Good evening gents. I bought a 2004 Sportster 1200 Custom a little over a year ago for a starter bike, and am thinking about upgrading now. As I mentioned in the title I am a big guy, about 6'3" and 270 lbs, so I am looking for a bike that will fit me a little better... I can't make it more than about 70 miles on the Sporty without needing to give my *** a break, and I'm ready for a "big boy" bike, no pretense intended. So I've been looking at the Softail Slim, both because it is in my price range but also because I like the stripped down look.

I have a few questions for you all, especially (but not solely) aimed at Slim owners.

- Lean angle and inherent floor board scraping seems to be an issue in the reviews I've read about the Slim and other limited lean angle bikes, but it seems that my Sporty has lean angles of 26.2 and 28.3 and I have never dragged once. Given that, does anyone envision that the 24 and 24.9 degree leans being an issue for me?

- Follow up question to the above. I'm 90% sure I want forward controls (pegs, not floor boards) on my next bike as well, and I have found a couple of sources that say, "Any 2000 and up forward control for a softail will fit" (implying stock equipment) but there's no forward control kit listed on Harley's website for the 2014 Slim. Will another stock kit in fact fit on a 2014 Slim or am I stuck with $800+ aftermarket forward controls kits?

- One thing I am looking for on a next bike is long term ride comfort, and I see that the Sundowner is one of the two (the other being a limited reach seat which I am clearly not interested in) Harley two up seats available. One review I read said that the Slim had no ride longevity and given the stock seat I guess I believe that. I would be happy to switch from the stocker solo seat for my 10-15 mile daily drive to a more substantial seat for longer trips. So would a more comfortable seat like a Sundowner be a viable option for me? Note: I'm open to other aftermarket equipment, but marginally partial to Harley stuff.

So, anyone have any thoughts for me? Much appreciated, all.

 

I made the switch to a slim a few weeks ago and my only regret is not doing it sooner. I traded in my Forty Eight for it. I'm no big guy, but I too couldn't do more than 70-80 miles without it hurting. It wasn't pleasant for me at all. To address your concerns:

1. I scrape no more on my slim than I did on the forty eight. I can now tell most of the time when I'm about to, and can adjust where I won't.

2. Floorboards are glorious! I thought I wasn't going to want them either and was researching options before I ever bought the bike; then I rode it. I absolutely love these things! I had forwards on the sportster, which I liked but the floorboards are so much nicer in my opinion. They give me the ability to move my feet around a little whenever I want. Also, the heel/toe shifter is one of my new favorite things; didn't think I would like that either.

3. I haven't really ridden a really long distance yet. The longest is around 200 miles in an afternoon. Compared to my sportster it was super comfortable. The stock seat isn't so bad for me. I had a bit of a sore tailbone after that ride, but nothing too bad.

 

Why a slim? Im 5'5" and the seat is close to knee high on me. I had a fatboy lo and I like how my SGS handles curves so much better. Have you sat on a slim yet?

 

I should explain myself here. I've been thinking about the next bike since I bought the Sporty, I do like the bike but I don't like roaring down the highway at 4k rpms or how I feel like a circus bear riding a unicycle. So I've been looking at Softails just because I want to make the jump to bike I want to keep for a number of years. FWIW I like the Street Bob also but don't want to go another couple years and be yearning for a softail ride and a balanced motor... I intend to keep the next bike for a while.

So going into this I, albeit unrealistically, had a $15k price tag in mind, so the sub $16k Slim is as close to that as I can get. It's also probably my favorite looking softail.

I have sat on a Slim, my sister in law brought me to a Harley dealership last weekend. You know what though, I'm going to give that Fat Boy Lo more of a look. First impression of it to me was that it had a little more rake than I was about and due to that I thought it was even lower than the Slim... looking now I see that is not the case. I also appreciate the larger back tire, even though I like the fenders on the Slim better... the Fat Boy Lo fenders don't cross into the "too big" range as far as I'm concerned.

 

Ride a bunch of different bikes - - then you will have a better idea of what you want. Some of the looks of a bike can be changed to make it the look you want.


Also, consider used bikes - - I bought a used 2008 Heritage last year with only 3500 miles on it, for $12,500.

 

I am in the category you are bro...6'4" tall and fat as a butterball...lol
I had a 91 softail custom,didnt like the way it fit me..changed the seat to a hearitage and put extended foot controls on it,,it helped. then I traded it for my fltcu and haven't looked back..i love a softail do not get me wrong,but if your looking into one I would go for a heritage or a newer softail custom..i would think about keeping your sporty also if you want something to burn the curves up with..and get another bike to cruise long trips.. the big twins are a lot heavier than your sporty,there not gonna be able to compare in the twisties

 

If you like the looks, keep looking hard at the Street Bob.

I've got a Lo and a Super Glide Custom, and although both are great, the Dyna is better for all around riding. It's comfortable and can also be ridden more aggressively. It's more involving and fun at times.

Ultimately, the FB Lo is just a little more comfortable, but that is not what I'm looking for all the time.

Ride 'em both. Good luck.

 

We're similar in height/build. I have 2 bikes - a Road King Custom, and a Slim. My wife has the Lo and the Sporty. I've ridden them all... a lot.

My primary ride is the Slim. It's a fantastic bike, now that I have it set up (finally) for me. Distances of200 miles or less are great, and 300 miles or so are doable. More than that, taking a passenger, or getting groceries, and it's the bagger. The Lo is a great bike, but isn't as nimble as the Slim is - the Fat Boy is effectively the same bike. The Sporty is, well, monkey f***ing a football is about how I feel on that thing. GREAT little scoot, but little for someone as big as I am.

In order to make the bike fit me, I moved the controls forward 2 inches, but kept the boards. The "from hell" seat had to go - put on a LePera barebones (my bike is solo-only). I also put on some 16" apes. That combo saved my tailbone, helped with my riding posture/position, and allowed me some much-needed leg room. I also upgraded both the front and rear suspensions with Progressive monotubes and the Shotgun Shock air ride system. I occasionally scrape the boards, but I can adjust the rear suspension higher to give a little clearance. Generally, at about an inch lowered, I'll catch them sometimes, but it's not a big deal.

I'll be the last guy to steer anyone away from the Slim. Sounds like you feel about it like I felt about it when I decided to get mine - great "blank canvas" to work from, great old-school feel.

I have a pile of extra cash sunk into my bike just for the mods listed (and there are more cosmetic ones I've done, too...) and it would have been a lot more if I hadn't done all of the work myself. Be realistic in what it will actually cost you. That said, you can probably walk into the dealership, look at the sticker price on the bike, and tell them you'll give them 10% less and they eat the delivery/setup, or get a few of the bits you want thrown in, or a service plan extended to sweeten the pot... they have some wiggle room. Sticker isn't necessarily what you'll have to fork out.

 

You should try the regular FatBoy I think it will fit you better then the Lo or the Slim

 

I don't have a slim but can say with 99.9% certainty 2000-up forwards will fit your bike. I bought floorboards off of a guy with a slim and they swapped in the exacct mounting points for my 2009 NT. So I at least know for 100% that my forwads would fit your bike.