Traded In the Raider

[KenMcCoy]

Well, I went ahead and traded in the Raider for a new HD Road Glide bagger.  After waiting and waiting for Yamaha to come out with a good touring option I decided I couldn't wait any longer.  I have a 2,000 mile trip coming up in December and then another one in May that will be about 5,000 miles.  The raider was a great bike but the more that I did to it to make it tour worthy, the less I liked the way it looked. 

After putting about 500 miles on the Hardley, here are some of my observations:

CONS:
1) The HD 103" is ridiculously underpowered when compared to the Raider 113".  I'll need to dump another $2,000 into it to even come close performance wise (air cleaner, tune, full pipes, and cams).
2) I see the same bike everywhere.  It was nice not seeing a Raider around every corner.
3) The motor shakes like crazy at idle.
4) It is REALLY slow 

PROS:
1) It has a 6 gallon tank and 270 mile range.  It was really nice not worrying about gas @ 120 miles like I would on the Raider.  This will make a huge difference in the trips that I can take from central Texas.  It's 400 miles before I can get out of the State from Austin.
2) 85 mph is smooth sailing on this bike.  In 6th gear it was only turning 3000 rpm where the raider would be up above 4200 rpm.  I was never real comfortable taking long stretches on I-10 at 85-90 on the Raider due to the RPM.
3) Handles surprisingly well in the twisties compared to the Raider w/ a 240 tire.  It just falls into the corners.
4) Accessories are well thought out.  The QR sissy bar and luggage rack each install separately.
5) Cruise control is awesome.

I'll keep on lurking on here because I know the Raider will always have a place in my heart.  If that money tree in my backyard ever flowers, you can bet there will be another one in my garage one day.  Stay safe and keep the shiny side up!

[t84a]

A bike is a bike. Enjoy the ride. That's all that matters.

[Bill L]

Ya got to do what you got to do, enjoy and keep the shiny side up... 

[Scoob]

Enjoy your new ride and dont be a stranger

[RAIDER MANN]

Ken - Good luck with the new bike. Post a pic if you get a chance.

[PhysicsDude55]

Besides the motor, the new HD baggers are realllly nice.  I will admit they have a leg up on most of the japanese baggers in terms of options.

Congrats on the purchase, and happy trails 

[Chance13]

Enjoy the ride, as long as your riding....

[gostr8r]

Ken, congrats on getting a bike you can jam long distances on. All points taken and it’s a choice you’ll be happy with for many years to come. I must say tho, that you’re way off on the RPM thing. The Raider in 5th at 3000 rpm is doing just over 80, while the Harwee at 3000 in 6th is doing 85. The really big difference tho is the Harwee has nothing left for torque but the Raider is still coming on strong! At 4200 on a Raider you are already well over 100 mph, and better be watching for the flashing red lights in the mirrors.  Personally I am soooo happy I stayed with my Raider and went the dressed out route for the long trips and I assure you I have made some long trips on it It’s all a matter of personal preference for each of us.

[wolfraider]

With over 80k on my bike I've done a lot of long trips.
I'm glad I'm doing it on my raider.
To each his own and ride safe!

[Ares X]

Ken- A Road Glide wouldn't be my choice, but if you're happy, that's all that matters.  Enjoy and ride safe!!!

[distantThunder]

Wish you well on your new Harley.
Onlty one thing that I don't understand ...

"2) 85 mph is smooth sailing on this bike.  In 6th gear it was only turning 3000 rpm where the raider would be up above 4200 rpm.  I was never real comfortable taking long stretches on I-10 at 85-90 on the Raider due to the RPM."

I ride often at those speeds on freeways.  It never seemed like the rpm's were that high to me.
I agree that the Raider could do with a 6'th gear. But it seems to purr along just fine in 5'th.
Just my $0.02

dT

[Ares X]

I ride often at those speeds on freeways.  It never seemed like the rpm's were that high to me.
I agree that the Raider could do with a 6'th gear. But it seems to purr along just fine in 5'th.
Just my $0.02

I've got to agree. I've been having trouple lately keeping it under 90 and don't even realize I'm doing it.

[Mr. T]

My buddy has a 6 speed Harley...

What I've noticed is that not too long after I'm shifting into 5th, he's shifting into 6th.  So, we pretty much have the same shift pattern... he's just shifting more. 

[gostr8r]

And then he has little to no chance at all of keeping up with you when he’s in 6th  . You pull away hard in 5th and 'still' out run him on the top too !        
                                                                                                                                                                         

My buddy has a 6 speed Harley...

What I've noticed is that not too long after I'm shifting into 5th, he's shifting into 6th.  So, we pretty much have the same shift pattern... he's just shifting more.

[RuneRaider]

Congrats on your new ride. Thinking about doing the same thing but not sure what kind of trade in they'd allow. I need a work bike but won't need one for awhile so no press. I need to take a Road Glide for another test or rent one so I can see if the fairing is really something I would enjoy. I'm so hung up on the batwing that it'll be hard for me to change but I do need to consider it. Would love to go with the CVO version but too much cash.

Think I mentioned this before but look at Fullsac for your pipes etc if you want to keep the stock look. His kits are decent in price and his canned tunes are pretty spot on so just bolt up and go and then he can send you a new tune if you mod later on. I have his new "C" model x-pipe and CVO 2" cores but not his tuner since I already bought the Screamin' Eagle Pro race tuner. Problem there is he doesn't have canned tunes for the SEPRT so I might go that route or spend the big bucks and go with ThunderMax which give you a tuner and a new ECU that allows you to actually make changes to the ECU vice tricking it like some of the other ones do.  He also has the sport pipe which takes your stock exhaust and mods it to dump the cat at a lower cost. Think he has a turn in option so you can get a new pipe beofre sending yours in. Emissions could be a pain but depends on where you live. You'll get close to the Raider power but would need to go big to surpass those levels. Depends on if you're bent to beat up other bikes or just enjoy the ride. As you'll soon find out there's a ton of options to get to where you want with power and the 103 is a reliable power plant. The Andrews 54 is a nice decnt cam and doens't increase the valve train noise like other options do. Andrews came out with their 57 cam which extends the range a bit. If you want to stay with a stock cam but increase bottom end torque then there is the SE255 cams (stock CVO 110 cam) but it drops off pretty fast after 4200 rpm so look for something that gives you torque but runs out to 5200-5500. Andrews and others will do that so shop around prior to spending your cash. I'm still hung up on wiping out my warranty so I've just gone with simple bolt ons for now.

My build bike will be a low mileage used bike that doesn't have a warranty and then I'll go with either the 120R or use the stock cases and build it myself and go 124ci or 131ci. That way Dark Horse can balance, true and weld the crank to make it bullet proof and the runout on the cam pinion will be almost zero so I can run gear drive on the cams. Anyway, take your time and look at mods that you won't duplicate in the future. Rinehart true duals sound tough but you'll go deaf on a long trip and that's why I'm going with Fullsac.

Would enjoy seeing a picture of your new steed but PM me and I can give you some websites I've found or shoot the chit. Give her a good break in period and don't try to ride with Raiders if their goal is to see what you're new bike will do.  Been there, done that last year and she got a high speed break in. Na, we did really well and Randy kept us to a safe and sane speed. Enjoy your new beast and don't worry about the shifting. Once you tweak things a bit you'll find out that it's not an issue. You'll be tempted to run her RPM's down low but no reason why she can't cruise along in 5th gear running a little higher rpm if you're in the hills.  Cheers and just enjoy the ride. It's all about getting in the wind and not drag racing a touring bike. 

http://www.fullsac.com/

http://www.fullsac.com/sleeperkit103stage1.html