Any discussion on one of these bikes over the other would be appreciated. I posted before under "considering a Heritage Softail 2006" but now am thinking maybe I should get the Standard. I know they are both softails but any points you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

bah. Ignore this.

 

i bought a 2006 vivid black softail with fuel injection. i just love the look of the bike 200mm rear tire, bobtail rear fender and the skinny tire up front. it depends what you think looks better. i don't plan on long trips only short around town riding, for me hands down the fxsti. just my opinion. pat

 

If you're not queer for chrome, the Standard is the best value. Mechanically, the bikes are the same. The Standard has an FX front end and the Heritage has an FL. Fl's are slightly smoother on the highway. Finally, consider what you will add to both bikes to get them like you want, i.e. windscreen, saddlebags, sissy bar, luggage rack, etc then compare the final cost with accessories.

 

I agree with Oldgeezer. That's why I ended up ordering another Ultra Classic to replace my '03. I had thought about getting something different so I rented a Springer Classic, Road King, Road Glide and finally a Deluxe. At the end of the day, I came right back to the Ultra and decided it was the bike for me. For what I do, the kind of ride that I prefer and my overall personality that is the bike for me. I'm sure you'll make the right choice, but definitely plan ahead like Oldgeezer suggested and figure out how you'll accessorize first, then decide on the bike.

 

I have an 03 Heritage and an 06 Ultra currently.

I also had an 04 Standard. It was a well balanced machine. Handled good around town.

But.... It did not fit me. I would have had to extend the foot controls for comfort. Also it did not suit the type of riding I do which is long trips. At highway speeds the light front end would tend to dance around and the skinny front tire is not well suited to the condition of most roads up here.

So I traded to the Ultra and never looked back. I use the Heritage as a short hauler (less than 1000 miles) and the Ultra for everything else.

Harley markets the Standard as the basis for building your own custom that is one reason it ships so plain from the factory. I just could not see spending the money.

But this is JMHO.

 

Go test ride both of them, it's the only way to find out which is best for you.

 

I had a 2000 Heritage and loved the ride and handling. I took a 7000 mile coast to coast trip on it, riding as much as 700 miles a day. It was very comfortable, even with the stock seat. After three years I thought I wanted to buy a new 2004 Standard and do my own mild custom.

To make a long story short, I ended up with almost 20K in the bike NOT counting custom paint, and I bought all of my parts with a hefty discount or got great deals on ebay.
I hated the way the bike rode. Although the same frame, motor, etc as my Heritage, the narrow 21" front wheel made a big difference in ride.
I sold the bike and went back to a used 2001 Heritage. The heavier front end makes for a much better ride.

If I were to buy a new bike now, I would probably go with the new Heritage Softail(not Classic). It has the powder coated motor, no windshield or saddlebags. It is $1000 more than the Standard, but $2000 less than the Heritage Classic.

 

Heritage for comfort and styling and carrying all your stuff. Standard for customizing and bar hopping. Depends on what you want to do. With the Heritage you can take off the shield, the bags and put on a low profile seat pretty quickly for a custom, bike week type cruiser.

 

If you look at the cost of buying a standard and adding all the accessories, i.e. saddlebags, windshield, chrome components, it's way cheeper to go with the herritage. On the other hand, if you don't like the way the herritage is set up and plan on changing out the saddle bags, etc... you may prefer to go with the standard. I agree with other posters about the ride. Take out a tester or rent and put a few miles on each bike. Make sure you hit the freeway and run it at 70mph for awhile. That is where the herritage will really shine with its smooth, stable front end.
Good luck on your decision!