Calling all Harley experts..Advice on used Harley

[FADEC]

Thinking about buying a used Harley. Right now looking at a 2009 dyna fat bob, and a 2005 deuce. Both are online so I can't physically look at them. I can get the dyna for not a whole lot more than the deuce.

Let me say I have been riding for over 40 years but only Japanesse bikes. I've had everything from dirt bikes, to 1100cc Ninja's to Goldwings. Never owned a harley but rode a few over the years.

What are the main differences between the FI 96 with 6 speed and the 88 carbed with 5 speed??

Handling, Softail VS Dyna

What about comfort? I don't plan on thaking long trips but 100-300 miles on a weekend would be a possibility.

Any issues, quirks, etc.?

What about bang for the buck and resale values?

The friends I have that bike don't ride harleys, so their no help.

Thanks for all advice. Tom

 

[Loobed]

resale? It is about supply and demand. Harley sold a lot of motorcycles in the last 15 years. People will eventually start to sell those bikes and there wont be many buyers. Don't expect a Harley to go up in value anytime soon.

If you want a nice American looking bike, look at a victory, or at least test ride one.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: Loobed


resale? It is about supply and demand. Harley sold a lot of motorcycles in the last 15 years. People will eventually start to sell those bikes and there wont be many buyers. Don't expect a Harley to go up in value anytime soon.

If you want a nice American looking bike, look at a victory, or at least test ride one.


Interesting comment. Why won't there be many buyers for used Harleys?? It seems like something that sold fairly well when new, and has a almost cult following world wide, would have little trouble selling used, providing it was taken care of (which most Harleys are) and priced right.

I don't expect a Harley or any other brand of bike to go up in value soon, unless it was a special or limited production model, that was mothballed and rolled out to sell thirty years later with 18 miles on it!!

As far as the Victory, yes they are nice looking, but I'll pass thank you.....

 

[fxrider]

2005 was not the best year for those motors. the 2005 heads had [censored] valves & Valve seals & in 2006 the were changed to behive valve springs a getter valves & seals. plus the 2009 is a rubber mount engine, better ride.. get the Dyna..

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: fxrider
2005 was not the best year for those motors. the 2005 heads had [censored] valves & Valve seals & in 2006 the were changed to behive valve springs a getter valves & seals. plus the 2009 is a rubber mount engine, better ride.. get the Dyna..


fxrider Thanks for your comments/advice!!! Hoping to get a few more before I make a decision. Tom

 

[Clevy]

Get the 09. I've got an 08 street bob,except I'm 106 now. The 96" has more bottom end and mid-range torque because they are the same bore but the 96" is a longer stroke. With enough money you can get 120tq out of the 88" or 96".
The dyna line is like a big sporty,with mids their well balanced.
I'm biased cause mines an 08 so I'm going with the newer one. It's got better fuel injection so easier tuning.
Dyna is my vote.
And the 6 speed tranny alone is worth the bike. On the highway it just purrs.
First time I rode my bike I didn't give it back. It was a test ride that became permanent.

 

[GMBoy]

I've got both a 2004 Dyna Lowrider (1 of 75 made 100th Commemorative edition Ford/Harley edition) and a 2002 Softail Deuce. I love the softail better for the Twin Cam B engine. It is smoother than the dyna at idle - nothing shakes like the rubber mounted dyna. Now, on the highway the Dyna is like butter smooth and handling is better than the softail for sure.

The Dyna is a good, low to the ground bike with lots goodies available for it whereas the Deuce has been discontinued and the custom parts made for it are not as plentiful. However, looks wise the Deuce is hard to beat.

I guess, based on your post, the Dyna would be better for you. It is VERY easy to handle too.

 

[Finn]

If I was again shopping for a Harley today I would look at pre-2003 Twin Cams and last of the Evo engined models, both would be carb instead of EFI.

 

[Lead Shoes]

Everyone screams HARLEY when they want an "American" made bike, but I agree with the above posts, there were A LOT of Harleys made in recent years, if you want one that will hold value buy a vintage model, real Harley enthusiasts will appreciate it more than anything newer and the ride will pretty similar.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: Brenden
Everyone screams HARLEY when they want an "American" made bike, but I agree with the above posts, there were A LOT of Harleys made in recent years, if you want one that will hold value buy a vintage model, real Harley enthusiasts will appreciate it more than anything newer and the ride will pretty similar.



I would not recommend any pre EVO H-D to anyone that does not like to tinker with machines and has the tools and capability to do so. The older twins can be durable but need more attention. But an EVO powered FXR would be a good bike to find.

 

[FADEC]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I've got both a 2004 Dyna Lowrider (1 of 75 made 100th Commemorative edition Ford/Harley edition) and a 2002 Softail Deuce. I love the softail better for the Twin Cam B engine. It is smoother than the dyna at idle - nothing shakes like the rubber mounted dyna. Now, on the highway the Dyna is like butter smooth and handling is better than the softail for sure.

The Dyna is a good, low to the ground bike with lots goodies available for it whereas the Deuce has been discontinued and the custom parts made for it are not as plentiful. However, looks wise the Deuce is hard to beat.

I guess, based on your post, the Dyna would be better for you. It is VERY easy to handle too.


So even though the dyna shakes alot at idle, it gets much smoother when underway?

Will probably pursue the 2009 dyna. Now have to agree on the price. Tom

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: daddi
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I've got both a 2004 Dyna Lowrider (1 of 75 made 100th Commemorative edition Ford/Harley edition) and a 2002 Softail Deuce. I love the softail better for the Twin Cam B engine. It is smoother than the dyna at idle - nothing shakes like the rubber mounted dyna. Now, on the highway the Dyna is like butter smooth and handling is better than the softail for sure.

The Dyna is a good, low to the ground bike with lots goodies available for it whereas the Deuce has been discontinued and the custom parts made for it are not as plentiful. However, looks wise the Deuce is hard to beat.

I guess, based on your post, the Dyna would be better for you. It is VERY easy to handle too.


So even though the dyna shakes alot at idle, it gets much smoother when underway?

Will probably pursue the 2009 dyna. Now have to agree on the price. Tom



Yes, all the rubber mounted bikes shake at idle but smooth out right off idle and when cruising. Look at a Softail at a redlight and you won't see any shaking. Just 2 different ways to smooth the ride..softails use a different version of the Twin Cam engine (called the Twin Cam B) that has a counter balancer to smooth it out. The rubber mounted Dynas and Dressers etc use the regular Twin Cam but rely on the rubber motor mounts to smooth it out.

 

[Finn]

My 2004 RKC did shake a bit idling but smoothed out to a pleasant sign of living engine after pulling away from lights. 2002 Deuce with Twin Cam B engine with balance shafts was smoother but while driving both were comfortable.

I did test buddy's ca. 1999 Sportster once but the rigid mounted engine made me feel literally sick.

 

[Clevy]

Yes. It smooths out as soon as the rev increase while in motion. The counter-balanced engines make less power that the rubber mounted ones.
I had an 06 1100 v-star before the Harley. It was a great bike however it vibrated to the point of making my arms numb once you got to 55mph and faster. And it didn't quite fit me either.
The Harley at first didnt interest me at all but I needed a bike for a poker run because my girl was going to ride the v-star that day.
The Harley was heavier but not unmanageable. Once we got onto the open road that was it for me,I was hooked.
The stock 96" isn't bad however I am power hungry. We put cams,new jugs,and pistons,headwork and a tuner. Bikes got 107hp/115tq now. I'm much happier with it.
I've got a pair of straight shot slip ins for your bike if you buy the dyna. I removed the exhaust in favour of a 2 into 1.
Take em both for a long ride,the right bike will speak to you.

If you think we get into oil talks here you should see the Harley guys. At least the info here comes from posters who are very knowledgeable about it. The Harley guys are not quite as smart

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Yes. It smooths out as soon as the rev increase while in motion. The counter-balanced engines make less power that the rubber mounted ones.
I had an 06 1100 v-star before the Harley. It was a great bike however it vibrated to the point of making my arms numb once you got to 55mph and faster. And it didn't quite fit me either.
The Harley at first didnt interest me at all but I needed a bike for a poker run because my girl was going to ride the v-star that day.
The Harley was heavier but not unmanageable. Once we got onto the open road that was it for me,I was hooked.
The stock 96" isn't bad however I am power hungry. We put cams,new jugs,and pistons,headwork and a tuner. Bikes got 107hp/115tq now. I'm much happier with it.
I've got a pair of straight shot slip ins for your bike if you buy the dyna. I removed the exhaust in favour of a 2 into 1.
Take em both for a long ride,the right bike will speak to you.

If you think we get into oil talks here you should see the Harley guys. At least the info here comes from posters who are very knowledgeable about it. The Harley guys are not quite as smart


Nice post. You are correct, the counter balanced B motors make less power than the regular Twin Cams....but it is only like 1hp and that is well worth the smoothness provided by the counterbalancer for softail use.

 

[Clevy]

Perhaps on paper it's 1hp however I've ridden a brothers dyna lo with an 88 and a softy with the counter-balanced 88 and I can say there is a very noticeable difference in the power levels. And yes the softy doesn't shake at idle but there is a significant engine vibration feel through the handle bars at 55+ mph where the dyna was much smoother at highway speeds.
Most riders wouldn't notice the power difference. The only reason I could tell was because we were green to red racing and I couldn't catch the dyna on the softy.
I read all the Harley hate,the stuff about reliability and breakdowns however the twin cams seem to be going 100k miles now pretty regularly.
And nothing sounds like a Harley. The shovelhead guys hate the twin cams and that's fine. While they are changing points and stopping to put matches in there,I'm enjoying the ride.

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: daddi
Originally Posted By: Loobed


resale? It is about supply and demand. Harley sold a lot of motorcycles in the last 15 years. People will eventually start to sell those bikes and there wont be many buyers. Don't expect a Harley to go up in value anytime soon.

If you want a nice American looking bike, look at a victory, or at least test ride one.


Interesting comment. Why won't there be many buyers for used Harleys?? It seems like something that sold fairly well when new, and has a almost cult following world wide, would have little trouble selling used, providing it was taken care of (which most Harleys are) and priced right.


Most of the people who bought Harleys in the last 20 years were baby boomers with money. They already had house that was paid for and had a lot of extra income. The economy is tough now, and it won't be getting better anytime soon. Very few of the younger people will have extra money laying around to buy a $20,000 bike. Anyone who does will most likely buy a new one with a warranty.


Harleys are a fad like cabbage patch dolls and beanie babies. There were a lot of cults in the past and there will be many cults in the future. Most of the time cultists commit suicide, get send to jail, or lose all their money.


Have you test rode a BMW?

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Perhaps on paper it's 1hp however I've ridden a brothers dyna lo with an 88 and a softy with the counter-balanced 88 and I can say there is a very noticeable difference in the power levels. And yes the softy doesn't shake at idle but there is a significant engine vibration feel through the handle bars at 55+ mph where the dyna was much smoother at highway speeds.
Most riders wouldn't notice the power difference. The only reason I could tell was because we were green to red racing and I couldn't catch the dyna on the softy.
I read all the Harley hate,the stuff about reliability and breakdowns however the twin cams seem to be going 100k miles now pretty regularly.
And nothing sounds like a Harley. The shovelhead guys hate the twin cams and that's fine. While they are changing points and stopping to put matches in there,I'm enjoying the ride.


You may not have caught my original reply where I stated I own both a Dyna Lowrider and a Softail Deuce...I am aware of the differences you mention of. I still prefer the Softail for the looks, lack of shake and riding position.

 

[bkingrider]

As a self made multi millonaire and owner of around 20 bikes it is amazing how stupid people like LOOBED sound. Harley controls over 70% of the U.S. market and that ain't gonna change any time soon.
I own most of the desirable bikes and like my moderately stroked Harley Deuce the best. 2nd would be the Suzuki 1340 B-King.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: bkingrider
As a self made multi millonaire and owner of around 20 bikes it is amazing how stupid people like LOOBED sound. Harley controls over 70% of the U.S. market and that ain't gonna change any time soon.
I own most of the desirable bikes and like my moderately stroked Harley Deuce the best. 2nd would be the Suzuki 1340 B-King.


More like 50 percent, but world wide they don not compete nearly as well. Good bikes, but I feel they are often overpriced. Id like one, but I find my Triumph to be a much more friendly bike to ride than my fathers FXDL Harley.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/harley-davidson-remains-outperform-153018666.html