When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
If you don't maintain your vehicle/motorcycle, won't it be worth less?
So, wouldn't performing proper maintenance and following service procedures, preserve your investment? Or to make you happy, I'll use the word "purchase".
Investment assumes the product will eventually bring a return on the principle invested. A bike, especially a Harley is a depreciating asset. Just ask all the Twin Cam guys how their "investments" are holding up. You can pick up 2000-2008 touring bikes around here for 4-5K now.
Its also laughable that a dealer will use the term investment. Just tell them when they absolutely gut you on your trade in value how you bike is an investment, and worth more than what you paid for it. lmao
Last edited by ebeattie; Mar 14, 2026 at 01:36 AM.
I was looking at a new one here recently. Aside from the terrible dealer interaction and laughable trade values the new bikes themselves look good. The presentation of the TFT screens replacing all the gauges look good. But they just dont have the same.... robust feeling as the Rushmores do. Im NOT trash talking the new Harleys. They are a cool bike and the vast majority of owners have no issues. But these bikes are FAR more reliant on stable electrical power due to all the CANBUS communication network infrastructure. Youre simply telling the computers on board your request via momentary switching, and the computers complete the request. It doesnt help that the factory battery is a giant pile of AGM crap. AGM is such an enormous pain in the ***, Ford especially is abhorrent with their AGM performance.
Haven't ridden a new bike .... But isn't it harder to find/read a screen vs guages ? At least the bare essentials (fuel/oil pressure), I would think a gauge would be easier to see at a glance?
I always prefer the ease of reading and scanning "steam gauges"...(you know, the "old fashioned" ones with physical needles/pointers that move...lol) With "visual memory" I can tell at a glance IF the needles/pointers are in the proper position without even reading the numbers on the instruments face.
But that's me....I'm "old" too....lol
(plus, I just think gauges and dials look cool and nicer than a large piece of black glass)
I'm of the same opinion as @hattitude ... Using a battery that is NOT connected to a fluctuating power source ( a running car etc ) shouldn't be a problem .. But I'm old ":>
<snip>
The presentation of the TFT screens replacing all the gauges look good. But they just dont have the same.... robust feeling as the Rushmores do. Im NOT trash talking the new Harleys. They are a cool bike and the vast majority of owners have no issues.<snip> You're simply telling the computers on board your request via momentary switching, and the computers complete the request. <snip>
News Flash: Harleys and most US street-legal motor vehicle manufactured in the last 10-15 years are controlled by momentary switch "requests" communicated via a CANBUS network. For example, the speedo on my '22 RK was fed it's data (Speed, RPM, gear, and trip computer info) via a CANBUS. The turn signal switch wiring harnesses ran directly to the BCU. The turn signal bulbs were wiring directly to the BCU.
Perusing through the wiring diagrams (publicly available at HD Service Information Portal), I looked at a 2008, a 2012, and a 2014's wiring diagram. The 2008 is all analog. The 2012 is mostly analog except at some point they started using Speedos and Tacos with "Serial Data" (meaning digital not analog) input. The 2014's introduced CANBUS data buses. All the hand control modules, instruments, and ABS modules have CAN+ and CAN- wires, meaning that any input you provide, like turn signals, horns, anything with a switch basically, tells the ECU/BCU you want something which it then completes.
I hooked up one of Noco's jump cables. It goes directly to the battery; the end is designed to plug into a Noco boost .
You can quickly jump your bike without going off the starter . Would this not eliminate the problems everyone is speaking about ? Or..... will it back feed thru the system ?
I hooked up one of Noco's jump cables. It goes directly to the battery; the end is designed to plug into a Noco boost .
You can quickly jump your bike without going off the starter . Would this not eliminate the problems everyone is speaking about ? Or..... will it back feed thru the system ?
Going to the starter main Stud for a connection is NO different than going to the battery itself. The problem comes fro trying to use normal size automotive jumper cables as the ends are too larger for the battery connection let along the starter Stud. You just have to be careful and use a little common sense in either case.
I hooked up one of Noco's jump cables. It goes directly to the battery; the end is designed to plug into a Noco boost .
You can quickly jump your bike without going off the starter . Would this not eliminate the problems everyone is speaking about ? Or..... will it back feed thru the system ?
I have one of those also, but haven't had to use it yet.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
