Northern Virginia, third bike this year, 2003 Dyna
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Road Master
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 965
Likes: 297
From: NoVa
Northern Virginia, third bike this year, 2003 Dyna
Hello! New member "AJ" here. I'm actually an old member, but darned if I remember username or pass and I don't have my old email anymore.
Almost 60 years old, 42 years of riding and 6 bikes in the paddock. Yep, 6, it's crazy. One time motorcycle mechanic (Honda/Suzuki) back when I was a kid,
Just bought my first "new" Harley in quite a few years - a 2003 Dyna Super Glide 100th Anniversary model in blue with 15K on the clock. Did not pay much (for a big twin), and, crazy as it seems, this is actually the third bike I have bought this year.
It started out that I wanted a reliable "standard: motorcycle for just plunking around town on. Back in January, I started looking for a modern (2000 or later) Triumph twin for cheap. Instead I found a 2000 Triumph Daytona 955i sportbike with only 3500 miles at a price too good to pass on. The bike was a hoot, but just it was too similar to the 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa I still own and it wasn't the 'standard' I was looking for anyway. Sold the Daytona to my son who had been looking to replace the Suzuki SV650 we sold when he moved for his first job out of school.
In May I found a 1997 BMW R850R boxer twin really cheap (for a BMW). Put new tires on it and fixed a bunch of little but needed repairs. Really liked the handling of this bike. Not too heavy, very upright and pleasant - "gentlemanly" - almost a big scooter really. I had always wanted a boxer twin, but this bike cured me of it. First off, the wiring on these bikes is really crappy. I mean, they use wires so thin they'd be at home in a 1960's Japanese transistor radio. Oh, and darned few connectors - had to disassemble the tail light and turn signals to get the rear fender off. But two other things made me want rid of it. First, the transmission - kind of clunky and a potentially very expensive internal bearing problem that I suspected and didn't want to deal with. Next is the clutch spline issue. Beemers use a big disc clutch like a car that sits on a splined shaft. Besides a potential issue with this, it's a regular service item. About every 30,000 miles you're supposed to inspect and lube that shaft. Problem is, you have to take apart about 50% of the motorcycle to do it - it's a 5 to 8 hour job and many ops need two people working together. Seriously BMW? Crappy wiring, crappy transmission, really expensive parts, and really expensive service? While the bike was the perfect upright standard I wanted, I was grateful to just get my money out of it (sold quickly, BTW).
Now, we've had 3 Sportsters in the family over the years. It started in 1989 when I bought a brand new 883 and converted her to pretty much a XLCR cafe racer - bored her out to 1200, Jerry Branch heads, Andrews cams, forks off a Jap sport bike. Was a very fun ride for a young man. That bike's still in the garage, but hasn't been ridden in years while I figure out what to do about the fiberglass tank that I no longer trust. My wife has had two Sportys, the first a 1989 883 converted to a mild 1200, then she went for a decade without riding while the kids were small, and currently a 2007 1200 Custom. Harleys shake, they rattle, they're built like tractors, but the build quality and finish are generally excellent and they hold their value well. Maybe it was finally time to buy the big twin?
So that's how I got this 2003 Dyna. I've already made a few mods (mid footpeg controls - easy - and True Track engine stabilizers - not so easy, expensive, necessary, and totally worth it). Had my first real ride yesterday and put over 100 miles on her. Perfect weather. Wife took her Sporty. We got too far from home so stopped for dinner at a very cool restaurant in Leesburg, VA. Had a big detour for construction on the highway, but it only added to the ride. Crisp clear air, almost full moon. One of the best rides coming home I can remember in all these years.
This Dyna ain't no canyon carver, her pipes are wayyy too loud if I want to keep what hearing I've got left, but what a sweet sweet ride we had.
Almost 60 years old, 42 years of riding and 6 bikes in the paddock. Yep, 6, it's crazy. One time motorcycle mechanic (Honda/Suzuki) back when I was a kid,
Just bought my first "new" Harley in quite a few years - a 2003 Dyna Super Glide 100th Anniversary model in blue with 15K on the clock. Did not pay much (for a big twin), and, crazy as it seems, this is actually the third bike I have bought this year.
It started out that I wanted a reliable "standard: motorcycle for just plunking around town on. Back in January, I started looking for a modern (2000 or later) Triumph twin for cheap. Instead I found a 2000 Triumph Daytona 955i sportbike with only 3500 miles at a price too good to pass on. The bike was a hoot, but just it was too similar to the 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa I still own and it wasn't the 'standard' I was looking for anyway. Sold the Daytona to my son who had been looking to replace the Suzuki SV650 we sold when he moved for his first job out of school.
In May I found a 1997 BMW R850R boxer twin really cheap (for a BMW). Put new tires on it and fixed a bunch of little but needed repairs. Really liked the handling of this bike. Not too heavy, very upright and pleasant - "gentlemanly" - almost a big scooter really. I had always wanted a boxer twin, but this bike cured me of it. First off, the wiring on these bikes is really crappy. I mean, they use wires so thin they'd be at home in a 1960's Japanese transistor radio. Oh, and darned few connectors - had to disassemble the tail light and turn signals to get the rear fender off. But two other things made me want rid of it. First, the transmission - kind of clunky and a potentially very expensive internal bearing problem that I suspected and didn't want to deal with. Next is the clutch spline issue. Beemers use a big disc clutch like a car that sits on a splined shaft. Besides a potential issue with this, it's a regular service item. About every 30,000 miles you're supposed to inspect and lube that shaft. Problem is, you have to take apart about 50% of the motorcycle to do it - it's a 5 to 8 hour job and many ops need two people working together. Seriously BMW? Crappy wiring, crappy transmission, really expensive parts, and really expensive service? While the bike was the perfect upright standard I wanted, I was grateful to just get my money out of it (sold quickly, BTW).
Now, we've had 3 Sportsters in the family over the years. It started in 1989 when I bought a brand new 883 and converted her to pretty much a XLCR cafe racer - bored her out to 1200, Jerry Branch heads, Andrews cams, forks off a Jap sport bike. Was a very fun ride for a young man. That bike's still in the garage, but hasn't been ridden in years while I figure out what to do about the fiberglass tank that I no longer trust. My wife has had two Sportys, the first a 1989 883 converted to a mild 1200, then she went for a decade without riding while the kids were small, and currently a 2007 1200 Custom. Harleys shake, they rattle, they're built like tractors, but the build quality and finish are generally excellent and they hold their value well. Maybe it was finally time to buy the big twin?
So that's how I got this 2003 Dyna. I've already made a few mods (mid footpeg controls - easy - and True Track engine stabilizers - not so easy, expensive, necessary, and totally worth it). Had my first real ride yesterday and put over 100 miles on her. Perfect weather. Wife took her Sporty. We got too far from home so stopped for dinner at a very cool restaurant in Leesburg, VA. Had a big detour for construction on the highway, but it only added to the ride. Crisp clear air, almost full moon. One of the best rides coming home I can remember in all these years.
This Dyna ain't no canyon carver, her pipes are wayyy too loud if I want to keep what hearing I've got left, but what a sweet sweet ride we had.
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