The 2012s are here!

[DrBob]

HD has started shipping 15 different 2012 Touring and Sportster models to dealers, for immediate sale. The rest of the models will follow on July 20 at the dealer meeting. I just came back from the dealership, where I got to take a short spin on a 2012 Road King. I like. I REALLY like the Road Glide Ultra, but at $22,500 I think I will probably trade my Electra Glide in on regular Road Glide and save 3 grand. I can always add the lowers and tourpac later, sourcing them from a wreck and painting to match myself.

For 2012 all the touring bikes have the 103 cubic inch motor with factory oil cooler and 6 speed tranny, making 102 ft/lbs of torque, and having an automatic compression release for faster starts. All now have air-adjustable shocks, a 6 gallon fuel tank, come in your choice of 12 colors, and have my new favorite feature, optional factory wire wheels that are tubeless. ABS, security, keyless ignition, GPS, and other options are available on most touring models.

There are 6 Sportster models, available in 15 colors, all with Michelin® Scorcher tires instead of the old Dunlops. The big news in the Sporty line is the web-based H-D1™ Bike Builder factory customization process for the 1200. Using Bike Builder, customers can go online and personalize their 1200 Custom with 4 seat choices; 3 handlebars; forward or mid foot controls; 4 different wheel choices; security; 15 paint schemes; black or chrome engine finish; and other factory options. Add any dealer installed accessories like chrome, bags, crash bars, tach, chin spoiler, side mount plate, etc; print it out and take it to the dealer, put down your deposit, and 4 weeks later your dream bike shows up exactly as you want it.

[Motorcycle Forum]

[Thundurburd]

Interesting. Certainly a different approach to the bad economy than Suzuki has taken, which is darn near disappear from the dealer floors.

[JmalB]

Is the 2012 XR getting the 6 as well?

My local dealers still have Suzukis on the floor. Some of them may be used but still

[old codger]

Good information DrBob. Since I officially became a senior this month my wife is been suggesting that it may be time to start looking at three wheelers. I like the HD three wheeler but I am not there yet, perhaps when I turn 70 in 5 years.

[Y2K]

My 2000 started life as an 88" 5 speed,eclipsed in '07 by the 96" 6 speed bikes and now the 103'' bikes.
Makes it seem old lol,I remember it being so new,88"....woohoo a bigger motor! and twin cams!, made my 80" Evo seem old so it was trade in time.
I guess it's about trade in times again,I wonder what they'd give me for my old '00 with 167,000 miles on the clock,prolly not enough "sigh".

[intimid8er]

167K is pretty awesome in any book.

[Y2K]

167K is pretty awesome in any book.

Well except for the one that counts in this case.......the Blue Book.

[Y2K]

At least they're not water pumpers just yet,it's coming though thanks to the EPA.
See here......... Harley Davidson Water Cooled Heads Patent

[DrBob]

The EPA has absolutely nothing to do with it- the air cooled twin cam 103 meets all existing and projected EPA standards. The water cooling patent is an idea to address the current problem with the E-Glide and Road Glide Ultra models: with the lower fairings, they do not get enough air flow at low speed to the exhaust valve area of the rear cylinder, so the bikes run hot in traffic. The TC 96 and 103 motors eliminated the exhaust crossover by the rear jug, and have an electronic solution, cutting the fuel flow and ignition to the rear cylinder when it gets too hot. As HD pushed towards 110 CID motors across the touring line, this may not be enough. So it is no coincidence that the patent is for a system that provides cooling water to the exhaust valve area of the cylinders, provided by two little radiators that would fit right inside the hollow factory lowers on an Ultra.
It sounds like a good idea to me. But HD has patented a lot of things that never made it to market, like the Nova modular engine and that three-wheeled reverse trike from a couple years ago, to name two. So it may or may not actually show up on a production bike.

[Y2K]

The EPA has absolutely nothing to do with it- the air cooled twin cam 103 meets all existing and projected EPA standards. The water cooling patent is an idea to address the current problem with the E-Glide and Road Glide Ultra models: with the lower fairings, they do not get enough air flow at low speed to the exhaust valve area of the rear cylinder, so the bikes run hot in traffic. The TC 96 and 103 motors eliminated the exhaust crossover by the rear jug, and have an electronic solution, cutting the fuel flow and ignition to the rear cylinder when it gets too hot. As HD pushed towards 110 CID motors across the touring line, this may not be enough. So it is no coincidence that the patent is for a system that provides cooling water to the exhaust valve area of the cylinders, provided by two little radiators that would fit right inside the hollow factory lowers on an Ultra.
It sounds like a good idea to me. But HD has patented a lot of things that never made it to market, like the Nova modular engine and that three-wheeled reverse trike from a couple years ago, to name two. So it may or may not actually show up on a production bike.

Well while they may meet EPA they run hot doing so,if not for the stringent regs they could build 96" & 103" air-cooled motors that don't.
At any rate,I don't really want a radiator on a Harley hidden or not,besides the first thing I'd take off a new Ultra would be the lower fairings and that wouldn't be possible anymore.
The new bikes as nice as they are now have already become much more complicated,fly by wire throttles and all that stuff.
I wonder how well they'll hold up at high miles like my bike has now,I know I've never had to worry about replacing a fuel pump or water pump or deal with a coolant leak and never will,nor will I have electrical or other issues from EFI/fly by wire.
Someday I may need new throttle cables but not yet lol,if and when I do it'll be an easy/cheap fix.
I'm not a technophobe,I just appreciate the reliability and ease of maintenance that has always been a mainstay of a simple air cooled pushrod V-Twin,my bike has never made me walk home and I can muddle through most repairs and maintenance myself without a diagnostic computer.
I'd like a new bike but sometimes I think about spending the money on a full resto and some upgrades (6 speed and ?) to mine rather than dealing with more and more possible problem spots with all the technocrap on the newer bikes.

[DrBob]

My 2008 TC96 is over 100,000 miles and it has not so much as burped, so I have no concerns about the electronic do-dads, though I do miss the ability to fix anything on the bike myself, like I did with my EVOs and Shovels. But then agin, nothing has broken, so I guess that is a non-issue. I'll most likely trade it for a 2012 at the end of the summer, not because I feel it is at all worn out, but simply because I like the new Road Glide Ultra, which combines the lower center of gravity of the Road Glide with the features of an Ultra, something that was unavailable last time I went bike shopping. I'd pass if it had the water cooling, as I simply do not want the extra weight, complexity, and maintenance. But as I said, there have been a LOT of HD patents that never made it to a production bike- sometimes they are simply exploring ideas, other times they are seaking to beat the competition or prevent the the aftermarket from doing something. HD learned their lesson from the EVO patent fiasco, and has no intention of letting that happen again.
I'll keep the 2007 XL1200 I picked up last year, which only has a touch over 20K miles on it, because it is so light and agile as a commuter bike around town. It too has been absolutely flawless, needing only tires and oil changes so far.
If you are thinking about upgrading the trans, consider a 7 speed. The xtra gear is on the bottom, which really improves the off the line performance on the baggers. The bike starts out just fine in 2d when you don't want the holeshot. Alternately, you can swap the front sprocket and sacrifice some top speed ( goes 110 MPH anyways?) for more real-world performance.
Have you checked out eglidegoodies.com? They have lots of good stuff for the glides- I bought a quick release kit for the tourpac that slo pushes it back 3 inches for more passenger room, a water bottle holder, and quick release hardware for the lowers (I like them for the winter).