2009 Harley-Davidson Touring Models Review

[Admin]

The big news coming out of Milwaukee for 2009 is an all-new chassis for the touring bikes in Harley’s line-up. We sampled the new frame during our time at the 2009 CVO launch on a couple of the touring bikes a few weeks ago. Now we take an even more in-depth look at this new chassis found on all seven bikes in Harley’s touring line. We also ride the latest low-slung machine to join the V-Rod family, and get a peek at some of the updates to the rest of the 2009 Harley-Davidson models.

At the CVO models unveiling just a couple of weeks ago the Motor Company gave us the info that touring models will now have an all-new two-piece frame that is welded together robotically. An added bonus, in addition to much improved handling, was an increase in gross vehicle weight rating (up by 100 lbs).

After 28 years of using the same basic frame architecture, Harley decided it was time to debut a new chassis to continue their dominance of the touring segment. "This was the biggest undertaking since the creation of the platform," said Ben Wright, 2009 Touring Project Lead and Platform Staff Engineer.

More: 2009 Harley-Davidson Touring Models Review on Motorcycle.com

[03flstfi]

Tri-Glide!

[alnelson]

We had the Demo Fleet here a couple of weeks ago and the ride of the 09 bikes is great. And the heat issued are much better. Do not get me wrong there still is heat but it is not baking heat. And the new sprocket/gear ratio give you a much better torque than the 07/08 models.

[harleymojoman]

New chassis?, Yaawwnn . . . . . I wished they would have spent more time to make the motor run cooler, not surge or ping so I wouldn't have had to spend $750 on dyno and race tuner for a new $20k machine! Have you seen the 09 Heritage Softail Classic, what a mess they made of it! Now it has the Nike hockey stick stripe on the tank. Damn thing looks like a Metric!!

[johnsmith5082]

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johnsmith

consumer generated medi

[renuka]

There is no doubting that Harley-Davidson motorcycles have stood the test of time. Though sales of both mainstream and higher-end models from The Motor Company are down, Harley-Davidson has seen fit to continue its line of factory custom models. Custom Vehicle Operations offers complete models featuring Screaming Eagle parts.
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RENUKA

Pennsylvania Drug Addiction

[gatorone]

Just picked up my 2009 ultra classic tuesday. I'm very happy with the new changes.

[Big Don]

I took my 05 FLHTI in for a speedo problem. When i arrived at the dealership, lo and behold there was a Demo Day in progress. Sure enough I was talking to the sales dude about trading. They offered me a fair price for my 05 as trade on an 09 FLHTCU...the outcome is; I'm keeping my 05. I was not ready to swap a bike I love and trust for an 09...the redesign frame, 96ci, 6 speed tranny, larger tires & tank are nice but not enough to trade...who knows maybe in a year or so...

[MindInMyOwnBiz]

Originally Posted by Big Don

I took my 05 FLHTI in for a speedo problem. When i arrived at the dealership, lo and behold there was a Demo Day in progress. Sure enough I was talking to the sales dude about trading. They offered me a fair price for my 05 as trade on an 09 FLHTCU...the outcome is; I'm keeping my 05. I was not ready to swap a bike I love and trust for an 09...the redesign frame, 96ci, 6 speed tranny, larger tires & tank are nice but not enough to trade...who knows maybe in a year or so...

Did you demo one of the 09s? How did it compare?

[03flstfi]

My local Dealer had an 09 SEUC on the floor, That thing is a PIG!

Dont get me wrong, but #924 in running order is a bit much.

Makes my FLHX feel like it weights #300 less~~

[rides99fatboy]

I test rode an 09 Street Glide on Saturday. For my wife and me the ride was a big improvement over my 05 RK Custom. We have complained about the ride of the Custom and everyone else that has one has no complaints. I've switched to Progressive 440's which helped, but still too stiff a ride. Jumped on that SG and took it down some roads guaranteed to piss the wife off. That bike for being lowered took the pot holes and bumps great. Sold us.

As for the performance, well a little disappointed with that on the low end. This bike had a stage one and seemed to lack the low end pull my 95" Stage II Custom has. Dealer told me they would be comparible; not so much. I suspect with some tuning the 96" stage I could be made better since it sounds like they are set pretty lean out of the box.

[TLMitchell]

I test rode an '09 Ultra Classic and a '09 Screaming Eagle Ultra last week back to back right after getting off my '07 Ultra. I've also owned 2000 and 2005 Ultras and am familiar with the incremental upgrades and their effects, good and not so, of the Touring line over the past 9 or 10 years. IMO, the MoCo did some really nice work with the '09s.

Over the years H-D has tweaked trying to add stability to the bagger chassis and eliminate the never-acknowledged propensity for "wobbles". They made the axles larger, made the rear swingarm larger, got rid of the air suspension on the front of most dressers in favor of a single cartridge setup and eventually settled on a more traditional dual cartridge setup. Although improved year by year, the batwing bikes still exhibited some instability... kinda like the rear wheel and front wheel weren't quite on the same page. It appears they got it right with the new frame.

Looking over and crawling under the '09 dresser the first thing you notice is the rear swingarm.... seriously beefy. The wider 180mm rear tire and 5 inch wheel are noticeable as well. The 17" front isn't particularly attention getting until you look closely at the front tire, then you notice the lower profile compared to the old 90 series.

Although the specs say the seat height is unchanged it feels slightly higher than the previous frame. I was unsure if this was due to a new, uncompressed seat or perhaps in combo with new rubber with under 1000 miles on it. At any rate, my legs were extended more than on my '07.

Upon firing up the stock 96" motor and listening to it idle I was struck by the quiet of the valvetrain... especially noticeable with quiet stock mufflers. My '07 definitely has valvetrain clatter that the '09 did not. I also noticed the lack of vibration at idle. No feedback at the grips and the mirrors barely moved. Looking down at the motor at idle there was little bouncing around in the frame compared to the old 3-point rubber mount system. Smoothest Harley *I've* ever been on!

On the move the new frame is noticeable almost immediately. It just feels more solid, plain and simple. Slow speed full-lock turns produced none of the uncertain feedback I've gotten from every batwing bike I've owned no matter how much I practice slow-speed maneuvering. On the road the TBW was smooth, as was everything else. The ride was Ultra-smooth but a somewhat firmer feel. No idea how much air they had in the rear shocks so the firmness may have been due to that.

Cornering was what I'd really came for. My '00 Ultra was kinda squirely in bumpy sweepers. The '05 was much better and the '07 better still. But uneven roads or dips in a high-speed sweeper always produced a wallowing that made you feel like you oughta slow down, even when the curve and the road said you oughta be able to roll on. None of that with the '09. None. It's gone. Rolling into some tighter twisties with some bumps encourages you to drop a gear and roll on until you hear floorboards scraping. First time I've ever felt as good cornering on a bagger as I do on my FXR, it's that good!

The other specific thing I was interested in was heat. I was unable to experience stop n go traffic on a hot day but at just under 80 degrees, even when stopped I never felt anything uncomfortable. Getting rid of the left side pipe and rerouting the right side away from your thigh really improved the heat issues. The funky plastic heat shields on the frame at the front of the seat may have contributed as well. At stops when I stuck my hand down to feel around the rear jug I knew I'd be feeling a LOT more heat roll off my '07.

The rest of the ride was about what you'd expect from an Ultra. I didn't get in a situation where I was able to actuate the ABS but normal stopping was firm and unremarkable. There's quite a few smaller and less noticeable changes as a result of the new frame, higher carrying capability, slightly longer wheelbase, slightly redesigned bags and Tour Pack that you probably wouldn't notice. I think it'll be interesting over time to see if the new Dunlop 407s really do give improved mileage as well as improved grip.... 2 things that are usually mutually exclusive.

The Screaming Eagle Ultra is a mixed bag, IMO. All that bling and flash isn't my particular taste, I think they look kinda whore-ish. But the lowered suspension and 110" motor make it a blast to ride! Strong torque from below 2000 rpms all the way to the rev limiter and a delight when you find some curves. I can only assume it won't feel nearly as nimble after you load up the bags and Tour Pak. Take that suspension setup and 110" motor and stuff it in a Vivid Black production bike and I'd have to think about trading.

YMMV,

TL

[MindInMyOwnBiz]

Great Review
Thanaks

[mustangNM]

I'm looking at 09 Ultras, so thanks for the feedback.

[dcfireog]

how do the 09's respond to large size baffles slipons ( rush 2.5 pipes).