HarleyTechTalk

I have a 2016 Ultra Classic I bought used with about 15K miles in late 2017.

For fun, I pulled the OEM 103" and added a 124" S&S from FuelMoto at about 20k miles.

I have had a blast for the the last 7 years and 25K miles on this bike/engine combo. Thought I'd keep it forever.

However, now I am getting the bug to try an M8 touring bike. Might be my last chance to get a much newer bike...

I'm not sure, especially being in CA, if I should put the old OEM 103" back in to sell/trade the bike then sell 124" engine separately, or try to sell/trade the bike with the 124" engine and sell the 103" engine separately.

Don't get me wrong, I realize I am going to take a bath on both, either separately or together. I have no illusions I will get any of my money back. I've already reaped a ton of fun and enjoyment from my engine swap.

I'm just trying to guess which will be the easiest and best (most $$) way to liquidate my bike and the spare OEM motor in the corner of my garage...?

Opinions...?

If it were mine I'd pull the motor, and sell the motor separately. Not everyone wants a large motor. A 124" runs smooth when setup well, but not as smooth as the OEM 103" runs. Of course assuming you have an appropriate exhaust for the 103", I'm assuming you upsized the exhaust for the 124".

You may even be able to sell both to the buyer, just have videos of it running, a dyno sheet if you have it, etc.

Thanks Ohio, that is what I suspected.

I'll have to set up some time to swap the OEM engine back into the bike. Then I can get serious about what I want to buy and whether I can trade or sell the bike outright.

I'll do a compression & leak down on the S&S engine, along with a video of it running in preparation for for trying to sell it...

The exhaust was an interesting story. Its designed for 103" to 117" engines. Jaime played with its tuning trying to stretch its capabilities on the 124". He was surprised how well it worked with the 124". So we kept it on the bigger motor, and I saved the cost of a newer exhaust. It ended up @ 135HP & 151TQ


Thanks again for your thoughts... Now to swap engines and start looking for a new bike...

Update: 

While going over the 124" for pending sale, it had a good compression check and leak-down test, but I discovered an oil leak at the rear cylinder base gasket. That will be fixed either in-frame or once removed from the bike.

I did some serious checking and this market is tough. My 2016 is really not worth much, and yet the M8 bikes are still asking for a bit more than I thought I'd have to spend.

I may be stuck with the 2016 for awhile longer, either with the 124" or with the 103" swapped back into it for a quick turn around when the time/my bank account are ready...

A first world problem to be sure...

Not complaining, just planning and getting ready to deal with the reality..