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[Cowboy2]

Leaving in an hour for four days on the road with half dozen Brothers.  In the office, time to kill, thought you perspective Buyers might want to hear this one...

I love the original Harley Bar and Sheild orange and black 2011 Street Glide.  But I am going back to an Ultra, the BIG BLUE Ultra it took me four months to get in Australia.  Why first, then a surprise result...  Why, after a few hundred kms on rough road, pot holed patch work quilt that our country roads are, you fully understand the Street Glide is more of a city machine.  Maybe not so much for you in America with better roads, but I am leaning on 60, and after a few hundred you are ready to get off.  I went back to an Ultra, for the smaller wheels and fatter tyres, fatter seat, heated grips and heated seat, air suspension, and I miss the top box as I am constantly battling sun damage and want my Cowboy hat on board for stops...   Now sure there are some added things I feel I can't do without now, like remote locking forks and boxes, LED lights to illuminate boxes and the rest, but mostly it is comfort.

Now the surprise:  I was really puzzled how my new BIG BLUE Ultra could have such a smoother engine...?  By comparison now, the Street Glide 110 feels major coarse and rough, and the Ultra engine feels smooth as a Caddy... That much personality in the same engine?  Sort of like a truck vrs a limo engine feeling? Having the two of them side by side and riding, I have discovered that it is not the engine.  It is the low profile tyres and spring suspension that has NO give on the ground.  The fatter tyres, 2" smaller wheels, twice as much depth of tyre and air suspension absorbs the vibration and shake of the big engine, where there is no give on the low profile tyres and spring suspension on the Street Glide and all that shake and vibration is transferred up to you as a Rider...  MAJOR difference...   My new Ultra feels like it runs smooth as glass like going from a panel truck to a Cadillac...

  Owning both at the same time, my Tip to you perspective Buyers is: Short tripping round town, profilie, style, Street Glide RULES.. And you can add a top box for the long hauls"    But if your priority is function instead of style, and longer trips, the Ultra is the King of the Road... Right now I am thinking of making my BIG BLUE do both with a docking station for removal of the top box, and having the luxury and still the Street Glide look if I wanted, but doubt I will bother.  Right now, I am thinking I will sell the Street Glide, as I doubt I will be riding it... BIG BLUE IS JUST THAT GOOD! 

[2k]

Was giving strong thought of making a SESG my next ride. Figured the ride would be the same as my SEUC.........Thanks for the post Cowboy, will be very careful on my choice.

[Cowboy2]

Hello 2ksoftail,

Well, my first run on BIG BLUE...  And it confirms everything I said above.  We did my break in run, for my Birthday, after a few hundred kms around the area to get the initial break in we headed out to go Interstate.  Bikers For Christ, seven of us Brothers, we down to help a family doing it bit tough on a rural property down south, to lend a hand.  On the way down, 650 kms run, we stopped half way for a motel and a bit of a party...
That was the CVO Street Glide version of the trip, (as if)....  On the way back, my Birthday was Sunday, and after a Fellowship time 5 of us split out to head back north as two of the Brother had to go to work on Monday.  With me in the lead, instead of stopping half way, the 650 km got eaten up and we all went non-stop home... WHAT A DIFFERENCE... !!

Exactly as I said in the post above.    My first Service break in done, Booked in for Thursday at 8:30...  Big Blue is a keeper for sure...

Kind regards from Oz,  Cowboy.

[Cowboy2]

2kSoftail,

One more thing to note, just like the whole Street Glide concept of style over function, I would never have the Streety mirrors again.  You are looking at your knuckles and gloves abit, hard to adjust them out of the picture, it is just not as good and you are always looking over your shoulder to make sure.

On the CVO Ultra, those mirrors are not cool on style, but they are great on function.  I mean there is almost no dead spot in your vision and you are giving a quick glance next to you just for good habit, but the mirrors see it all with their wide screen vision angle.  It is almost a fisheye in angle but flat in screen and you are a lot more secure.  Those of you thinking about changing for the style, the cool look, having both I would never go back.  Around town as a profiler and croozer, and on a one lane each way where you do not have traffic alongside... then yea OK....  However, on the double lanes each way, four lane and more, out on the road doing long haul in multi lane, I will insist (having both) that my BIG BLUE style mirrors are far far safer and lower stress.

Hope this is a help, it is a bit like priorities for the Bagger, short haul lookin cool= Street Glide    Long haul touring, or older and want the creature comforts, or two up and want the adjustable air suspension and top box, all weather riding heated grips and seat appeals, then = Ultra
Having both, I think this is a fair analysis

[Ziploc]

Cowboy,

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on finally taking delivery on Big Blue!!!     I've been offline for a while, so it was great to log on and see your wait is over.  With that said, I'm also glad to hear it sounds like it was worth the wait.

Great comparison, and thank you!  I went back and forth  between choosing the Street Glide or Ultra, and your comments further confirmed I made the right choice.  Your feedback is also making me reconsider changing the mirrors and wheel size, because like you I love the comfort of this bike.  I did two 400+ mile days only needing to stop for more gas.  Since I don't have the cowboy hat to worry about, I will probably still go ahead with the docking station to remove the topper though.

[1sharprdkg]

Hey Cowboy, I am happy Big Blue finally arrived in OZ. I knew it would be worth the wait. I didn't have to wait on my 09 to be shipped but did have to wait several months to pay off a bike and a few bills before I could search for and buy mine. So I kind of knew what you were going thru. I am a little surprised about some of the differences between your two bikes. You did a great job explaining how they are. That info should be a lot of help for anyone wanting to pick a CVO to buy. I've never been a fan of the "streetie" mirrors, I even like the looks of the SEUC mirrors plus I like knowing what is speeding up behind me!

[Cowboy2]

Thanks, One Sharp RoadKing...

I have to say, this is the smoothest and nicest bike I have ever ridden, bar none.  I think this is a keeper for the long haul, I mean it exceeds all my expectations from feel, handling, smoothness, all the way to extreme fuel economy I put off to a freaky good match of header Modded and Monster Ovals that I talk about in another Post...  Anyway, I am absolutely in love, the Missus is jealous.  If I could get it up the stairs I would park it by the bed...    

HARLEY DAVIDSON, JOB WELL DONE!!!  Now that it is hear with 1700 kms on it first week, I can't get off of it... heh he.. 


Cowboy, out on the last Frontier, doing it tough in Australia with a top V-Twin    

[JCZ]

Cowboy....is this your first Ultra Classic?  Your enthusiasm shows.

I've been riding Ultra Classics since 89 and have had several.....then they came out with the 04 Screamin Eagle Electra Glide (where the Street Glide was derived from) and had to have it!  I liked the low, lean, sporty looks and the tight, sporty handling a lot over the Ultra Classic (I always rode with my shocks set at their stiffest setting, even on my ultra classics, just because I live very close to the mountains).

Then came the Screamin Eagle Street Glide in 2010 and I just had to have it.  I'd take the Street Glide over an Ultra Classic any time.  Just a much faster (response) and more sure footed beast, to say the least, in the twisties.  

The wife also rides a Street Glide.  Hers is an 09 with 43k miles on it and my 10 has 33k miles on it....don't know anybody else that rides that much.  I did replace my inner fairing (to get rid of the mirrors and get it painted to match) and went with handlbar mirrors right away.  She prefers the fairing mounted mirrors.  So it's a matter of choice.

One other thing......you refer to baggers and Street Glides as though they're different.  I think you mean Ultra Classics and Street Glides because Ultra Classics and Street Glides are different models but they're both baggers.

So my next question (I read a lot of your posts but probably not all of them)...........are you going to sell your Street Glide?  Kind of like a Cadallac and a Corvette.....they are different and while they're both very nice, they're going to have a different following.

[Cowboy2]

Hi ya JCZ,

I will try and answer all your questions... My first Ultra, no, I have had one before.  Just not a CVO, my first CVO Ultra is BIG BLUE.. 

As to Baggers, yes you are right, just a typo on my part.  All Pannier Box or Heritage Leather Road Kings and up are Baggers.  I get the Magazine "American Bagger" from time to time..   My progress with Baggers was a Road King, then an Ultra Classic, then falling in love with the CVOs for engine size and chrome and goodies all I could buy in Australia at the time last year, was the Orange and Black CVO FLHX.  I love it, but for our $hit patchwork quilt roads in the hinterland, it is a bit hard on you for the reasons given. 

In March, I learned about the auto locking boxes and fork, and needed the top box again, and discovered BIG BLUE on this Forum and HAD TO HAVE ONE...!!!!  Now I am dead spoiled...  BIG BLUE is so fantastic, I am afraid the o&b CVO SESG is just going to sit there, so yes it is listed for sale, on only one of its kind in Oz...

And yes, I think you analogy of Corvette and Cadillac is pretty right on, but the new Corvettes might be more comfortable.  The old ones we hard riding and hard to get in and out of and not fun to try and pack up for road trip.. Such is the Streetie, a Sweetie, but better left running around town...  I think of it more like a 57 Chevy Hot Rod vrs an old School big Cadillac, CVO FLHXSE2 vrs FLHTCUSE6...


Best regards from Oz,  Cowboy, out on the Last Frontier

[Racerdj]

Great post and many congratulations on Big Blue!!! I'm really glad it turned out for the long wait!

[spydglide]

Ahhhh, ain't it good to have 'choices'?  har.  spyder

[Cowboy2]

Well, I might just be a bit mentally ill I think...   I mean I might just be a bit out over the edge...  You tell me  Brothers:  Two and half weeks, and I have not been able to get off of it.  2400 on the clock..   It is so bad, that Saturday night I was supposed to take the Missus out to dinner. (Monday morning here now, across the Internatiional Date Line in Oz.. )  I had a big ride on for Sunday after Church with two Clubs, and there was no reason not to fuel it up in the morning before the ride.  But on Saturday, I had fired up the Ford F-450 as it had not been run in weeks, and drove out to the horse property to do some work.  By 3 PM I was in serious withdrawals and had to go home and polish up the BIG BLUE....

After a clean up, I just had to go for a ride, so why not fuel up tonight before the big ride on Sunday??  I did not have a good reason, so about an hour before sunset (winter here) I fuel up and started back home about 4 kms and just could not do it.  The weather was perfect, a little cool but clear and perfect, so I just had to tool down the highway for a sunset cruise, Right?   Just could not stop!  In an hour, I did 75 kms of country driving out through the hinterland on the coast, then picked up the highway and went home just on dark....  Out to dinner?  We called out for Italian food to be delivered and stayed in....

Well here it is, I think I AM CRAZY... 75 kms to get fuel?  Messed up the Missus out to dinner night???  Dunno.....  The problem is, that if She tells me to get rid of BIG BLUE or She is going to leave me???          Gosh I am going to miss Her....