ok, good to know thanks.
i think a low kilometer tourer will be the way to go. saw a few 2nd hand that were 40plus grand when new, now only 12 months to 18 months old, for mid twenties etc. low klms, good paint, looked like new still.
apparently finance companies have been busy doing repo's in this crappy economy. might be a way to save some bucks and get the right bike. whatever i buy, hoping to keep it til i ride it ionto the ground.
will be looking this next few weeks to find the right bike. thanks again for the good advice. saves me from making a big mistake.
G'day Brett
As you asked for advise on which bike to buy, I'll give ya my 2 cents worth. Get a Dyna Super Glide Custom. Because I'm a new member to HDFA's, I'm not gunna be cheeky and say Dynas handle better than softails, that you can tour on a Dyna, are easier to live with, cheaper, take pillions, and will give you a smile on ya dial as good as any mega buck chopper. But seeing as you rode MX etc, my advice is a FXDC. The weight thing is no prob, however you may find, like me, you'll want to upgrade the suspension, but you could say this about any model. A word of advise tho, I've got a FXDL and its a bit low as name suggets, so unless you really like scraping in every corner (tis fun tho) give the Low Rider a miss - I'm 90 kg. But just get what ever ya like & ride
Welcome, Brett. I thought this was the HD Forum, but it feels like a teenybopper forum where a bunch of anorexic teenage girls are ripping into another girl for being a few kilos overweight! Brett, Just ignore the princesses giving you advice about diet, lifestyle etc - we all know everyone in this forum has the body of an Olympic swimmer, as if! Btw, your comment that you were a "short" 5'11" might give some of us a complex - I can only assume all your mates are professional basketballers! As for the bike, I echo the previous comments - test, test & test to see what you feel comfortable with. Seeing that even ordiinary bikes are set up to carry a pillion and that every design has a factor of safety built into it, I doubt if any large bike (let alone a Harley) might collapse under a weight of 200 kgs - possibly you & your brother might be pushing it. Agree that the touring bikes give you the option to beef up the suspension, but the Dyna range (Super Glide Custom or Wide Glide) will be equally good if you are not into touring and don't want to pay for / carry all those panniers, topbox, fairings, crashguards etc around the suburbs. You are at the stage of life I am and while one day I would like to point the bike at the wide blue yonder and go for weeks-long trips, kids, job etc mean I am a daytripper - so I bought a Fatty instead of a tourer. You might save a lot of money buying secondhand. Good luck with the selection!
thanks for your great advice. will keep looking for the right bike. yeh, prices for 2nd hand have come way down because of the economy etc.
went to the Harley shop today at Springwood QLD and spoke with a very knowledgle bloke called Brian Jones.
decided basically to seriously hone in on the Road king or Ultra Classic Electra Glide. seems the $ for a road king is just over $30 k ish (give or take a few grand) or mid 30's for a Ultra Elec Glide tourer. Its a hard decision cause the road king has the sportier looks and removable clear windscreen etc, but the luxury big glide tourer has all the creature comforts. its a tough choice, but i think i will have to really think hard which way i really want to go.
the colour i would love is this great pearl flex orange over std harley orange. They have a FLSTN in this orange two tone colour sitting there and the look/colour combo is just magnificent. That colour in the Ultra Classic E Glide would be just perfect for me. I havent seen many bikes in this classic harley colour combo so i reckon its a cut above the std dark colours u see every day. Never seen a bike look so good than the colour i saw in person today. the wife loved it. even the 3 yr old son thought it was great. going to be a hard colour to beat if they can scource the bike i want in that colour.
Might take a few photos when i go back and will post on here etc. the sales rep Brian, basically said that i shld concentrate on a road king with pump up suspension as a minimum, or really look at the touring range to really be safe n comfy. so everyones advice here has been 100 percent spot on.
man, i am drooling over the latest catalogue, and that harley shop is full of eye candy. not even a naked woman would have got me more excited than the two tone orange colour scheme, fark it looked good.
next move, a few photos to share if i can before i look to making my mind up.
Go with the baggers, plenty of space as well as adjustable air shocks. Allow yourself some $ for some mufflers, aircleaner, cat removal and a tuner and get out there and ride the thing. I have done 18500 on my 2012 street glide in 9mths.Hope to see you on the road.
is it really neccessary to do those mods n why if ya dont mind me asking ?
i was hoping to buy it, leave it stock n not spend a cent. 30 something grand is alot already etc, Question- arent they a great bike from factory ? always worried about the gold coast highway patrol with excessive noise bullshit/bunger up the tailpipe/emissions crap etc ?
if u can list the reasons/benefits about the mods i could look at it if u think its a good spend for results etc ? any help/advice with mods would be great.
the tuner and pipes give you a few extra ponies and noise.
Its far from necessary .
More and more people I know that have had loud pipes in the past on dynas and softies are quite content to leave the tourer stock
No its not nessesary but with the std pipes and aircleaner they are very strangled. They are restricted to get them thru emissions requirement as well as noise. Lots of brands of touring pipes will give you more "note" without getting you noticed by the cops. Allow $1500-$2000 will get you slip on pipes, air filter and race tuner. Your bike will run cooler have more power and torque and maybe a touch better on fuel. Performance mods for Harleys are simply a dirrect reflection on how much you spend.
yeh, the goverment likes its catalytic converter crap, which reduces lead by bugger all but makes u use more juice, seems to be a weird way of going nowhere except spend more money on petrol which means more lead used anyway. go figure.
that colour i was talking about is called CUSTOM TEQUILA SUNRISE / HD ORANGE. if anyone has 5 minutes in ya travels if u are located near springwwod qld, they only have the one bike in there (a FLSTN) which has that colour. Gee it looks the goods.
they also have the yellow n black hornet colours on the biggest bike in the showroom, the CVO ULTRA CLASSIC ELECTRA GLIDE (what a mouthful)
it sticks out like dogs balls and is a showoff bike for sure. you definately get noticed on that beauty. its only 50 grand (gulp) need the lotto for that one.
think i will stick to the 35 grand bike, which is almost the same bike in the ULTRA CLASSIC ELECTRA GLIDE. I cant see the 15 grand difference for some extra plastics n bits n pieces, but what a bloody beauty these tour models are. gorgeous bikes. i think harley has done a great job with the new range.
even the FLSTN softail looks a treat with whitewall tyres etc. they have a decent range in there. going up to brisy to see that shop n its prices this next few days as well. so far, Brian from Springwood is the best bloke who i think would be great to do business with. ya just get that feeling when ya meet the right salesperson. it all helps.
Is it me, or have Harley prices come down pro-rata these last 3 or 4 years.
low 30's gets u the fully loaded tourer Ultra Classic Electra |glide (what a mouthful), and thats without even haggling. they all seem to have alot of stock, and every time i have been into a HD shop, its a ghost town ? is it the economy.
are the bikes cheaper cause of the economy or have the USA production costs and the aussie dollar just helped ? what u guys think ?
on the harley davidson website u can change colours using their colour chart etc. its a custom colour meaning only a handful are made in that colour apparently and it must cost extra to have it.
the website graphics dont do it justice really compared to seeing it in the flesh.
Welcome to the forum Brett,
FYI , Morgan and Wackers Gold Coast have an open day on the 1st September, and I've been led to believe that they will have the 2013 bikes there.
Carlos
Not true, the 2013 range is being shown to the dealers only in the USA at the factory on that date. Can tell you that certain cvo models have been dropped for 2013 namely cvo steet glide. Believe that the 2013 street glide is different, but not sure what that means.
thanks again for the kind words. alot of good people on here.
will go up to wackers this next day or so and have a chat. one of the things i am finding, is that u really need to see the exact model in the exact colour u want to make a judgement. because dealers have limited stock of each in only a few colours, i am having to visit different shops to see the exact colour to check it.
if i was a millionaire, i would buy a 2012 FLSTN in the custom CVO colour orange (tequila sunrise/hd orange) caus the softail deluxe looks awesome, but for the exta 6 grand, its got to be a tourer with the Ultra Classic Electra Glide in the same colour really. Almost feel like buying the FLSTN for short rides within a few hrs or a few hundred kilometre trip, and the bigger bike for big trips.
how do u pick between these 2 x bikes. friggin hard when u can only buy one. any ideas.lol ??
yeh, i am pretty sold on the electra glide tourer. what a beautiful bike. seems like the best HD Highway hauler for sure which is what i want.
it looks like it is a very comfortable lounge chair on wheels which is what i want and its a head turner in looks. it should go rather well too if i open it right up. wont be long, shld have one before xmas maximum.
Hope you got this sorted by now. Test rides is the only way to know, but be aware that the 'softail' rear end wallows like buggery and the fix, while available, adds another G to the price (and then you have to do the front end to match). The Road Glide is the best HD touring bike by a country mile (rode a 2011 model from LA to Sturgis) but my two-up home ride is a Road King, which I am more than happy with. Horses for courses, I guess.
Cheers,
Damien
Not wanting to say I told you so........................
http://www.morganandwacker.com.au/main/
