I'm interested in a 2011 blue Dyna Street Bob. I used to have a black 1998 Dyna Convertible. How is the handling with the mini apes on the Street Bob?

 

I have a 2011 SB, still with the original mini-apes and I love it. That said, I didn't like it at first, handling-wise. It wallowed in corners, banged and jarred over bumps, and the seat felt way too spongey.

A combination of things sorted that out, and it now handles very well:

I'm 6'2", scrawny, mostly arms and legs, so the bars were too close to my chest. I cranked them forward so the rise is almost-exactly vertical. I put basic (Progressive 412) rear shocks and Progressive springs in the front. The suspension is NOT great, but it is good enough. When/if I suddenly want to throw more money at it I'll probably go full-Ohlins but until then the Progressives will do fine.

I dumped the seat and bought a thin, hard thing from Mustang (the 'board tracker' I think it's called, or something like that). It lets me 'feel the bike' moving, and not wobble around relative to the bike, unlike the original horrible foamy loaf thing. Any seat you like will be an improvement over the original.

I put Sputhe stabilizers on the back and front engine mounts and a better linkage on the top mount.

When the original (Michelin Scorcher?) tires wore out, I changed to Michelin Commander IIs. Better I reckon, but not a huge difference. What makes a big difference is keeping the tire pressures within spec (as the bike uses inner-tubes and spoked rims, air loss seems to happen faster than on a tubeless/cast wheel setup. Tyre pressure is critical to handling on these things, so needs regular attention...

It's now a sweet ride which I've put through all manner of hardships, heavy loads and long (eg cross-Australia and back) rides including thousands of kms on gravel roads, heavy rain and even a little snow. It's a pleasure to ride, mostly (not in snow!).

Finally, I'd add that these issues (or variations) are pretty much the norm across all the Dynas, not confined to 2011s or Street Bobs specifically.

Happy riding!
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Yes, great bike. The 96” motor is very solid without cooking you like the 103” and 110”. The SB is a great blank slate with classic styling as a starting point. 2011 was a fine year.

 

Most of the newer stuff is pretty nice. However, you will want to research the 2006+ Dyna chassis for it's quarks and general maintenance items. Depending on mileage/other factors, you might be replacing engine mounts and other items to get the bike handling as it should. The 2008 FXD chassis is no canyon ripper, but the ~14" total bar rise with poly handlebar bushings sure make it easy to make it feel like you're carving corners.

Get the bike. Ride the bike. You most likely wont regret a d@mn thing.

Cheers bruh