The '92 Electra Glide had some shortcomings which were not fatal as, had I not been able to sell it, I would still be happily riding it today. However, after riding for a year and pretty much coming up to speed as it were with what a touring bike is all about, I am a little more informed.
First short coming: Age. Well, it is a 1992 model and of this writing, that means the bike is 22 years old. One begins to wonder about reliability. Now the bike never gave me a bit of trouble, but you wonder if it could. The answer to that is always, yes. Of course it could. A brand-new bike could give you trouble. But if you are looking to build a case for an upgrade, you gotta start there.
Second shortcoming: Power. Yes, Tim Allen would approve, you gotta have more power. The '92 had an 80 CID motor. I discovered this is the smallest motor Harley Davidson put in a touring bike. I don't think they even make this motor anymore. I had always wondered why I had a hard time getting up to speed when getting on the road. I also had to carefully pick my opportunities to pass someone or to keep up with my friends with bigger motors.
Third shortcoming: Natural aspiration. The '92 had a carburetor which supplied the V-twin with the air fuel mixture. This isn't the worst thing, but newer, more modern bikes tend to have fuel injection. With fuel injection you tend to get a better throttle response and better gas mileage.
Other than that, the bike looked awesome and performed flawlessly. I was so happy to find someone who really wanted that bike! They didn't even quibble on my price! I got out of the Electra Glide everything I had put into it. It treated me really well.
So, what caught my eye and made me switch? I found a 2008 Harley Davidson Ultra Glide 105 year Anniversary Edition. Wow. Wow. Wow. What a great bike. At first, I wasn't crazy about the copper/black paint job on it, but it has grown on me and I like it quite a bit now. It stands out from other bikes on the road and with that paint job you know it's a 105 Anniversary bike.
Let me run down some of the cool upgrades on this thing.
First: It is 16 years newer than the '92. All of the internals are just that much newer than the Electra Glide. Better peace of mind for taking it on a long trip. I also benefit from 16 years of upgraded factory parts and technology from 1992.
Second: It is fuel injected. The throttle response is so much better. When you roll your wrist, the bike goes. I noticed this on my first test ride. Wow. I like it. I am also averaging about 6 more miles a gallon better than the '92. I tend to get 42 miles per gallon and have gotten as good as 44. Pretty cool.
Third: More power. The Ultra Glide has a 96 CID engine. That is an increase of 16 cubic inches over the Electra Glide. This is a double jump over the '92. Harley makes (or made) an 80, 88 and a 96 on their standard touring bikes. Most touring bikes have the 88. They also make a 103 and a 114 by special order. Can't imagine how good those would be. Anyway, the 96 is awesome. What is not to like with excellent power and better gas mileage? It is simply a great combination. The bike hardly notices when I have a passenger on the back.
Fourth: ABS brakes. Yes, modern ABS brakes front and rear. Unseen but totally cool. Better stopping power under all conditions.
Fifth: 6 Gears. Yes, count them, 6. I am still getting used to this. I often forget I have one more gear to use! I have ridden bikes with 4 gears, the '92 had 5 and now this Ultra Glide has 6. I had been wishing for a better gearbox on the '92. It seemed like there was never the right gear for anything. When I was going uphill, I felt like I was either winding the motor out or bogging it down. On long straightaways I felt like one more more shift would have been perfect. It was probably a combination of being underpowered with the 80 CID and a bike balanced out with another gear. Having 6 speeds in the gearbox allows for the first five gears to be spaced a little closer together so there isn't as great a difference between shifts and then when you are ready to cruise, drop it into sixth and the rpms drop to almost nothing but you are cruising at speed. This works exceptionally well with the increased engine displacement.
Sixth: Electronic cruise control. This upgrade is so good, it is probably my favorite. On a distance ride, hanging your hands out in front of you gripping the handlebars gets a little tough. Not only does your grip get tired, but the upper shoulders can tend to cramp up. The left hand is generally pretty free to let go of the handle bars and flex the fingers or just change positions. The right hand, not so much. You have got to grip the throttle, no time to let go or change positions. You've just got to tough it out. The cruise control solves this problem. Set it and relax your grip. So nice. The cruise control also helps with the mpg situation. Drop your gear box into 6th, set the cruise and away you go at a consistent speed.
Now for some of the nice to have but not necessary stuff. This Ultra Glide has little bells and whistles like custom HD fitted luggage liners for the saddle bags and trunk. Sure beats plastic grocery bags to hold my extra underwear and socks. The trunk also has a fitted felt liner which is also very nice. Kind of like having carpet in the trunk of your car. It also has "hard lowers" which keep the wind and rain off your legs. These are super nice. They are color matched to the rest of the bike and were it to get too hot, they have vents you can open to allow the wind to flow through and keep you cooler. I also have better gauging, with electronic fuel consumption computer and two trip meters. I have an on-board communication system which allows you to plug in and be able to talk with your passenger. The stereo system has AM, FM, CB, CD modes with four speakers, two front and two rear.
Finally, the previous owner took really great care of the bike, it doesn't have a scratch on it. A real plus is that he always took it to the dealer for maintenance which enabled me to have them print out all the records showing what has been done to the bike since new. When I bought it this past summer it had two new tires and a new battery, that's about a $1,000 right there. Throw in an official Harley Davidson 105 year anniversary dust cover for the garage and what more could you ask for?
I am thinking of planning a trip up and down the Alcan Highway next summer. That's high on my bucket list. I'm looking forward to it. Any joiners?
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