Just wondering what service manual was the best, with the most detail and ease of use?

 

I think the official Harley-Davidson service manual is the best.

 

Ya I had an HD one for my last bike, I need to get a new one for the Ultra,I have heard tell of pdf versions of manuals,I actually have one for my quad but not the HD. It's very nice being able to just print what you need and if it gets greasy just toss it,searching them is easier too,anybody know where to find the manual in PDF form?

 

I started this tread earlier today on service manual reccomendations. HD manual with parts book seems to be the most popular



I am also interested in a CD manual

 

hanes might make one, but there are significant differences between the year models. the harley one is the best one i've found. it's a bit confusing at first, but you can locate whatever section you're working on with ease. the other bike books seem generic at best, rather than being for your specific model and year, and that's why when i get a new harley, or even one which is new to me, i'll spring the bucks for the right manual.

 

Haynes and Clymer manuals are very general, cover a wide range of years and miss all the detailed stuff. They are OK as door stops, but there is no substitute for a factory manual and parts list, as already suggested. ynots' thread is worth a read!

 

The moco service manual for your yr and model. If your going to be working on it yourself it's a got to have. Also a parts manual. I not only use it for part numbers but for an exploded view, helps when reassembling after a memory lapse.

 

+1 on the HD Manual for model and year.

 

Another vote for the official HD service manual specific to model and year.

 

The Haynes and Clymer manuals are good if all you do is change the oil. If you want to work on your Harley, or find out how it works, you are out of luck.

The Harley Books are the way to go.
In the past all you needed was two books from Harley. The part Catalog and Service manual. With the 2009 Touring Model I bought last year, I needed three books. Harley has split the Service manual in to two books. The first is the Service Manual, as before, with the electrical not covered. Harley has a separate Electrical Service Manual. It covers all electrical service and has flow charts to find problems. It is separated into different sections and covers the EFI, Alarm system, and radio.

I have all three and it is a big read.