Word

Yep.

I get more Harley guys looking at my bike than any other type of rider. 99% positive, 1%'er snubs.

LOL

To be clear, the new Buell is nothing to do with Erik Buell.

When Erik Buell Racing got hit with the recession and went under, an Angel Investor from Michigan (and total bike nut) came in and gave him money to start back up again. Eventually Hero Motorsports became a customer of Eric Buell Racing amd they designed a few small displacement bikes for the Indian market where Hero is a big player. Hero withheld payment until they were millions behind, trying to force Erik to sell them the company to them cheap. It didn’t work, but Erik went under again. The Angel Investor (Bill Melvin) opened a facility in Michigan and is now selling bikes under the Buell Motorcycle brand and Erik wants nothing to do with it and for them to not use his name. He moved on to working on electric bikes and is now retired in WI.

So, the engine is the main carry over from the Buell line in the super cruiser, it was a Rotax engine that Aprilia was slated to get but they stopped paying their bills. Buell got it during their time with Harley as an 1125cc engine, but when he was shut down he just started bringing in the engine parts, then biting them and doing his own head work to turn them into 1190cc monsters. The cruiser won’t have ram air (won’t go fast enough to need it most likely), but it would be reasonable to assume about 150hp at the tire and very strong midrange. It’s basically like a V-Rod engine at a significant weight loss and a slipper clutch which is absolutely needed on this engine.

You saw where I said without Erik right? The Vrod never made sense to me either and I've always said they should have done at least one Dyna with that motor to help it be accepted. You want a good chunk of the "Harley" market to accept it you need to make some traditional looking Harley bikes which is why I mentioned the Super Cruiser. I really want to see an American company do well but as I said I wish Erik was involved or at the helm.

I tend to keep bikes around. And do most of my own work. The only thing I'd have trouble with in converting an 88" to 103" is machining the crankcase, as i don't have access to a knee mill and setup jigs at the moment.

I've ridden the TC88...and the 95...and 103. The latter displacement would work nicely for me when going 2-up. If any more passing power is needed I can throw the ol' lady on one of my other rides, including a couple that'll make her get white knuckles from holding on.

Thoughts regarding a mid 2000s TC are parts availability as many others have pointed out. Maybe an 09/10 - 13 RK and RG. I like the Road Glide setup and a Road King could be configured in a number of ways, from basically stock bodywork all the way to a Bat Wing, Tour Pak and lowers. It's nice having options there, and having a backup bike when I'm servicing the others.

Got a 2001 Roadking. 40k miles.
Just changed the tensioners about 3k miles ago. They were worn but not in the danger zone of coming apart.

Not a difficult job just time consuming. No issues with my cams, bearings or oil pump so back in it went.

It also has the Marelli fuel injection.
Have had no issues with it, runs as good as it did when I bought it.

If the price is right I would go for it. if you plan on interstate cruising get the 6 speed. I mostly ride backroads so the 5 is adequate.

Congrats.  The PanAm is fantastic, I have ridden 3 different trim level PanAms at demo rides, do want.

edited

Or go with gear driven cams or Andrews "N" cams which will enable the use of all 96" OEM parts in the cam chest. Also, you have the opportunity to install performance cams while you're in there.

Got an 85 Low Rider I bought new and a 98 Road King the wife rides.

I'll be looking for an Evo powered geezer glide (Ultra Classic) this summer.

I'll take an Evo or a Shovelhead any day.

Laughing at all the HD hate on this site. Harley's are not for everyone just like anything else in life their are so many different motorcycles because everyone has preferences and intended usage.

Harley's hold their value. Despite what people say they are as reliable as anything else out there. Harley got a bad rap for QC during the AMF years and the fact that people do half ass mods to them that cause issues. I have over 250,000 miles of seat time on various Harley's over the years and the only time I was left stranded was from a flat tire when I wasn't carrying a repair kit. . I currently only have two touring bikes a Road King and a Street Glide. I am looking to add an old school Dyna when I find what I am looking for.

They are torque based motors not horse power motors. If you are chasing dyno sheets they are not going to measure up to a KTM or Ducati but that is not that what they are designed to do. My road king is 126HP/132ft/lbs with the peak torque hitting at 3500rpm which is right where you ride most of the time. I have owned Aprilla (Rotax) Ducati and KTM's as well as some old 1000cc Suzuki TL's. They are all fun in their own way. I just grew out of breaking the speed limit everytime I leave the house.

What does torque based motors mean? My problem has always been that there are plenty of other twins that make the same or more power with less displacement and are able to spin faster as well which can be very handy on a motorcycle.

What did you have to do to get your road king to that level?

Gut the midrange with cams and an open exhaust.

Bump

If I remember correctly 06 is about the worst year Harley you can buy but that nike appears to have been highly modified so the engine issues would likely have been addressed.

Nice looking Indian you got there OP, what's the details on it?

@HiPower1935

2021 Scout Bobber Twenty.....69"/1133cc, 100HP....had 6k miles on it. Thing is mint clean.

I wasn't even looking at bobbers because most of them have lower bars and the geometry doesn't work for me. This one has mini-apes with a low seat and running boards...and it just felt right.  Cruising around last night felt really comfortable. Without a doubt the nicest and most refined bike I've ridden.

Why is an 06 the worst Harley you can buy?

@tnriverluver

Looks brand new!

My Dyna has mini apes and footboards on it, it’s a sweet setup. Spent four hours on it yesterday after I got done with the aforementioned cam chain tensioner mods.

Did your right foot get hot? Nice looking bike but the first thing I noticed was the way the exhaust is routed. I know it has to go somewhere but that looks real close to the foot board, maybe it's just the angle of the photo.

It had something to do with being sort of a one off year or something.  I don't remember exactly what it was.  Read long ago on the Harley forums when I was into them long ago.   Haven't read those forums in many years after buying my 2018 Road Glide new and got into other major interest.  One I think was it was still a 5 speed and the cam tensioner issue was another.  Don't quote me on this as my memory is not what it use to be.

Have you done any two-up touring on a motorcycle that's loaded down with a passenger and gear for two people? A fast spinning, high revving engine isn't what you need there, on the highway or back roads, especially in the mountains. The big twin Harleys are classified as Cruisers or Touring bikes, not Sport bikes.  
A low-end torque cam installed in a Harley will provide increased power through the entire RPM range.

Yet all the sport tourer’s have high revving motors(compared to Harley).

I guess I need to dig up some dyno charts because I would have guessed that many of the modern twins make as much power as a Harley across the board.

Todays mileage.

Never thought I would own a Harley with damm near 190k. 06 Ultra Classic Delphi fuel injected 88 inch 5 speed.

Stock cam tensioners with gray shoes. minimal wear when checked at 175K. And I run 60w Amsoil

This has been a very good ride and I'm not done with it yet. Charging system replaced at 130K, front end rebuilt at same time.
and am on the 3rd drive belt and second set of sprockets.

Dude, that's awesome. It's easy to call Harley engines dinosaurs compared to other brands, but there's something to be said for big, low-revving lumps of iron when you want them to live forever.

Finished converting my Dyna to hydraulic tensioners yesterday, this is the stock inner with 46k miles on it:

Oh yeah? Look what I just bought.

A sport touring bike is part sport bike. They have to be able to rev because their happy place is anywhere above 90 mph.  That's about the top practical speed for a Hog. If you're obsessed with speed and power, don't buy a Harley. One thing I like about Harleys is they they are enjoyable to ride at the posted speed limit.  Sport bikes, not so much.

There’s a lot of truth in the old saying that it’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than a fast bike slow.

Hitting some good twisties at the speed limit on a Harley is fun; hitting them at 20 over on an superbike is still boringly easy.