A lot of my bagger buddies do less mileage than I do, daily, seasonally, etc.

Again, if ridin' on the highway is your thing, then yup baggers are da bomb. My feeling is that if you're doin 600 miles in a day, you're not smellin the flowers, meetin' people, and seein' the scenery. I ride to enjoy it, not to brag that I can do 600 miles in a day.

 

Thank you Steve K !!!!!!! Best post (on this thread) yet !!

 

Just the young ones or newbies spouting off, I have ridden panhead rigid frame choppers , shovelhead swingarms and Evo softails and there isn't anything that is as comfortable as my Glide, but this is something I had to work up to , no way thirty years ago would I have wanted one. I have heard that the B motors are pretty smooth, I have not ridden a Twin Cam , still on the EVO.

 

You forgot Stereo, MP3, GPS, Back rest and for Mikeee the heated Starbucks cup holder.

Mmmmmm Bagger

 

Craig,

Good story, and so true. A bagger will out perform a Softail in the twisties, the ride is better, and there is no comparison for the long haul. Strip the bagger down and you are ready for the local bike night, toy run and all the other stuff that is just local bar hopping.

I was not going to involve myself in this as it seems so pointless to argue this question over and over, but after reading all the responses I decided to add mine.

I have a Heritage Softail and an EG Classic both sitting in my garage, and while the Heritage is fun to ride sometimes, and fits my wife to a tee, it is not the bike that the EG is.

For the guy that thinks you don't get to stop and smell the flowers riding 600 miles a day and that it is just for bragging rights, that is just wrong. The touring bikes are so comfortable that you can ride that far and still feel like stopping anytime and smelling anything you want.

I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest here, just trying to tell it like it is.

Regards,

Bill

 

You took the words right out of my mouth! Ditto!

 

I helped her pick it up after I took the picture. If she's going to ride, she needs to know how to pick it up herself. Am I right?

 

Thats why we all have choices. For example FL riders wear boxers, softail riders wear panties.

Why do most men die before their wives? Because they want to!

 

You're kidding right? The guy was talkin' about the bagger "winning" cause it was a long distance race. You're gonna tell me that with the same motor, a bagger, with a 150lb weight penalty and boards that are 3" from the floor, is gonna outhandle my Deuce in the twisties?

Any day, any time, any place...

Oh and the comment above, softail riders wear panties - you're stretchin past funny and treading into serious in my opinion. You find a pair of panties to fit my 6'2" 250lb ***....

 

Maybe you should go ride a bagger in some twisties before you assume they can't handle as well, if not better than your Deuce. When I had my Lowrider (and yes, Dyna's will handle better than Softtails in the twisties!), I'd go riding with some of my friends, also on Dyna's. They were both more experienced riders, so when we'd hit the twisties, I'd spend the straights trying to catch up to them. I bought my EG Standard, and within a month I was keeping up with them. Yes, partly because I was/am gaining experience (although I started my motorcyle riding back in the 90's on sportbikes), but the ride is smoother, the handling is better, and the suspension is better suited for that type of riding.

The funny thing, EVERY rider I have ridden with that started with a softtail, now has a touring bike! We're all in our late 20's/early 30's as well.

Keep in mind that a bike like yours, a Deuce, has a longer wheelbase, and a longer rake/trail than a touring bike does (and Dyna's for that matter, except the Wide Glide). Those two factors alone make handling the twisties more difficult. Add the hidden suspension (which the location alone detracts from a Softtails handling ability), you better believe a Glide will handle better!

That said, I love the look of the softtails, the FatBoy in particular (that was the bike that got me interested in Harleys).