'08 Ultra

[Dirty Dan]

Here are my impressions after 400 miles.

I like it. This bike has more power than my 88 did and so far isn't as mechanically noisy as my '06 88 was. The pipes are louder but I'm undecided if I like the sound quality or not. I like it on the road, but in town it sounds kind of hollow.

Ultra Classic suspension definately is smoother than a Street Glide. I have read it described as Street Glides ride more harshly and I concur. The Ultra is most definately smoother.

Throttle by wire was something I had concerns about....no longer. I was worried the throttle would somehow feel disconnected but that is not the case. It works great and has a nice feel.

Brembo brakes are better than my St. Glide, too. I like the feel. Lever pressure is reduced and they feel stronger.

IDS drive is a nice touch. The salesman described it as a device to remove driveline lash....but he sort of hedged on that. I think they're trained to say that. Further, it is not the case. Driveline lash remains, but IDS smooths the transition from off throttle to on. I think it also smooths out the driveline, too as the whole bike feels smoother.

I like the 6 gallon tank. I can see the difference visually between the tanks and I like the new one. It is slightly wider and I feel it with my knees, but it doesn't bother me. I got 190 miles and the fuel light had not come on. I filled up and it took about 4.5 so range is better.

Oh, don't overlook the adjustable wing deflectors. That is a nice feature.

It does run hotter than my '06 did but again I don't find it objectionable. No noise from the tranny. There is a gear whine in 5th but it is not loud...just there. Again, nothing objectionable.

It does vibrate more than my 88 did at idle. I'm guess I'll have to start working out so my arms don't do the giggling watusi at stop lights. That I don't care for.

All told, this seems to be a hell of a bike. I don't know why all you Ultra guys kept this such a secret...these friggin' things are great. There, the cat is out of the bag.

[Rock]

Glad it sounds like you approve of it.

[Kfengler]

Nice, glad you like it!

I don't even want to think about it since I have too much into my 2005 EG.

Congrats and enjoy the new ride. Sounds like the improvements to the '08 Touring bikes are positive.

[Dirty Dan]

With almost 4000 miles on the clock, I thought I'd post my observations.

Throttle by wire...not an issue. I like the way it feels and works. As a bonus here...if you buy a standard and want to install cruise control, it only costs a couple hundred bucks installed as opposed to about $500 for bikes without throttle by wire and is pretty much a plug and play...so sez my salesman.

Engine heat is more than my '06 88 but I still don't think it's a problem. I ran around down south for many days in 100+ degree heat and it didn't bother me. That said, I wasn't stupid about it either. If I was going stop for a while, like to fiddle with a route on my GPS, I'd shut the bike off as it will heat up pretty good. But then my old bike got hot if I just sit there and let it idle also.

Tranny noise is not a problem either. I rode the heck out of it in 5th gear in the Ozarks and I'm getting a gear whine in 5th and 1st...as I expected due to gear configuration. It does not make "bad" noises. You can run in 6th gear comfortably at 60 MPH on level road and not lug the motor with me and my gear. If I hit a steep hill I'd down shift. It is not necessary to run the bike up to 70 before hitting 6th gear. I do like the 6 speed. There always seems to be the right gear for a given situation. I did ocasionally find myself in situations with my 5 speed where I was lugging or spinning it faster than I wanted...2nd and 3rd is where I noticed this.

Ya just can't beat IDS on this thing...it really is smooth.

Fuel mileage - on one fill up while riding The Trace I got 48 mpg. This was riding 50 MPH and taking my time...but it did happen. 202 miles and 4.2 gallons. I also find the 6 gal. tank handy. The most gas I put in was 5.1 gallons. It's not the extra range that's nice, but the comfort level knowing I'm not going to run out unless I really do something stupid...(it's been known to happen, ya know)

Problems...I think this is a problem, but the passenger volume control does not control the radio volume. This should be a warranty issue...unless it's supposed to work that way. I'm not sure yet.

This bugs me...the clutch does not engage in a linear fashion. It sort of lets out a bit then wants to grab suddenly. The other part of this is the motor seems to have a real lack of power letting out the clutch. I find if I'm on an uphill start I have to rev the motor and slip the clutch more than I like or should have to...at least that's what I think. Same with starts on level ground. It just seems it could work better. I'm gonna talk to the dealer about it.

All told, this bike is really nice. The suspension is so much better than my SG's was. I rode it over mountains and on the interstate and all thing wants to is run. It is an easy bike to rack up the miles with...

To me, at least, I don't find the problems others have described on the '07's are issues with my '08. I'm really happy.

[475wildey]

IDS drive is a nice touch. The salesman described it as a device to remove driveline lash....but he sort of hedged on that. I think they're trained to say that. Further, it is not the case. Driveline lash remains, but IDS smooths the transition from off throttle to on. I think it also smooths out the driveline, too as the whole bike feels smoother.





Mainly it reduces driveline shock which would prolong belt life and so on

[nvsteve]

Dirty Dan said.."wants to grab suddenly. The other part of this is the motor seems to have a real lack of power letting out the clutch. I find if I'm on an uphill start I have to rev the motor and slip the clutch more than I like or should have to...at least that's what I think. Same with starts on level ground. It just seems it could work better. I'm gonna talk to the dealer about it."

I've got an 07 Ultra and the issue is the same, although part of it has been fixed by going to stage 1 (slipons, a/c, PC111, dyno). The problem is mostly the gearing. Each gear is a bit higher than the gears on your previous bike.
Alot of owners have this same complaint especially on the heavier touring bikes. Someone makes a smaller primary gear but it's without a compensator. I'm not convinced that's the way to go tho.