Hey Everyone,

This is my first post and I am looking for a little help. I am looking to purchase a Harley within the next week or so. I currently ride a '01 Suzuki Intruder, so I am looking forward to the upgrade. I thought that I have always wanted a Softail Deuce, but have begun looking at other models. I have found a used 2004 Softail Deuce that I really like but am wondering if it would be nicer if I bought a Fat Boy.

I am curious if the Softail is a really rough ride and is there anything else I should be concerned about with getting the Softail. I would be interested in either opinion anyone has about either bike,

Thanks for the help,
-Dennis

 

Welcome to the forum!! I bought a 2003 Anniversary Fatboy about three months ago and I love it. I have not done any nods to it yet but you are wide open with what you can do to a FatBoy. The first things that I will do are pipes and a small rise kit for the bars. IMHO you can't got wrong with the FatBoy.
Have you thought about renting several models to find the one you like? This is an option that is routinly offered on this form. Anyway, look around and don't get in a hurry.........

[IMG]local://upfiles/14159/AC5EF7217DA5483893A4E829248B4908.jpg[/IMG]

 

I have an '04 Softail Deuce. Yesterday I took it out to Red Bank and back over nothing but back country roads. I spent the ride thinking how well Harley has engineered this bike. It's like the Porsche 911. The 911 engine out back and the softail swingarm are not the best way to build a car or a bike, but once they started tweaking, both companies really made the most of it. I've ridden bikes with conventional shocks, and they are really not any better. In fact, on my ride this weekend, I felt that when their was a dip in the road in the middle of a turn, that on the softail it feels like the whole bike moves to adjust to the dip rather than just one wheel or the other.

Buy the bike you like - H-D may not be at the bleeding edge of technology (VROD/Revolution excepted), but what they do well is they get it right (yes sometimes it takes year 2, but they get it right). They work out the handling and the feel and the balance.

The Deuce is a GREAT bike for crusing, for cutting up back roads and for profiling. I like the better ground clearance and the lighter front end of the Deuce. I wanted a Fat Boy, just liked the lean, mean, chopper look of the Deuce better. It's to me what a bike should be - a big chopper bike with nothing but the stuff you need, to get one and occaisionally two people down the road. When I want to do 160 mile days, I take the Deuce. When I want to do 1000 miles in a day with luggage - I'll take the X5....

 

I think you will find the Duece or other Softail a little more comfortable than the Intruder. Unless you are vertically challenged, the Softails will give you more leg room.

 

I think you should ride all of the bikes that you are interested in. Go to a big dealer who has enough demos available and ride them. Ride height, seating position (seat, handle bars, and pegs) and engine mounting all make a big difference with a Harley. Then, there's the actual seat type...

In general, HD has improved the ride quality of their bikes over the old days. If you're going boulevarding, primarily, then a softail is better imho. If you're going for long tours, then a dyna is better. I hate dynas riding around town. I hate big bikes riding around town (ultra classics, etc.). BUT, when you go on the road and you aren't going to trailer your bike, then that's a whole different deal and your needs will change.

I compromised looks, rideability, and comfort together and came up with a Nightrain. I had to buy a bunch of other stuff to make the bike tolerable for long rides. You can do the same and you probably will, unless you find someone who thinks just like you do.

C#

 

Thanks for all the quick responses. I think the longest rides I would ever do would be like 100-200 miles, and that would be few and far between. My main rides would be around town. One thing I noticed when looking at the Deuce was that the front tire seemed very thin, has this caused anyone any issues or is there any noticeable flaws in this. I am also about 6 foot so I am looking forward to the forward controls, so that I can stretch my legs out because my legs get a little cramped on the Intruder.

Thanks Again,
-Dennis

 

Just so you know the FatBoy is a softtail as well so the ride geometry will be about the same on the Duece and FB. The FB has a smaller yet wider front tire and there are more aftermarket parts for it than you could fit in your garage. The Duece on the other hand is limited in the aftermarket and I think it will be going away in the near future. But with that said you should buy the bike YOU like and enjoy.

 

which one catches your eye more, which makes you smile more, which one just makes you say..."that's the one"
sit on it several times as many times as you want no matter who crazy the salesmen look at you each day you go in, take digital pics of them to look at in your spare time, and most importantly----try to test ride it or them and then make your decision. If you still like both and can't decide---go back to the first sentence. personally; I like the Fatboy better because I feel like I'm sitting on a big bike. But get what you like.