Have you considered the Road King. I use mine as commuter and it works great. Bags are handy and ready when you are.

I have ridden my cousins VTX 1800 quite a bit, and compared to the Road King the bike seemed very unbalanced. The reversed triple tree on the touring bikes makes for really nice slow speed handling. Give it a thought.

 

All many thanks for the input. Trouble with renting here is that there is no supply of bikes to rent, typical! I'm hoping to be in a position to have enough to buy in about three months and will try a couple of test rides of both.

I saw the thread on the fat bob with the wide glide fender which for me looks really sweet. Then there's the Fat Boy which is just iconic an a beauty!

Dibs I hear what you're saying about the lean, are you saying that it would be normal to be slightly off centre I riding your wide glide?

Thanks again,

Al

 

No, I don't, but it is considered acceptable if the lean can be countered by upper body movement alone. Often times that's the road, or the riders habits that put it like that.

My bike tracks straight and true, and I sit squared on the bike, with little to no pressure on the handlebars.

 

Having had both a Heritige Softail and a few Dynas I'd say the Heritige was the smoother more comfortable bike for a slow poke along, if you want a more spirited ride the Dyna Superglide would be the better choice. In addition you can upgrade the suspension with decent Progressive shocks and Race Tech cartridge emulators in the forks on both models to improve handling, but the Dyna being lighter will respond better.

 

Hi Al,

My first HD wa Softail custom with forward controls, then I had a fatboy and a Heritage both with floor board. To me the greatest differnce when riding long distance is the placement of your legs. Forward controls can be tiering if you dont get a good riding possition. I went from a Honda Shadow when I discovered the superior handling of a Harley. I have ordered a Fatbob and expect to get it middle of Feb. I landed on the Fatbob, partly because of its double disc brakes.

 

Thanks Dibs, here's hoping whichever one I go for in the end that it will be as balanced as yours! It's just driving me a bit nuts at the moment and lessening the enjoyment of the bike.

 

Compared to a Dyna, with a Softail, you will probably need a few more grand in your back left pocket to balance it..

 

Thansk Dan. I hadn't really considered the Road King I just assumed that it would be a bit unwieldy for every day use. I also like the idea of not having bags on the bike for the more stripped down look.

 

I have ridden Both, and own a Dyna. Both were balanced fine, I just prefer the "brawler" Dyna more. I prefer the engine and suspension.
The Dyna is still big bike, but doesn't feel cumbersome at all.

 

I've had both and it depends on the type of rider you are. If you are an aggressive rider that loves dicing up curvy roads than the Dyna is your best bet but if you like a smooth laid back ride than I think the softail is your best bet. Remember the dyna has A engine which vibrates at idle but smooths out once you get underway and the softails have the B engine which is smooth as glass until you get to higher speeds. Hope this helps