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Rick Butler is GREAT and HD Isn't For Me!!

lshafer

By lshafer
in Watering Hole

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lshafer

lshafer

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First and foremost, I'd like to extend a REALLY BIG THANK YOU to Rick Butler. The work he did on my seat over the winter has turned out absolutely perfect. I put 210 miles on the bike today without the slightest concern for the well-being of my arse. I feel no different than had I been sitting on my couch all day watching football (and I know how that feels). I very highly recommend Ricks services to anyone on this site who may have the least bit of discomfort from a long day of riding.

 

...and now... dum, dum, dum...

 

I decided to take a Harley around the "country" block today just to see what everyone's talking about. It was a 2010 UC Limited with a 103 cu in motor.

 

I'll start by saying it had lots of torque, which I thought was awesome, but my excitement pretty much stopped there. Other than the fact that it was very well made (fit and finish was really nice), I just didn't like the feel. The very first thing I noticed was how far the floor boards were set "into" the bike. It seemed like I was setting bow-legged on the bike just to keep my feet flat on the floor board. The shift lever also felt like it was sucked in toward the motor making the movement of the toe to shift feel strange. Once the ride started, my discomfort increased ten fold. My arms were locked at the elbows and I felt hunched over to reach the grips. I also felt like I was sitting really close to the fairing - almost on top of the tank. Finally, when stopped the vibrations were a bit more than I could deal with. Just didn't like the shake at all. Although at anything above 10mph I couldn't feel any shaking at all. So, that was nice.

 

All in all, I don't believe HD is for me. I'm not trying to knock them down because they really do produce a nice product and I believe Yamaha could learn a few things from them, but they're just not my cup of tea.

 

...I'll be honest: I was kind of hoping they would be. There are soooo many options, accessories and colors available for HD that the possibilities for customization seem endless. There's nowhere near as much stuff out there for us, IMHO.

 

So, bottom line - THANK YOU RICK BUTLER and NO THANK YOU HD.

Edited by lshafer
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darthandy

darthandy

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My seats should be here Monday or Tuesday (They cleared Canada Customs this morning at 8.). We've had unseasonably warm weather (Mid to high 60's and it even reached 70 today) so I'm looking forward to trying them out next week.

 

Andy

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Cougar

Cougar

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I have had ours. (both seats) done for about 3 years now..

the wife and I both love the feel and there still holding up strong.

 

Now NEXT year , you guys get your seats to RICK Earlier in the Winter :confused24:

 

You all will enjoy the comfort very much!

 

Jeff

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darthandy

darthandy

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Well, what do you know...the Canadian Postal service got my seats to me today after they cleared customs just yesterday. And the weather is supposed to be sunny with a few cloudy periods and around 16 C. (61 F) tomorrow! Guess who's dumping the "Honey Do" list and trying out his new seats?

 

Yeehaw!!!!

 

Andy

 

:dancefool: :dancefool: :Venture: :Venture:

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Rick Butler

Rick Butler

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Larry,

 

I just got back from a 4 day ride to Big Bend with some of the guys and I'll have them finished and headed back to you tomorrow.

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

 

 

Just got an email from UPS...My seats have arrived in Wylie Texas! Hopefully I get them back next week or so. Looking forward to checking out the work Rick does, but given everything that has been said about his work on this site, I'm sure it will be great!!
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LilBeaver

LilBeaver

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Just got an email from UPS...My seats have arrived in Wylie Texas! Hopefully I get them back next week or so. Looking forward to checking out the work Rick does, but given everything that has been said about his work on this site, I'm sure it will be great!!

 

I'm sure happy with the adjustments he made to my seat; only regret is that I didn't send it to him sooner!

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  • 1 month later...
lshafer

lshafer

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I decided to take a Harley around the "country" block today just to see what everyone's talking about. It was a 2010 UC Limited with a 103 cu in motor.

 

I'll start by saying it had lots of torque, which I thought was awesome, but my excitement pretty much stopped there. Other than the fact that it was very well made (fit and finish was really nice), I just didn't like the feel. The very first thing I noticed was how far the floor boards were set "into" the bike. It seemed like I was setting bow-legged on the bike just to keep my feet flat on the floor board. The shift lever also felt like it was sucked in toward the motor making the movement of the toe to shift feel strange. Once the ride started, my discomfort increased ten fold. My arms were locked at the elbows and I felt hunched over to reach the grips. I also felt like I was sitting really close to the fairing - almost on top of the tank. Finally, when stopped the vibrations were a bit more than I could deal with. Just didn't like the shake at all. Although at anything above 10mph I couldn't feel any shaking at all. So, that was nice.

 

All in all, I don't believe HD is for me. I'm not trying to knock them down because they really do produce a nice product and I believe Yamaha could learn a few things from them, but they're just not my cup of tea.

 

...I'll be honest: I was kind of hoping they would be. There are soooo many options, accessories and colors available for HD that the possibilities for customization seem endless. There's nowhere near as much stuff out there for us, IMHO.

 

So, bottom line - THANK YOU RICK BUTLER and NO THANK YOU HD.

 

Well, I'm not really sure how to say this succinctly but I'll try. I was in the neigborhood of the HD shop in Rice Lake, WI today and decided to stop in and give them another chance. This time I was alone and had some time (last time I had my father-in-law and a buddy along). This time I didn't have anyone pressuring me or giving me opinions. I asked the same salesman if I could have an Ultra Classic for an hour. He said that wasn't a problem and hooked me up with a 2010 with a 96 CU IN motor and a total of 973 miles on it. So, basically new. Anyway, I took the bike out to the parking lot and looked it over as best I could. I jumped on and motored around the parking lot a bit getting used to the fit of the bike, paying special attention to the position of my feet and body. To my suprise, once I paid attention to how I was sitting and started sitting properly on it, I actually started feeling more comfortable. I decided to go down the road a ways and started on some side streets with 25MPH speed limits. I guess I cruised along for about 2 miles through a bunch of stop signs just learning the clutch and the getting the feel of everything. To my apprehensive suprise the bike was really feeling pretty good. Time to get on the highway. Pulled out and ran it up to 60MPH without truoble at all. Had it in 5th gear and it felt really good. Cracked the throttle and still had power. Didn't bother shifting in to 6th. The RPM's were at about 2500 (if I remember correctly) in 5th grear and running 60. Came to a stop sign and decided see what it could do!! That 96 can really move. Drove back to the dealership with a great big smile on my face.

 

I couldn't believe - and still can't - that my first experience was so bad and this one was almost perfect. There was no difference in bikes other than motor size. Handle bars, seats and floor boards were all exactly the same. That I know because I pulled them up side by side (they still had the one I drove first) and they were perfectly the same. All I can think is that I was rushed and being heckeled and just never got comfortable.

 

Has anyone ever had a bad first experience such as this? I can tell you all right now that I'm going to keep trying different HD's and if I continue to have good experiences, I can easily see myself switching. There could easily be a 2006 Midnight RSTD with some nice extras up for sale.

 

I would love to hear honest opinions. NO HATE MAIL PLEASE. :stirthepot::whistling:

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bj66

bj66

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My experience with the HD is this. I agree 100% on the floorboard position, its in too far. But for about 30 bucks you can get floorboard spacers to move them out more. Which I havent done yet and have been meaning to do. The handlebar issues the origional poster had with the ultra, some people have had with the road glides as well. I did some research before I bought my RG and had my bars changed when I bought it. I changed to a different style of HD bar that cost 79 bucks, problem solved. It gave me about 1 1/2 inches in height but more importantly 2 inches more pullback. The most expensive thing for me is the windshield. The 5 inch tall shield on the RG's looks good, but not practical for long rides. Once I got that taken care of I got a real winner. I have ridden a batwing a few times before and admit I feel cramped with the fairing right in my face. Not an issue with the RG at all. It is a great big guys bike, and if I remember right my RG (Custom) sits about 1 1/2 inches lower than my RSTD does. I like the ride so much better on the RG that I only put 17 miles on my RSTD last year, might have to think about selling it.

 

So if you guys are test riding HD's try a Road Glide. A few fairly inexpensive adjustments can make them a really sweet ride.

 

When I think of things I'd need to do to make my RSTD more comfy for me, it is almost the same thing other than the footboards. For me the RSTD "Beach style" bars leave me with a neck pinch after about 100 miles. Ideally I would change them out if I continued to ride it. Plus I'd need to rework or get a different seat, after 200 miles my butt was shot. So if I figure the cost of a new seat, that would offset the cost the windshield and the board spacers on the HD. Reworking the seat would offset the spacers. So all in all to make the RSTD comfy in the long run would cost almost the same as my RG.

 

So if a guy does some research, he can make some simple cost effective adjustments to his HD. Of course I had to make some adjustments that cost some coin too. But we all have some weak moments. :doh:

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lshafer

lshafer

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There was a time I didn't think it would ever happen, but it's going to. In the next couple days I'll be purchasing my first HD Ultra Classic. It's a new 2012 model with the 103 cubic inch motor in Ember Red Sunglo. I found a price on one locally that could not be beaten by other dealers in our area. The closest I could find was still over $1000 more and that dealer told me if the other dealer is willing to sell it for that - buy, buy, buy. He said there's no way I'll find that deal this time of year anywhere else. I actually heard the same thing from 3 very respectable dealers in my area.

 

So after all the fun I've had with my RSTD, it's time to say goodbye. If anyone knows anyone looking for an absolutely pristine Midnight Edition, send them my way. Hopefully, the ad I placed on this forum took. I don't see it so I'm assuming it takes a bit to show up like Craigslist.

 

I hope I'm still welcome here after I switch sides to Harley. The information I've gathered in the year of my membership has been outstanding. This site is full of some very knowledgable people. I've loved every moment on this site and look forward to picking everyones brains in the future.

 

Later,

Les

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bj66

bj66

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There was a time I didn't think it would ever happen, but it's going to. In the next couple days I'll be purchasing my first HD Ultra Classic. It's a new 2012 model with the 103 cubic inch motor in Ember Red Sunglo. I found a price on one locally that could not be beaten by other dealers in our area. The closest I could find was still over $1000 more and that dealer told me if the other dealer is willing to sell it for that - buy, buy, buy. He said there's no way I'll find that deal this time of year anywhere else. I actually heard the same thing from 3 very respectable dealers in my area.

 

So after all the fun I've had with my RSTD, it's time to say goodbye. If anyone knows anyone looking for an absolutely pristine Midnight Edition, send them my way. Hopefully, the ad I placed on this forum took. I don't see it so I'm assuming it takes a bit to show up like Craigslist.

 

I hope I'm still welcome here after I switch sides to Harley. The information I've gathered in the year of my membership has been outstanding. This site is full of some very knowledgable people. I've loved every moment on this site and look forward to picking everyones brains in the future.

 

Later,

Les

 

Glad you found something that you like! If I can steer you in the right direction on something, just let me know. Alot of guys start spending the money on the exhaust etc. Do some research if you are ever thinking on this, There is a place in Wisconsin that sells full systems that are reasonably priced as far as the HD things go. The place is called Fuel Moto and is located in Little Chute Wisconsin. Might be worth checking into for you. Otherwise have fun

http://www.fuelmotousa.com/about_us.htm

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lshafer

lshafer

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Glad you found something that you like! If I can steer you in the right direction on something, just let me know. Alot of guys start spending the money on the exhaust etc. Do some research if you are ever thinking on this, There is a place in Wisconsin that sells full systems that are reasonably priced as far as the HD things go. The place is called Fuel Moto and is located in Little Chute Wisconsin. Might be worth checking into for you. Otherwise have fun

http://www.fuelmotousa.com/about_us.htm

 

Thanks for the tip. I didn't plan to do anything to it - at least not in the foreseeable future. If I do, I will keep that in mind.

 

I really liked my RSTD but it just doesn't have the torque I want. It's a great bike to cruise with but not much for thrills getting to cruising speed. Still love the Yamahas though.

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Venturous Randy

Venturous Randy

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I really liked my RSTD but it just doesn't have the torque I want. It's a great bike to cruise with but not much for thrills getting to cruising speed. Still love the Yamahas though.

 

Maybe you were already riding your RSTD like a Harley.

If you wanted some thrills getting to cruising speed, you should have tried out a good running 1st gen and shifted about 8,000 RPM's. You would have been to cruising speed in just a few seconds.

RandyA

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Richie R

Richie R

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I know what you mean by the torque off the line and the low speed acceleration. I really like my venture but they could have done better with that v 4 though. I have exhaust on mine redid the carbs float level, pilot jets it runs great but it maybe time to upgrade.

We have it down to the Cross Country Tour or the Road Glide Ultra.

Maybe I miss the low end torque from the old hot rods I built when I was younger or the one I still have. lol

 

Richie R

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