Ultra classic info?

[buddy]

some one I know is selling his 2005 Ultra Classic with 45,000mi and is giving me a heck of a deal due to he needs $$$

I wanted to ask the family here who owns a Ultra what to look out for? as per say "taken to the cleaners" if you know what I mean . I don't think he would but I would feel better knowing what to look for on a HD. He sent couple of photos and first thing I saw in the photo is the right muffler has been kinda hot like blueish gold color? asked him about this and he said it was due to the cat.converter in the muffler? all ultra Classic have this issue?

other than that this Ultra is in great shape never been down or dropped

He bought this bike with 3,000mi and as far as I know there has been no issues or break downs that I can think of other than just tires and oil changes

he said he just had the 40,000 maintenance done

with 45,000mi on the clock is there any issues I need to be aware on 2005 model

Thanks Buddy

[dynodon]

I don't own a HD, but I have been investigating and looking at/riding them for a near future purchase....possibly. Kind of like being smart by staying at a Holiday Inn? LOL

 

Anyway, in 2009 they upgraded the frame a bunch, and a few other things, the bikes ride a bit different, better almost everyone says. The previous frame could flex some under hard cornering/loads/bumps etc. Since I ride rather sedately, I could not tell the difference between the changes really.

 

I have heard that those engines are good for not a whole lot more than 50,000 before some work may be needed, but that seems a bit extreme, still, about 1/2 the typical life may be gone, so say a bunch on a couple of HD forums., so pay accordingly? If you ride a LOT and don't like the idea of rebuilding the engine (not sure what that costs, probably a bunch) then maybe look for one with a fewer miles.

 

I hope this helps, if the price is right, you should enjoy the bike.

[TearlessTom]

Well I didn't have an Ultra but had a 06 Street Glide. Same basic design as engine, drive train, etc.

 

I only had it a few months.

 

Highway speeds it was very comfortable, low speed handling was awesome, Great brakes too but driving around town I did not enjoy it quite so much. At least not for me after being used to a smooth running Valkyrie. (This was before buying the RSTD.)

 

Problems I had were these.

 

The internal brackets for the fairing have a tendency to break. You can replace them for about $100 and a hours labor your self. Not much to it really. Just the constant vibration of the rubber mounted engine would literally vibrate it till it broke. I guess since the newer motors IE 96CI and 103 CI and 110 CI tend to shake even more forcible. The newer brackets are made stronger I am told. Obviously this is a defect that HD is well aware of.

 

If you can shake or move the fairing independently of the bike you have a broken mount.

 

The radio's are not as water tight as they should be so you had to be very careful not to get it wet and especially don't hit it with a direct spray of water when washing the bike.

 

Typically the LCD would go out. The rest of the electronics would work you just couldn't read the display. I found a place that repairs them for $250. Apparently it is a very common problem and well documented.

 

Engine Vibration: (Yes I know it is suppose to vibrate) but at around 1800 rpm it vibrates very badly. hence the broken fairing mounts. To me the vibration was more than I could tolerate as most of my driving was around that rpm range. Once gotten above that speed it was as smooth as silk on the highway at cruising speeds but around town it as a bit much.

 

The motor mounts front is about $45. if you change it back to a previous mount which is a bit softer and give less transference to the frame. You have to do this about every 1-2 years according to how much you ride.

 

There are also some after market mounts that are suppose to almost eliminate the vibration for the tune of about $300+.

 

Bags are a bit on the smallish side after being use to the TD or Venture.

 

Paint and chrome are second to none. The bikes are fairly easy to work on if you like to turn your own wrenches.

 

After market support is awesome. At least I have had nothing but good experiences with my dealer.

 

HD tires in my opinion are the worst. Dunlops that get about 8000 or less on a rear tire for a bike with that low of weight and HP rating is disgraceful in my opinion.

 

Insurance rates are a bit higher too.

 

All in all would I own another HD. Yes but it would be thoroughly checked out before purchase and all the above would have to be addressed and repaired.

 

I am looking at a 05 Road Glide as we speak. I just like the look more than anything. It is not a very popular model around here so the dealer has a good price on it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

PS: Personally if HD would take there balanced engine from the soft tails and put it in their rubber mounted frame I think it would be a win win situation and would buy one in a New York minute.

[jlh3rd]

i had an electra glide standard...03 model.....i made it to 35,000 miles before i had to get a new motor ( i sold it).....i ran synthetic, had oil cooler.....in no way i'm i saying that this is typical......but i was told by numerous people, including harley mechanics, that rebuilds are common/needed around 90,000.....

i had no problems with brackets.....

i didn't have a radio

the bike had the harley shake at idle, but smoothed out at speed. i did not have any vibration, at any rpms other than idle.....

2nd gen bags are bigger, paint and chrome is excellent, aftermarket is exceptional.

i got 11 to 12,000 miles off of my rear dunlops.....my last tire was an e3 and i got about 14,000 off of it.....my stock front tire went to about 26,000.....i do a lot of two up riding....usually make at least a 10 day trip out west every year since 2004....i sold the bike in 07 , so that was 4 big trips on it....one was a 6700 mile cross country in 04

i liked the bike....just couldn't justify $5000 for a new engine

i don't care what kinda pipes you put on any other bike.......you can't beat that harley sound.....

i will not get another air cooled bike

[eazyduzzit]

I recently bought an '08 Ultra. To me the ride is perfect. My wife even said the ride on this bike is much smoother than the RSTD. It does vibrate but only at idle. The low speed handling of my Ultra and the better braking are 2 of the reasons I bought it. I found out after I bought it that they improved the frame in '09.

 

Since hanging out some on the HD forum I found that for a few years Harley had a piece of crap timing chain system that had to be replaced at around 30K or it would come apart.

They make upgrade$ for it. The dollar sign S was intentional.

I was fortunate that I bought a model that they had fixed it on. I think an '05 twin cam might fall into that category. I would definitely check it out with someone smarter than me before you buy. The exhaust gets hot on a Harley, but it did on the Royal Star too.

 

With than said, I think if you ride it that you will love it. One of the great things about owning a Harley is going to the Harley forums and talking about how great you Yamaha was. The Kool-aide drinkers will almost blow a gasket if you even mention that any other bike is fun to ride. Their standard response if you ask what is so great about a Harley is "If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."

[Sylvester]

I had a 2000 Ultra and only put 9k miles on it. I liked the ride comfort of the bike and the performance was good. I changed tires at 8k on it. My particular problem was the charging system. The stator went bad five times, leaving me stranded in different cities. After the last time I sold it. Since then I have had the same RSMV and have no complaints. A couple months ago I rode a friends Ultra (2009) and was amazed at how little foot room there is on it. Got back on my RSMV and really enjoyed stretching out on it.

 

[jlh3rd]

easyduzzit is correct

 

the problem with the stock timing system is that ( and 05 i think is included)...were the two tensioning blocks that the timing chains ran over.......they were made of a phenolic ( type of plastic) material that could wear prematurely........i say could because not all did.....mine seemed to be ok.....others reported worn out at 5,000 miles......and theory was that the pieces could block oil passages or damage the oil pump........many people converted to the geared cam system.......

 

the handling is easier at low speed than a 2nd gen

and to back up a previous post here.....some people did have issues with with the front engine isolator........

Edited March 28, 2011 by jlh3rd

[TearlessTom]

I must admit that I may have gotten a dud on my Street Glide because I have had zero problems with the wife's Fatboy ('04) other than the rear tire wearing prematurely. I was told that the original owner was a big man so that I am sure played into it.

 

However when I bought the Street Glide I was in a bind as we were going on Vacation in a week to ride in Arkansas. My bike was down and I couldn't figure out the problem (turned or the battery had an internal ground, It was a relatively new battery so I didn't check it thinking the problem was elsewhere)

Anyway, the guy I bought from had it at a good price well below market so I knew I could turn around and at very least get my money back.

 

I fixed the above listed problems, road it for about 2 months then sold it to the HD dealer for $2500. more than I paid for it. All in all I still cleared $1800. on the bike.

[hunter 1500]

I'm pretty sure that one of the problems was the rear cyl overheating. They make a sheild so that it doesn't burn your leg.

[buddy]

Thanks for the info..

Really helps on what to look for and what too ask as well.....

Will be looking at it in a few days......

[rickardracing]

My father in-law has an 04 , atleast I do believe it's an o4, He has had alot of problems with the bike. Last year he had to replace the cams. He ended up going to gear drive. Ran him almost $2000. He has made comments about regreting getting the HD. He owned Goldwings for years. Wishes he would have stayed with the Honda. You may never have an issue. I think alot of it depends on how hard it was riden and how well it was maintained.

[OldBear]

I don't want to be "harley bashing" so please don't take this that way, but when you look at ad's for used bikes, how many harleys do you see with 100K miles one 'em? Compare that to a Venture or a Wing or a BMW.... Like the man says, you pays your money and you takes your chances...Me, I prefer something with a tad more longevity. Different strokes for different folks.....

[buddy]

I don't want to be "harley bashing" so please don't take this that way, but when you look at ad's for used bikes, how many harleys do you see with 100K miles one 'em? Compare that to a Venture or a Wing or a BMW.... Like the man says, you pays your money and you takes your chances...Me, I prefer something with a tad more longevity. Different strokes for different folks.....

 

Oh this won't be my main ride !

He offered it to me and I always wanted an Ultra Classic so why not check it out and see if its a good deal ..

 

I not getting rid of my Venture

[Little Bob]

A close friend has one and the rear cylinder gets so hot that his wife won't ride. I took it for a ride. Rode ok not much space for your feet boards a on the small side.