Well after demo riding almost every 2006 Harley Softtail and the Street and Road Glides.
I originally was going for a Heritage Softail Classic but got warning after warning about my back
and softtails. I finally settled on the Ultra Classic Electra Glide (halfway through buying a RoadGlide...lol).
I wanted something a bit more muscle looking, but since most of the riding I do is a couple
of hours plus, and because I have a bad back...yada yada. Gee I'm no old lady either

I'm actually very excited about picking up my cobalt blue and silver beauty
later this week. My husband is happy with my choice because we can jump on it
together we want too. And it has all the bells and whistles. (He has a Honda VTX 1800
which is the total weight of the EG and has no bags or passenger seat...whew!)

For now I left it close to stock with just a few minor upgrades (highway pegs, grips, breather + adjustments, etc.)

Being of the female pursuation and moving up from MUCH smaller bike (650 Yamaha vStar)
I'm in love with the weight and balance of it, the only real concern I have is the weight
of the bike when having to flat out push it around. I'll adjust seat height if I feel I need it (where possible),
I'm fairly tall so hopefully I won't have too.

I was considering an after market reverse gear. I've seen my husband
try to muscle backing up his on a slight grade and I'm not sure I could do it.
What do you think?

 

I have a 06 Ultra and love it. You do not need the reverse in my opinion. Just need good boots that do not slip and back in if the parking space is slopped downhill. Just think about it before you park.

 

If you want it, why not add it, then you can do reverse burnouts!

 

PS I forgot to tell you to make sure that you get a backrest. Really makes a differance especially for a bad back.

 

BlueRose,

Welcome to the forum and the the wonderful world of H-D. You have jumped in with the cadillac of H-D's (I ride a 2005 Ultra). This is one of the easiest bikes I have owned to ride. The weight is low and it drives itself. It can be alittle bulky when you have to muscle it. I have never been a fan of reverse on a bike, but you will have to make that decision for yourself. With some good planning , bike handling and a little luck you can usually park in a manner that doesn't involve pushng the bike. I am 6'3 and weigh 220 and whle I can move the bike with not too much effort, I still park a smartly as possible to avoid the issue.

I would recommend you put a bunch of miles on it before you plunge the big bucks into an after market reverse transmission. Get confortable and figure out what you can and can't do verses what you need to do. Practice and experience will make the decision for you.

All that said, I saw three women drop their bikes in Daytona all trying to back into a space. Other than being very enbarrasing, they were extremely lucky the damge was minimal and they didn't take any other bikes out with them. I owned a Goldwing with reverse for a while, the only time I ever used it was putting the bike up on the centerstand.

Enjjoy your new ride and be safe.

 

Plan your stopping and you'll be fine. A backrest and good boots are helpful. I have a harder time moving around my garage that backing into a space. lol

Ride for a while then make up your mind.

Welcome to the world of Ultra's!

 

That was one of my extras wasn't sure which one to get so I took a basic looking one fully adjustable.
Any sugestions on that?

The guys at the Harley dealer gave me a bad time for wanting the "Perfect Bike"
but if you have a bad back all you want is ergonomics!


I'm not suprised at all that you saw them drop. I'm back on a bike after 20 years.
So far the only time I have dropped the bike was at a dead stand still. Managing the
weight is tough. One reason why I won't ride my husbands bike is the 29" seat height makes the
weight way to unmanagable for me. Suprising what a couple of inches can do.
Is the sundowner seat lower? I would love an extra inch if I can get it.

 

Oh yeah, was this quick trivia true?

One of the employees said they had a class in moving these bikes.
He said "If you have to move a short distance leave the kickstand down (tip up slightly to keep it locked)"
He also said "If you have to get the bike turned around in a small space actually tip it on to the kickstand
and twist it around in place", evidently the kick stand will hold 1500 lbs.

 

Ok...What do I think??? Let me tell ya...........

First: Bluerose, why do you need a bike the size and weight of an Ultra? You mentioned your husband has one of the bigger metric cruisers so why do you feel you need a huge bike like this as well? My wife, a tough cookie from NYC has been riding for a lotta years and has much experience and still she feels her tricked out pearl white 883 still suits her fine to this day....and she could very easily move up to a bigger ride....

.....and with all this worry you're having over moving the Ultra around, questions about reverse gear and more importantly you're back problems and NOT being in the saddle for some 20 years....I can tell ya right now you don't need it honey....and I'll tell ya another thing and your hubby probably told ya the same thing....you're gonna drop the damn thing man....Like Guard Bum mentioned above...I've seen gals drop their bikes before man...that's embarrassing not to mention the cost to fix your bike and the other guy's ride next to you that you take out....A few weeks ago I seen this chick here at a local Bike Nite pull up with her ol' man...on a BIG OL' GOLD WING....and I mean BIG with all the bells and whistles...Her husband was on one as well...anyway....she goes to walk her bike back into her spot and she was really havin' a hard time...we all were watching her and then I said "holy s#it, she's gonna drop this thing"...soon as i said it....BAMM....the bike goes down and she didn't get outta the way fast enough and it bent her leg in a weird way as she was trying to avoid it falling on her...The EMT's came and took her to a local hospital where she was treated for a broken ankle....MORAL OF THE STORY..........YOU DON'T NEED IT!!!!!!!!!!....With your back problems and your worries of moving the Ultra around safely.....YOU DON'T NEED IT!!!!!!!

Sledge

 

Well I looked at it this way....

I was going to go for a Heritage Softtail Classic, I liked the ride, but folks said I would be sorry.

My husband and I mostly use these bikes for longer rides on the weekends, and we hit alot of freeways.
I will keep around my litte Yamaha v-Star 650 custom for around town rides and the local coastal mountians.

If we want to go to Vegas or do a coast run my husband will probably be the rider and
I'll passengerize. In that case, I have the perfect bike for that type of riding.