Jump to content
IGNORED

Going Back to Harley...


FLTRI

Recommended Posts

Well Guys, it’s been a fun ride, but I’m parking the RT and going back to Harley Davidson as my primary motorcycle.

 

I’ve owned two Road Glides, a 1999 and a 2003, and I recently picked up a leftover, unsold 2009 R/G at well under MSRP. The deal was just too good to walk away from. Harley Davidson introduced a new frame and suspension system in 09 and it is a huge improvement over the previous touring frame. I didn’t realize how good it is until I was issued a 2009 work bike in June. After riding it at work for close to 9000 miles now, I found myself thoroughly impressed. The things that had annoyed me about the bike were gone…

 

I bought my used 2005 RT about a year and a half ago and put a little over 10,000 miles on it since. It’s a great bike, and does many things well, but for me, the Road Glide is just a better fit. There is nothing wrong with the RT, I just prefer riding the Harley. I wish I could keep both bikes, but financially, it’s just not feasible. Once springtime riding season rolls around, the RT will be for sale.

 

It’s been fun, I learned a lot of things, and I will miss the RT.

 

Ride Safe

Dan

 

09atRedStone006-1.jpg

Link to comment
Enjoy.

Did you trade the RT?

 

No, I didn't even bother to ask. I pretty much knew they would offer me a ridiculously low trade in value. Hopefully, when riding season starts up this spring, I can get a bit more selling it outright.

Link to comment

Congrats..

 

The Road Glide is one of the three or four contemporary Harley Davidson bikes I sincerely like, so long as the exhaust note isn't obnoxious.

 

The others are the '03 CVO Duece (FXSTDSE), the Nightster and the new 1200XR. So many bikes, so little time and $$.

Link to comment

I love the RG, rented one a couple years back and really liked the ride. The 96in motor and 6 speed make for a really fun bike.

 

I don't know that I could make it my only bike, but it's a damn fine choice if it fits your needs.

 

Enjoy the bike and please stick around!

Link to comment

 

Interesting, I didn't read the entire thread, but I would suspect loose steering head bearings as well.

 

I've had three different work bikes now; a 2004, a 2006 and now the 2009. There was a learning curve coming from the 06, and at first I was having a heck of a time rodeo-ing the new bike. After a bit of trial and error, it 'clicked' and I can now toss it around as well as I could either of the two previous work bikes.

 

Mine is a 103" motor, not a 96, and it pulls much better than either of the old 88" bikes did...

 

If your department hasn't done it yet, there is a recall on the 2009 police motors to replace the triple tree. It relocates the steering stops to decrease turning radius, making cone work much easier...

Link to comment

Congrats.I was looking at a 2010 blacked out RG today @ Battlefield HD in Gettysberg Pa. It is one sweet MC.I rode a 2007 a couple times for a 50 mile test ride which I was pleasantly surprised at the handling!I also have 2005 RT which I'm thinking of selling since I bought a 1150 GS a few months ago.

I currently have a 2003 black flsts with 25K miles which is a real beauty but not the handling of the RG.Used harleys aren't bring many $$ like they used to a few years back.Enjoy your new RG.

Link to comment

Damn Dan sorry to lose you back to HD, but at least your still smiling. I just traded out the RT for a GSA and could not be happier myself. The handling is different on the two bikes for sure and the GS is closer to the FL IMO. I'll be adding a 'glide to my stable sometime in the future as the wife is not big on BMWs comfort as a pillion, anyway we still good for an Ironbutt ride? I promise not to hold the HD against you.

Link to comment
just curious, what is the MSRP on this model?

 

$18,599

+ freight/delivery/tax/additional fees per dealer

783 pounds

24 month warranty

 

Only $23.75 a pound.

Link to comment
just curious, what is the MSRP on this model?

 

$18,599

+ freight/delivery/tax/additional fees per dealer

783 pounds

24 month warranty

 

Only $23.75 a pound.

That makes them cheaper than most new RT, GT, GS/GSA's going by the pound. Must be like comparing pork to Tenderloin. :grin:

Quick edit though...Not to give the wrong impression, I still like pork.

Link to comment
Vicious_Cycler

Dan, that's a purdy hog, no doubt. Isn't it interesting how differently people fit on the same bike? I recently toyed with the idea of replacing my RT for an RG. The consistent advice of others on the board was rent and ride before you buy. Boy am I glad I did!

 

I rented an '09 RG for Labor Day weekend. We rode up through west Tennessee on hwy 232 to Land Between the Lakes and on to Hopkinsville, KY for a friend of a friend's retirement cookout and back to Nashville. Can't remember exactly how many miles but it was a good mix of twisty, sweeper, and highway.

 

I was very excited about this bike but by the time we got home I knew I wasn't going to be happy with it over the RT. Though I really liked the low heighth and the frame mounted fairing. I loved the unique looks of the bike; a rarity among the tribe. Good storage. The sound system kicked butt!

 

However, it was hot, hot, hot! There was no way for me to get away from the tranny heat regardless of position. Rather than hurting my hip like the RT the RG killed my knee and back (position was one of the reasons I was considering getting rid of the RT). I have become so used to the servo ABS brakes that I never trusted the brake pull on the RG. I didn't like wondering if the bike was going to stop when I wanted or skid out in the rain.

 

Speaking of rain. Literally the last few miles home was accompanied by a biblical deluge. I've ridden the RT in the rain plenty of times and always been fairly protected from the elements. Not on the RG! I was completely "seat-soaked" :mad: . There was no wind protection below the fairing and the seat acted like a bucket catching rain water for me to sit in.

 

In the end, I decided the RT was still a superior bike to me in terms of handling, braking, and weather protection. While the RG was beautiful it wasn't enough to justify getting rid of the RT. The RG very much excelled in generating those cool low hand waves from other tribesmen and that was a nice difference :D.

 

I hope you enjoy your RG. It sure is nice looking. Best of all, it lets you be a rebel among the tribe! Congrats.

 

P.S. If you can keep them both over the winter, you may find you'll be able to rationalize a way to keep the RT and not breakup the set.

 

Link to comment

That's a beautiful Road Glide, Dan. Best of luck with it! ;)

 

BTW, you got the best of the lot. The "new, improved" 2010 Road Glide is nothing more than a Street Glide with the old RG's front end/fairing. It makes for a cool fashion statement, but the lowered, stiffened suspension and worthless windshield take away from the bike's comfort level.

 

Your story is kind of funny to me because after riding Harleys for 40 years, I recently went the other way. I sold my 2008 Electra Glide and bought a 2009 R1200RT.

 

My wife and I love it! :Cool:

Link to comment

Thanks Guys, I’m loving it so far. I picked up the service manual with the bike and did my 1000 mile service yesterday. It took about 4 hours, including a torque of all the critical fasteners. No throttle bodies to sync, no valves to adjust, no final drive to drop and drain and no Tupperware to remove… :)

 

The majority of our riding is three day weekend trips, with my wife on the back and a few other couples also riding two-up. Every now and then we take a full week, and go further. The geography of Las Vegas played a role in my decision. Southern Nevada is basically an island with maybe three fun local rides. To get to the really “good” riding takes at least a 200-300 mile freeway drone, and the BMW wasn’t cutting it for us.

 

If I rode solo most of the time, it may be a different story. I’m comfortable enough on the RT, the 50 MPG and 7 gallon tank do a great job of getting us out of town. The RT also cruised quite nicely at 80+ The biggest issue was with my wife. She was never really comfortable on the back of the RT, both physically and mentally. She would be squirming after an hour, and she said the bike scared her. I tried a Sargent seat, and while that helped us both a bit, the riding position, helmet buffeting and backrest left her sore and tired at the end of the day. She didn’t like the height of the bike either, and getting on and off of it was difficult for her. Neither of us liked being locked into one position either, The RG gives you lots of room to adjust.

 

Another issue I had was the change in behavior of the RT riding two up vs. solo. My wife is only about 140# with all her gear, but it made a substantial difference in the character of the bike with her on the back. With the Harley, there is little perceptible change, loaded or solo.

 

Luggage capacity also figured in. The Harley holds a lot more, and while it was great that I could get a full face helmet in the saddle bags (er, panniers. Already reverting back to Harley-Speak) on the BMW, dropping my underoos in the parking lot every time I opened a side case was beyond annoying…

 

Yes, the BMW accelerates faster (Above 60 or so anyway. The torque on the HD from a stop is amazing), brakes better, and has a much better lean angle. If I rode canyons, solo, most of the time, I would prefer the BMW. Keep in mind however, that I ride one of these beasts for a living, and have to recertify on it twice a year. I know how to make an 800 plus pound motor perform at near its limit, and have surprised more than one squid on a sport bike…

 

The new Brembo ABS is a good system, the high speed wallow is gone with the new frame and suspension, and for the cost of a set of Olins for the RT (which it is in need of at 24,000 miles), I can install a Stage II 103” kit with 255 cams, and see a significant torque and horsepower increase…

 

Link to comment

Funny. My wife also loves riding on Smokey the HD, and hated riding on Bonbon the RT. My wife has long, long legs and can flat foot off the back of our Corbin seat on Smokey, and felt perched up on the Sargent low or Corbin, or Stock seat of Bonbon. She asks to go on Smokey, and would cringe if asked to go on Bonbon.

Link to comment
Damn Dan sorry to lose you back to HD, but at least your still smiling. I just traded out the RT for a GSA and could not be happier myself. The handling is different on the two bikes for sure and the GS is closer to the FL IMO. I'll be adding a 'glide to my stable sometime in the future as the wife is not big on BMWs comfort as a pillion, anyway we still good for an Ironbutt ride? I promise not to hold the HD against you.

Hey Glenn, I saw you traded, congrats to you as well! Yup, I still want to do an Iron Butt, we just need to get serious and plan it out...

Link to comment

I may have 2 weeks off xmas to new years, could be a good time if we head south... I'll be up north for the next few days, I'll give you a ring when I get back to Vegas.

Link to comment

Enjoy the new Harley. A friend of mine, long-time H-D and MSF instructor, almost bought a BMW LT. Then he took a ride on a new 2010 RK and was impressed with the new and improved rigid H-D frame, so he returned to the Harley.

 

btw, nice avatar pics. The background is the same. Come to think of it, what's the diff in the two rides? They're both old-design air-cooled twins in grey :/

Link to comment
Enjoy the new Harley. A friend of mine, long-time H-D and MSF instructor, almost bought a BMW LT. Then he took a ride on a new 2010 RK and was impressed with the new and improved rigid H-D frame, so he returned to the Harley.

 

btw, nice avatar pics. The background is the same. Come to think of it, what's the diff in the two rides? They're both old-design air-cooled twins in grey :/

 

Enjoy both the Munich and Milwaukee product in the barn here, but a key diff for me is I get a much better kick out of the RT when the road begins to bend. Here in the Rockies, those kinds of roads and journeys can't be ignored.

Link to comment

btw, nice avatar pics. The background is the same. Come to think of it, what's the diff in the two rides? They're both old-design air-cooled twins in grey :/

 

Both pics were taken at Redstone, along Northshore Road, Lake Mead. It's one of the three good rides in the area I mentioned... :)

 

Reference the old school twins, see my signature line... ;)

Link to comment
Enjoy the new Harley. A friend of mine, long-time H-D and MSF instructor, almost bought a BMW LT. Then he took a ride on a new 2010 RK and was impressed with the new and improved rigid H-D frame, so he returned to the Harley.

 

btw, nice avatar pics. The background is the same. Come to think of it, what's the diff in the two rides? They're both old-design air-cooled twins in grey :/

 

Enjoy both the Munich and Milwaukee product in the barn here, but a key diff for me is I get a much better kick out of the RT when the road begins to bend. Here in the Rockies, those kinds of roads and journeys can't be ignored.

 

I hear ya, I'm already having sellers remorse and I haven't even listed it for sale yet...

 

We rode through Colorado in 2007, spent several days off the beaten path through the mountains. Fantastic scenery and roads!

 

btw, love your videos. "Peculiar People" is one of my favorites... :Cool:

Link to comment

We rode through Colorado in 2007, spent several days off the beaten path through the mountains. Fantastic scenery and roads!

 

btw, love your videos. "Peculiar People" is one of my favorites... :Cool:

 

Wow... Great memory! Been a writing maniac this past year to get an exhaustive/comprehensive book on motorcycling Colorado to the publisher next spring. Will be at Amazon and dealers in about a year. But anyway, a companion web site will have over 200 onboard vids of just about every road in CO. At the moment, I'm a little sick and tire of all the video editing I've been doing. Ha!

 

Congrats on the H-D. I ride a Street Glide and there's nothing like the inimitable H-D.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...