2001 Harley-Davidson reviews

I have been riding a long time. I had a 1970 Shovelhead and I still have my 1955 Panhead. I am one who does not change things too quickly as you can see. So when I bought my Softail I was in shock. The smooth ride was fantastic. I have taken it on long rides into Canada going 4200 miles in 7 days. Then up to Alaska in comfort, 4000 in 8 days. On the last day back to Sacramento we ran 800 miles, and I did start to feel the old numb butt. The engine runs great. The tranny is solid on each shift although an overdrive would have helped the fuel mileage (37 mpg). It handles really well with all the baggage tied on. Leans further than I had expected from a cruiser. The only things are the brakes and right foot peg; the brakes do not slow you down fast enough compared to other large bikes. But after riding the Pan where I wear out a pair of my new boots every other ride, they are great. The right foot peg; the air filter cover stuck out to where it was difficult to relax my foot on long runs. I learned how to do it though. These things are minimal. I have thought about buying a 2009, but this bike fits me like a glove. Back to Alaska for '09. Show less

I bought a 2001 H-D FXD in July, 2005 with 14,000 mi. Finally, after owning Suzuki and Yamaha, my first Harley! I knew for a long time I always wanted a Big Twin, but I didn't truly understand why until I finally owned one. The feel, sound and power are euphoric. It gets people's attention everywhere I ride. The bike is reliable and comfortable: commuting to work, cruising swiftly on the Interstate at high speed with ease or twisting through The Dragon. I've got over 26,000 miles on it now and it just wants to keep going! Thanks to H-D for making such a great ride. Show less

Just purchased a 2001 FXDWG in 2007. Prior to that I owned a mid-size Metric cruiser. The Harley definitely lives up to its name in sound and performance. Compared to the Metrics, a bit more maintenance required, 3 places hold oil instead of 1, Hex screws instead of bolts, but if you thought purchasing a V-Twin metric would be like riding a Herley... you're WRONG. I now know what it means when they say Welcome to the club. Show less

This is the most comfortble bike I have ridden. Of course, I did some modification because I like to ride distance. The bike is awesome looking and good for traveling. I would trade my 2001 even up for another brand new bike. Show less

My father bought this new in 2001, and I bought it from him in late 2003. I've put over 8,000 miles on it since then without a problem. It is my daily driver to work when the temp is above 30 degrees, and has never failed me. Being tall, the ride can be somewhat uncomfortable after riding for a couple hours at a time, but about the time my butt starts to hurt, it is time to get some gas anyway. Since I installed pipes and a new airfilter (and new jets), I am averaging 60mpg. I ride on 95 and 295 at speeds of 80mph regularly without a problem. Show less

This bike does it all for me, I rode a hardtail Evo for 10 year's and had many crotch bikes as well, Included in there was 2 FJ1100's. Lets see, I push the button and the thing go's and I meen fast, hugs the road great, took it to Sturgis last year, no probs at all. Show less

This is my first bike in 15 years. Used to ride a '79 shovelhead FLH. Purchased this bike from a local dealer for 12 grand with 8800 miles on it 1.5 months ago. Twin cam engine. Has air ride suspension front and rear along with the air ride police solo which I changed out to a regular stock Road King seat. The bike has the custom Houston color scheme. I have put about 1700 miles on it since purchasing and really couldn't be more pleased with the bike. No vibration of any kind at cruising speeds and surprise of surprises I can use my rear view mirrors! I have punched out the baffles with no upgrade in air filter so it doesn't need to be remapped. Now I have that nice blat sound at highway speed so people can know you're coming but not obnoxious at low speed, although still sounds like a Harley as it should. The bike seems to be very quick up through the first 3 gears and then 4th kind of mellows out at around 70 mph before shifting into 5th. I don't have a lot of clunk when shifting either. The transmission is extremely smooth and truthfully the smoothest I have yet to experience on all the demo rides I have done. The bike has just the right amount of chrome and the twin bags with a full fairing. The only real complaint I have is the space on the footboard on the left side. With the heal shifter on a long run just isn't that comfortable. So I remove the heal shifter when I am know I am going to be putting some miles on the bike. Anyways this is a bike I will have until the day I die. I like it that much. The handling is extremely nimble feeling. I mean it turns on a dime it seems. The front and rear air ride adjustment is really trick too. You can stiffen it up or leave it wallowy, whichever you prefer. The best money I have spent on a toy to date and the best bargain I have found in this type of bike. My brother even bought an identical bike and that is saying something. thanks Show less

I opted for the Road King because I wanted a bike that was capable of comfortably carrying my wife and I on long trips without committing to 'Long-Distance Touring Only' features like a fixed fairing, permanent backrest, fairing lowers, luggage racks, antannae, etc. Because the Road King has key touring features, including the rubber-mounted 88-inch motor, the adjustable air shock/touring suspension, saddlebags, throttle assist pseudo-cruise control, footboards rather than pegs, and removable windscreen, this bike is pretty much road ready for a trip to anywhere. Because I travel on my Road King and often ride 400-600 miles a day, I did add a few comfort items like highway pegs, softer grips and a removable passenger backrest, but it's important to note that none of these turn the Road King into a full-time dresser. For the wife's sake, we did invest in a second-hand touring seat from one of the full dressers to give her a wider 'back seat' and me some lumbar support. Because the Road King is on the same frame as the Ultra Classic no modifications were needed. We replaced the phillips screw that holds the seat in place with a slick looking thumbturn replacement screw. It's easy to swap out the seat when it's time for a long haul. In fact, my favorite thing about this bike is that I can pull the windscreen and backrest off in seconds and I have a great, classic-looking bike that lets me feel the wind in my face and doesn't look overdressed for a ride around town. The one drawback to the Road King is that while the saddle bags can also be removed in seconds it frankly looks terrible without them because of the saddlebag support frames and the big black air shocks. The convenience of having the saddlebags and the way they fit with the bike's big old school look pretty much nullify any concerns though. You just can't strip it down to look chopper-esque like you can with the Heritage Softail, for example. All of the touring bikes have a more upright riding position, but with the addition of some extended levers for the shifter and brake pedals and a set of highway pegs, it's easy to make this a more laid back ride. The bottom line is that this is a great motorcycle for those of us who want something we can be comfortable riding for a few miles around town or riding across country to Sturgis. I love my Road King Classic! Show less

I traded up from a Yamaha Royal Star to the Road King. Both bikes were priced pretty much the same. I had been worried about the so called "reputation" of HD (breaks down, leaks oil, vibration, etc.) I have discovered the NONE of it was true. This bike is extremely user friendly and very smooth. If you're interested in customizing lightly with bolt ons, paint, etc this is the bike. Tons and tons of aftermarket is available. Has won many shows in SC and holds its value. Show less

This is a great looking motorcycle that handles with the agility of a much smaller bike. I appreciate the solid shifting of gears and highly responsive throttle. This bike is solid all the way around. The Twin Cam 88 is vibration free at idle, and provide plenty of power during acceleration. I have noticed the need for some quicker shifting due to the lower gear ratio compared to my previous Evo. The Screaming Eagle II exhaust also gives the bike that deeper mellow sound, reminiscing of my prior straight pipes. I have plenty of room for storage and enjoy the extra comfort the floorboards provide. Last but not least, my wife now enjoys the longer rides. :( Show less