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[Sledge]

Hello all,

Currently have 2003 SE Ultra Classic Electra Glide with tons of upgrades.  Now sitting in my garage a little beat up since an idiot road crew supervisor merged me into a sand dune.   REAL lucky I got off on the low side and landed pretty flat.  Anyways the ins. co. offered me a fair price to total it and now I'm shopping for an upgrade.

Hope you guys (and gals) can fill me in a bit more.  From what I have read so far a lot of folks are having probs with the CVO bikes re. heat, leaks, etc.  Should I just be happy with a dressed up 103 Street Glide and stay away from the 110 for now?   Any years to avoid from '07 up?  Any year models to look for that have very few problems?  Recalls to watch out for?  Any other advice will be appreciated.  Should I just avoid the CVO's?  Since a lot of folks don't post on forums unless they have a prob to fix,  I'm hopeful the majority of CVO owners are happy.

What I don't want is to inherit a bunch of probs after the sale or have to spend more bux on upgrades to make it run right.  After reading a few comments I'm leary of buying one without some warranty left.  If I find a used one that I like what should I be looking for to make sure I don't wind up with a PITA?

Thanks

Sledge

[Wrongway]

Hello all,

Currently have 2003 SE Ultra Classic Electra Glide with tons of upgrades.  Now sitting in my garage a little beat up since an idiot road crew supervisor merged me into a sand dune.   REAL lucky I got off on the low side and landed pretty flat.  Anyways the ins. co. offered me a fair price to total it and now I'm shopping for an upgrade.

Hope you guys (and gals) can fill me in a bit more.  From what I have read so far a lot of folks are having probs with the CVO bikes re. heat, leaks, etc.  Should I just be happy with a dressed up 103 Street Glide and stay away from the 110 for now?   Any years to avoid from '07 up?  Any year models to look for that have very few problems?  Recalls to watch out for?  Any other advice will be appreciated.  Should I just avoid the CVO's?  Since a lot of folks don't post on forums unless they have a prob to fix,  I'm hopeful the majority of CVO owners are happy.

What I don't want is to inherit a bunch of probs after the sale or have to spend more bux on upgrades to make it run right.  After reading a few comments I'm leary of buying one without some warranty left.  If I find a used one that I like what should I be looking for to make sure I don't wind up with a PITA?

Thanks

Sledge

 Sorry, but no such bike was made.
As for CVO, I will only ever own a CVO bike! I love them, once all the bugs are worked out. I also say I Will Never purchase a NEW Harley ever again!
 I prefer finding a older low mile bike, bugs are gone, the $$$ in upgrades has been spent, and the price is reasonable compared to new.

[Sledge]

You're wrong re. "no such bike was made", I made one.   I upgraded the stock bike in '06 with SE 103 kit.  Everything else I put on was just gravy, like chrome conestogas, calipers, chrome inner primary, controls, etc.  Baker DDR6 installed in '08.  The SE 103 made a huge difference in giddyup and go but it was a pain to get tuned right since I started out with the earlier Daytona Twin Tech tuner which then only used one 02 sensor.  It's a long story, anyways I'm updgrading.

So what CVO 110 bugs should I be looking out for?

Thanks for the input.

I'll be buying within a month or so (I hope) so if anyone is motivated to sell let me know.

[Twolanerider]

You're wrong re. "no such bike was made", I made one.  

In the context of this particular crowd he's not wrong.  Beauty (and naming rights) are always in the eye of the beholder.  But on a site whose premise is the CVO "SE" bikes if we call a bike an SE or a CVO bike there's a concensus as to what it means.  Within that concensus generally isn't a "stock" bike with a lot of SE parts hanging on it. 

No doubt it was a great bike.  No doubt worth all the devotion and attention you gave to it.  An 03 Ultra with a lot of SE accessories is just that though; a standard bike with a lot of nice parts.

[Wrongway]

You're wrong re. "no such bike was made", I made one.   I upgraded the stock bike in '06 with SE 103 kit.  Everything else I put on was just gravy, like chrome conestogas, calipers, chrome inner primary, controls, etc.  Baker DDR6 installed in '08.  The SE 103 made a huge difference in giddyup and go but it was a pain to get tuned right since I started out with the earlier Daytona Twin Tech tuner which then only used one 02 sensor.  It's a long story, anyways I'm updgrading.

So what CVO 110 bugs should I be looking out for?

Thanks for the input.

I'll be buying within a month or so (I hope) so if anyone is motivated to sell let me know.

 2009 and newer have shown the least engine concerns. 2007 for the 110 was very problematic. Most believe the 103 (CVO)(2003-2006) version was/is one of the best. Paint choices are your preference, we all like different. Good deals can be found, but know the market. I almost got a 2005 FLHTCSE2 in Feb. 8,000 miles and at $22,000, lucky I passed, ended up with the same bike, better and more rare color 2005, 5,000 miles for $18,000. Many upgrades done as well. Shop and wait, it will come to you.

[Jerry/MD]

I had my first CVO for almost 2 years. Bought it used and had zero problems. The Moco did have an issue with the 2009 touring models front tire 'cupping'...but they took care of it via a 'Service Bulletin'.

The stock 110" engine/exhaust runs hot. In 2009 the Moco incorporated a catalytic converter in the header of the CVOs which doesn't help. Most swap out the system and notice much cooler temps. I was one who got rid of 'The Cat' and it made a big difference.

I just purchased my first new CVO. I'm hoping I have the same good luck as the last bike. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[CVODON]

An anniversay bike with a few owner installed accessories and a 103 kit does not a Screamin Eagle or CVO make. But I have had two real CVO's and would not buy anything else. Probably a new '12 in my future and it will be my third CVO.
I have had no problems with the 05 SEEG or the 09 SERG, minor primary leak on 05 (warranty), fork bearing loose and chrome on mirrors bubbled on 09 (warranty). And that is pretty much it for problems. My biggest warranty problem ever was the rear master cylinder mount fell off the frame of my 01 RK. Warranty put me a new frame in while I was on vacation, never even missed a day riding.

[Sledge]

Ok,  I stand corrected.  It might say Screaming Eagle on the heads, but technically it is not a Screaming Eagle production bike.  At least in the context of this group, it is 2003 FLHTCUI that I upgraded with SE 103, etc.

The issue with the Cat is important.  If you take switch it out when pipes/headers are changed how is the warranty affected?

Also regarding hear issues:  When I upgraded my bike I also had some heat issues.  They all went away when I started using Amsoil.  Now I can (could) let it idle in 90+ temps during parade runs and temps would never go over 265.  Anyone tried Amsoil to cure heat probs?  I couldn't believe the difference over everything else I tried.

[Chains]

Bought my 06 close to 3 years ago, love it and it has been a blast to ride, would do it again in a heart beat.  

[BUBBLEHEAD]

Also regarding hear issues:  When I upgraded my bike I also had some heat issues.  They all went away when I started using Amsoil.  Now I can (could) let it idle in 90+ temps during parade runs and temps would never go over 265.  Anyone tried Amsoil to cure heat probs?  I couldn't believe the difference over everything else I tried

There's a millon threads on hear about oils Amsol included. If you get a CVO with a cat or any CVO you'll want a good exhaust a good tune, run whatever oil you want and enjoy.

I've had three HD production bikes and One CVO. Money permitting I will always be on a CVO.

[tompen]

When I bought my 05 SEEG the $5-$6K over the stock bike seemed like good value. When I bought the O7 SEUC the $ spread was a lot more and now is More Yet. In my humble opinion the value is not there any more. They are wonderful bikes, But-------.
As to the Amzoil. The 110s are factory fill with full synthetic oil. Again in my experience, synethetics are basicly the same.
I will say the 103 was a better motor than the 110. I really should have kept the 05. I would consider another 05 SEEG if one came along that had not been modded to death. The lowered suspension is also important to me.

[ultrafxr]

I am a CVO fan - bought three and still have two of 'em.  I would definitely want an '07 or later due to having the six speed tranny.  Yeah, I had a few problems with the '07 110 but after the 'fix' it has been solid save for needing a new compensator which I am having done now.  Not a huge deal.

If the bike has under 75k you can get the extended service plan from a dealer and that should give you some peace of mind

I know I am in the minority about the cats in the exhaust but my '07 with aftermarket exhaust (no cats) still runs hot and my '11 with the factory exhaust (with cats) runs hot.  I can't tell a heck of a lot of difference.  When the temps are in the 90s getting stuck in traffic is a major league problem for rider comfort.  But heck even my friends riding 96ers complain about the heat whether they have stock with cats or aftermarket without cats.

[FLSTFI Dave]

I have an 2009 FLTRSE3  It ran very hot, removed the cat, installed a good tune and it ran much cooler.  I love this bike, and its the best Harley I have owned to date.

I'm getting a 2012 FLTRXSE, not sure if I will keep, sell or Trade the 09 CVO yet on the 12 CVO.

So in a nut shell, yep I would do it over I would get a CVO.

Any 2010 and newer, and any 2009 CVO or newer will need the cat removed and a tune to remove the EPA caused heat.

[Midnight Rider]

If I were looking for a CVO Ultra Classic (commonly referred to here as a SEUC), I'd either try to find a nice '06 model with the 103" motor (which, btw, is not the same motor as an '07 and up 103"), or, I'd try to find a nice '09 and up model.  The frames were changed in '09, and the 110" motors pretty much have all the "bugs" worked out of them by '09.  If you like a bit older model, but IMO, the "classic" CVO Batwing, find a nice '04 FLHTCSE, or FLHTCSE2 ('05)...on this site, those would be referred to as a SEEG (Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide).  All would be good bikes to own.  The deciding factor for me would be whether I wanted the new frame on the '09 and later models.  It makes some difference in how the bike handles, but you can fix handling issues on the older frame in several different ways.

Once you've owned a CVO, it's hard to go back.

Whatever you decide to do, welcome to the site, and good luck with your search.  You will find a LOT of information about all things CVO related here, and folks are quite helpful.  Just hold on to your wallet, because you will find ways to spend money that you didn't know existed.  

[grc]

Other than the paint job and some decals, there is nothing on a CVO bike that you can't duplicate on a standard bike as long as you have a catalog and a pile of money.  That includes the engine.  As far as I'm concerned, there are only two advantages to buying the CVO.  First, if you are the type who would actually buy all the stuff from the catalog and put it on a bike, it will be much cheaper in the long run to buy the CVO with the stuff already installed and included in the price.  The second advantage is that the CVO will be worth much more when you're ready to sell or trade than a similar standard model with all the add-ons.  Add-ons don't count for much in used bike pricing.

I'm not convinced that recent model year regular bikes are any better in terms of quality and reliability than the CVO's.  Harley didn't just cheapen the parts on the CVO's, they did it to all the bikes.  It's a crap shoot either way.  Be very careful about '07 and '08 models, otherwise go ahead and roll the dice like everyone else.


Jerry