Christo

I am picking up what you are laying down... I have to be good, for now, until I sell my other bikes so I have some "extra" bling money!

I was told there was not going to be a 2011 model for the RSV. 2012 is the next model, and it will meet the new EPA standards and be updated - this is what a lil' ole birdie told me, ya'll.

Well it has been a while since I posted so I thought I would catch ya all up.... As some of you may know I have been chomping at the bit for a new tour bike for the last 3 years... GW I am not old enough yet, no way on a Kawai, Victory not my thang, Yammie waited too long to update their RSV, and so HD was the only one left to consider. But when the bug bit me in 2007 the HD peeps kept telling me that next year MoCo will be updating this, then the next year MoCo will be changing that - so I waited, finally when I realized that since 2009 the only real change in the last 3 model years were tranny teeth cut I felt that HD finally perfected the tour bike (now do NOT ruin my world here with some good news or other info, I will be pissed [wink], let me live in my dream state for the time being). So now I can honestly sell my RSV in good conscious - BTW if you know of anyone who wants a very clean Yammie RSV full dress and decked out tastefully to the gills, send em my way! Anywho - after much debate with wife, friends, relatives and the like I decided to pull the trigger. Found three bikes via the masses of internet places to find HD bikes - one of ebay, one of Craigs, and one in cycletrader. Chickened out on ebay bid, my stupid, but made call to CT, they were waiting on another couple to decide, and then my third option was the CL listing in KC, MO. After the dealer played the shell game with me from MN via CycleTrader I about gave up until I called the guy in MO - he was great, easy going, worked with me on price, made the deal, he even sent it up the road to the local HD Dealer next to him, had them put the "stuff" I had to have on it and went out of his way to make sure all was good. So wife and I flew out of SB, IN to KC - left at 4AM, missed connecting flight in Chicago cause our plane had mech difficulties, finally got into KC, MO about 3.5 hours later than we hoped - threw check on desk, walked around bike, threw on our gear, and took off on our now 14-16 hour ride we had waiting ahead of us.... no complete understanding of the bike - hell I did not know how to work the communications on the bike yet (I brought our existing helmets and bought new connecting cords for the HD) so as I am driving down the road I am messing with the buttons and settings, and figured it all out in about 10 mins. Oh and did I mention, it was like 90º and 1MILLION % humidity - so we are late, stressed cause we HAVE to get back, new bike, and we hit storms with rain and downpour.... BUT WOW - what a great ride, that HD was smooth, easy to handle, LOVED the cruise control and the stereo.... so needless to say, I am a very happy camper. The Mrs. is eh - ok with it, she loved the ride, but she is sentimental - we have lots of good mems on the RSV, so it will just take some new good times on the HD! I have been riding this EG UC for almost a month now, I can tell you I am in love. Very smooth, plenty of torque, cool gadgets, easy to maneuver, and for a small 5'8" guy with a 30" inseam, I finally feel in control. I still take the RSV out for spins - total different feel, and I still love my Strat. I wish I could keep them all and I was rich so I would not have to work and just ride each of them every day....

Thank you Mariner! I really like it too! ;-)

First - that is a beautiful bike - and a shame that you are selling it. I know the feeling as I am selling mine as well. Couple of opinions here that were shared regarding value and stuff I want to... well... VENT!!! : 1. What the market will bare - is true, right now I searched to see what i could find for used RSV's - not too many for sale - there are some, a LOT fewer RSV's than HD's. Also the new ones retail for $19,600 +/-, and I saw a lot of used RSV's going anywhere from the low $6k's to the high $13's - for used bikes with mileage - all in good shape. Bottom line if someone wants a bike with our styling they have two choices - RSV and HD, HD's are about twice the price - USED - so, do not be too quick to discount what your bike is worth in the market it plays in. 2. NADA and KBB - um these are REALLY used by the banks - it is what the bike might be worth to carry a note on. But some people take these as gospel as that is what your bike should be priced - I disagree. It is a suggestion for wholesale really, with a suggested retail, on what a bank can get if the one borrowing money defaults on a loan. Of course you can get a loan for up to the value that KBB and NADA say, then you would have to pitch in the rest. So just because some book says your bike is ONLY worth $$ really is not "true" - it does get used as the guidelines. 3. The bling factor aint worth diddley squat when you go to sell the bike - ya know I have a real problem with the fellow bikers spouting this crap. If anything every one of you who have searched, saved, purchased and installed some shinyness on your bikes know how much of a labor of love that is... and I can't get over how many here are quick to dismiss it. There is SOME truth that if you take it off and sell it, you may get more for it, but let's see, more time and energy taking it off, putting the stock back on, then selling - REALLY some of that stuff aint worth the time and effort - I work for a living and time is more valuable to me! :-) First a DEALER may not give you any money for it - of course not - their job is to discredit your bike and its bling factor ( I worked for Joe Verde - they teahc used car guys how to rip apart a car in on trade so you feel like they are doing you a favor!) - as long as you did not go to overboard with personalization like with pretty unicorns airbrushed everywhere and chrome pointed horns everywhere - they want to get the bike on the cheap so the next person that walks in the door they can say HEY look at this LOADED bike with all this cool bling!!! CHA CHING! They make money and up the price of the bike. As far as selling as private - I know that I have had several of my friends, and others on lists, who LOOK for bikes that HAVE some of the cool doodads - because you know you will get them cheaper then if you paid the full retail price and the labor factor - whether you or the stealer did it. They do have value - and usually they will have more value as long as it was tasteful, you stuck with name brand stuff or OEM extras that enhance the bike. Holy poop the first thing EVERYONE of YOU did when you bought your bike was put a dang luggage rack, hwy pegs, and some rails. It is SO nice to get a bike that already has that, and it does have value. So I beg you to stop spreading the self fulfilling prophecy that extras aren't worth any extra. 4. YOU have to decide something else too - sales 101. How bad do you want to sell it? If you want it gone and do not care who wants or gets it - sell it low and good riddance. If you think it has value, and you feel it would make an excellent ride for someone and time and money is of no urgency, then ask what you want for it - there is somebody out there who will take the same pride and love that you have - and to them that bike will be worth every penny. I just bought an 09 HD UC, but I KNEW what I wanted, and as I searched I realized that so did everyone else - so I had to pay a tad more for my bike than the same bike in a different color. my 2¢ and some odd change.

Gotcha - great - I will do that! Thanks!

I plan on it! :-) I know I will have a steady ~700 miles to get "used" to it come Monday! I think you mentioned when we spoke that you did some mods - did you do the stage one on yours? New Air Kit and Exhaust?

Hmmm this sounds familiar???? Modern features the HD has that I wanted that the RSV falls short for me - EFI, ABS, Better Sound System (although I am truly perplexed why even the HD system does not integrate fully with iPods and the like is beyond me - still only an AUX input), better MPG, stronger materials used for fairings and cowlings, better designed fairing/cowling on HD, quieter gears, better cruise control, better balance (RSV is top heavy). I rode my RSV for ten GLORIOUS years. My wife and I LOVE the bike. If I sell it, great, if I don't, great. As far as I am concerned - it took HD 3 extra years since I have had the itch to switch to a different tourer. I want something different, new, a change (not the political kind ). The bike chosen is a personal one. I really do not think it is a debate. I think a lot of very wise and open minded people have posted some very good opinions. I read on the Delphi forums that there is not going to be a 2011 RSV - no more makey momo from Yammie. They also stated that Yammie is going to have a new redesign for 2012. That is the rumor I read posted in Delphi. Everyone wants to feel that the choice they made for a ride is/was the best one, and the right one - and you know what - it is/was! :-) I think Yammie did get it right in '99 - but I agree with several people who have stated in this forum - over the years - WHY didn't they just make improvements? Aside from the antennas? This, IMO, is why HD is so successful - they make lil mods over time, improving the bike, keeping loyalty - and there are pros and cons to this too - but obviously the pros MUST out way the cons - look at resale and loyalty - that should tell you something. The RSV DOES give you more bang for the buck initially - but HD's have come down a tad in price - they were over inflated in my book due to the demand from the early 90's until the late 2000's - but now the playing field is starting to level - new RSV's have gone up in price, and it is the same bike - no improvements or changes (basically) since 1999. Next week I will now own 3 bikes, 1999 RSV, 2006 Stratoliner, and a 2009 HD Ultra Classic that I will be taking delivery on. I will tell you this - there is something in each one of those bikes I LOVE. But from a financial standpoint, it is stupid to own that many bikes - especially when 2 of them are touring bikes. I will ride the HD, put it through its paces - I may decide to sell that and pull my RSV off the market, I may decide that the HD is the next best thing to sliced bread, and allow the RSV to move to a new good home. I may even decide that I no longer want my Strat and sell it too! I may decide to sell my HD and my RSV, ride the Strat and defer any long trips until a new RSV comes out. I do know this for sure - IMO - I am not old enough for a GW, and I do not like that style of bike, I do not like the BMW - for the same reasons, and I am not impressed with the Victory's or the Kawasaki's - IMO. IMO the two bikes that look the best and offer the best to me are the HD Ultra Classic and the RSV when it comes to a touring bike. I am going to give my new, and very 1st HD ever, a fair shake at making me happy. I am still me, I still love to ride and enjoy all my biker friends who ride WETF they want to ride - as long as they are happy and they enjoy riding. Enjoy what ya got between your legs, and ride safe!

WOW - GREAT INFO!! Thank you! What is the recall on the gas tank? I like the locking glove idea on the lowers... yeah I will be looking for the W/S bag as soon as I get back to town. I ordered the cords I needed for our helmets for the com part, and I found a good set/deal on saddlebag liners. Thanks for the heads up on all this stuff! GREATLY Appreciated!

I agree with you! The RSV gives you a LOT of bike for a heck of a lot less money. The HD's are nice looking bikes - along the same lines as the RSV IMO. But I have been dedicated for 10 years on this bike, and I want to change it up a bit and give something else a ride for a while - it IS the only thing I can say that about in my life... ;-)

Thanks Brad! So Don needs to set up HDRider.org and wingrider.org? ;-)

:backinmyday:The body cools itself by allowing your sweat - moisture - evaporate from your body taking the heat with it. The Vest allows your body to keep it's own moisture and instead the vest moisture evaps - creating a barrier if you will and allowing little or lots of moisture to move away from your body thus providing you a feeling of ahhhhhhhh coolness. Even in high humidity, when you are moving along creating air flow - moisture is being evaporated. Standing still you may feel a tad warm - I know we did not. Some wear the vest next to the skin and wear a shirt over it. We wore the vest on the outside of our shirts. Something along those scientific lines. HTH

Thanks Bubber! I do not know if I will like it better...yet. The 12 hour ride home from Belton, MO a week from today will be the true test.

Any insights on owning one? Did you do any cool mods? Any "must-haves" I should consider getting for mine?

*HA! - Unlike CD's they do not make good coasters! Thanks!