New Bike in the stable

[gacoyote]

I got an incredible deal on 2003 H-D Electra Glide 100th Anniversary. M50 is going to get sold I hope soon. I'll miss it but I needed something bigger and more comfortable for longer rides.

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[Y2K]

Congrats on the big glide,I've owned 2 so far ( 1989 Evo & 2000 TC 88 ) and done over 200,000 miles on them combined.
How many miles on that '03? Some had issues with a few things (all early TC motors are suspect ) but nothing that should be a deal breaker if they've been addressed.
The one biggie is cam chain shoes and cam bearings,there were some that failed early and can cause complete engine failure if not caught early on.
Most of the cam bearing issues were with '99 and early 2000's,any early TC should have a cam bearing upgrade done anyway,the shoes were a problem on some up through '06.
I had a friend with a new '03, the shoes failed with only 23,000 miles,that was a rare case but it shows they should be checked if it's a low mile bike with nothing done to it.
Most would last at least 40K,that's when I had my first set done and the Torrington cam bearing upgrade on my early 2000,would have had it checked sooner but the issue was not well known at the time,I had 40k on it in less tan 2 years.
Have you got service records?....any mods done at all?
These motors respond very well to a few tweaks and even better with some more major ones if a good builder who knows his stuff does the work,much like an old school Chevy V-8.
My 2000 hit 100,000 miles in early '06 with 60K on the replacement cam chain shoes,it was time for new shoes but the bike was still running great.
I opted for elective surgery and had a higer compression 95" kit installed with ported heads etc etc. and with that build eliminated the cam chain all together with an S&S geardrive performance cam set.
Love the gear drive (all prior H-D engines were gear drive factory) cams,no more shoe worries and I have 72,000 miles on them now.
Since I had that done H-D has improved the cam chain set up on later TC engines and some guys have the later set up installed on older bikes,also a good option so food for thought.
Anything else you might want to know about Electras just shout and I'll try to help.......I'll just throw out there one more thing, as good as the stock seat is a Mustang Regal Duke is way way better.
Have fun and keep us posted .

[Pheonix]

Congrats! Hope you love it! I'll probably go the HD route if my 1400 doesn't scratch my "bigger bike itch".

[TNM50]

Congrats on the new ride! One thing I found with my M50 was that after the forward control install that it became a very comfortable all day rider. I actually can ride my M50 for longer and be more comfortable than my new bigger bike. Everybody is different though and what I find comfortable the next guy can not stand.

[Y2K]

Everybody is different though and what I find comfortable the next guy can not stand.

Very true but H-D's Electra has long been the king of comfort,it's been around being refined for a long time (almost 50 years) and despite it's quirks and complaints from critics one thing it's always gotten good reviews on is on is comfort and storage capacity.

[TNM50]

I don't disagree with that but one thing that kept me from getting a HD and a Victory instead was the HD's I test drove felt very crampt to me, more so than my M50.

[Y2K]

I don't disagree with that but one thing that kept me from getting a HD and a Victory instead was the HD's I test drove felt very crampt to me, more so than my M50.

What did you ride?

[TNM50]

A street glide and a road king. The street glide was what I thought I wanted till I drove it and it felt smaller to me than M50. The road king felt a little better though and talked price on a denim blue one. Got on the Victory and the leg room was awesome. Both bikes had pros and cons but it came down to comfort and price and I was able to get into the Vic for much less than the HD. I did love the grunt of the 103 where most of the power came down low compared to the Vics 106 where all the power comes in higher up in the rpm's. I also felt the HD paint and chrome quality was much better than the Victorys but I got what was best for me. After almost 4 months with my Cross Roads and I am very happy with everything but the wind managment, lots of buffeting from air coming from below. The problems is worse for the cross countrys but is fixable (for more money that is)!

[Y2K]

A street glide and a road king. The street glide was what I thought I wanted till I drove it and it felt smaller to me than M50. The road king felt a little better though and talked price on a denim blue one. Got on the Victory and the leg room was awesome. Both bikes had pros and cons but it came down to comfort and price and I was able to get into the Vic for much less than the HD. I did love the grunt of the 103 where most of the power came down low compared to the Vics 106 where all the power comes in higher up in the rpm's. I also felt the HD paint and chrome quality was much better than the Victorys but I got what was best for me. After almost 4 months with my Cross Roads and I am very happy with everything but the wind managment, lots of buffeting from air coming from below. The problems is worse for the cross countrys but is fixable (for more money that is)!

Thanks for the detailed reply.
The Streetglide is pretty much a stripped lowered E-glide,not sure what seat you were on but there are a multitude of different seats for these bikes and a seat change can be a huge difference for many folks.
I don't care for the streetglide myself,sit's too low IMHO.
I really need to get a test ride in a Vic,I've ridden a lot of bikes like BMW's,Gold Wings etc but I've yet to try a Vic.
I love the Electra,set mine up for me by changing a few things,just minor stuff like raising the footboards a little for cornering and getting a Mustang seat which is the best thing I've done,love my seat lol.
Wind buffeting is very well controlled on my bike,it has the optional fork baffle and deflector wings on the fairing edges.
Maybe you could get or make a baffle for your forks,not sure how well it would work without the batwing but I'd bet it would make at least some difference.

[TNM50]

My windshield has the "sideburns" that help but Victory sells some fork mounted reflectors that have solved the buffeting for most but want a ridiculous price for them. I put on a set of vinyl closeouts for winter riding and got the double benefit of no more buffeting but they will have to come off when it gets above 65 degrees. I'll probably break down and get the fork wings before I take any long trips this year.

[Y2K]

My windshield has the "sideburns" that help but Victory sells some fork mounted reflectors that have solved the buffeting for most but want a ridiculous price for them. I put on a set of vinyl closeouts for winter riding and got the double benefit of no more buffeting but they will have to come off when it gets above 65 degrees. I'll probably break down and get the fork wings before I take any long trips this year.

Wind control is sure nice on those long trips,especially if you have to slab it any lenght of time,I did 6000 miles in nine days once on an open no windshield bike,the wind fatigue really wore me down.

This is the seat I have on my Electra,keeps my butt from getting worn down lol.

[gacoyote]

Thanks Y2K for the info! Thanks to everyone else too. I checked into this bike and I'm not to concerned with maintenance as I always stay up on it and I knew about this. I simply can't get over the ride comfort with the Harley and I have a bad back so this was the determining factor. M50 is still in the garage so it will still see some use......like when I want to grind the floorboards!

[Y2K]

Thanks Y2K for the info! Thanks to everyone else too. I checked into this bike and I'm not to concerned with maintenance as I always stay up on it and I knew about this. I simply can't get over the ride comfort with the Harley and I have a bad back so this was the determining factor. M50 is still in the garage so it will still see some use......like when I want to grind the floorboards!

Yeah it's hard to beat the comfort of the big O'l E-glide,I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a long while.

[chitownpete]

Very nice. If I did lots of highway or long distance I would have a big Harley. I hated them until I actually rode one.

[Y2K]

I hated them until I actually rode one.

Funny how that works 'eh.