Here's my rationale , If you have to ask,get the Electra. As all the posts say , it has all the updates, electric starting,and I believe electronic ignition. Some of us who chose the classic really did not care about those things, It was more a "love at first sight"(at least it was for me) and updates be damned. I even hunted down an 05 with no electric starter. So , if you didn't get sweaty hands at your first sight of a classic, then the Electra is for you.