you wont belive this softail but i actually have another brother 5 years younger named larry boy do we get juiced.that damn show.anyway good to here a fellow sporty driver did the same.i know your right about the ride can hardly wait. ride on

 

Congrats Panzer XL!!!

You wont' regret the decision. I bought mine the same way. I rented and rodeother models, including other softails, but then narrowed it down to the Heritage Classic. I sat on it but didn't actually ride it. But, it rode like a dream right from the shop.

The first mod I did was to have the Stage I breather kit put on along with some free flowing pipes. Makes a huge difference in performance over the stock bikes I rode.

Lots of other mods were mainly cosmetic, including my switch to Wild Ones Chubbies 518 bars. But if you plan on riding lots, with a passanger, I recommend Harley's "Rider Essentials Kit" for Softail: http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/C...p?locale=en_US
I ended up with all that stuff in time, but I didn't buy it in a kit and get a free belt buckle. Then get yourself some pegs to mount to the crash bar for long-term highway comfort!

By the way, you will be extremely happy with the way your bike handles 2up and loaded. There's a lot of passenger space. We think there is even more people room on the Heritage Classic than the touring bikes we have tried.

I would also say, get yourself some quick disconnects for your sissy bar, passenger pillon and bags. One of the reasons I liked the Heritage classic was it could be loaded up or stripped down easily. I came up with my own pillon disconnect solution. For the bags, I used Boss Bags air chuck style disconnects.

Once again, Congrats!

 

Get a fuel management before it burns up

 

Like you I went from a 2005 XL1200C but I went with a FXST and have been so happy ever since. More parts for them then the XLs in the aftermarket. Thats one thing that drove me nuts about my XL. Seemed like every time I found a really cool part it was never available for XLs. Welcome and youll love your FL.

 

I currently own 6 Harleys (ranging from a '49 hardtail Panhead chopper to a Road King), and have owned and ridden Harley's since back in the early 1970's.

My Softail FatBoy has become my favorite ride, and it is a great 'do it all' bike. I have the quick disconnect windshield, hard saddlebags, and passenger backrest/luggage rack, so it can go from "tour mode" to "cruise mode" almost instantly.

I have quite a few 'extras' on my FatBoy, but one thing I'd recommend is a SERT and Dyno Tune by someone that knows what they are doing.

Enjoy the new bike...

 

Enjoy the Heriatge. Finally some ride time for me this weekend. Going up to 68 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! [sm=icon_cheers.gif]what mods you got planned ? Only thing i hated was stock pipes. I went with Rush 1.75. sounds great now . Please post a pic of the new ride when you get a chance. what could you get ?

 

You'll enjoy longer rides on the Heritage!!!!

ride hard, ride safe

 

Congrats, and you made the right move. I also went from a Sporty to a Softail (but with a 25 year break in between!).

 

ok for starters ivetold thestealer to install stg 1 kit withvance and hines big shot staggers with no quiet baffle. also quick detach backrest and std engine guard.How do i make the stock saddlebags into quick detach??? stealer said i have to change bags out.makes no sense to do that as one of the advantages of the heritage is it comes with bags.also will install nice set of pegs as i dont care for looks of passenger floorboards with staggered pipes. thinkin to go with matching quick detach tour pack instead of a luggage rack t-bag set-up.the stealer luvs me but i figure get it over with now.

 

Gonna be nice! Can't wait to see the pics.

You don't have to change bags to make them detachable. Most people keep the same ones from what I can tell. Do a search on quick release on this forum, or names like Bubba's or Ghost Brackets or EZ Brackets. These mount to your original bags easily. I have Boss Bags quick disconnect. I've not found too many others that do. The reason I went with them is that the spacing of the bags when installed is completely faithful to the stock spacing. Plus, they are a breeze to remove. They're like air chucks. One pull and they're off. The hardware in the kit combines with the quick detach backrest hardware you already ordered. You can do it yourself. Also, you don't have to buy additional HD relocating hardwarefor your bags, footpegs or floor boards. Mine have worked with all, including leaving room for the tool kit. You can see the rubber stopper that the bag support rod presses on in one of my pics. Now the downsides: They don't come with a lock (but you can get a lock for the bag lid), the hardware on the bike sticks out more than some others (but you can buy bullet tip covers). This is why I think more people don't have these. But, for me, I keep the bags on mainly, even when I remove the passenger pillon. I like that the bagsremove so easily for cleaning the bike and for the occasional stripped down cruise. Boss Bags does make their own, IMO higher quality bags than HD with the Heritage Classic look. But, I wanted the bags to look stock.

Here's the bracket they send... you have to remove the original and drill the holes of the plastic bag backing larger, then attach the new bracket:


Inside the bag you can see the air chuck design. Sticks out a little, but the leather bag flexes so I dont' have any trouble getting a half shell helmet inside or packing the bag full. The good thing is, one pull and it's off. They snap on, too:


Here's the pad where the bag support arm contacts (the black rubber stopper just to the right of the footpeg):


With the bags off, the posts stick out some. I wouldn't have done this if I were entering any shows, but it isn't so noticeable on the road. Here you see the bullet tips they sell:




Here are some pics of how I modified the seat pillon to be quick disconnect. It works well and is solid for the rider. To protect the fender, I just use 2 black mousepads, rubber side down. Harley used to make (do they still?) a quick disconnect for the pillon. I bought one andinstalledper directionsand there was dangerous play, I mean dangerous. I wouldn't ride it or let my wife ride it. This solution is snug:
[IMG]http://img.forministry.com/F/