I was in a similar situation. Personally glad I didn't buy an early 07. A friend who's ridden for 40 plus years bought an early off the line 07 Ultra. Nothing but problems. I am sure they got better. I personally found an 06 Road Glide new on the floor back in January for $3K off MSRP. Lovin every minute of it. The upgraded tranny is great if you can use it where you ride. For 90 % of my riding, I can't. Bigger engine = Stage 2 and I've still spent way less than I would have on an 07 or 08 and been riding all season.

Jest my two pennies.

BM

 

Thanks for the input. Headed to the dealer in LA to see what's available - they we supposed to have some of the 08's on the floor as of Tuesday. After 2 RK's and an Ultra still leaning towards the EGC so I can easily remove the tour pak + I always ride solo (at least that's what I tell my wife).

 

Blues, buying used is not a bad idea. I have a '05 rk custom. I love it. You have had them, so you know about them. The eg are very nice. If I was going to purchase another bike, I would still stick with the '05 and earlier model year. EPA is not suppose to pertain to this year and previous. So I have read.

 

I would hold off on an 08 until they work the bugs out of the new 6 gal tank...I mean who knows WHAT an extra gal of gas will do to these things!

 

I have an early '07 Road King and am well pleased. I have the following options:

5th Gear Engagement Sound - I can definitely hear the tranny when I am in 5th gear. I assume this is a feature that MoCo built in as a higher cost alternative to a gear indicator on the speedometer. Excellent feature, and it keeps dogs from running out to chase the bike.

Engine Warming Accessory - this motor definitely runs warmer than previous models, and on 30 degree winter mornings, it works great to keep me warm. I can't find the switch to turn it off in the summer though.

Rider Position Alert System - this feature, carried over from previous years, alerts the rider when it is time to stop and take a rest by providing a slight burning sensation on the butt and in the shoulders (middle of the back mostly). This reminds the rider not to spend too much time on the bike before stopping for coffee or other refreshments.

What I really appreciate is that MoCo managed to add these features with very little increase in purchase price!

 

I just spent a 500 mile day on a rented EG Classic.

Here are my thoughts.

https://www.hdforums.com/m_1992769/tm.htm

The bottom line for me is that I was hot because it is Florida in the summer, but I didn't notice any unusual amount of heat coming off the bike. And I also didn't notice any noises out of the tranny that bothered me.

I'm certainly not saying other people haven't experienced those things. I can only take their word for it. I only know that I did not. So, just test ride before you buy I guess.

 

My firt chuckle of the day, thank you Pastor John.

 

Maybe. I own an '04 Wing with no issues at all, and over 23K miles on it. If I had to buy a new touring bike today, it would be a Goldwing.

I dang near bought a new '07 EGU last weekend, and planned to keep the Wing as well. Then I found this site that same evening and learned a lot about the grief many are having from brand-spanking-new HD motorcycles. I simply don't need any of that. People say "just get over it and ride it". Ride it? While it burns your leg in traffic, sounds like someone's shaking a can of marbles, and 6th gear's useless under 70? Is that the new definition of "SOUL"? Why would I want to ride anything like that? I can cruise along in 6th on my Wing at 30 mph and it doesn't complain, and there's still some torque available to speed up without downshifting, if I don't want to. The Wing runs fine on regular unleaded gas, has only one oil drain hole, goes like a scalded dog, and handles pretty well. Boring as a Buick? Maybe, but I'm a rider, not a profiler; it's as reliable as a Buick too. It may just be that HD has reached the beginning of the end for air cooled nostalgia if they want to continue building bikes that can meet EPA rules - I don't know. But what I DO know is, they're not building anything I want or need today. They lost my business, and it would have been a cash sale.

Mine never cracked. Was I frustrated to be included in the frame re-weld recall and have to let them do the weld recall on my bike, which was not cracked? Sure - but, nothing like a good frame re-weld recall to fix it once and for all; none of the re-welds have caused any further problems, to my knowledge. Overheating? Nope, not even on our 100+ degree Texas summer days. Decel wobble - yeah, it'll do that a little if I take my hands off both bars at a narrow slow speed range. How often do I need to do that? Almost never. It's a non-issue, really, compared to some of the truly pitiful things people are having to tolerate with a lot of new HDs.

There have always been the "Faithful", who spend more time just admiring their bike as opposed to actually riding it, and who will always rationalize any and every bad HD engineering design problem. But, over time, unless HD can make design changes which address the really serious issues involving their top-'o-the-line touring models, increasing numbers of prospective HD buyers will become less and less willing to part with well over $20K for a machine that's only marginally rideable off the showroom floor. At age 62, I'm a lot less into turning heads; I just want a dependable, comfortable ride, not a bike I have to tinker with and hang a bunch of aftermarket stuff on from day 1, just to get it to run acceptably well, all the while hoping HD will find fixes for what they got wrong at the factory. Read the posts on this forum; this sad saga is playing out right now. As much as I'd like to buy a new HD, I'm on the sidelines, waiting and watching to see if HD can pull this one out.

 

I have no regrets over my 07 purchase. 3800 miles on it in about 6 weeks and I'm haven't stopped smiling yet. Big upgrade from my 96 sporty.

 

I've only got 1,200 miles on my'07 bike, so maybe am not qualified to offer an opinion, but I will anyway! No tranny problems to speak of, taking care of the heat issues with a Stage 1 and enriched AFR, will add oil cooler soon.I could have lived with a stock bike, but want to make sure it lasts as long as I can help it last. Bike handles nice, is very comfortable, and fits. I'm fixingany "problems" my way through research and common sense, may cost some $$, but in the end I'll have a bike that has been modified to fit what I want. It's a shame that a number of riders have to go through some of this crap, but for my bike, I'm very happy. Could have bought a Goldwing, but just happen to like HD. Have had to deal with Milwaukee on an issue that I thought wasdesign flaw, I lost and paid to have it fixed. Still got 150,000 miles out of the bike before I sold it (and still wish I never did), in my book that's not bad.

Also have a Dodge Ram, which has been raked over the coals for tranny/ intake problems, but once again I've been lucky. None of these problems have surfaced, but if they do I'll make them go away, and be happy with what I have. I can afford to make some modifications, I can't afford to buy another bike! I'm also pretty sure that if I had some of the problems that others have described on their bikes right off the get-go, I'd be very pissy about it. Just hasn't happened yet.