Test rode a couple bikes
Cruiser
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 149
Likes: 80
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
When I traded in one of my classic Valkyries for the 14 Ultra Classic I converted my remaining 98 Valkyrie into a solo ride and plan on keeping it that way. Wife and I prefer the ride of the UC over the Valkyrie for long rides but I love the feel of the smooth power of the Valkyrie. Older bikes now but if you plan on working on them yourself then that may be a good option. 100hp, 100ft lb. tq stock isn't to bad for a 20+ yr old bike. Plus the unique design with the huge horizontally opposed flat 6 engine covered in chrome makes it one of the sexiest looking muscle cruisers ever produced IMO. But I like the chrome, it's like the gem in a ring to me. May not appeal to the black out crowd.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 6,190
Likes: 2,419
From: USA
I did not expect to like, but I did! The seat is further forward, and the handlebars are lower and a bit further back. Its almost like riding an old BMW. It just fell to hand, quite nicely. And of course I can put bags and windshield on it. Hmmm.
The tires were interesting. Being hugely fat, youve really got to lean the bike and twist the bars to get it through a turn. Its perfectly doable, but this is no light to the touch flickable bike. Interestingly, the ride quality was better on this than on the Heritage, to a point. These are 18 radial tires, while the Heritage is on 16 bias ply tires. So these Fat Boy tires are smoother going over small imperfections. Basically up to pencil sized, maybe marble sized, you wont feel it at all. The Heritage youll feel it, but mildly. Only when you start hitting deeper potholes does the Fat Boy become slightly worse than the Heritage.
Now the Fat Boy had a tough time of it later on Friday. It was stinking hot, and the bike was seemingly suffering from it. It stalled several times on several of us, was going into the parade mode to combat overheating, the clutch wasnt disengaging fully. It was definitely unhappy. Come Saturday, it was just fine. Did they work on it? Dont know. But it was perfectly fine Saturday.
The Fat Boy was my number two choice.
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Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 341
Likes: 61
From: Tn
When I traded in one of my classic Valkyries for the 14 Ultra Classic I converted my remaining 98 Valkyrie into a solo ride and plan on keeping it that way. Wife and I prefer the ride of the UC over the Valkyrie for long rides but I love the feel of the smooth power of the Valkyrie. Older bikes now but if you plan on working on them yourself then that may be a good option. 100hp, 100ft lb. tq stock isn't to bad for a 20+ yr old bike. Plus the unique design with the huge horizontally opposed flat 6 engine covered in chrome makes it one of the sexiest looking muscle cruisers ever produced IMO. But I like the chrome, it's like the gem in a ring to me. May not appeal to the black out crowd.
JJ
I have a 2020 Road Glide Limited for hwy. and wanted something for around town and dirt roads. I also love to tinker and have been most of my adult life. I purchased a 2009 Super Glide that had low miles but had been sitting under some guys tarp near the coast for years. I got it really cheap and proceeded to pull it apart and clean it up. I put really aggressive tires on it and now I am having a blast with it. For less than 6K total investment I have a great little hot rod with endless possibilities. The 96" TC motor was perfect when coupled with the 6 speed and there are tons of cheap parts out there for these bikes.
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