2014 Harleys H2o cooled

[ringadingh]

Thats certainly not the water cooling I was thinking about.....

[spoon059]

Also LED headlights stock, ABS integrated braking, etc etc. Sounds like some great upgrades that would make me consider a Harley (if I ever had $30K laying around). They are finally stepping up to the features that make bikes safer and more user friendly. I used to like Harley's before they became the popular bike for lawyers and accountants. Now the price is way too high for a bike that is antiquated.

These updates are long overdue if Harley wants to remain a serious contender. By serious contender, I mean a bike builder who actually builds bikes that are high quality... not just popular. Lets be honest, Harley makes a quality bike... but the only reason they have high sales is because of brand marketing. Harley is not vastly superior in terms of technology or price... its all brand image and buying into the "mystique" that is Harley. All those accountants and lawyers know they are boring and vanilla... so they think if they buy a Harley then they will instantly be exciting just cause they are on a Harley.

That turned me off to Harley... very expensive, old technology and arrogant owners. People that own a Harley just to say they own a Harley. People that wear Harley shirts everywhere, cause thats all they own. God bless H-D for being able to create such a brand driven image and sucker people into paying a fortune to wrap themselves in everything Harley... its just not for me.

[blowndodge]

Looks like the radiator is leaking Mike!

[redjay]

I wonder when Yamaha is going to step up to the plate with a new Venture ?

[GIBBY]

Originally Posted by redjay

I wonder when Yamaha is going to step up to the plate with a new Venture ?

I was told last evening by a dealer that the Venture is going to be discontinued.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by GIBBY

I was told last evening by a dealer that the Venture is going to be discontinued.

Not a big surprise.

[GIBBY]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Not a big surprise.

It was the butt of jokes even at the Yamaha dealer!

[cactusjack]

I wonder what Yamaha is going o do with all the leftover cassette decks? I guess throw them on the pile with the 8-track players.

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by GIBBY

Will I be riding with a new 2014 Ultra Limited Labor Day weekend? Sure hope so, looks like HD is finally moving in the right direction. Sure love that two tone Mysterious Red Sunglo and Blackened Cayenne Sunglo. Can't wait to check them out in person and do a test ride.

Talked to the dealer today. They have twelve 2014 tourers in stock delivered yesterday. Only have three prepped now, but are working all day to have more ready. Their bike night is tonight, so they want them on the floor. Said he has all the colors, so we will see. Everything always comes down to bottom line price, so we will see.

Overall, I am not crazy about the color choices. The "whiskey" color is somewhat appealing though, if for no other reason than its name.

[dank]

Originally Posted by glwilson

Overall, I am not crazy about the color choices.

I agree they are not a strong offering. I usually don't go for it, but the black seems to fit the lines of the bike well. I like the blue too.

[glwilson]

Went to Kutter Harley in Janesville, WI to see the what they had of the new '14's.

They only had the three I mentioned, but one was already sold. The two left (on the floor) were Limited's. One was whiskey and black (or whatever color that is); and a blue one with graphics. I like the whiskey color bike better.

Having an Ultra, the design changes stood out quite blatantly to me. These bikes really look great regarding their paint, fitment, and chrome. All latches and brackets are substantial and rock-solid. All latches open with one hand now.

The new fairing is different in size, shape, and contour. They had two next to each other for comparison. I like the new look. Better for wind-flow they claim.

The radiator is concealed extremely well within the lowers; though you can see it if you simply look. The lowers are wider now; but remain in scale to the bike and fairing -- however that is mostly because of the change in size and shape of the fairing.

The Limited is lighter by around 20-25 pounds than previously; however it was my opinion the bike's front-end felt heavier to turn; although not by much. Several people were making the similar comment. One person thought maybe the new fork-neck and bearing design might be part of the difference and that it might start to turn easier once ridden a bit. Either way... we noticed a slight difference there.

The trunk, while it holds more, is an entirely new design... flatter, wider and longer. Clearly this was done so the saddle-bags can open the opposite way from previous years.

The seat appears bigger; especially the passenger area where it is more noticeable.

The rear turn signals are integrated into the trunks LED lighting... so no more turn signal bar by the license plate. Looks a lot cleaner now.

Front signals are bullets (LED's as all of the lights are now), which look better than the old light bar they had. Again, much cleaner design. The brackets holding the bullets and fog-lights looks considerable stronger and thicker now. Good clean look and design -- a good improvement.

While there are more comments I could make, I will stop with that.

In my opinion, if the water-cooling system works as planned... I believe Harley is back in the game with the new tourer design changes.

The Limited I liked was sticker-priced at $27,994 (not including tax, title, and license). I told the salesman, who I knew, he would have to wait a bit for me to come around to that price. He said to wait until the dust settled a bit and that they would be more willing to deal later when it starts getting colder. I asked him how much colder does it need to get... hell just froze-over with a water-cooled Harley introduced... he just laughed.

Personally, I am tempted to wait one more year... This year is a test-year for HD... I can just tell. Do not know what, but I believe next year, some additional things are going to happen to the line-up. Who knows...

[GIBBY]

Great review Greg, but I was expecting you to have one sitting in the garage. I am very disappointed

[cactusjack]

Nice write up, Mr. Wilson. I am going to try to make it down to Chandler HD this weekend to take a look for myself. I am NOT in the market for a new bike, at least for this year.

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by GIBBY

Great review Greg, but I was expecting you to have one sitting in the garage. I am very disappointed

I was tempted Mike, but the place was crowded (its a very busy dealership and they had bike-night) and I didn't have my bike with me to discuss a trade-in.

The one I liked will likely sell fast. It garnered the most attention on the floor. I think my friend was giving me friendly, but good advice to wait a bit... at least until the initial fervor settles-down. Likely will be on my '09 over labor-day weekend's ride.

On another note; many tell me to sell my bike outright; however I have to consider taxes on a new bike. In WI and IL, taxes on a new purchase are based on the actual money paid... not on the total price. In other words, if the difference to be paid is $10,000 after trade-in, I pay taxes on the $10k; not the full $28k. That can make a difference in the overall cost; and requires one to figure how much more they would get by selling outright. I have to do some math on this.

Originally Posted by cactusjack

Nice write up, Mr. Wilson. I am going to try to make it down to Chandler HD this weekend to take a look for myself. I am NOT in the market for a new bike, at least for this year.

I believe you will like them Scott. Yeah... the traditionalists might moan and groan some, but I think overall there are substantial differences in the new bikes compared to previous year's models. I will be interested to see what you think.

I know most looking at them had positive reactions once they saw them and began to discover all the changes. If there was any negative comments, it related to the paint colors (and they only had two on display). Most of those comments were from the women... oddly enough.

[Cajunrider]

I will head back to my dealer Friday. They had 17 coming in this week. Sales manager said to come by and test ride one. I'm not in the market either, just curious. But who knows? Its only money.