2009 Harley-davidson Touring on 2040-motos

It's about time. Way back in 1980, Harley-Davidson introduced the FLT Tour Glide, the company's very first model to use rubber engine mounts. And since 1983, all FL tourers have rolled on that same chassis, which has undergone only a few small changes along the way.

That chassis nicely isolated the occupants from engine vibration, but the rubber mounts also meant the big V-Twin motor could not serve as a stressed frame member, thereby compromising the handling. FLs ever since have been inclined to wallow when cornering on bumpy pavement, especially two-up, and sometimes wiggle when running over longitudinal grooves and seams in the pavement.

But finally, after 29 years, that's no longer the case. For 2009, the flagship FLHTCU Electra Glide Ultra Classic—along with the rest of the seven-model FL touring line—has its first new chassis since the original Tour Glide. Beneath that familiar bodywork is a completely redesigned frame, a beefier swingarm, revised steering geometry (though it retains the "backward" triple-clamps that locate the fork tubes behind the steering head) for more front-wheel trail, and new H-D-exclusive Dunlop D407 dual-compound tires, in 16-inch rear and first-ever 17-inch front sizes.

So, although the new Ultra looks just like its recent predecessors, and its 96-inch Twin Cam engine and six-speed transmission are completely unchanged, it is a distinctly better motorcycle. Those long-time handling quirks are nowhere in sight, and the FL now has the kind of stability previously found only on other big-rig tourers. Plus, the new geometry and modern tires have improved the FL's steering behavior, which already was good. Leaning into a corner now requires only a light touch on the bars, and the steering remains completely neutral while the bike is banked over. And even though FLs are not designed for backroad blitzing, the new chassis allows a few more degrees of cornering clearance before footboards kiss pavement.

Visually, these improvements are not apparent; the only tipoff that you're staring at an '09 Ultra is its 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust. Previously, the rear head pipe threaded behind the cylinder and down the left side to the muffler, but the new system routes it down the right side and into a collector before it branches off under the frame to the left muffler. This arrangement not only looks cooler, it is cooler, helping to keep rear-cylinder heat off the occupants' legs. There's also a small deflector on each side, below the front edge of the seat, that channels heat away from the rider's thighs.

So, despite being practically a dead-ringer for its recent forerunners and offering the same engine performance as the previous 96-inchers, the '09 Ultra Classic is a much-improved over-the-road motorcycle. It's yet another example of what Harley-Davidson does so well: making a bike better without making it different.