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Quoted: All you need to do to bump an 88" TwinCam up to 95" is have the cylinders bored and install HD Screamin' Eagle flat top pistons and rings. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: How readily available are the 95" and 103" kits for that series of Twin Cam bikes? Buddy/coworker bought a Road King in the early 2000s. I think it was an '06. Got the 103" cylinder and stroker crank upgrade, cams to match, S-E mufflers and a tune job. Put a King Tour Pak on the back and proceeded to ride the thing everywhere. I'd get this one. Though I have my eyes out for a '10-13 Road Glide and Road King. Get both. All you need to do to bump an 88" TwinCam up to 95" is have the cylinders bored and install HD Screamin' Eagle flat top pistons and rings. At one time H-D offered the 95" kit (cylinders, pistons, etc) and the 103" kit (stroker crank plus the above) for the 88" T-C. Is that still the case or is it pistons only now? |
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Quoted: Oh no, I stated facts and you refute them perfectly with this brilliant retort! How will I ever go on Those that ride... know. And that is why all Hardley Abelson has left as it smokes into the dumpster is newbies who don't know better, and old posers who are too afraid of anything that challenges their identity, being all wrapped up in that harley lifestyle. Kinda pathetic really. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Did the harley dealer salesman not acknowledge you when you walked with your skinny jeans and man purse? Awful butt hurt. Oh no, I stated facts and you refute them perfectly with this brilliant retort! How will I ever go on Those that ride... know. And that is why all Hardley Abelson has left as it smokes into the dumpster is newbies who don't know better, and old posers who are too afraid of anything that challenges their identity, being all wrapped up in that harley lifestyle. Kinda pathetic really. Someone from Kansas talking about “those that ride, know” and trying to call out posers? Lmfao. Okay. I’ve ridden all over this country on my Streetglide and if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that when I see someone in the ditch because they took a curve wrong in some canyon or on a mountain, they’re usually from Kansas or Florida. And it doesn’t matter what bike they were riding. |
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Quoted: Someone from Kansas talking about “those that ride, know” and trying to call out posers? Lmfao. Okay. I’ve ridden all over this country on my Streetglide and if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that when I see someone in the ditch because they took a curve wrong in some canyon or on a mountain, they’re usually from Kansas or Florida. And it doesn’t matter what bike they were riding. View Quote Question Lonestar, do you have horns? Because I think we can narrow this down quickly... |
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Quoted: My 04 custom had forward controls when I bought it and I changed them to low brow custom mids. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Thanks. I'm really digging the looks of it. The only thing I don't like is the forward controls. I'm a fan of mids. @pointblanke My 04 custom had forward controls when I bought it and I changed them to low brow custom mids. Very good to know, thanks! |
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In my unscientific sampling, Harleys are over represented in the “sitting by the side of the road, rider with helmet and gloves off using phone” group.
I housed one for a while while my BIL was getting it sold. It was fun, loud, and extremely effective at relieving constipation (no counterbalancer). |
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Quoted: In my unscientific sampling, Harleys are over represented in the “sitting by the side of the road, rider with helmet and gloves off using phone” group. I housed one for a while while my BIL was getting it sold. It was fun, loud, and extremely effective at relieving constipation (no counterbalancer). View Quote In fairness they still sell more over 600cc bikes than every other brand combined. Or if that has changed it has been very recent. There are a shit ton of Harleys in America and speaking of riders and who is actually on the road the answer is certainly Harley riders. But again, only because of the numbers out there. You can easily find any brand of motorcycle that gets bought and then just sits there. There are certainly like new ADV bikes for sale everyday. Hell I bought a 13 year old DR650 with only 600 miles on it. And if they do sit there…who cares? How does that affect my own riding at all? I ride how and when I want. But I know when I ride down the road the bikes I notice are non-Harley’s…like me. I notice them because they are probably one in ten, hell probably one in twenty. |
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Quoted: There are a shit ton of Harleys in America and speaking of riders and who is actually on the road the answer is certainly Harley riders.. View Quote That many broken down and stranded piles of shit still out there, stuck on the side of the road, huh? Damn, it's worse than Chevrolets |
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Quoted: I can't wait to invite you to the official Harley bankruptcy thread. At least the few remaining American Hardley workers that still have jobs after Hardley shipped most of them overseas can get a new job with a reputable American company for a change. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Its just BigPolska. He trolls every Harley thread. I can't wait to invite you to the official Harley bankruptcy thread. At least the few remaining American Hardley workers that still have jobs after Hardley shipped most of them overseas can get a new job with a reputable American company for a change. Funny thing is the HD plant in York has been hiring |
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Quoted: Funny thing is the HD plant in York has been hiring View Quote Probably because Harley had a very good year last year. The company has refocused and made some significant moves in the last couple years. Their ADV bike has been a hit and I am surprised at how many people I am seeing talk about picking one up. In fact I truly believe the Pan-America is what is inspiring BMW to get with it on the R1300GS and hopefully drop a decent amount of weight. |
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I wouldn't be concerned with how long it has sat. The thing about Harley is the massive aftermarket parts you can buy for them.
I bought an old XLCH 1000 Ironhead that had sat for years in a garage under a tarp. Took it to custom chopper shop that I knew the owner, we went over it, replaced all fluids, new battery, replaced the typical stuff and fired it up. I changed all the factory stuff, stripped it down to a bobber style and rode that bike for a few years before selling for far more than I paid for it. |
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Quoted: I have about fifteen bikes, plated and unplated. But hardley guys don't know the difference between a Hodoka and a Honda, so why does it matter? Really want a new Montesa, but bought the wife a new pickup instead View Quote You're right, I'm a Sportster guy and I don't know the obscure brand Hodaka (spelled correctly lol) that went out of business in 1978 Props to you if you have a barn full of old bikes. |
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Quoted: I can't wait to invite you to the official Harley bankruptcy thread. At least the few remaining American Hardley workers that still have jobs after Hardley shipped most of them overseas can get a new job with a reputable American company for a change. View Quote Someone competent will snap Harley up, probably someone with Adults in charge. And yes, Harley will change. They have to, because their core customer base is dying…. Literally. The average age of a Harley customer is pushing 70, and 70 year olds don’t have a lot of bikes left in them. This is why they came out with the water cooled engine in the Panamerica… the most lucrative segment in motorcycling is the big bore adventure bike market . Middle aged guys have a lot of money for bikes like BMW GS Adventure bikes and Harley needs a piece of that whether their core customer group of old men and wanna-be’s approve or not. Those guys aren’t buying bikes. There is a huge separation in motorcycling these days, a low end entry level that is affordable and high end, high dollar enthusiast bikes. Harley doesn’t really have anything like that other than the Sportster that they just axed. |
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Quoted: In fairness they still sell more over 600cc bikes than every other brand combined. Or if that has changed it has been very recent. There are a shit ton of Harleys in America and speaking of riders and who is actually on the road the answer is certainly Harley riders. But again, only because of the numbers out there. You can easily find any brand of motorcycle that gets bought and then just sits there. There are certainly like new ADV bikes for sale everyday. Hell I bought a 13 year old DR650 with only 600 miles on it. And if they do sit there…who cares? How does that affect my own riding at all? I ride how and when I want. But I know when I ride down the road the bikes I notice are non-Harley’s…like me. I notice them because they are probably one in ten, hell probably one in twenty. View Quote That’s just it… there are a shit ton of Harley’s in the USA… plenty of good clean used Harley’s to pick from that don’t cost a mint at the dealership. When you don’t make regular changes to your product line to stay fresh, this happens. What Harley sells today just isn’t that different to what they sold 20 years ago and dudes like OP get nice bikes for a fraction. |
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Quoted: Someone competent will snap Harley up, probably someone with Adults in charge. And yes, Harley will change. They have to, because their core customer base is dying…. Literally. The average age of a Harley customer is pushing 70, and 70 year olds don’t have a lot of bikes left in them. This is why they came out with the water cooled engine in the Panamerica… the most lucrative segment in motorcycling is the big bore adventure bike market . Middle aged guys have a lot of money for bikes like BMW GS Adventure bikes and Harley needs a piece of that whether their core customer group of old men and wanna-be’s approve or not. Those guys aren’t buying bikes. There is a huge separation in motorcycling these days, a low end entry level that is affordable and high end, high dollar enthusiast bikes. Harley doesn’t really have anything like that other than the Sportster that they just axed. View Quote Ah’ but you aren’t paying attention to what is actually going on with Harley right now. The old Harley is failing isn’t really true anymore as their profits rise. Further Harley has taken more than a small piece of the ADV market. When they first announced the PanAm people were laughing and incredulous. Then they released it and people were surprised but still in denial. Now they are genuinely taking a piece of the market. Harley is also releasing a 350 overseas and supposedly a 500 here. Now that is brilliant….unfortunately they fucked up by having it produced in China. So what we will see is likely a great little bike but many won’t touch it due to origin. They could have done Thailand or even India. Those would have been scoffed at but it would settle. China will be met with pure derision. |
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Quoted: That’s just it… there are a shit ton of Harley’s in the USA… plenty of good clean used Harley’s to pick from that don’t cost a mint at the dealership. When you don’t make regular changes to your product line to stay fresh, this happens. What Harley sells today just isn’t that different to what they sold 20 years ago and dudes like OP get nice bikes for a fraction. View Quote They are actually very different. The new Softail frames bare no resemblance to the past bikes. But Harley has kept the same styling. And why shouldn’t they? Everyone else is trying to look retro, Harley stayed true to their styling for 100 years. Except the new sportster…damn that thing is ugly. |
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Here is the 500 we may see in the US. I like the looks but count me in as skipping buying a complete Chinese bike.
Attached File |
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I bought a 2005 Harley Sportster back in 2013 & a 1988 2.5 ton Deuce about the same time for the same price. The Harley had 6k on the odometer & the Deuce had 7k, both were in very good shape, but I drove the Deuce 5 times more than I did the Harley. The Deuce got about 6k miles put on it & the Harley, no more than 1200 miles, the reason was too many friends with bikes were getting into accidents caused by other drivers, but if I got hit in the Deuce, the other driver would have a bad day.
That did happen once & the only reason I know I was hit @ a stoplight was because of my backup camera & people around me were telling me that a car ran into me & drove off without checking for damage or exchanging info. The pintle hitch got the paint chipped on it, but the other driver destroyed his a/c condensor & radiator, you could see the freon & or steam coming out as he drove away on the crossroad. Probably was drunk or had no license. Would I buy another Harley, no. It was fun to ride & LOUD, didn't have to have insurance, was cheap on fuel; the exact opposite of the Deuce, but with all the idiots with phones on the road, the Deuce is safer for an old retired guy. The Harley lives in a shipping container & gets maintained, but not like it should. Battery was replaced this spring & new stabilized fuel was added to it so it wouldn't go bad. I did buy another Deuce & an LMTV to go with the collection & they are a blast. |
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Quoted: I bought a 2005 Harley Sportster back in 2013 & a 1988 2.5 ton Deuce about the same time for the same price. The Harley had 6k on the odometer & the Deuce had 7k, both were in very good shape, but I drove the Deuce 5 times more than I did the Harley. The Deuce got about 6k miles put on it & the Harley, no more than 1200 miles, the reason was too many friends with bikes were getting into accidents caused by other drivers, but if I got hit in the Deuce, the other driver would have a bad day. That did happen once & the only reason I know I was hit @ a stoplight was because of my backup camera & people around me were telling me that a car ran into me & drove off without checking for damage or exchanging info. The pintle hitch got the paint chipped on it, but the other driver destroyed his a/c condensor & radiator, you could see the freon & or steam coming out as he drove away on the crossroad. Probably was drunk or had no license. Would I buy another Harley, no. It was fun to ride & LOUD, didn't have to have insurance, was cheap on fuel; the exact opposite of the Deuce, but with all the idiots with phones on the road, the Deuce is safer for an old retired guy. The Harley lives in a shipping container & gets maintained, but not like it should. Battery was replaced this spring & new stabilized fuel was added to it so it wouldn't go bad. I did buy another Deuce & an LMTV to go with the collection & they are a blast. View Quote Some people aren’t bike guys. Nothing wrong with that. But the ones who are, are more than willing to mitigate and accept the risk. |
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Quoted: In my unscientific sampling, Harleys are over represented in the “sitting by the side of the road, rider with helmet and gloves off using phone” group. I housed one for a while while my BIL was getting it sold. It was fun, loud, and extremely effective at relieving constipation (no counterbalancer). View Quote I have seen a man situate his wife’s hemorrhoid donut on the back seat of one |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks. I'm really digging the looks of it. The only thing I don't like is the forward controls. I'm a fan of mids. @pointblanke My 04 custom had forward controls when I bought it and I changed them to low brow custom mids. Very good to know, thanks! Keep in mind that not all exhaust pipes work with both mid and forward controls I had to change my pipes to do it which I had planned to do anyway. |
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I sure am glad I didn't know Harleys were unridable gutless machines before I bought mine. What's funny to me is the people that talk all the trash about Harley riders while not realizing that the same idiots are found in almost every little clique. I am in an area with a ton of Bikers including 1%ers and they are absolutely annoying. Are they more annoying than the modern Biker Boyz Stunter groups? I don't know about that. Now a lot of the younger groups have a mix of everything and there are vids of Baggers and Dynas doing burnouts and wheelies amidst a pack of quads dirtbikes and sportbikes. Just like the sideshows that seem to be becoming more popular idiots abound.
Quoted: Here is the 500 we may see in the US. I like the looks but count me in as skipping buying a complete Chinese bike. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/191077/C0F0125C-E9E3-444B-B1DA-D27B505383E1_jpe-2800934.JPG View Quote They should do them under another name and leave the American bikes under the Harley name. I am not a huge fan of the glut of chinese bikes we are seeing. Some of them seem to be crazy values and I worry about the damage it does to the whole market. |
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Quoted: Question Lonestar, do you have horns? Because I think we can narrow this down quickly... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Someone from Kansas talking about “those that ride, know” and trying to call out posers? Lmfao. Okay. I’ve ridden all over this country on my Streetglide and if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that when I see someone in the ditch because they took a curve wrong in some canyon or on a mountain, they’re usually from Kansas or Florida. And it doesn’t matter what bike they were riding. Question Lonestar, do you have horns? Because I think we can narrow this down quickly... Lol it’s ok to be intimidated by elevation changes or corners. “Those that ride” know better than to take the advice from those whose riding consists of county roads in the corn fields. |
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Quoted: Ah’ but you aren’t paying attention to what is actually going on with Harley right now. The old Harley is failing isn’t really true anymore as their profits rise. Further Harley has taken more than a small piece of the ADV market. When they first announced the PanAm people were laughing and incredulous. Then they released it and people were surprised but still in denial. Now they are genuinely taking a piece of the market. Harley is also releasing a 350 overseas and supposedly a 500 here. Now that is brilliant….unfortunately they fucked up by having it produced in China. So what we will see is likely a great little bike but many won’t touch it due to origin. They could have done Thailand or even India. Those would have been scoffed at but it would settle. China will be met with pure derision. View Quote I bought one two weeks ago. Harley nailed the PanAm. Also test rode a GS and Africa twin. For my riding style and preference it was just top of the class. |
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I have had a few Harley's. Never had a 2006. But I had two 1999s. One was a Road King with over98 thousand miles when I traded it. It was running the original everything in the motor & trans. I never had any trouble with it. 2006 should be good to go.
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Quoted: I've got a 1999 Softail that I've had for 15 years. 100% reliable, always has been. People poke fun at Harleys, but there is a reason they have Been making motorcycles since 1903. View Quote I'm looking hard at a basically unmolested 1995 Softail Custom an independent is selling in Spokane. They're asking too much, but I figure it'll come down. Yep, five speed, a carb and the sofa/sissy bar would have to come off, but otherwise a really beautiful bike, and those EVOs are solid and will run forever with normal maintenance. Been there before...it's for tooling around in the country and enjoying life, not being the first one to the scene of the accident. Attached File |
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Quoted: Ah’ but you aren’t paying attention to what is actually going on with Harley right now. The old Harley is failing isn’t really true anymore as their profits rise. Further Harley has taken more than a small piece of the ADV market. When they first announced the PanAm people were laughing and incredulous. Then they released it and people were surprised but still in denial. Now they are genuinely taking a piece of the market. Harley is also releasing a 350 overseas and supposedly a 500 here. Now that is brilliant….unfortunately they fucked up by having it produced in China. So what we will see is likely a great little bike but many won’t touch it due to origin. They could have done Thailand or even India. Those would have been scoffed at but it would settle. China will be met with pure derision. View Quote I tell you, I wasn’t laughing when the Panamerica was coming out-I’m not and immediate customer for one (maybe bike after next), but I absolutely am a customer for the Bronx streetfighter... turns out they killed the Bronx off-maybe smart until they can compete with the other mature product in the market but honestly I think it would have been “close enough”. My wife is 70 next week, when she can’t ride her bikes anymore we’ll either turn her BMW into a two-up bike or look hard at an adventure bike. The GS Adventures are super common in my club, and not the riding experience I’m looking for. The Panamerica on the other hand is…. I was talking to one of their younger engineers at the Cleveland bike show that year and he says the front end is better on the Panamerica and it has better midrange… that sounds like what I’m looking for. I’ve talked to a couple of guys that have them and unfortunately they claim they are being used as Beta testers for the software on the bike-lots of bugs and problems but the basic bike is really good. Hopefully they have that all fixed when I go to buy. |
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Quoted: They are actually very different. The new Softail frames bare no resemblance to the past bikes. But Harley has kept the same styling. And why shouldn’t they? Everyone else is trying to look retro, Harley stayed true to their styling for 100 years. Except the new sportster…damn that thing is ugly. View Quote If you’re a guy that has moved out of the house, got a couple of years in a your first real job, want to start a family and want a Harley, would you spring for a $6k Harley with low miles or a $25,000 Harley that looks the same and maybe comes with GPS that you can get cheap on the aftermarket? |
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Quoted: Here is the 500 we may see in the US. I like the looks but count me in as skipping buying a complete Chinese bike. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/191077/C0F0125C-E9E3-444B-B1DA-D27B505383E1_jpe-2800934.JPG View Quote Not bad looking at all, has some lines from the Livewire in it. The engine will probably be a god match for that bike-it’s likely based on one of the Japanese engines made in the same factory. |
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Quoted: At one time H-D offered the 95" kit (cylinders, pistons, etc) and the 103" kit (stroker crank plus the above) for the 88" T-C. Is that still the case or is it pistons only now? View Quote But why bother, you'll just end up spending entirely too much on an already woefully underpowered motor, and only making slightly more power than before. |
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Quoted: I'm looking hard at a basically unmolested 1995 Softail Custom an independent is selling in Spokane. They're asking too much, but I figure it'll come down. Yep, five speed, a carb and the sofa/sissy bar would have to come off, but otherwise a really beautiful bike, and those EVOs are solid and will run forever with normal maintenance. Been there before...it's for tooling around in the country and enjoying life, not being the first one to the scene of the accident. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/457055/softail_jpg-2801103.JPG View Quote The 1990s bikes had some beautiful paint schemes |
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Quoted: I sure am glad I didn't know Harleys were unridable gutless machines before I bought mine. What's funny to me is the people that talk all the trash about Harley riders while not realizing that the same idiots are found in almost every little clique. I am in an area with a ton of Bikers including 1%ers and they are absolutely annoying. Are they more annoying than the modern Biker Boyz Stunter groups? I don't know about that. Now a lot of the younger groups have a mix of everything and there are vids of Baggers and Dynas doing burnouts and wheelies amidst a pack of quads dirtbikes and sportbikes. Just like the sideshows that seem to be becoming more popular idiots abound. They should do them under another name and leave the American bikes under the Harley name. I am not a huge fan of the glut of chinese bikes we are seeing. Some of them seem to be crazy values and I worry about the damage it does to the whole market. View Quote They tried that with Buell. The dealerships didn’t want them around, the service department didn’t want them around, and the customers didn’t want them around. So, even though they were profitable(when Harley wasn’t), Harley’s CEO explained it to the employees By saying that he did want to pay for Erik’s racing hobby”. So they killed the brand. Eric bought the company with his retirement and with 11 employees immediately started producing a run of world class racing motorcycles to make a statement about what he could do without Harley and their bean counters undermining them . I own one of these hand built AMA legal superbikes, it really is what he set out to do. Then he came out with the production sport and naked bikes, had a full blown Motocross bike ready for production, and a sport touring bike soon to come when the Hero motor company tried to do a hostile takeover. What could have been if Harley hadn’t shut them down…. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Panamerica. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Bronx. There wouldn’t have been a need for the dirt bikes they were looking at producing 4 years ago…. Because Buell already either had it or was ready to produce it. |
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Quoted: At one time H-D offered the 95" kit (cylinders, pistons, etc) and the 103" kit (stroker crank plus the above) for the 88" T-C. Is that still the case or is it pistons only now? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: How readily available are the 95" and 103" kits for that series of Twin Cam bikes? Buddy/coworker bought a Road King in the early 2000s. I think it was an '06. Got the 103" cylinder and stroker crank upgrade, cams to match, S-E mufflers and a tune job. Put a King Tour Pak on the back and proceeded to ride the thing everywhere. I'd get this one. Though I have my eyes out for a '10-13 Road Glide and Road King. Get both. All you need to do to bump an 88" TwinCam up to 95" is have the cylinders bored and install HD Screamin' Eagle flat top pistons and rings. At one time H-D offered the 95" kit (cylinders, pistons, etc) and the 103" kit (stroker crank plus the above) for the 88" T-C. Is that still the case or is it pistons only now? I don't know; I DIY'd my bike's 95" build fifteen years ago. Why not call your local Harley dealer's parts department and ask what's available? If you want to pay someone to do performance mod's on an older Harley, you'll probably have more money into that bike than what it's worth, unless you're going to keep it indefinitely. |
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If it's not too late, no I would not buy a 2006 motorcycle. Here's why. If you have to ask, you probably are not a better than average mechanic and a 17-year-old bike is going to need some attention. After about 10 years even the best kept bike might need a lot of things sorted out, better to get a newer bike that is in really good shape. If you are a good mechanic and have the money for needed repairs, go for it, nothing is better than getting an older bike all tuned up and running good.
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Quoted: But why bother, you'll just end up spending entirely too much on an already woefully underpowered motor, and only making slightly more power than before. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: At one time H-D offered the 95" kit (cylinders, pistons, etc) and the 103" kit (stroker crank plus the above) for the 88" T-C. Is that still the case or is it pistons only now? But why bother, you'll just end up spending entirely too much on an already woefully underpowered motor, and only making slightly more power than before. "Woefully underpowered" for whose purposes? A stock 88" has adequate power for a conservative rider, which many riders are. A 95" build w/cams will give the bike what I consider to be adequate power for passing a line of cars on a two lane highway. The performance mod's on my Road King cost me less than $1,200.00 in parts and materials. I did the labor myself. |
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Quoted: @macro I just ordered everything to do the cam tensioners in my '99 Dyna last week, all said and done it came to about $1,400... BUT, I went all out and decided that I'd put new cams, oil pump, and upgrade to the hydraulic tensioners since I was taking it apart anyway. You could throw new tensioner shoes in it for as little as the cost of the shoes and a gasket kit, probably less than $100, and be set for another 30k miles. Or do the hydraulic conversion for $500 and never worry about it again. If you're mechanically inclined enough to put an AR15 together, you can tackle this job at home. Tons of very detailed videos out there on how to do it. Easy to keep an eye on the tensioners, just cut open your old oil filters when you change the oil. When it looks like this, it's time https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/504047/70382170799__B1DA3AC7-9BD2-41C4-8027-580-2801143.jpg View Quote |
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Well OP, the good news is that out on the road as opposed to the internet is that no one really cares what you ride.
In my now decades of riding I have been snubbed twice. Once by some dual sport riders for being on an ADV bike and once by some ADV riders for being on a dual sport. I have never had a single negative thing spoken to me by cruiser riders. 99.99% of the time there is no debate about riding styles, it’s just fellow riders. |
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Quoted: They tried that with Buell. The dealerships didn’t want them around, the service department didn’t want them around, and the customers didn’t want them around. So, even though they were profitable(when Harley wasn’t), Harley’s CEO explained it to the employees By saying that he did want to pay for Erik’s racing hobby”. So they killed the brand. Eric bought the company with his retirement and with 11 employees immediately started producing a run of world class racing motorcycles to make a statement about what he could do without Harley and their bean counters undermining them . I own one of these hand built AMA legal superbikes, it really is what he set out to do. Then he came out with the production sport and naked bikes, had a full blown Motocross bike ready for production, and a sport touring bike soon to come when the Hero motor company tried to do a hostile takeover. What could have been if Harley hadn’t shut them down…. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Panamerica. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Bronx. There wouldn’t have been a need for the dirt bikes they were looking at producing 4 years ago…. Because Buell already either had it or was ready to produce it. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I sure am glad I didn't know Harleys were unridable gutless machines before I bought mine. What's funny to me is the people that talk all the trash about Harley riders while not realizing that the same idiots are found in almost every little clique. I am in an area with a ton of Bikers including 1%ers and they are absolutely annoying. Are they more annoying than the modern Biker Boyz Stunter groups? I don't know about that. Now a lot of the younger groups have a mix of everything and there are vids of Baggers and Dynas doing burnouts and wheelies amidst a pack of quads dirtbikes and sportbikes. Just like the sideshows that seem to be becoming more popular idiots abound. They should do them under another name and leave the American bikes under the Harley name. I am not a huge fan of the glut of chinese bikes we are seeing. Some of them seem to be crazy values and I worry about the damage it does to the whole market. They tried that with Buell. The dealerships didn’t want them around, the service department didn’t want them around, and the customers didn’t want them around. So, even though they were profitable(when Harley wasn’t), Harley’s CEO explained it to the employees By saying that he did want to pay for Erik’s racing hobby”. So they killed the brand. Eric bought the company with his retirement and with 11 employees immediately started producing a run of world class racing motorcycles to make a statement about what he could do without Harley and their bean counters undermining them . I own one of these hand built AMA legal superbikes, it really is what he set out to do. Then he came out with the production sport and naked bikes, had a full blown Motocross bike ready for production, and a sport touring bike soon to come when the Hero motor company tried to do a hostile takeover. What could have been if Harley hadn’t shut them down…. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Panamerica. There wouldn’t have been a need for the Bronx. There wouldn’t have been a need for the dirt bikes they were looking at producing 4 years ago…. Because Buell already either had it or was ready to produce it. They could of done a lot of things better. I always rooted for Buell. The new Supercruiser looks great and in my opinion is the bike that should have been built 20 years ago but without Erik I have no idea what to think of the new Buell. |
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