Been riding about 5 years, have a 1200C Sporty. Not been the best for me. Lower back issues that are not helped by the "firm" ride. But the worst is the upper back, neck arthritis that causes my hands to go numb, sometimes worse than others, after a while. Usually, starts kicking in after 20 miles or so and 50 miles is about as far as I can go without stopping for a break. I've got the padded grips and throttle assist that significantly help, but not enough.

I've tried a Road King on an extended test ride, great for the lower back but much worse for the arm numbness. Lot of the threads here talk about the handlebars and set up and wrist angles, etc. Many have recommended the Heritage.

So today I rented a Heritage. Wow! A late afternoon pickup at the dealer, so only had a couple of hours of daylight. Planned a route with a couple of stops in case they were needed. Took off, headed down Route 1 to St Augustine. Great! Hit the first planned stop, no issues so just kept going. Hit the second, same thing, most comfortable ride ever. End result, never stopped, two and a half hours solid, no numbness or lower back issues. It's what I always hoped riding would be.

Also, on the Sporty, I've never been a fan of windy days. Always seems a chore fighting the gusts and such. Today was quite a breezy day, and had the usual bouncing around on the way to pick up the rental. After I picked up the Heritage, nothing, I could feel the wind, but it was more of the dog sticking its head out of the car window feeling. I had fun enjoying the breezes rather than fighting them. What a difference a lower center of gravity makes, I guess.

Problem is, I'm not a real fan of the Heritage look, much prefer the Fatboy Lo or Deluxe look. I'm figuring I can get the exact same ride by putting the Heritage bars on a Lo or Deluxe (based on some of the discussion on these forums), but I'm probably not going to be able to test ride that. I'm going to explore that route, but any comments on the feasibility of that would be appreciated. In the meantime, I've got the rental until 4 pm tomorrow. Heading up to Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach along the Ocean and places beyond!!

 

You can't go wrong with a heritage.. They ride great, extreme comfort for single use or 2 up. There's also endless possibilities for style and comfort!!

Go for it

 

Why try to make a bike feel like a Heritage when you can have a Heritage? You'll not be able to really duplicate the ride or feel with any other bike without spending bucks...and then, after spending more money than you would have buying a Heritage in the first place, it's STILL not the same!

 

If you plan on spending the money to modify a different softail to ride liek a heritage, why not get the heritage and spend the money making it look the way you want since it will already have the ride you want?

I wasnt too big on the heritage when i got mine and now i am absolutely in love with it. Wouldnt want to ride anything else!

 

I think you could probably do it. I have a '06 FLST and the original bars were awful, shooting pain in my neck and upper back. I got a Heritage bar and it pretty much solved that. Ironically, I now ride with mini-apes, but I loved that Heritage bar.

I don't see why it wouldn't do the same on a Fatso.

 

Test drive the Lo or Deluxe and see if they work for you. I added Bikini Beach bars to my Lo and it feels like I'm riding a reclining chair.

 

I adore my Heritage - I'd take it to bed with me if I could. The stock seat is like an armchair, brought my stock bars towards me about an inch which stopped the numbness and burning right shoulder. Love the bags. I've changed the grips to stealth grips, chrome levers and cut the windshield down 3", louder mufflers (2" Rush) too.
Anything else I do will likely be cosmetic (for now anyhow!)

 

Try a slim too.
I had the same issues with my 48. What I figured out was the angle I sat at forced me to put pressure on the bars through my arms. Stress on my elbows and forearms. Which lead to numbness. I bought a slim this year and its perfect for me.

 

I had a 1200C new in 01. Same lower back issues and fighting wind.
Now have the fatboy with heritage bars. Swapped the seat out with a mustang seat (WORTH EVERY PENNY) and all is great. Yes, I added a quick detach shield, aux lights and bags. Why didn't I get a heritage? I love the fatboy. Fenders, I love the solid discs, not a fan of the lollipop aux lights, spokes or studded bags. Just me.
I can strip the shield, bags, pillion and sissybar quick to make it look like a fatboy should, but have everything so the wife can ride with me and make it practical to ride to work with.
There are those of us that prefer the fatboy over the heritage (not taking anything away from it). In a couple years when I add a Road King/or Street Glide, I won't have the bags, pillion and such on the fatboy and have the touring for the wife and highway use.

 

Here is my Deluxe with Heritage bars on it... I'm with you on the looks thing. If I had a Heritage, it would end up looking more like a Fat Boy after I took off all the crap I didn't like about it. Having ridden a Deluxe, Fat Boy, and Heritage, I felt no difference between the three as far as the ride was concerned. Seats and bars were the only differences. I say go for the bike you like and upgrade to fit your needs. Don't get sucked into the "this bike is the best" bullshit. It's all about the ergonomics and what you want your bike to look like. Try to ride them all and know that it isn't anything to swap out the bars. If you have a cool dealer, they might do it for free included in the purchase. Either way, Heritage bars are cheap to buy from the dealer. Hope this helps!