got for the 16 SG.Of course I have one and love it.The last year of the twin cam 103.

 

you are correct that the are indeed quite different machines. If any place but Hawaii I would say get the newer one !! The 06 is still a fine machine and will be a friendly commuter indeed the tourpac is easily made detachable for a few bucks and as long as you maintain specifically the cam chest chest tensioners it will provide many happy miles. I currently ride a 2004 Touring and have many miles as well on a 2013 and 2016

 

Comes down to budget.

I had a 99 Ultra that I enjoyed, put 25k miles on did some upgrades to the Cam Chest. In the end I wanted the larger 103, but mainly to get ride of the old MM injection (Last Year was 2000 if I remember).

On the 99 I had it so I could remove the Tour Pak though most of the time it was on, same as for the lowers. The 06 would be Fuel Injected with Delphi and still cable throttled, and the 96 CI engines will give you enough get up and go. If not for a little you can have it upgrade to a 107 and probably still be under the cost of the newer 16.

The frame did change later and the improvements where noticeable. I keep thinking that I may want to upgrade my 13 to a 19 but then I look at the bikes and I don't like the new fairing design on the Road Glides.

 

Regarding just part of your question: Is the the added weight of the tour pack and the bulk of the ultra a real concern?

As long as you are moving, even slowly, you won't notice the extra weight. Parking, backing up, moving around in the garage, etc., yes, every time you do one of these things you will be reminded how much heavier a touring bike is.

Also, with the tour pak and the fairing, the touring bikes will definitely be more top heavy and may take a little getting used to and you should ALWAYS consider that at very slow speeds. Having said that, I accept all of that on my '16 Road Glide Ultra and am willing to take the extra precautions sometimes necessary to keep from dropping the bike. Don't ever want anything else except a touring bike with the tour pak--handy as hell!

 

"you are correct that the are indeed quite different machines. If any place but Hawaii I would say get the newer one !! The 06 is still a fine machine and will be a friendly commuter indeed the tourpac is easily made detachable for a few bucks and as long as you maintain specifically the cam chest chest tensioners it will provide many happy miles. I currently ride a 2004 Touring and have many miles as well on a 2013 and 2016"

Any place but Hawaii meaning the islands are too small to need the latest touring machine? My thinking exactly. If I was doing 100 mile trips the best touring out there would be called for. I do worry about the longevity of the older machines. My 06 deluxe has gear driven cams so the cam chain tensioner issue is non existent. I can wrench but I do work long hours so I may just have the dealer work on that.

Is there a noticeable difference between the 04 and the 13/16? handling? comfort?

 

Comes down to budget.

"I had a 99 Ultra that I enjoyed, put 25k miles on did some upgrades to the Cam Chest. In the end I wanted the larger 103, but mainly to get ride of the old MM injection (Last Year was 2000 if I remember).

On the 99 I had it so I could remove the Tour Pak though most of the time it was on, same as for the lowers. The 06 would be Fuel Injected with Delphi and still cable throttled, and the 96 CI engines will give you enough get up and go. If not for a little you can have it upgrade to a 107 and probably still be under the cost of the newer 16.

The frame did change later and the improvements where noticeable. I keep thinking that I may want to upgrade my 13 to a 19 but then I look at the bikes and I don't like the new fairing design on the Road Glides."


I doubt I would find the motivation to take the pack off. Also since my other bike is so heavily modded I want to stay more or less stock on the next one. Especially for a daily rig, maybe lighting upgrades to LED, and possibly upgrade the speakers mildly. I would even keep the stock exhaust so when I leave the house at 3am the whole neighborhood won't hate me for it.

 

"Regarding just part of your question: Is the the added weight of the tour pack and the bulk of the ultra a real concern?

As long as you are moving, even slowly, you won't notice the extra weight. Parking, backing up, moving around in the garage, etc., yes, every time you do one of these things you will be reminded how much heavier a touring bike is.

Also, with the tour pak and the fairing, the touring bikes will definitely be more top heavy and may take a little getting used to and you should ALWAYS consider that at very slow speeds. Having said that, I accept all of that on my '16 Road Glide Ultra and am willing to take the extra precautions sometimes necessary to keep from dropping the bike. Don't ever want anything else except a touring bike with the tour pak--handy as hell!"


I am going to go down and test ride it to see how it will feel. Thanks for the advice.

 

Sorry forgot to quote when replying to the comments. I just copy/pasted the related comment to my replies. Thanks for all the advice. I will try to go down and test ride both this week to see what I really can live with.

 

I have a 2000 ultra classic removed the tour pack . I find it very easy to handle. I keep thinking of putting it back on but just don't like the look. I will probably go with a chopped tour pack