Trade Your ST1300 For A Harley Ultra?

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First, I?m not trying to start a long debate/fight. :)

I?m just curious if anyone on this forum has gone from the ST1300 to a Harley Ultra.

I have ridden sport-touring bikes for the last 8+ years (ST1100 & ST1300). But, recently I have been thinking about making a change. Lately my riding preference tends to be more on the touring side vs. the sport side. I must be getting older?.. I guess nowadays I prefer the more laid back touring approach to enjoy the scenery instead of zipping past it. But then again, I have never been an aggressive rider.

I have ridden the BMW LT, Honda Gold Wing and the Harley Ultra. Of these three, I prefer the Ultra. In the end we all ride what we want to ride. But, I?m just curious if anyone has made this type of move (ST to Ultra) and whether or not you have any regrets.

Thanks,
tman
:04biker:
 

suprdav

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I made just the opposite move. I went from a Harley Road Glide to a ST, and I work for a Harley dealer. In my case I wanted something different, more responsive, faster, with less vibration. The Ultra with the tour pack is too top heavy for me and my short legs. My Road Glide did not have a tour pack and I liked the fixed fairing and its stability and superior aerodynamics.
I still love Harleys and wish that I could have a garage full of different bikes, but the budget will not support it. I am lucky to work in the business so if I want to take out a Harley for the weekend I am able to do so. Good luck on whatever you choose to do. The Ultra is a fine ride, just a bit heavy in the twistys.
Suprdav
 

NoBull

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I have both the ST and a Road King. I will be upgrading the Road King to either the ultra or perhaps the 2010 road glide. The road glide is actually being cancelled, however rumor has it they are making a V Rod/ Road Glide. Otherwise the Ultra will be my choice. The HD isnt for everyone, but I love mine and would likely choose the HD if I could only have one. I bought a 2006 ST, just about the same time I bought my wife a 2007 Street Glide. Less maintenance on the HD, it gets much better mileage and is way more comfortable. With the 6 gallon tank it actually has better range as well. I say buy the Ultra and have fun, its great machine.
 

ocho nueve

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If I didn't enjoy riding hard in the twisties, I'd switch to an Ultra Glide. But I do, so for now I won't.

There are HD dealerships EVERYWHERE that will let you rent their bikes. I'd spend the $300 and rent the bike for a weekend. Then you'll know for sure.

The only thing to keep in mind with the Ultra Glide is clearance. Once you start scraping the floorboards, that's it. There's no more room. The next thing to touch down is the frame.
 
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This is a timely question.
I went today to trade my ST for an 06 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad (1600) It had the Harley fairing which made it really a gorgeous bike. I cannot afford a Harley so this was a great alternative.
What stopped the deal was the dealer only wanted to give me $4,700 for my ST.
It is a 04 with 38,500 and they told me that was way too many miles.
There is no marks, scratches or cracks on the bike anywhere. I was bummed more that they insulted my ST than anything.
 
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i enjoy the HD electra glide standard or street glide......they are both very close to my ST, but if i had to choose, it would be the ST.......
 

John Anthony

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If I want to ride a big Harley, all I need to do is rip off Maggie's bike! LOL. Having ridden hers a couple of times, I'll stick with my ST. I like the smooth, snappy ride of my Honda.

John
 
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...I bought a 2006 ST, just about the same time I bought my wife a 2007 Street Glide. Less maintenance on the HD, it gets much better mileage and is way more comfortable. With the 6 gallon tank it actually has better range as well. I say buy the Ultra and have fun, its great machine.
The HD gets better mileage? Really? I get 45-48 without even trying on my 07 ST, and have a 7.7 gallon tank (or whatever it is). If the HD has a 6 gallon tank it'd have to get far in excess of 50mpg to have equal range, let alone more, than the ST.

Are you sure you didn't say HD when you meant to say ST?
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Having sold motorcycles for almost 3 1/2 years, I would like to comment on the question posted. First, I worked at a Dual-line dealership, we sold Harleys AND Hondas........in the same building. I'm going to make this very simple. There is absolutely NO COMPARISON between the two bike mentioned.....the ST1300 and ANY Harley Davidson. Remember, this is my opinion and YMMV. You want to talk quality, reliability, fit and finish, performance, style (that point is very subjective to personal taste), handling, and maybe even toss in longevity. Honda wins in every catagory in my opinion. Price,.....now that one isn't even close. The Harley does have many more "farkles" than the ST does, but then again, you are comparing two totally different bikes. To make a real bike to bike comparison, you would have to pit the Ultra against the Gold Wing. In my 3 1/2 years of selling both brands of motorcycles, I can't tell you the number of Harleys that came back into the shop BEFORE the first scheduled service (1000 miles), with an oil leak, brakes squeaking, something electrical not working, or ????
Hondas very, very rarely came back in with issues. In fact, the only catagory that the Harley beats the Honda is in resale value, and that margin is starting to decrease rapidly as supply and demand are catching up. I'm not sure if you guys know it or not, but Harley only allocates a certain number of bikes to each dealer each year, based on sales performance from the previous year. Talk about marketing stratagy, keep the demand high, sell everything that you build and do not overproduce which results in high pricing and high resale value. I am definitely NOT a Harley Davidson fan, and have never been. They do not make one single bike that I would like to own. I love performance and handling, I appreciate reliability, and probably most of all, I want the most "value" for the money that I'm spending on my hobby/sport/love.........motorcycling.
 

Bones

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rumor has it they are making a V Rod/ Road Glide
THAT I would like to ride, especially if it had mid controls and foot pegs instead of floorboards and forward controls. Wishful thinking, I know.
 
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I'd rather not ride at all, someone's got to say it.
You're always a ray of sunshine aren't you?

You've got to ride what makes you happy. I've got a Harley and a wing and had an ST and a Blackbird and loved them all.

I gotta ask this. Someone talks about riding the ST at the ridiculous speeds its capable of and people jump out of the woodwork saying how unsafe and irresponsible it is. Someone asks about a Harley and everyone says but its too slow! What's up with that?

The Harley will go fast enough to get you in trouble and accelerate faster than most cars as will the ST. I got my rear end handed gto me by a turbo 911 while on the ST and I wouldn't have messed with it on a Harley, so the Harley actually keeps me more a more responsible rider.

Having said all that, I really wanted an electra glide ultra, but couldn't see buying that engine over the wing because of the performance. A fully loaded, two up touring bike needs more oomph. Around town it''d be fine.
 

TMUS

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Harley-Davidson: The most efficient way to convert gasoline into noise without the adverse side effect of horsepower.

Why don't Harley riders sit on their bikes when the sidestands are down?
They're afraid to lean over that far.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
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When I was getting back into riding I rented a Harley Ultra Custom Classic. Don't get me wrong, it was a very nice bike... if you are going straight. I took it to the mountains and put about 1,000 miles on it. When the road gets twisty the Harley was heavy, and anything but confidence inspiring. It is not meant to do any sort of spirited riding on curvy roads. The ride on 40 to and from the mountains was great, but once I got off the interstate I just wanted to go home. The Harley was just too much work and too stressful to ride on anything that wasn't slab. Shortly after I rented the Harley I bought an ST. Been to the mountains many times since and totally different experience.

My advice is; if you do anything other than long distance highway touring keep your ST. And actually in my opinion, if you want a more relaxed ride look at a Goldwing before the Harley.

Good luck
 
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I absolutely wouldn't do it.

The only Harley that even interests me a little is the VRod.
+1 on the V-Rod. Picked one up a few months ago (in addition to the ST...never as a replacement) and I really love riding it. Can't speak to the Ultra debate.
 
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