Follow up to TL's excellent 2009 Ultra demo ride report

 

Thanks TL, your assessment had a lot to do with the acquisition.  That
and those frigging cam chain tensioners on the '06.

Finally H-D put it all together on an Ultra.  The 96 inch engine, the
six-speed, and the six gallon tank is what I was waiting for.

I took it out for a demo myself (with Julie on the back) and pulling out
onto the road from the dealer it was only second gear before I was
totally impressed with the quickness of the 96 inch compared to my 2006
pig.  Fortunately, they let me take the bike without an escort so I
could ride it however I wanted.  By the time sixth gear came around I
knew I had to have it.  The new frame, the new mounting, the larger
tire, all combine to make for an extremely stable and solid ride.  On
the '06 taking some corners at 80 mph, especially going over a bridge
where there are slight pavement changes, sometimes I would have that
wobble that makes you wonder if the thing's gonna pull out of it or just
get worse.  No such thing with the '09.  Rock solid.

Even straight lining at higher speeds this '09 is much noticably more
stable than the '06.  My passenger noticed it right away.  Cornering is
amazingly smooth.

Cam chain noise is relatively non-existent.  Dare I say as quiet as an evo?

TL, the seat is definitly higher, even though they claim it's the same.
  The '06 was easy for me to flat foot at a stop but this '09 takes a
bit more effort.  I suppose it could be the seat is wider towards the
front.  The seat seems to be comfortable enough for a 1000 mile day.  I
like the opening between the seat and rider's lumbar support.  It's  a
nice spot to park my hemmorhoids.  Julie says she has a lot more room
with the tour-pak mounting moved back a bit.  She also says the
passenger seat is lower than the '06 and she now has less visibility.

The larger tank is not noticeable when riding.  But the one thing I
don't like about this bike is the filler neck on the tank.  A gas pump
nozzle just fits into the neck and because the neck is painted flat
black it's difficult to see when the tank is totally full.  The "miles
to go" feature on the odometer is kinda neat but when it goes below 10
miles left it only register's "LO". Someday I wanna see just how far
past "LO" it will go.  At that reading I managed to put in only 5.5
gallons so I expect I could go another 20 miles at least.

HEAT:  Damn, what a difference that re-routing of the rear pipe makes!
First day of riding the temp was in the low 60's and I missed the heat
coming up.  Yesterday it was about 80 and I was glad I didn't have the
heat.  I do think I'll miss putting my left hand down and warming it on
the heat coming off therear exhuast but a better test will be Death
Valley a few weeks from now.

Throttle/Cruise control:  When cruise is cancelled the throttle grip
does not move back.  That'll just take some getting used to.  Also, it
seems that when in cruise control and accelerating using the throttle
there is some hesitation.

Fifth gear on a six-speed is just as noisy as fourth gear on the
five-speed Ultra.  But again, a much more quiet ride due to the new cam
chain tensioner setup.

I do like the cast wheels.  I'm even gonna try to keep them clean.

The rear lights are much brighter with the LED's.

Adjustable wind deflector's - wicked kewl!!!!

Dipstick now screws in instead of having to burn your fingers prying it out.

I think this is a bike I'll keep for a while.

Thanks to all that responded to my query about the extended warranty.  I
decided against it.

Banker - AH#97 - BS#57 - DM#5 - SENS
'93 FXRS (MooseKiller) 78,000
'99 FXR2 42,000 (sold)
'04 Ultra 49,000 (traded)
'06 Ultra 44,000 (traded)
'09 Ultra 700 and climbing

 


<snip>

    Went to a demo event in Ocala on Saturday (no, the real one) & demo'ed
an '09 RG.  I gotta agree, the new frame is a lot more solid than the earlier
bikes.

<snip>


    Yep!


    Uh, maybe...........


    Great!  Both you & Len hitch-hiken' for gas..........


    Noticed that myself.  Stock bike was no hotter than mine with the PC.


    It took me 3 miles to get used to it on Len's, & one turn to remember it
on the demo.  I still prefer the cabled throttle, but the TBW is easy to adjust
to.


    The one I rode had a whine from the rear in every gear.  Not enough to
be a problem, & if you're touchy about noises you probably need a Honda.


    One of the bikes worst features.  That many spokes is going to be a PITA
to clean.  Other than that it was a nice ride.  Of course it reminded me right
away why I changed the handlebars, the stock ones on the RG are terrible!

    I'm not interested in an '09, but nearly all the changes are positive
ones.  Congrats on the new ride!


-

Jinks ('86FXRS, '07 FLTR)
#64
Remember, "No good deed goes unpunished"

 

Jinks wrote:


What bars did you switch to?  I'm picking up an '09 RG in about a week and
am not sure I'll like the stock bar set-up -- time will tell, I guess.

kridder

 



    The cheap/easy route is either stock Heritage (pn 56569-86), or stock
Wide Glide (pn 56079-93T).  Both Len & I used the WG bars.  Either fits without
changing the wiring, cables, or brake lines.  You guys with TBW have to do a
little notching in the end of the bar, but Len did his in my drive in just a few
minutes.
    A bunch more comfortable, & they raise your mirrors to where they're
actually useful.
-

Jinks ('86FXRS, '07 FLTR)
#64
Remember, "No good deed goes unpunished"

 



Feel free to forward a finders fee in gratitude.


Somebody will appreciate you trading in the '06 with fresh tensioners.


Uh huh, right.


Uh huh, right.


Guess you know something's guaranteed to take a dump 105 weeks down the road
then......

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