Well it depends on how you ride if you'll like that Evo springer. If you don't ride on the highway much it'll suit you fine. I'll take a carbed bike over F.I. every time. The problem for guys like me who haul *** on the freeway, and like longer rides, is that solid mounted Evo will wear you out. The counter balance system in the "twinkie B" is a huge difference for high speed, long distance riding. Those old Evos were great motors, some say the best Harley ever made. Me, I've gotta have counter balanced or rubber mounted engine, and that springer ain't either one. But if you are more of a cruiser, that bike may be the one for you.

 

Keep the FATTY, and get some new handlebar bushings!!! 96s and 6 speeds are not all there cracked up to be!

 

+1 Vibration is going to be the biggest difference between the Evo and TC softails. You can dump money into an Evo and make it perform better than a stock TC but you can't make it vibrate less. But, vibration doesn't bother everyone -- you have to try it.

 

I did 200+ sunday on the BB and vibration never entered my mind.Most of the miles were 75-80 mph on the big road.Maybe I'm old and don't feel it anymore.The power thing is easily over come if you feel the need.

 

I have a '06 Hertiage Classic and a '08 Nightster with a custom paint job. There is a big difference in vibration as the Nightster has a 1200cc Evo engine (granted it's a different frame etc.), but the point is for short commutes (less than 1 hour) I'm fine with the Nightster and I love the looks I get from people. The bike is a head-turner. When I do longer tours, I take the Heritage. My advice: consider how you want to ride because that soulful, sexy Springer with it's Evo engine and old skool front end will give you a much different ride than you are used to. As far as your issue with the Fatty, it is fixable, and you know the devil you have now. Who knows what issues the Springer has, esp. since it is older. My 2 or 3 cents. Good luck with a decision.

 

Hey everyone. So I made it to the dealer and took the springer for a ride. Keep in mind that I rode my fatboy to the dealer so its ride was fresh in my mind.

The spring sounder much better than mine. It had a nice aftermarket setup on it and a screaming eagle intake upgrade. Power wise she did great. I found myself trying to go to 6th gear several times. I noticed I did have to shift down a lot compared to just rolling on the throttle with the fatboy. Perhaps the biggest dislike was it felt cramped. The entire riding position felt "Skinny". Only when my feet were on the highway pegs did I feel comfortable. The floorboards were set in and back a little to much for me. And the foot brake was awkward to work since my legs were force back. I think there is ways to fix this though. The ride was soft, maybe the right phrase would be "it floated over bumps".

I had made my mind up that I could find a way to adjust the floorboards or at least the foot brake, so I was going to do the deal. When I got back and was waiting for the dealer to finish looking over my fatboy I took the chance in private to really go over the springer. I found several mysterious dints and chips on the front fender. Inluded one larger dent on the top of the fender right between the forks. Is it possible for someone to bottom out this bike and cause that damage from the springer setup? If not, I have no idea how that dent could happen since the forks basically protect that area. I then found a wierd tire rub on the sidewall of the rear tire. Rubbing my hand on the inside of the rear fender I felt what seem to be long bolts that would holding the bags on. The other side did not have that long of bolts. The last thing I found was two extra tail lights "torpedo" style added to the rear of the bike. The wires were exposed and spliced using electrical tape!

So I walked away. The dealer tried to assure me that no one but shop mechanics had worked on the bike, however no paper work was available. I just got a strong feeling someone had tried to work on there own bike with poor results and then traded it in to start over with another bike. I asked him how long it had been there on the lot and he said since last November. So maybe I am not the only one that found some issues. The dealer was not a real level guy so that didn't help since I felt I could not trust him.

End of story. So the fatboy stays. I ended up starting to fatboys on the lot with the 96 twin. One had a set of V&H staggered shortshots. It sounded great and loud. Talked to a service guy who confirmed what the pipes were and that it had a fuelpak and K&N high flo filter on it.

So I ordered basically the same setup when I got home for my fatboy. More to come with photos when it arrives and I figure out how to install it all.

Thanks for all the input. Take it easy.

 

Caddy lights on the back of a 95th? Where is the bike located?

The dent on the front fender could be caused by a lowering kit that might have been on the bike at one point. A hard bump or pothole on a lowered springer could cause the acorn nuts to impact the fender.

 

Not sure what Caddy lights are. These are small one bulb lights shaped like a torpedo. The lense is blue. I assume they are running lights or brake lights. I could not tell if they got brighter with the brake pressed.

It is in ohio. Want me to get you a photo? I can swing by and snap a few.

 

Sure..If it's not out of the way... There's always people looking for Heritage Springers....



These turn signals are Caddy Lights.

 

you were scaring me there for a minute when you said you ride it and it didn't feel just right but you were going to make the deal. I think by what you've told us you made the right choice by not buying the bike. When you ride the right bike, there won't be any doubts. You'll know when you've found the right one. There won't be any doubts.