Need good counsel

Fellow members, I would appreciate your learned opinion and hope it'll help me make a sane decision. I'm on the verge of obtaining a new-to-me 08 Harley Davidson Fat Bob;
not to replace my beloved R1200R but as a teammate for it. Are H-Ds money pits? Has anyone had experience with this particular model? I've looked at the H-D forums but, unlike us, those guys never critique or critisize their bikes. They're in rah rah lockstep and not very informative. Anyhow, I'm asking for your advice so that I may avert a possible pitfall. Or do you think it's a good idea? Thank you all in advance for your assistance.

OK, I am not a Harley guy. But I know a BMW guy who also has a Harley - does his own wrenching, etc. Also, my taxi driver (who actually comes all the way out here) is an old school HD fan - no logo clothing, does his own work, rides every ice free day, etc. They both say the best Harleys are the late 90's Evo ones - easiest to work on, don't break parts, no fancy electronics, perfected design, reliable etc. These people are definitely not posers, so I personally would take their word on this.

Harley

I used to ride a Dyna Glide and then an Ultra before my RT 4 years ago. I will submit that HD builds "old-fashioned" bikes less as a product of their Engineering Dept than their Marketing Dept.
They have created as we all well know a very good Brand, and the product supports the Brand
To suggest they are techically inferior is in my view, incorrect, they are simpler machines than ours on purpose. They are generally quite reliable, and the stories of them marking their territory (oil spills) etc are not fair for the current generation.
Go ahead and buy one, it will add a different dimension to your riding experience.
I no longer own one, because my main interest in riding is travel and for that, the RT is far superior than the Ultra, and also a far sight easier on the ears and the aging bones. For an afternoon ride around town, the Fat Bob will be a lot of fun.
PS - please do not put straight pipes on it....

I think the bike with stock pipes would be great for local riding on straight roads. My cousin has one of similar vintage and it has been dependable.

Ken

Air cooled, belt-driven, no valve adjustments, dealers everywhere.

Harley cleaned up their act from their AMF days and now make a very good motorcycle.

Not a money pit unless you want to make it one with chrome add ons and engine mods

Harley cleaned up their act from their AMF days and now make a very good motorcycle.

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My Dad said one of his better Harley's was an AMF.

He rides his Ultra Classic long distance a number of times a years and has done Iron Butt runs. He's thought he may go to a BMW tour bike when the Ultra Classic is done, but said he'll stick with Harley. He has a /6 among a few other makes of bikes.

He does have a story he loves to tell about a cam bearing issue on in New England and a rental truck. They are machines and sh*t happens.

In my experience, the late-model (twin-cam) H-D bikes have been rock-solid reliable.

XTrooper said:

In my experience, the late-model (twin-cam) H-D bikes have been rock-solid reliable.

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Porsche-designed engines, after all.

lkchris said:

Porsche-designed engines, after all.

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A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Only the water-cooled Revolution V-Twin engine used exclusively in the V-Rod line was designed in collaboration with Porsche.

All the other Harley-Davidson engines including their current air-cooled "twin cam" are strictly in-house designs.

I had a 90 Soft-tail Springer and a 91 Ultra (Full Dresser). The Springer was my wife's and we put a Motorvation sidecar on it. We rode both for over 25k miles before we sold them and never had a problem with either one. I performed all of the maintenance and they were easy to work on. I haven't owned a Harley since then because I think they're severely overpriced but my experience with Harley was excellent.

Somethin' different

My buddy loves his Harley, and he was a sport bike guy for decades before he bought it. I also have a Triumph America cruiser, obviously not a Harley, but it is fun to ride something a bit different from my beloved R1200R. And after taking the Roadster to my first ride with the Patriot Guard, I think I'll stick to the Triumph so I fit in better with all the black Harleys and Hondas!

My wife also prefers the ride on the America, so it is certainly worth while to have it around, even though I do most of my riding on the Roadster these days! Whatever makes you happy!

T

There were some cam bearing problems on some in the mid 90's. But lots of kits to fix in the aftermarket, not that hard to do.

Most are rock solid as long as you only put a pipe and intake on them and do not hop them way up. A good pipe and intake, and rejet or remap, will add a good 15, 20 horsepower. Maintenance is cheap, easy and only every 5K miles.

The nice thing about Harley opposed to BMW is the aftermarket. If Harley were to make a fragile final drive like BMW did (or still does?) the aftermarket would have at least one stronger final drive design out there, probably 3 or 4 at a nice price and chrome plated to boot. Want a reverse, aftermarket has one. 6 or now 7 speed, aftermarket has it.

So no matter what the weak link might be on one you buy, there is a solution.

For short trips, dating, socializing, tooling around on a Sunday afternoon, you can not beat a Harley. Great fuel mileage too.

Now to ride twisties, there are better choices.

If you can only have 1 bike, I would not pick HD. But if you can have 2 or 3, well HD would be one of them. I have yet to ride a bike that did not make me smile.

My $.02

Rod

I don't think the bike itself is the concern, just wheither you'll like the cruiser style of riding. I find that style of bike very heavy at low speed and not that well handling at anything but going in a straight line.

That being said for just crusing around the city it might be OK.

whatsup?,
Have you ridden it?
Did you like it?
Buy it.
Fat Bobs' are a very nice HD experience, and no they are no longer oil seeping money pits.

Now if you want to farkelize the bike in chrome, and yourself in HD attire, it will cost some $$$.

But so does the BMW experience.

Like all makes, they have good and bad points, but still make you smile.

Do it.

Most all Harley dealers rent bikes, and most will apply your rental to purchase if you buy in a time window.

Go rent one, if it makes you smile and you can afford it, get it. Life is too short as is. I would much rather spend $300 renting for a weekend, and know it is not for me, than buy one and discover that fact.

They even have ABS on the touring bikes now, and it does work well. It's only money, and the economy needs stimulated anyway.

The bikes speak different things, and your ride is a different experience. That is good.

Stay away from ones that have more than just a pipe and intake. They can be made to put out over 100 horse, but not for long. Not what they are about anyway, not to me.

If I could afford multiple bikes, I would have one.

Rod

All the riders I know like their Harleys. They've come a long way. They are not Airheads, but I believe the are better than modern beemers. Way better availability to find dealer support.

well,

Q: What's the cheapest thing on a BMW Motorcycle?
A: The rider

Q: What's the difference between a Harley and a Hoover?
A: The position of the dirtbag
..
i have one of each

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4496547887_118e909c1a_m.jpg

Last year, when I bought my most recent bike, it came down to a decision between an HD Fat Bob and an RT.

It basically amounted to deciding whether to get the bike I really wanted (The Fat Bob) or the bike that would allow me to ride the way I wanted (The RT). I love the look of the HD Dynas and Softails, but for practical purposes, like distance riding, handling, passenger, wind/weather protection, etc., they don't measure up to what I needed. I've never been drawn to the looks of BMW bikes, but they most definitely excel at the actual experience of riding.

What finally pushed me to an RT happened during January. Even on clear, sunny days I noticed that there were no Harleys to be seen, but BMW riders were on the road ÔÇö despite the cold. When it came right down to it, I decided that riding the bike was more important than looking at it. Given more money and a bigger garage, I likely would have bought both.

Harley's are great bikes, my friends own them and love them, but buying an HD is more about an affair of the heart than it is about function. Unlike other affairs of the heart, your R1200R won't mind a bit sharing you with a mistress. (If you can call a Fat Bob a mistress, I guess. )

My advice, for what it's worth, as long as you're planning to keep the R1200R, get the Fat Bob too.