Trade up or not?

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Trade up or not?

2/3

imoo6170
4 years ago

Quoting imoo6170 on 01 May 2020 10:56 PM
For me personally it really depends on couple of things.
1 - Are you sick of it and want a new bike. If yes then trade it.
2 - if you are not sick of it, what type of riding do you like - straights (just normal riding) or twisties (not the snack food). As Mickle said yours will kill a breakout (and probably most other Harley's) in the twisties. If you want to go even faster in the twisties look at your suspension front and back - it will help. If it is the straights then do an engine upgrade (although I would still do the suspension as well).

For the twisties I have an 2010 XR which has the stock XR 1200 engine (be it that the factory put a bit more effort into it than the normal stock sporty 1200) and none of the new bikes get near it. Of course it is a very different situation in the straights but for me "who cares" as I like twisties.

Quoting inkaporka on 02 May 2020 03:04 AM
Yep thanks for the input mate - I am not sick of the bike, and there is a lot about it I like. Its been great getting views and opinions from the forum, I will test ride the Breakout but am not committed one way or the other, but after the last few days of thought am leaning toward spending some cash on the Fat Bob and enjoying it for years to come.

Quoting mickle on 02 May 2020 04:38 AM
When you test ride ensure you take it around a couple of roundabouts.

Very good point (which is not often experienced when test riding).

Ratbob
4 years ago

Quoting imoo6170 on 01 May 2020 10:56 PM
For me personally it really depends on couple of things.
1 - Are you sick of it and want a new bike. If yes then trade it.
2 - if you are not sick of it, what type of riding do you like - straights (just normal riding) or twisties (not the snack food). As Mickle said yours will kill a breakout (and probably most other Harley's) in the twisties. If you want to go even faster in the twisties look at your suspension front and back - it will help. If it is the straights then do an engine upgrade (although I would still do the suspension as well).

For the twisties I have an 2010 XR which has the stock XR 1200 engine (be it that the factory put a bit more effort into it than the normal stock sporty 1200) and none of the new bikes get near it. Of course it is a very different situation in the straights but for me "who cares" as I like twisties.

Quoting inkaporka on 02 May 2020 03:04 AM
Yep thanks for the input mate - I am not sick of the bike, and there is a lot about it I like. Its been great getting views and opinions from the forum, I will test ride the Breakout but am not committed one way or the other, but after the last few days of thought am leaning toward spending some cash on the Fat Bob and enjoying it for years to come.

Quoting mickle on 02 May 2020 04:38 AM
When you test ride ensure you take it around a couple of roundabouts.

Oh yeah, that’s a must, ones with a good bit of camber !

RossW
4 years ago

Quoting inkaporka on 02 May 2020 03:04 AM
Yep thanks for the input mate - I am not sick of the bike, and there is a lot about it I like. Its been great getting views and opinions from the forum, I will test ride the Breakout but am not committed one way or the other, but after the last few days of thought am leaning toward spending some cash on the Fat Bob and enjoying it for years to come.

Quoting mickle on 02 May 2020 04:38 AM
When you test ride ensure you take it around a couple of roundabouts.

Quoting Ratbob on 02 May 2020 06:34 AM
Oh yeah, that’s a must, ones with a good bit of camber !

Roundabouts are the nemesis of my SportGlide

Big Steve
4 years ago

About 2 years ago I wanted to add another harley to the stable.
I had to decide between buying new and spending a few grand on it or buying used and spending much much more. I chose the later and I have no regrets. Now I have a Fat Bob for daily commuting and a Fat Bob hot rod for beating on.

It was a fun process. A year gathering parts, 4 months in pieces. there were some mistakes made (by me) meaning the process was at times frustrating but I thorougly enjoyed it. I'm not done yet but i'm putting miles on the bike and getting it the way I like it.

If I had to do it over again I would, but thats vbecause it was my second bike and I could afford it being down. If I only had 1 bike I would opt for a new one to minimise downtime.

Smokey61
4 years ago

Quoting Ratbob on 01 May 2020 05:04 AMedited: 01 May 2020 05:15 AM
I have a 2009 FXDFSE. Very happy with the handling and torquey motor but like you thought it was getting old so why not change, mind you I never considered moving to a Fatboy or Breakout as trading UP.
For one they are Softails, Twin Cam or M8 they run balance shafts that rob them of the Dyna’s bite.
That said I really wanted an M8 Fatboy, like the look, then I rode one, bloody thing tried to kill me. They simply don’t handle with ease. So then I tried both a Twin Cam and M8 Breakout. The lighter wheels gave it an edge on handling but during the test I didn’t find a huge difference in handling characteristics both fucking horrid.
I see a few guys add the 50mm longer Wideglide forks to lift the front plus pulled back bars or apes for comfort.
Really looking forward to hearing your thoughts after a ride.

Quoting inkaporka on 02 May 2020 03:06 AM
On longer forktubes, I would assume there's a handling penalty paid there, or not?

The limiting factor on most Harleys isn't the handling, it's the cornering clearance.

wello
4 years ago

Quoting mickle on 02 May 2020 04:38 AM
When you test ride ensure you take it around a couple of roundabouts.

Quoting Ratbob on 02 May 2020 06:34 AM
Oh yeah, that’s a must, ones with a good bit of camber !

Quoting RossW on 02 May 2020 09:14 AM
Roundabouts are the nemesis of my SportGlide

mine to , but only because of the bassani exhaust .. im pretty sure the standard pipe would be fine.
my old 2014 ultra would also scape on both sides but the new one no such problem .

Choco
4 years ago

I remember when the Breakout first came out couldn't wait to test ride one man was I disappointed. At the first roundabout I nearly went through it not round it the bike just stood up on me not what I was expecting. What I am saying and no not knocking Breakout owners many love them but when you test ride one go for a good test ride and get the real feel for the bike to late once you buy one.

RossW
4 years ago

Quoting Ratbob on 02 May 2020 06:34 AM
Oh yeah, that’s a must, ones with a good bit of camber !

Quoting RossW on 02 May 2020 09:14 AM
Roundabouts are the nemesis of my SportGlide

Quoting wello on 04 May 2020 12:02 AM
mine to , but only because of the bassani exhaust .. im pretty sure the standard pipe would be fine.
my old 2014 ultra would also scape on both sides but the new one no such problem .

I've found the right hand footrest trivially easy to scrape. The left one(and the side stand) a bit less easy. On most bikes I chicken out long before anything touches the ground.

Ratbob
4 years ago

Quoting RossW on 02 May 2020 09:14 AM
Roundabouts are the nemesis of my SportGlide

Quoting wello on 04 May 2020 12:02 AM
mine to , but only because of the bassani exhaust .. im pretty sure the standard pipe would be fine.
my old 2014 ultra would also scape on both sides but the new one no such problem .

Quoting RossW on 04 May 2020 04:06 AM
I've found the right hand footrest trivially easy to scrape. The left one(and the side stand) a bit less easy. On most bikes I chicken out long before anything touches the ground.

I reckon old chicken reflex has saved many lives. Including mine.

Baloffski
4 years ago

Skidded last week on left floorboard round a fucken round about, straightened me up immediately.
Why, was I put the original rear shocks back on while rebuilding the Fornales, was lower.
On my old fatboy I had curved 3/4 inch steel under floorboards so did wear the cunts down. Chicken reflex, nah reckon sphintersurvival.

leachy
4 years ago

Hi Inkaporka,
I was in a similar situation to you about 12 months ago. I have a 2016 Low Rider and was happy enough with it but had the urge to get a little more out of it. Mine came with the stage 1 from new but I was tossing up about trading in on a new M8 because everyone said they were a lot better. To be fair they probably are when you compare stock for stock, but to be honest a stock 103 Harley is pretty docile. My 103 now has Progressive 940 rear shocks and Legend cartridge inserts up front and Sputhie engine mounts and over a stock M8 it handles much better and goes just as well. However I think if you wanted to you would be able to get a better bike out of an M8, if you were prepared to spend the money, new bike plus new suspension.

I have other bikes so I had to stop and look at what a characteristics of a Harley and why I have it and what I like about it. There aren't to many GP bikes that look like a Harley out on the track these days.

inkaporka
4 years ago

Quoting leachy on 05 May 2020 11:46 PM
Hi Inkaporka,
I was in a similar situation to you about 12 months ago. I have a 2016 Low Rider and was happy enough with it but had the urge to get a little more out of it. Mine came with the stage 1 from new but I was tossing up about trading in on a new M8 because everyone said they were a lot better. To be fair they probably are when you compare stock for stock, but to be honest a stock 103 Harley is pretty docile. My 103 now has Progressive 940 rear shocks and Legend cartridge inserts up front and Sputhie engine mounts and over a stock M8 it handles much better and goes just as well. However I think if you wanted to you would be able to get a better bike out of an M8, if you were prepared to spend the money, new bike plus new suspension.

I have other bikes so I had to stop and look at what a characteristics of a Harley and why I have it and what I like about it. There aren't to many GP bikes that look like a Harley out on the track these days.

Thanks for that mate - I am definitely leaning toward spending some money on the Fat Bob - engine, suspension, brakes maybe some paint. I have had a lot of bikes over the years, jappers, Dukes & a Sportster back in the day but I really do like the basics of the Fat Bob. I think to an extent I am lured by the thought of owning a new bike, I do like the look of the new Breakout and I prefer the legs-out riding stance - I took a Fat Bob for a spin but couldn't wait to get it back to the shop as the riding position was way too upright. The M8 also seems too refined, I like the way the twin-cam 103 sounds & feels, but some more torque would be good. I would go straight for the 110 Stage 4, but would also appreciate the opinions of others on this.

Cheers and thanks again for your input.

leachy
4 years ago

I guess if you want outright power the M8 has more possibilities, as its a bigger engine and it has the counter balance to smooth the big pistons out, plus it has 4 valves per cylinder to get more air/fuel flow, I think it is a better engine mechanically its just a newer generation, and it had to be made to comply with new regulations.
I rode a stockish Low Rider S 110 at the time when I bought mine, I think it was just the exhaust mod but it was way too loud, the engine had lots of torque, I have a feeling it had the stock cam but it was right there from low rpm. I found it a little difficult to ride actually slow because it had so much straight off idle. I find my 103 adequate but it would be nice to have that little bit more, in theory if you get the right cam in a 103 that should be pretty good as well without compromising reliability and needing to change pistons. But hey I guess you cant beat cubic inches if you have the money.

I know Western Sydney Harley have a number of second hand low Rider s in there at the moment you could maybe take for a run as a comparison if you live in Sydney.

Big Steve
4 years ago

Spend money on your Fat Bob
I have:
Power Vision on a Hd bar mount
Cams
Arlen Ness Big Sucker
Healtech Quick Shifter
D&D Bob Cat in Chrome
Mustang Wide Tripper
Daymakers
Trask 8" Risers
RSD 4" Moto Bars
Biltwell Grips
HD Tribal Mirrors
Crossthread Mini boards
Tribar LED Tail light
Racetech springs and gold valve emulators up front
ProAction Rear shocks
Free Spirits Engine Stabiliser kit
Speed Merchant Bash Guard
Galfer Wave Rotors (I have a set of brembos and radial mounts to go on)
Powdercoated Fat Bob wheels

Built for me to my specs and couldn't be happer (well there is still a long list to do but hey, its a project)

leachy
4 years ago

Nice bike Big Steve, customization for me owning a Harley and like you said its yours. A new M8 would be nice too but at the end of the day is there that big a difference after you have made the upgrades.
Did the wave rotors make much of a difference?

Big Steve
4 years ago

Quoting leachy on 07 May 2020 02:08 AMedited: 07 May 2020 02:11 AM
Nice bike Big Steve, customization for me owning a Harley and like you said its yours. A new M8 would be nice too but at the end of the day is there that big a difference after you have made the upgrades.
Did the wave rotors make much of a difference?

Thanks leachy

For me it was also because my daily beater bike is also a fat bob so now for the most part I only need to keep one set of spares (and because fat bobs aren't as popular as some models i've been able to build up quite a good parts stash ensuring i'm covered for a lot of things for many years)

The combination of the wave rotors and also the brake lines. We fitted Venhill lines from dual banjos from the master cylinder to the calipers so the combination of better floating rotors and more fluid - yes definately feel it. So much so I haven't been in a huge rush to complete the Brembo install.

crowster69
4 years ago

As stated above you may be happy with a camchange and tuner motor wise for a while anyway.
https://university.fuelmotousa.com/article/h-d-twin-cam-103-camshaft-shootout/

inkaporka
4 years ago

Quoting crowster69 on 12 May 2020 02:27 AM
As stated above you may be happy with a camchange and tuner motor wise for a while anyway.
https://university.fuelmotousa.com/article/h-d-twin-cam-103-camshaft-shootout/

Thanks for that - as a footnote to this thread id just like to thank all who provided input, I will probably test ride the Breakout but have pretty much committed to keeping the Fat Bob & spending some money on engine & brake upgrades, some paint & maybe some LED indicators. Its a great bike and the arguments against using $20 to have a new bike are stacking up.

Cheers.

inkaporka
4 years ago

Update - the bike is booked in for an engine upgrade Friday, very much looking fwd to seeing what a difference that makes - was talked out of the tyre shredder option btw and am going for 107, cams & some headwork, significantly less expensive and should have advantages for engine longevity.
Next step will be paint & LED indicators, may look at a brake upgrade depending on how the additional torque & hp goes.

Will post updates as they happen, thanks again for the input.

Cheers!

Ratbob
4 years ago

Quoting inkaporka on 19 Oct 2020 07:29 PM
Update - the bike is booked in for an engine upgrade Friday, very much looking fwd to seeing what a difference that makes - was talked out of the tyre shredder option btw and am going for 107, cams & some headwork, significantly less expensive and should have advantages for engine longevity.
Next step will be paint & LED indicators, may look at a brake upgrade depending on how the additional torque & hp goes.

Will post updates as they happen, thanks again for the input.

Cheers!

Did you test ride the Breakout and if so what did you think of it?

Topics

2/3

Trade up or not?

Trade up or not?

imoo6170

Ratbob

RossW

Big Steve

Smokey61

wello

Choco

RossW

Ratbob

Baloffski

leachy

inkaporka

leachy

Big Steve

leachy

Big Steve

crowster69

inkaporka

inkaporka

Ratbob