My wife went from riding bitch, to a 650 yammy silverado, to a 2011 Fatboy

She's 5'2" so we lowered it 2 inches front and rear

She's got NO ISSUES with the softail

 

Sounds like she is a gamer. I can't even get my wife on my bike period.

 

I recently went from a Suzuki VS800 Intruder to a Harley Softail Custom and loved the change.

I rode my Intruder for 11 years and also loved that bike and it served me very well and gave me and my wife much enjoyment....but I wasn't on the Harley more than a mile or two and realized that I was going to love the Harley even more.

First thing I noticed was that the Harley seemed much more stable while cruising at 60 mph. Since it's heavier it deals with the wind much better...doesn't seem to get blown around nearly as much at highway speeds. For the extra 200 plus pounds of weight it's very nimble while riding.

There are of course many intangible feelings as well....such as knowing you own and are riding an American Icon with a proud history.

You'll also find there is no end to the stuff you can buy to customize your own ride as you see fit. When you own an imported bike there were far fewer options to customize your bike.

My Intruder had plenty of power to ride two up at highway speeds....but with only five gears when you got up to 60 mph....it got "buzzy", meaning the rpm's were way up there and when riding any distance that got annoying in very short order. With the Harley....you get up to 65 or so and you park it in 6th gear and it just rumbles along at a much lower rpm and with a lot less vibration and a nice low engine tone.

After buying the Harley, I told my wife I was going to keep the Intruder for a while to make sure I really liked the Harley ride better....that decision took me about one short ride and that decision was obvious. The Intruder just left my garage last night to a young man who was very excited to get it....I'm happy for him !

We can ride the Harley for 75 or 100 miles in comfort.....on the Intruder we could last about half that and we'd have to stop to get off and stretch out etc... After riding the Harley for about a week or so, I got back on my Intruder for one last ride and barely got out of the driveway and realized how crunched up I was and how after riding the Harley....this Intruder was never going to be the same for me.

Life's an adventure ! I started on a small Yamaha DT175 when I was 18 years old and loved that bike for 10 years. Sold that and bought a Kawasaki 440LTD and loved that bike for 15 years. Sold that bike and bought the VS800 Intruder and loved that bike for 11 years. Now I am ready to love my Harley for as many years as I can. I don't know how I'll feel in 10 years....maybe I'll be ready for another change, who knows, but for now, it's the perfect next step and suits my current needs perfectly.

 

I haven't been riding that long. I did have a 1200 Custom 2 years ago, came down with a health issue, sold it, then 10 months later bought 2 Yamaha 650's for my son and I. He has lost interest so I'm In the process of selling both to keep my wife happy then get the Heritage. I can't wait.

 

I COMPLETLY forgot about how much better my HD rides at freeway speeds. My Yamaha 650 was a great bike, never let me down...but speeds over 80km/h (50mph) it was loud and vibrated. After an hour doing 100km/h (60mph) my ears were ringing and my knees were killing me from the vibrating. Now with my 6 speed I can do those speeds and my exhaust isn't blaring, it's just calmly cruising and it doesn't vibrate like my girlfriends...well you know

 

^ This.

I traded up from a vstar custom to my Heritage. The ride is better, more comfortable, lasts longer, and I generally feel more secure on all roads. Even with the old 88" engine, the feeling of actually being able to handle the road provides a great deal of comfort.

The transition for me was easy. Getting up and going takes some acclimation, but becomes second nature fairly quick.

 

I bet she will when you get the Harley home. For instance my wife rode with me on my KZ440 on short hops and then my Sportster she hated the sporty btw 30 miles was it and stop get off to shake it off literally.

With that said up till now we know she can ride 350 miles with no problems on the Heritage and fwtw she will get to see what 450 a day is like soon on a trip to Colo. So based on how my wife took to this bike and my buddy's wife's on theirs... I bet you both will be going places there is no trip you cant do on that bike.

 

I know what your saying. My 650 is loud at higher speeds and the wind in my area throws you around pretty good as well.

 

You could be right. But knowing my wife of 33 years its going to take a lot to get her on a bike, but who knows it's always possible.

 

I have both 650's on craigslist, and if that doesn't work then Cycle Trader is next. So once they are gone a Heritage will be taking there place. I tried talking my wife into getting the Heritage before the 650's sell but she want's them out of the garage first. You know the saying "A HAPPLY WIFE IS A HAPPY LIFE"