Quote:
Originally Posted by Rot 911
Jeff, I was hoping you would weigh in on my thread as you’re an old Harley guy!
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My pleasure.
I have a 2013 Road King, which replaced my wrecked 2000 Road King. The newer bike bumps displacement to 103 CI vs 88 CI, and adds one more gear to the transmission, up from a five to a six speed. More importantly, and something I wish more manufacturers would consider, is that it is geared so that the motor is in a "sweet spot", rpm-wise, at each of our most common open road speed limits, like 30-35, 40-45, 50-60, and 70 mph. Kind of a subtle thing, but how many of us drive cars and ride bikes that always feel like they are "between gears" at common legal road speeds?
The (now discontinued with the new Milwaukee Eight) Dyna platform shares the engine and transmission with the touring platform (Road King, Electra Glide, etc.). It is the non-counterbalanced, rubber mounted drivetrain, as opposed to the counterbalanced, rigidly mounted drivetrain in the Softail platform. Either is a fine combination, but I've always preferred the simplicity of the non-counterbalanced platform. So, essentially, this bike will have the same basic drivetrain I've been riding for 20 years now, between two different bikes. I have had wonderful reliability with both, with the first going 116,000 miles with only one "known issue" beyond routine maintenance, and the current one just having topped 40,000.
The "known issue" on the 88 inch bike was, of course, the infamous rear cam bearing. It was repaired at Harley's expense at about 50,000 miles with the updated design, and never had issues again. The 103 inch motors finally addressed this one "known issue" once and for all, with no reports of any issues from their owners.
So, yeah, the 2014 represents the typical "end of run" refinement that we see in many cars and bikes. It was a pretty damn good bike by then. Then, of course (as they do), H-D had to "re-set the clock" and come out with the Milwaukee Eight, which has brought with it those typical new model issues. As such, I believe the later year TC 103's represent a better buy on a more finished, refined motorcycle.