choosing a Big Dog/advice please
- Thread starter TBGSM
- Start date
pauldeepsea
Guru
Ride them all, the rigid is going to mess with your back.. Welcome to the forumn
pauldeepsea
Guru
Also before you buy you may want to look up the year and model to check the recalls on the bike. Do some reading here to check on the technical issues with the model you decide to go with.
jbotts
Member
I've logged 4000 miles on a 2004 chopper, and 15,000 miles on a 06 K-9. I'm 5'10" 300 plus pounds and wear 30 inch inseam jeans. I think the Chopper outhandles the k9 with the shorter wheel base and 250 rear tire, especially if it is an 05 or later model with the slam primary. The drag bars on the chopper though had me leaning forward a bit too much for long trips. A 400 mile ride to Cookeville, TN was mot pleasant on the chopper. With drag bars, I just don't think my dimensions were quite right for that model.
The K9, oh man it fits me like a glove, I LOVE IT. She's a beast so you have to muscle her through turns sometimes, but proper form, proper air pressure in tires, looking in the direction of the turn, and a little elbow grease pushing those handlebars make it all manageable. The bike dispatches minor bumps in the road with no problem, but you will feel it if you hit anything moderate or severe. You will however want to customize the seat for longer trips if you weight a lot.
As for the Ridgeback, I test rode an 04 and almost bought an 06, but the dealer after looking at how many miles I was riding talked me out of it. I rode the ridgeback in an industrial area of St. Louis, lots of bumps, rail road crossings, etc. It didn't feel like anything I couldn't handle, and was surprisingly tame considering all of the stories about rigid bikes.
I have no experience with the other models in the big dog lineup, but that 07 bulldog catches my eye everytime I stop by the dealer.
The K9, oh man it fits me like a glove, I LOVE IT. She's a beast so you have to muscle her through turns sometimes, but proper form, proper air pressure in tires, looking in the direction of the turn, and a little elbow grease pushing those handlebars make it all manageable. The bike dispatches minor bumps in the road with no problem, but you will feel it if you hit anything moderate or severe. You will however want to customize the seat for longer trips if you weight a lot.
As for the Ridgeback, I test rode an 04 and almost bought an 06, but the dealer after looking at how many miles I was riding talked me out of it. I rode the ridgeback in an industrial area of St. Louis, lots of bumps, rail road crossings, etc. It didn't feel like anything I couldn't handle, and was surprisingly tame considering all of the stories about rigid bikes.
I have no experience with the other models in the big dog lineup, but that 07 bulldog catches my eye everytime I stop by the dealer.
jbotts
Member
As for dealer vs private seller, craigslist and ebay motors has some deals with a bad economy forcing guys to get rid of their dogs. You will save money imo, but if it has the big brother computer on it, ask for the engine report numbers from the dealer he takes it to. The dealer downloads this information from the bike's computer when it comes in for maintenance. They can tell you how long the bike has spent at each RPM level on the bike. This way you will know if the guy has totally punched out the engine or if he has rode the bike responsibly. I'd hate to buy a used bike from a guy who just beat the hell out of his engine.
If you decide to go prostreet make sure you don't overlook the 08 mutt and 09-10 coyote.
Great rideing bikes.
I actually like the smaller 250 rear tire and skinny front tire compared to the mastiff.
Everything else on the bikes is about the same, just diffrent details.
Good luck
Great rideing bikes.
I actually like the smaller 250 rear tire and skinny front tire compared to the mastiff.
Everything else on the bikes is about the same, just diffrent details.
Good luck
I live in Chattanooga TN roads are too bad but not the greatest. Im 5'10 and weigh 180. I think the Chopper would be a good fit for me and what I have found fits my budget. I found an 04 Chopper at a dealer but I am concerned about the other post regarding BD laying off and parts hard to find.
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