2012 Harley-Davidson FLHTK Electra Glide Ultra Limited
Riding motorcycles has been a regular part of my life as far back as I can remember, even farther back than I care to brag about. My dad used to look like all the guys in Easyriders circa 1979 and I thought he was the coolest man on the planet. I can look back at the pictures of Bandit, Rogue, RIP, and I remember crawling into my dad’s office as a 6-year old to sneak a look at his Easyriders collection. To be honest, I was usually looking for a glimpse of boobies, but I thought the bikes were almost as cool. Raked out Sportsters with flaked out Frisco tanks being piloted by a renegade with a nasty stand-alone mustache engulfed by a starlet perched upon the king and queen seat latching onto the rider like a backpack….yeah, those were the pics that made me want to ride. Over the years, my tastes have evolved as much as my riding. I started on a dirt bike, graduated to the Sporty, eventually moved to a Softail (more than once), abused the snot out of a V-Rod, until I eventually settled into my latest ride, a 2012 Ultra Limited. Looking back at the articles I had written in the past, it is funny to me how my styles have changed as well as the growing girth around my tummy. Although far from old, I am 37 years old now…exactly 10 years older than when I bought my first brand-new 2003 Fatboy.
Here’s a link to the first Harley story I ever wrote on Bikernet,
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=7353
I eventually moved on to a Springer Classic that I transformed into an uncomfortable to ride, but nasty as hell looking beast.
Next in line was the 2008 VRSCDXA Night Rod Special that I decided in proud proclamations to be the best bike I had ever ridden….until the fateful day Bandit had me test ride a 2011 Ultra Classic.
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=8693
After that fiasco, all I could do was try to convince myself I didn’t need a bagger, and the V-Rod was it for me….I mean I REALLY wanted to believe it. After 32,000 miles and a couple of transformations, (http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=9291)
my wife finally succumbed to my constant pressure and gave me the green light on a bagger.
Now if you have read any of my articles before I rode the Ultra, you may remember that I have always been very critical of baggers, bagger riders, and everything associated with them. I mean, I see all the shops that are now catering to the baggers, dressers, and all the spaceships alike. I just didn’t understand the appeal to riding a bike that weighs half a ton, handles like a truck, and has more lights than my house at Christmas. To be honest, I didn’t even consider a bagger for my personal ride. Also, once again, my ignorance is showcased for the entire world to see in emblazoned print to be archived forever.
Since 2002, I have ridden over 100,00 miles on several Harleys’ and the majority of that time my bikes have been my personal transportation. I’ve ridden to and from Sturgis 4 times, made several other cross-country trips, all the while getting by wearing a backpack, strapping as much as I could to the bike with bungee cords and T-Bags, duffel bags, or gym bags. It wasn’t until I rode that damn Ultra Classic that I realized what an amazing machine this “king of the open road” really is.
Finally, this past October my wife and I walked into Mancuso Harley-Davidson ready to make a deal. My V-Rod was barely crawling past the 32k mark and was in fact barely broken in. Sadly, the dealer didn’t feel the same way about the bike and gave me right at 9K toward a trade. Once the figures were decided on the old bike, it was time to shop for the new bike and I had my eyes and heart set on a 2012 Road Glide Custom. The sleek lines, uncluttered look, and reputed handling made the shark-nosed glide the bike I was after. As soon as Salena saw the bike she scrunched up her nose and pointed at the back seat. “I don’t think so, that doesn’t look any more comfy than the V-Rod…keep looking.”
Before you macho-men start berating me with your remarks, let me remind you, this is my 7th Harley since 1999. My 6th since 2002, and my 5th since 2005….I am thankful she hasn’t cut my junk off while I was asleep with all the money I’ve spent on Harleys…I am a lucky man!
She looked at a 2012 Ultra Limited and plainly stated, “If you are getting a grandpa bike, you are getting the full-bore barca-lounger. If I know you, you’ll wanna add all the goodies later, and I figure it’ll be cheaper to tear it off than to put it on. Let’s try a big-big bike with all the goodies included.” Now, while I feel the CVO is the penultimate Harley, I think I like riding to work too much to really feel comfortable spending 40g’s on a bike, so we took it one-step down and decided on an Ultra Limited with two tone Big Blue Pearl and black paint.
We watched as Wild Bill, our salesman, struggled to push the bike out into the sunlight. “The flake in the paint looks like dimes in the sunlight and sparkles like a bass boat on the lake. You are getting the biggest, most beautiful bike Harley makes,” he said as he huffed to get the bike upright onto its side stand. I had to laugh at the though of this beast sitting in my garage where I had once built a bare bones SPS bobber….it was going to be different.
All it took was one ride and we were signing the paperwork, my wife was happy, I was happy, and we were on our way. I bought the bike in October and wanted to wait for the “new” to wear off before writing my review of this bike. While I have written several reviews over the past several years, I always wrote them after a fairly short ride and honestly, what bike isn’t awesome for a short time? I wanted to really give the riders of Bikernet my best rendition…a truly honest review of this bike, warts and all! So, ready or not here it is.
Let me say at the time of this review I have put over 5000 miles on my new bike, most in the wettest winter Houston has had in years. I’ve ridden over 200 miles in a day, had passengers ranging from each of my kids to my wife, and even taken the bike to the grocery store. I ride it to work almost every day, and I carry my gym clothes, work portfolio, two jackets, beanies, gloves, and still have a free saddlebag and most of the tourpack. I’ve carried my martial arts bag on the luggage rack, strapped fertilizer to the rear seat, and made several “errand runs’ out of weekends. In 5 months, I have used this bike for every type of riding I could ever desire EXCEPT THE ONE IT WAS DESIGNED FOR- a serious road trip. But that’s the thing, this bike is so easy to strap your stuff to, you can use it like the family car without spending 60 bucks filling it up with gas. I have enjoyed being able to stick all my junk in the bags and not have to worry about leaving something behind.
What really changed for me was when I realized I wasn’t Jesse James and truly embraced the idea that I’m a true enthusiast who just happens to enjoy things like comfort and music when riding. In the truest sense of the word, I believe this bike enables me to be a “real biker”…one that rides his bike every day in every type of weather. While I did ride my other bikes in some nasty weather, it was truly because I had no choice where as now I choose to ride the bike in almost any conditions. 29º F… no problem, a nasty crosswind mixed with rain…I got it, 80% humidity and hot as hell…eh, not my favorite. The heat does make this beast feel a little heavier, but the cold or rain isn’t near the bear of the past. The full fairing, leg lowers, and heated grips take riding this bike in the elements from an endurance test of ones’ mettle to little more than an inconvenience. When it’s wet, I have to pay extra attention to the road…but I’m not getting sloshed with every ounce of road grime my fender-less front tires have given me in the past.
Riding with a passenger is much easier on the heavy duty framed touring bike. My wife’s experience has included events from making a trip to New Orleans and back on the back of my Fatboy in 2003 to going so far as riding her own Harley for a few years. My point is she knows, from experience, what moves to make on the back of a bike and what affects the rider in a negative way. She is my favorite passenger in the world and the truth is she was never comfortable on any of my other bikes for very long. She was a trooper, and even endured a 6 hour trip in the rain without as much as a single complaint on one of my previous trips. This bike, however, is such a radical departure from what we have experienced in the past, she is actually now able to text, watch movies, and even fall asleep on the back of the bike. My wife is able to enjoy one of the only things I truly love to do in this world, and that’s riding my Harley!
My son has ridden for 4 straight hours without complaint, my daughter’s been picked up from school, and I’ve even taken my little dog to the groomer. Wow, the more I type, the more I realize I haven’t turned into the radical writing madman I pictured in my head a few years back as much as I’ve morphed into a family man who just happens to use his Harley like a pick-up truck. What does that mean? I think it means I picked the perfect bike for my style…a bike for the rain, the cold, the heat, riding to work, the gym, and most of all riding for fun. The Ultra Classic Limited is the Ultimate Harley-Davidson; it answers all of my needs.
The radio, while not going to be confused with awesome, will suit your needs if you desire music on your ride. I have never used the CB or weather band radio, but find both the tuner and CD player to be adequate at least. I tried to add speakers from biker’s Choice to my V-rod and was pleasantly surprised they were clear up to 60 or 65 mph. This bike’s combined seating position, fairing, and windshield makes this radio noticeably better, louder, and clearer. Part of the reason I haven’t even considered a full on exhaust system is I do not feel like having to upgrade my stereo to hear it. I would give the radio solid thumbs up!
Why the Limited, and not the Ultra Classic? To be honest, it was the paint. I liked the paint job on the Limited. The bikes comes standard with a two-tone paintjob, and the Big Blue pearl is maybe my second favorite color of all time coming in a close second behind last year’s Root Beer! The Tour Pack, lowers, heated hand grips, chrome wheels, 12v acc. Plug, they were all just added bonuses that I could have lived without but am really glad I got because I have used them all. The seat, while extra padded, takes a month to break in to being even close to comfortable. Now I am scared to change it as I truly like the ride it gives me. Let me tell you, I hall ace EVERYWHERE I go, the difference is now I am comfortable!
I did make a few cosmetic changes to the bike like changing to the midnight smoked lenses on the front fender tip and the turn signals front and rear. The orange just didn’t seem to go with anything on the bike. I also changed the windshield to one of Harley’s Windsplitter 7.5” screens. This made a HUGE cosmetic difference that didn’t seem to affect the ride at all. I added Rush Slip On’s, a Harley Screamin Eagle Air filter, and a three pocket windshield pouch. Nothing has changed the bike from what it is designed for, and that’s a dresser, a bagger, a full on touring motorcycle with a ton of potential for customization; yet, I was really hesitant about changing things as I have found, for the most part, the more you change a bike from the factory, the less comfortable you end up making it. There is nothing worse than spending time and money on a bike that you can’t stand riding!
So, 5000 miles after riding this bike for the first time, I have to say I am more than happy with it and would recommend a Limited to ANYONE! I can still grab a handful of throttle and hit triple digits far faster than necessary. I find myself riding to work with a goofy grin on my face while jamming to my tunes. I am really not sure what I did to deserve such a lucky life, but I can truly say I am happier than I have ever been. While this bike is very expensive, I think I made the better of the deal. I will give my review of this bike after my first big road trip this August. I am going to try to make this little rally in South Dakota that some of you may have heard of. I plan to hit the Rockies, Pagosa Springs, Moab, South Dakota and maybe Minnesota. I can’t wait, and am literally counting the days until our trip.
What does my family think of the bike? Honestly, they all like it, but they don’t ride it very much. Maybe the premise of buying the bike for them to enjoy was a silly fantasy I threw out from my own subconscious. To be honest, I am stoked with this bike, but am really just happy to be riding. I can tell you this, I have accrued more miles on this in 5 months than any other bike I have owned and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. SO stay tuned to see what I do to this bike over time, as I am sure, like the others, it will change.
