Possible owner with a few question

[Webo]

All great information guys really appreciate the feedback! I hear you on the SG being old news and everyone having one. There are HD best selling bike now and they are a dime a dozen here in Dallas. That was another plus on the Spyder, not something you see at every other stop light! You mention maintenance on the F6B being a selling point so what are the major mileage maintenance point for this bike and what's the average cost for those in a year for someone that rides say 10k?

[F6B-RICH]

I came from a Canam Spyder 2010 RS-S. I love the F6B and will probably be in my garage for a long time.I had the usual HD motorcycles before the Spyder and the F6B is better then all of them.The Spyder is safer with 3 wheels and very fun to ride but I missed the leaning and was sick and tired of that dam limp mode

[Scotrod]

You mention maintenance on the F6B being a selling point so what are the major mileage maintenance point for this bike and what's the average cost for those in a year for someone that rides say 10k?

From the manual:
4 qts 10w-30 or 10w-40 oil and filter every 8k.
Air filter is buried under a lot of Tupperware. Some say 'hours' to remove/replace. 12k intervals but many go farther and/or go K+N and 'forget' about for extended periods of time.
Plugs 16k
4 ounces of final drive oil replaced every 24k
Check valve clearance 32k

Couldn't tell ya how much $. I do all my own.

[4DI2D]

I use Valvoline Premium Blue 15-40 in my 302 Bronco, my wife's 3.5L Sebring and my F6B. Bosch 3323 filter is longer for better filtration. Mileage intervals are owners choice, but I would NEVER go 8K with an engine I wanted to keep.
It's a 300,000 mile motor if it's maintained.
Ride it like you stole it, service it and keep it going long after the Harley turns to rust and recycles itself.

[Dmoon64]

US F6B's do not have ABS. Unless someone has input from US Honda we can only speculate whether mother Honda will release a 2014 F6B with ABS or cruise control. If they do expect the non ABS and cc versions to tank in resale. I had an email from a guy who bought his F6B Deluxe at roughly $4000 off retail so there are deals to be had that save a lot of money versus the $23,000 Street Glide.

Comfort is subjective. Take the longest test ride you can on both bikes.
Stock the F6B is a faster bike. It pulls like a freight train. That may be important now, but how about in a year or two?
All bikes are fun.
Brakes are linked on the F6B. They take some getting used to especially in low speed maneuvers when you drag your back brake. I've gotten used to them though.
I've bought two windshield and I still need a bigger one. For me the radio suck. Very little bass makes it to my ears. This is my first bike with a radio though, maybe it's just the nature of the beast.

Good luck with whatever you buy. If I had it to do over again I would have bought the Road Glide.

[Scotrod]

if I had it to do over again I would have bought the Road Glide.

2013, or wait for the 15? The Rushmore improvements are many. If I was determined to go with an RG, I'd wait for the 2015.

YMMV!

[bobbyf6b]

If I had it to do over again I would have bought the Road Glide.

You would hate the speakers on the RG even more. I upgraded the speakers on my SG and they still sucked. F6B speakers are way better IMO.

[Cool Hand Luke]

I feel compelled to give my two cents here. I've been riding since I was 19, now 45. I've had my share of bikes: Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW, and of course Harley. I loved all of them, and they all had some strengths and weaknesses. I definitely concur that all bikes are fun.

When I bought my Road King Classic I thought it was the best cruiser ever. I put over 70,000 trouble free miles on it. Added a ton of stuff, some for looks and some for comfort, like removable batwing fairing, speakers, tour trunk, lowers, etc. Mustang seat with backrest made it very comfortable.

Then I bought a Goldwing. Amazing difference! First day I bought it I rode it over 750 miles, all stock with some extras including a backrest. Road King just stopped being fun as I suddenly started feeling it's shortcomings in performance and comfort.

I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought a Harley was because I just wanted to find out what all those Harley guys see in them. I also thought the resale value of Harley, especially a popular model, would be a no brainer.

I came to conclusion that Harley guys buy them mostly for looks, desire to belong to a certain lifestyle, and probably the ingorance of never trying anything else, like GW or BMW, and therefore not knowing what they're missing. I belonged to HOG Chapter, it was nice having a group to ride with, even though the rides were usually pretty short and ended up at a restaurant of some kind. I was also by far the youngest member there.

I started noticing just how much heat RK puts out on my legs. It was much worse with lowers, too hot during summer. So, I sold the RK and got a VRod Muscle, thinking the liquid cooling engine would be much better. I was right. VRSCF is a bit of a black sheep in a Harley herd, but most everyone liked it and commented positively on it. It can leave other bikes in the dust as it has 125 hp and 86 ft/pounds of torque and weighs less than RG or GW and F6B. Also, much smoother running engine than typical HD. I put a removable fairing and saddlebags on it. Surprisingly I'm comfortable enough on it with stock seat, did several 400-500 mile days on it, but I also use AirHawk cushion on all my bikes.

So, Muscle is a keeper for now. Flashy enough, reliable and strong. Love taking it to Daytona Bikeweek.

I tried a RG and liked it, but simply not in the same league as F6B. I put Baggershield on mine and I can hear the stereo great, I mostly use ipod, crystal clear and strong enough. RG stereo is definitely not any better than F6B's. Also, a lot of buffeting from stock RG windshield, I think it is because it is positioned fairly far from rider. RG does handle very well due to frame mounted fairing, but not as good as F6B. Saddlebags on F6B are much bigger and nicer to use, too. Brakes, engine power, wind protection, comfort, all are better on F6B than RG, that is a fact.

RG has some advantages, depending on your point of view: it's a Harley, and that may be enough for most people anyway. There are dealers everywhere, and it has the most accessories available of any bike. It also has a lifestyle thing, such as many owner groups to ride with, clothing etc.

The biggest disadvantage to RG is air cooled engine. There is a stigma that Harleys are unreliable as miles start to pile up. My RK was the hardest bike to sell I ever had, due to 70,000 miles on it even though I maintained it and it ran just fine. On the other hand, my BMW K1200LT had over 80,000 miles and a gentleman approached me and offered to buy it on the spot, and that's how I sold it.

I love my F6B, I have a black one. I never had as many people ask me about the bike as I do with this one. People love it, all kinds of people, riders, non riders, Harley guys. Last week I rode with a couple of friends, both on Harleys, to a local bar/restaurant. The owner and others, who all ride Harleys, came out of the establishment so I can show them my F6B, and also invited me to ride with their group on Sundays. It's to the point it's becoming a nuisance!

I bought my F6B for $17,500 out the door! Base model. Can't go wrong! I also added 5 year extra insurance. For $500, so if I can ride it for next five years I can than sell it and it will still have two years of insurance on it, unlimited miles! Good for resale. I'm sure it will still fetch a good amount for it, abs or not.

F6B has excellent brakes so not having abs is not a deal breaker for me. My BMW had abs and in 8 years of ownership I don't think I ever used it. But abs did break down and I had to pay good money to fix it.

Cruise would be nice, but I added Throttlemeister and can live with that. Most of my riding is on backroads and cannnot really use cruise a lot anyways, so not a deal breaker.

But I never buy bikes because of resale value. I buy them to enjoy riding them. After a few years of ownership the value does not seem to drop as fast anyways.

So, buy what you like for whatever reason you like it, be it to ride or to fit in a certain lifestyle. But, the fact is that F6B is probably one of the best bikes made today!

I included pictures of my HD VRSCF, HD RK, and F6B at Deals Gap for your viewing enjoyment.

[Big Dawg]

I feel compelled to give my two cents here. I've been riding since I was 19, now 45. I've had my share of bikes: Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW, and of course Harley. I loved all of them, and they all had some strengths and weaknesses. I definitely concur that all bikes are fun.

When I bought my Road King Classic I thought it was the best cruiser ever. I put over 70,000 trouble free miles on it. Added a ton of stuff, some for looks and some for comfort, like removable batwing fairing, speakers, tour trunk, lowers, etc. Mustang seat with backrest made it very comfortable.

Then I bought a Goldwing. Amazing difference! First day I bought it I rode it over 750 miles, all stock with some extras including a backrest. Road King just stopped being fun as I suddenly started feeling it's shortcomings in performance and comfort.

I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought a Harley was because I just wanted to find out what all those Harley guys see in them. I also thought the resale value of Harley, especially a popular model, would be a no brainer.

I came to conclusion that Harley guys buy them mostly for looks, desire to belong to a certain lifestyle, and probably the ingorance of never trying anything else, like GW or BMW, and therefore not knowing what they're missing. I belonged to HOG Chapter, it was nice having a group to ride with, even though the rides were usually pretty short and ended up at a restaurant of some kind. I was also by far the youngest member there.

I started noticing just how much heat RK puts out on my legs. It was much worse with lowers, too hot during summer. So, I sold the RK and got a VRod Muscle, thinking the liquid cooling engine would be much better. I was right. VRSCF is a bit of a black sheep in a Harley herd, but most everyone liked it and commented positively on it. It can leave other bikes in the dust as it has 125 hp and 86 ft/pounds of torque and weighs less than RG or GW and F6B. Also, much smoother running engine than typical HD. I put a removable fairing and saddlebags on it. Surprisingly I'm comfortable enough on it with stock seat, did several 400-500 mile days on it, but I also use AirHawk cushion on all my bikes.

So, Muscle is a keeper for now. Flashy enough, reliable and strong. Love taking it to Daytona Bikeweek.

I tried a RG and liked it, but simply not in the same league as F6B. I put Baggershield on mine and I can hear the stereo great, I mostly use ipod, crystal clear and strong enough. RG stereo is definitely not any better than F6B's. Also, a lot of buffeting from stock RG windshield, I think it is because it is positioned fairly far from rider. RG does handle very well due to frame mounted fairing, but not as good as F6B. Saddlebags on F6B are much bigger and nicer to use, too. Brakes, engine power, wind protection, comfort, all are better on F6B than RG, that is a fact.

RG has some advantages, depending on your point of view: it's a Harley, and that may be enough for most people anyway. There are dealers everywhere, and it has the most accessories available of any bike. It also has a lifestyle thing, such as many owner groups to ride with, clothing etc.

The biggest disadvantage to RG is air cooled engine. There is a stigma that Harleys are unreliable as miles start to pile up. My RK was the hardest bike to sell I ever had, due to 70,000 miles on it even though I maintained it and it ran just fine. On the other hand, my BMW K1200LT had over 80,000 miles and a gentleman approached me and offered to buy it on the spot, and that's how I sold it.

I love my F6B, I have a black one. I never had as many people ask me about the bike as I do with this one. People love it, all kinds of people, riders, non riders, Harley guys. Last week I rode with a couple of friends, both on Harleys, to a local bar/restaurant. The owner and others, who all ride Harleys, came out of the establishment so I can show them my F6B, and also invited me to ride with their group on Sundays. It's to the point it's becoming a nuisance!

I bought my F6B for $17,500 out the door! Base model. Can't go wrong! I also added 5 year extra insurance. For $500, so if I can ride it for next five years I can than sell it and it will still have two years of insurance on it, unlimited miles! Good for resale. I'm sure it will still fetch a good amount for it, abs or not.

F6B has excellent brakes so not having abs is not a deal breaker for me. My BMW had abs and in 8 years of ownership I don't think I ever used it. But abs did break down and I had to pay good money to fix it.

Cruise would be nice, but I added Throttlemeister and can live with that. Most of my riding is on backroads and cannnot really use cruise a lot anyways, so not a deal breaker.

But I never buy bikes because of resale value. I buy them to enjoy riding them. After a few years of ownership the value does not seem to drop as fast anyways.

So, buy what you like for whatever reason you like it, be it to ride or to fit in a certain lifestyle. But, the fact is that F6B is probably one of the best bikes made today!

I included pictures of my HD VRSCF, HD RK, and F6B at Deals Gap for your viewing enjoyment.

Excellent post! Amen Brother.............

[Drjohn80]

I have a Harley Electaglide and test drove a new Roadglide before buying my F6B. As far as handling and pure acceleration the f6b is superior. Much more fun to ride on longer trips. The bike feels much lighter than it actually is and is smooth as silk. At a savings of 5 K, No Brainer.