Requesting info for a friend '09 Ultra classic

[the Ferret]

I'm sure that water flows both directions

[Bheezy27403_imp]

It's a fine example. It does everything it's supposed to its just not my cuppa. My friend will love it though. That's all that matters.

I'll expand later.

[Cormanus]

Where would 95% of the internet motorcycle sites be if they couldn’t fill their dead space with Harley comments. I guess that’s one up side to the brand.

That's a good point, Faulk. We'd probably all know even more about oil.

[cookiemech]

Turns out it's a Road King. Who the heck knows with these things. Rode her home tonight. I'll report in the next couple days when I get a chance. Spoiler alert, I won't be buying a Harley anytime soon.

I have seven (solo) motorcycles, plus the sidecar rig. If I could only own one, it would be the Road King. It is a sweetheart. I think your friend will be very happy with it!

[Bheezy27403_imp]

We went to pick her up about 40 minutes NE of my house. Got to the seller, checked the tires and pressures, BS'd for 5 min then donned my gear.

2007 Road King Custom, 13806 on the clock, very good condition.

Fired right up. I'm glad I don't have any fillings or I wouldn't anymore. At idle it's a paint shaker, seriously. With just a hair of throttle it smoothes out so you can see what behind you in the mirrors and going down the road the vibes aren't anything more than I expected but of course it could never be considered smooth. It has aftermarket slip-ons but is not stupid loud and has a good tone. My Bonneville may be louder. I looked around the cockpit to familiarize myself with the controls. Everything seemed reasonable after I figured out the left and right turn signals were by their respective grips. Fit and finish are nice but I honestly expected a little better.

We hit the road back to the 'Boro with a mix of roads and highways. I was following behind my friend in his car because I didn't know the route so I was only able to do the speed he was. Around town it's a laboring beast a lot to get used to for me. When pulling up to stop signs and the shaking kicks in again it's unsettling as it's hard to come to a even straight stop.

On the highway it shines. When able to get up to 6th gear (70-75) it settles in quite nicely and I can see the one positive I took away from this giant machine. I was only at these speeds for 12-15 minutes but I could have gone to the coast happily. I have never been on a better suited bike to just sit and cruise. It was effortless.

When it comes to the engine it's not so glowing. I was expecting stump pulling torque from this 1573cc V-twin. I mean, that's their claim to fame right? "No horsepower numbers but that doesn't matter because the torque is amazing!" That's what I always heard about their big motors. Gotta say disappointing. Acceleration was not exciting and there is no top end that I noticed. I really thought I was going to roll on throttle in say 3rd gear and enjoy it. Nope. Perhaps a Harley engineer took a note from Honda's book and detuned the massive engine for style.

The brakes were fine. No issues there. Maybe I just never got going fast enough to really check them out.

Overall there are a few items that I didn't like about his aftermarket choices like the metal hand grips. Just silly if you are wearing gloves as you really have no grip. And the windshield was right in my line of vision. I had to stretch to see over it and crouch to see through it. My buddy is shorter so he may not have a problem with this. These are also just ergonomic/finish choices that can be addressed.

I know my friend is over the moon to have it and we can tailor it to him. He is a very sedate rider and the cruiser will suite him fine. He is the one that needs to be happy with it, not me. So I wish him many happy miles.

I'll stick with standards thank you very much.

[Cormanus]

Thanks, Bheezy. Interesting review. As long as your mate likes it ...

[Houtman_imp]

Thank you for the honest review.

[cookiemech]

Yep, I think in just that one ride you observed those things that didn't please me about my 2007 Road King (mine was the standard FLHR, but the drivetrain is identical). I was NOT impressed with the Twin Cam motor, particularly when coupled with that overly high gearing. Not a torquer, though you might think it would be. They do shake at idle. Lot of Harley guys like that, so in fact a bit of shake was re-engineered into the current (Milwaukee Eight) engine, though since it has a counterbalancer, it was possible to tune it out (which is done in the "B" engine used in the Softail chassis).

Irrelevant to your friend, since he has an older bike, but the new engine (Milwaukee Eight) is worlds better than the Twin Cam (IMO, obviously; lot of Harley guys say it's "too smooth", etc.) The M8 makes gobs more torque and power. It still has a bit of shake at idle, but is silky smooth just as soon as you're rolling.

I believe that the Road King Custom's last year of production was 2007. and they never sold in great numbers, so your friend's bike is a little bit special!

[Bheezy27403_imp]

I thought perhaps he had it "tuned" for the shake as it was just unbelievably bad. I can't for the life of me imagine why this would be something anyone could live with.

A friend of mine who works on old Harleys said the same to me, that the former engine, I believe the "Evo" was a great engine and that the twin cam was disappointing. I don't know anything about the "Evo" but agree that the twin cam is lackluster to say the least.

Again Cookie, I appreciate all of your knowledge of these bikes. I just have no idea about them (as they have never appealed to me). I also thank you for not getting butt hurt about the brand. So many Harley folks would have ripped me for an honest review. This forum is great.

[cookiemech]

I have a nearby friend who is a collector and mechanic on antique Harleys. He and other serious old school Harley guys have told me that the Evo engine was superior to the Twin Cam that followed for various reasons. Not having ridden your friend's Road King Custom, it's hard to say if it has the "normal" vibration. There are several things that could make the usual vibration characteristics become extreme and very irritating, one of which is worn or damaged engine mounts (the engine on a 2007 is rubber-mounted in three places; not unusual for the front lower mount to fail). I am not one of the Harley "faithful", and if my experience with my first H-D in 2007 had been unsatisfactory, I would have dumped it immediately. You shouldn't find the vibration to be in any way painful or irritating once above a slow walking pace; it should be smooth and pleasant at any speed.

If your friend should find the bike to be irritating to ride, I urge him to determine whether the bike is "normal" (like, have another experienced Harley rider take it out for a ride) and make any repairs or changes needed before concluding that it's a bad bike.

(I like most motorcycles. Only brand I cannot deal with is Moto Guzzi; I've owned two and never will again. Lots of people are passionate about them; I hate them and will never own another. Maybe it's body chemistry.)