Originally Posted by rnl_1200C

Today I opened her up on the highway. I liked the smooth ride over even roads, but was still unimpressed with the ride over the bumps, even bottoming out several times.
Frankly, my Sporty 1200C with the progressive shocks don't bottom out like the SG.

Another issue is the ABS - real touchy brakes that takes getting used to.


thanks for any feedback

Originally Posted by nevada72

My feedback is you need to do a lot more homework on the differences between the bikes you are looking at. And you might want to read what has been posted here more thoroughly - no offense. You have been told that the SG will be harsh due to the lower shocks - this is an easy change out. Go ahead and ride the Road King again, and then you'll find out what a SG will ride like with the longer travel shocks (batwing not withstanding).

You have also been told that the Heritage is a totally different build, so you can't ask what you're getting for the extra $2k because the answer is - a totally different bike for a different purpose. It's like asking what am I getting for the extra $ over your Sporty when buying a RK. That said, if all you're doing is around town stuff, the softail chassis is fine maybe. But, at your weight, you will bottom out a lot. You can change that shock out but, no matter what you do, it's a cruiser vs a touring bike. The touring bike will allow you to tailor the ride more easily to your weight and riding style. So, if you like the style of the SG and the ride of the RK, buy the SG and upgrade the shocks. Why? Because - as stated earlier - they are the same bike with different stuff bolted to them. You can adjust one touring bike to be more like the other very easily. My last advice would be to skip the take offs and buy a nice set of Ohlins to really smooth that ride out.

The ABS brakes shouldn't be any more or less touchy than non ABS brakes.