I'd like to get true experiences of what some here know or know of people who own or have owned a BigDog/Chopper. How would you compare them to owning a Harley, Tourer? I ask on account I am considering trading my 2008 Road Glide toward purchasing a K-9, "possibly" soon. Any actual experiences are appreciated.

 

I owned a 04 BD Chopper DT and my brother enlaw had a 06 K9. They look cool, but you better be a good wrench, they will take some attention. The frames are big and they will vibrate. I remember ripping around and needing to adjust my feet cause they were vibrating off the pegs.
My paint on my chopper was a level 3 and it was good, though very fragile, seemed very soft and would scratch very easily. The K9's paint was very thin on the clear coat. It went to a painter to be recleared. Both bikes were assembly before the paint was cured and the paint oozed out from behind the fender mounts or where something was bolted to the paint.
Go to bigdogbiker forum, they will tell you how great they are and their bike only had to spend 1 month in the shop this year. FI seems to be a nightmare.
Sorry, Do not mean to sound negative but they are more like show bikes, than usable ridable motorcycles. 6-8 hours of polishing if you get caught in the rain. And they do not like water, 04 thru 06? had a wiring problem if it got wet it could start up and take off if it was in gear.

To answer your question, you can ride your Road Glide from coast to coast, today. Choppers, ???? There is no newer Harley to compare it to, they will ride harsh!!! Don't hit a man hole or you could bend a rim.

If you buy one keep your Road Glide.

 

Worked at a indy shop that was a warranty shop for Big Dog, we did a fair amount of repairs. As crewchief25 stated they vibrate and things break. Check out there recalls and it is a long list. If you want to look cool on a 50 mile sunday ride go for it but if you really want to ride hassle free --- keeeeepppp the Road Glide

 

They ride harsh but look good. If you want it to look good go for it, if you want a bike to ride you will be dissapointed. Go take one for a demo ride. They have demo ride days and you will see how the demo bikes are holding up, not very well.

 

very true...style over substance

 

2 friends of mine have them. One friend bought a SG two years ago and you can count on one hand how many times he has ridden the Dog since. Currently the Dog is for sale. Its a show piece and he is meticulous for detail.

 

I know you've asked for experiences with Big Dog but if you are considering this type of motorcycle have you considered the Thunder Mountain Durango? I believe most H-D dealers do the warranty work on these bikes and they use to come with the Screaming Eagle 103 which has probably been upgrade to the 110.

Sorry to go off track from your request but wanted to make sure you were aware of perhaps another option.

Personally, I wouldn't do a trade like this but understand that little voice inside all too well. Good Luck.

 

I worked at a Big Dog dealer for a little over 5 years and saw plenty of stuff that would make me NEVER, EVER buy one of the POS!!! A good example is their computer module. If one ever bites the dust and you're in BFE you're screwed. There just aren't enough dealers that stock the unique electrical parts that a Big Dog requires. Sure they're beautiful bikes but the beauty is only skin deep. Just about EVERY ONE we sold came back with something wrong with it that had to be warranteed and had to order a part for, etc. As for the paint, a lot of them had paint that looked perfect when we got the bikes new but seemed to deteriorate at different levels. I think they still have trouble with the paint lifting around the gas cap. At $40,000 I would pass. Hell you could buy 2 Harley for that and have 2 great bikes. So if you ask me I say NO WAY!!!

 

I admit that I don't know anything about custom choppers, but the advice here seems legit and sincere. Here is an idea for you - get a H-D Rocker. Check out the Softail Forum here and see some of the really cool custom stuff those guys have done. You get H-D reliability and a raked out ride.

 

What would you like to know ? I owned a 05 bigdog chopper and I have a friend that bought a 06 K-9. I had so many problems with my bike till I had to sue the manufacture. They took it back to the factory and wrote me a nasty letter on how bad it looked and hadn't been taken care of. What the idiots didn't take time to do, was to check who had done all the service work. One of there leading award winning shops so they were screwed there. Finely they wanted to settle out of court and wanted me to sign a gag order. My attorney told them to shove it. We won $43,000 .

As for my friend with the K-9. The same problems. Recalls. Vibration problems. Heads leaking oil. Electrical problems . You can't let the bike get wet PERIOD ! The vibration at 3000 rpm's are so bad till your right foot will swell up and your hands go numb. The chrome is bad. He finely has to have his sent back to the factory and now he's trying to sell it. You couldn't give me one.