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[woode]

I traded in an '06 Heritage, and had never driven a CVO Ultra, so wasn't real sure what to expect.  On the plus side, got a good deal, and the weather cleared up long enough to ride it home today as well.  I have a big learning curve with all of the features & controls, but a few things that I noticed off the bat:

• The backrest seems to push me forward on top of the tank.  The riding position is vastly different from the Heritage, and not necessarily more comfortable.
• The throttle took some getting used to.  I noticed that when downshifting from 3 to 2, the throttle stayed open.
• Performance in turns was much better than the Heritage, and seemed overall more stable and solid at highway speeds.
• I love the cruise control.
• The seat was much less comfortable than the Mustang seat on the Heritage.  Very disappointing.
• My wife is short (5'1") and had a heck of a time climbing onto the bike.  Once on, she was very cramped behind the backrest, and the backrest pushed uncomfortably against her inner legs.  The saddlebag guards sit forward of the bags, and push up against her calfs.  Her discomfort is my primary disappointment, because I really wanted to upgrade her comfort level over the Heritage.  I'm guessing from reading various threads that there are some adjustments available that may help. 

I know that as I ride more, I will get used to the differences, but I'm REALLY hoping that this was not a bad decision.

[UFO_HOG]

Just like all bikes, a little tweaking is in order. The new CVO Ultras have adjustable passenger floor boards I believe, that can take care of the wifes issue.
You can change the seat, I recommend a Corbin. Once you get adjusted to your new bike, you'll forget all about the Heritage.

Congratulations.....

[bisounours]

 
 
 

[Pavetack]

Congrats on the new ride!

I went from an '04 Heritage to the Ultra and had similar thoughts on the ride home.  Don't lose faith there are some things you can do.  The passenger floor boards are adjustable as well as the rider backrest...you may need to move the bracket under the seat to find the position that works best for you.  Yes, there is a big difference between the two bikes but once you get the ultra dialed in there is no looking back.

[muddypaws]

I sure hop you did not get the slow red one..........

[SE-Randy]

Now, Now Muddy, everyone know the RED ones are faster. There was even a thread confirming this well documented fact. http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=32430.0 Then again maybe I am a little biased, nah.....

[SE-Randy]

Sorry Woode, Congrats on the new ride , I got a little off topic there. Post some pics when you can.

[Eagle Soars]

Congrats on the new bike!  

Don't know about the throttle as I don't have my '09 SEUC yet.  Doesn't sound right so have dealer look at.

The tour-pak has three total front-to-back positions to adjust it to.  I'm guessing it is furthest forward.  If you remove the inner liner, you'll see the bolts that fasten it and can tell if it can go back or not.  Like others said, try adjusting the passenger footboards as well.  My wife loved the Kuryakyn adjustable passenger pegs to give her different foot position options (Kuryakyn #4505 fits the '09 SEUC). 

I should get my bike next week....my wife and I are going to the dealer and they will be adjusting all the pegs, bars, etc. to fit us as we sit on the bike.  There are lots of seat options, but I can't help you with that.  Had the Road Zeppelin Air Seat on an '07 Ultra, but it doesn't fit these bikes (yet?) due to tank changes after '07. Seat was awesome.

Good luck...you'll love the ultra.
UpChuck82

[Gettinold]

I traded in an '06 Heritage, and had never driven a CVO Ultra, so wasn't real sure what to expect.  On the plus side, got a good deal, and the weather cleared up long enough to ride it home today as well.  I have a big learning curve with all of the features & controls, but a few things that I noticed off the bat:

• The backrest seems to push me forward on top of the tank.  The riding position is vastly different from the Heritage, and not necessarily more comfortable.
• The throttle took some getting used to.  I noticed that when downshifting from 3 to 2, the throttle stayed open.
• Performance in turns was much better than the Heritage, and seemed overall more stable and solid at highway speeds.
• I love the cruise control.
• The seat was much less comfortable than the Mustang seat on the Heritage.  Very disappointing.
• My wife is short (5'1") and had a heck of a time climbing onto the bike.  Once on, she was very cramped behind the backrest, and the backrest pushed uncomfortably against her inner legs.  The saddlebag guards sit forward of the bags, and push up against her calfs.  Her discomfort is my primary disappointment, because I really wanted to upgrade her comfort level over the Heritage.  I'm guessing from reading various threads that there are some adjustments available that may help. 

I know that as I ride more, I will get used to the differences, but I'm REALLY hoping that this was not a bad decision.

Congratulations on your first CVO bike Woode. Not being nosey but what did they give you on trade on the Heritage.

[1abastarsmda]

I traded in an '06 Heritage, and had never driven a CVO Ultra, so wasn't real sure what to expect.  On the plus side, got a good deal, and the weather cleared up long enough to ride it home today as well.  I have a big learning curve with all of the features & controls, but a few things that I noticed off the bat:

• The backrest seems to push me forward on top of the tank.  The riding position is vastly different from the Heritage, and not necessarily more comfortable.
• The throttle took some getting used to.  I noticed that when downshifting from 3 to 2, the throttle stayed open.
• Performance in turns was much better than the Heritage, and seemed overall more stable and solid at highway speeds.
• I love the cruise control.
• The seat was much less comfortable than the Mustang seat on the Heritage.  Very disappointing.
• My wife is short (5'1") and had a heck of a time climbing onto the bike.  Once on, she was very cramped behind the backrest, and the backrest pushed uncomfortably against her inner legs.  The saddlebag guards sit forward of the bags, and push up against her calfs.  Her discomfort is my primary disappointment, because I really wanted to upgrade her comfort level over the Heritage.  I'm guessing from reading various threads that there are some adjustments available that may help. 

I know that as I ride more, I will get used to the differences, but I'm REALLY hoping that this was not a bad decision.

There is a hole in the back of the backrest that may be adjusted with an allen wrench.  The base of the backrest, under the seat has 4 positions that it can be adjusted to.  Also, there is a bracket coming off the front of the base that is bolted to another bracket on top of it coming off the frame.  You can switch that and place the bracket attached to the base on top, and that will tilt the backrest back a little more.  If that confused you, read it while looking at it with the seat off or there is a thread on here somwhere with photos explaining it.

I've never experienced the throttle problem.  If it persists, you may want to take it to the dealer to check it out.

Handling is great on this bike and the cruise is an obvious convenience.

You may find the seat more to your liking once the backrest is adjusted.  If not, there are alternatives.  I liked my old Mustang seat too, but I've had no problems with this stock seat comfort.

Regarding passenger space, there are a number of things you can do, and it will depend on your particulars which items you may want to change.  First, open the tourpack and remove the bottom liner.  Check to see that the bolts are in the holes furthest to the front of the bike, so you know the tourpack is all the way back.  If you want to move it back further, there are many kits available to do so.  The best, according to site members is on available from George Anderson.  Just do a search on his name and you will find threads with everything you need to know, along with photos.  As far as the saddlebag guard rails, Harley makes a Comfort Profile Guard.  Here's the link:  http://www.harley-davidson.com/gma/gma_product.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442085867&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374309303218&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374309303218&bmUID=1235843511821&bmLocale=en_US  Also, the passenger floorboards can be moved outward by 1" on each side with adaptors available in chrome from www.harleygoodies.com/hdf or from http://www.mike5959.com/Soos/productshdf.html in black.  Before you start adding parts to the bike, dependant upon your particular tastes, you may want to just try removing the rider backrest when hauling a passenger.  I've found that removing the backrest give the passenger a lot of extra space and the passenger serves as a nice, cushy backrest for me.  It's a real pain removing and reinstalling that backrest, but I found that after doing it several times, it loosens up a bit, and it's much easier to work with.

While I'm sitting here spending your money for you, one other comfort item you might consider for yourself would be the driver floorboard extensions that move the boards outward 1".  They are available from the same places listed above for the passenger boards.

Congrats on the new bike.  It won't be long before you start wondering why you waited so long to get one of these.

[woode]

OK, I put 100 miles on it today in 25 degree weather, and I'm loving it now - didn't even feel the cold (having a toasty-warm butt makes a big difference)!   The dealer adjusted the passenger floor boards, but the tourpak is adjusted all the way back already.  They moved the rider backrest up a bit, but now I really feel like I'm riding on top of the gas tank.  I think that I'm going to have to add an aftermarket tourpak extender before too long.

That said, the handling, stability, and power of this bike are phenomenal, and as you all predicted, I am quickly forgetting about the Heritage!  I could even live with the substandard audio system, but I need to get the Zumo installed & working anyway.  Gotta have something better than a text-based nav system, and I miss my XM traffic & phone access.

I attached a post-delivery photo - I'm on the right.  Sales Manager DJ on the left.

Ed

[woode]

Congratulations on your first CVO bike Woode. Not being nosey but what did they give you on trade on the Heritage.

They gave me $14,250 for an '06 Heritage with 20K miles on it.

Ed

[woode]

There is a hole in the back of the backrest that may be adjusted with an allen wrench...  I found the adjusting bolt, but it doesn't seem to have much adjustment available.  It unscrewed completely before I got it where I wanted it.  The backrest seems to be extremely chinsy.

I've never experienced the throttle problem.  If it persists, you may want to take it to the dealer to check it out.
It hasn't happened again.  It could have been my unfamiliarity with the new throttle system.


First, open the tourpack and remove the bottom liner.    I did, and it's already all the way back.

Before you start adding parts to the bike, dependant upon your particular tastes, you may want to just try removing the rider backrest when hauling a passenger.  I've found that removing the backrest give the passenger a lot of extra space and the passenger serves as a nice, cushy backrest for me.  It's a real pain removing and reinstalling that backrest, but I found that after doing it several times, it loosens up a bit, and it's much easier to work with.  I don't think I'll share this with my wife!  She likes her space, and would not appreciate me using her as a backrest . Plus, I have really gotten used to the lower back support from my old Mustang seat.  I can slouch for a short ride, but anything more than 20 miles, I need the backrest.

[Lzyboy]

The bike looks nice and hope she rides just as well. Have fun and ride safe

[1abastarsmda]

I can't say that I'm 100% satisfied with the backrest, and I don't think that I ever will be, but I've been trying to convince myself that it's okay, since I don't want to have a seat and backrest in all black and the passenger backrest with a gray stripe.  If you find a seat/backrest package that you really like, let me know.  I may have to make a visit to the other side of town to sit on your bike.  I suppose if the right comfort level came along, I could figure a way around the stripe ordeal, and have something recovered.

A few years back, I was introduced to the Mustange seats when I saw a photo of one on a Yamaha VStar forum and they guy lived in Aliquippa.  He was kind enough to meet up with me in Moon Township one morning to let me sit on his bike.  I made a straight shot back to Monroeville and had one ordered within 10 minutes of being back home.  He and I became friends and rode together until the day I was behind him and watched him crash his bike.  Great guy and as of last month, he is still optimistic that he'll own another bike and ride again sometime in the near future.  Anyway, I wish Mustang made a heated seat.