Hello all,

I'm new to the board and have some ?'s. But first the setup. I'm not a Harley rider yet, the reason I began reading the board (a few weeks ago) was to do some research so that this fall when I'm ready to buy my Hog, I get the right bike for me. I've been riding about 5 years, and when I started, it was suggested to me by my brother (20 year rider) to get a cheaper rice burner to learn on and if/when I drop it, it won't hurt so bad. I've loved my '96 1100 Shadow and it's been a great bike, and still is. I've dropped it and fixed it and rode it and chopped it. Great learning experience and safer and cheaper than learning on a Hog. Also I could ride for a while and find my riding style and decide what class bike would suit me. Following that suggestion was the best thing I ever did.

Now I'm ready to step up. So here's the ?'s. (however long winded)

I fell in love with the new SG, as have many here it seems, however all the problems that is has been having have made me a little hesitant. I don't want to spend 20,000 and have to fix my new bike. So I began looking at the EG Standard and I could make it mine.

Finally the ?'s.
1. Have there been absolute fixes for all the prob's on the SG?
2. What are the differences between the Evo and TC? Specifically pro's and con's, recurring issues, reliability, wrenching and upgrading (cost and difficulty), etc...

I've tried a search and found nothing that directly answers these ?'s. If anyone knows somewhere I can find these answers, directions to or a link would be great.

Thanks, in advance, for your help in making an informed decision.

Griz

 

EVO's were built for many years...its the engine design that replaced the shovelhead....its what most choppers have in em...theyre easy to work on, reliable and make good power....a twin cam is the newest design engine by HD...its also deadly reliable...both have small issues but no real biggies....i really have no preference btw the two....i own an SG and a ten foot long chopper with a hot EVO...the issue with the injectors on 06 EFI bikes is easily overcome and lots never even have a problem...dont worry bout havin to fix a new SG, you wont do anything but enjoy it and learn as you hop it up...its all part of the HD ownership thing

 

Forums have all the problems and it always seems like my bike is going to have all the problems, well to date, none of the "Known" problems have happen to me. Reminds of work, where a customer asks me what do I think about the "Volvo", and my answer is "I only get to see them when they are broken or they want the oil changed." They are asking the wrong Guy. (a repair tech at a dealer)

 

That's a good point, and I'll take that into consideration.
Thanks,
Griz

 

EVO and TC are both very good motors. The TC is a better built and designed motor. When HD wanted to reduce emissions, and thus developed the TC, they worked very closely with the king of air cooled performance engines..Porche. The TC has a 88 ci (1450cc) and the EVo was 80 ci (1340), thus more power. If you get a great deal on an EVO, they will have more vibration due to the solid motor mounts, but good bikes also IMO. Good luck...

 

I've read a lot about the development of the twin cam, and don't recall ever reading anything about Porche's involvement with the project. However, they had a very large part in the development of the Revolution (Vrod) motor....are you sure you haven't confused these?

EVO vs. TC...The TC is stouter with larger crank and overbuilt to be the platform for the 103" stroker from the get go; as well as cooling oil jets for the underside of the pistons. But the EVO has better flowing heads and gear drive cams stock. The head flow has been adressed for 2006 models and reports are they perform much better.

The evo is a tested, tried and true platform that you can't go wrong with....BUT if you stay on top of your cam chain tensioner wear or replace for gear drive, and port the heads, the TC will run circles around the EVO. TC's also come with much better fuel injection than the EVO models ever had, if EFI is your bag.

 

Griz......I am new to this forum and new to HD and have been riding bikes for 25 years, BMW's and most recently a Yamaha Warrior....that bike got me hooked on the tractor torque and crusing style of V-twins so the next step had to be HD as they are clearly the King of the V-twin market. Sold the Warrior......... sold it in a day...........good news I bought it used and did not take the beating that everyone does who buy metric new.

Test rode a few Harley's at the very helpfull Rocky Mount, NC HD dealer and the clear winner for me was the SG. I had read all the reviews of ****ling problems with brakes, injectors, mirrors, and for the most part chalk a lot of that information up to human nature that people will sometime over emphasize problems, most every web forum for bikes is like that......on the other hand there are many, many happy owners. Heck, I bought my Warrior knowing that Yamaha had done a recall becuae they "thought" a gear clip may malfunction and the recall involved a complete tear down of the motor to replace a $30 part........ most just saw this as an opportunity to do a bunch of engine mods for free labor! I sure did and ended up with a nice 97Hp and 107 ft lbs!

Anyways, could not be more pleased with the MoCo products and though the SG is down on HP and Torque from the Warrior the TC is well suited to the SG or Touring family frame/suspension set up and the power that is available is so very, very useable. The SG hustles through corners as good as any bike I have ridden and no question it is the most comfortable 2- 4 hour bike I have ridden. As a platform for improving performance from what I have been told the TC looks to be a great starting point and I may fall prey to the lure of more mods then the simple Stage 1 pipes and AC that I have already done.....but at the same time I could easily see how you could just ride it like it is for many miles and years just like it is!

Test ride a few models and I think you will be very impressed and know that you will be getting a serious upgrade in rideablity over your Shadow.

Keep the rubber side down and have fun.

 

You've already had some good answers regarding the difference between the Evo and the TC, so I'll leave that alone. In my opinion, the Electraglide Standard is absolutely the best bang for the buck in Harley's line up. It has the handling of the Electraglide (after leaving a Shadow 1100, you won't believe how good handling can be), and it is basically a blank slate. The Streetglide is new and very popular and already has a lot of attitude designed into it. But face it, whatever you buy, you're going to want to do a lot of stuff to it anyway, so think about the Standard as a place to start to build whatever you want.
In terms of used bikes, if I were in the market right now, I'd look at model years from '01 to '03 or '04. They avoid some of the current issues that develop from EPA requirements and heat management issues, and they're a little more user friendly. My own bike is a '00 FLHTCI with 65,000 miles on it, and I can't imagine trading it. I can re-build that engine until the cows come home. It already has a new top end since I bored it and changed cams. The paint and chrome look as good as the day I bought it, and that is a feature that is unique to HD's.
So there; that's my 3.25 cents worth.

Uncle Peepers

 

Just depends on the budget. Either an EVO Eglide or a TC Eglide will get the job done for you.
Evo's like to leak at the base gaskets and rockerboxes. usually they are carbed, the fixes are well known and well documented.
TC's for the most part do not leak, they eat cam chain tensioners, run hot and require a little more effort to tune if they are EFI.
TC's produce more tq and HP and are very reliable.

One nice thing about the TC's, is that most of the mods you see are simple bolt on deals, the Evo's will require fabrication and use of modified aftermarket parts to get the same look...

 

All of what problems?

There has only been one recall on the streetglide AFAIK. The early production last year needed to have the fairing mounted mirrors moved.

Any other issues you may have read about are for individual bikes and not the entire model line.

So, your data is in error.