The 6th gear in the softail is a huge difference.

 

Sportster vs. Dyna, for me the two up payload is significantly better on the Dyna, that and the Big Twin power. I also believe the Sportster does not have "full suspension " travel in the rear suspension, it bottoms out sometimes with just me on it.

 

Unfortunately you're going to find a lot of ignorance in these type of discussions from a lot of people. Half the people I've heard talk crap about sportsters never even owned a motorcycle. I'll never go bigger than the dyna line.. I just don't like the batwings and bags.. not my thing.

 

Don't forget the motor.


The Twin Cam motor in the Softails, Dyna's and touring bikes are a newer design that is more complicated than the EVO motors of the Sportsters. Don't get me wrong, they aren't complicated to the level of some of the Euro or Japanese bikes, but more so than the EVO motors.


This is good and sometimes bad.
The good:
The timing and cam system works very well and has great tuning potential in terms of available power in a "built" motor, and a broader variance of HP/Tq balance due to a wide choice of cam-grinds. If the owner is a hot-rodder, these motors are a lot of fun.


The bad:
Complicated systems cost more to repair or build into hot motors. These more complicated systems have more failure modes too.




Also, the Softail motor, or Twin Cam B motor, uses counerbalancers that smooth the vibration (quite effectively.) The downside of the balancer is that it is additional rotating mass that doesn't produce additional power. As a result, it robs some power from the B motor compared to the A motor. It does allow for the motor to be hard mounted to the frame without ill effects. They are very smooth and actually feel strange at first when coming from a non-balanced motor.


The Dyna's and Touring bikes use the rubber mounted A motor that let's some of the vibes through. They do shake a bit, but it never bothered me. Mostly at idle, but vibes are noticeable throughout the rev range.


Finally, the Dyna and touring engine-mounting system attaches the swingarm directly to the transmission case instead of the frame. The front lower engine mount is just two fasteners that secure the frame to the motor with a thick rubber spacer in between. This system allows the swingarm/motor combo to flex sideways within the frame. This system is inherently unstable at high speeds and when cornering hard. The older the rubber mounts, the more flex enters the system.


This is why some touring riders have experienced a severe wobble. The newer models have some improvements through better rubber mounts and different tolerancing, but it is essentially the same system. Aftermarket linkages and stabilizers are the fix as they allow the motor to shake forward and aft, but do not allow the motor/swingarm combo to flex sideways. The Sportster already uses a more rigid design with linkage in the front, and frame tie-in at the swingarm. The rubber mounted Sportsters from 2004-on are less rigid since the motor doesn't contribute to frame stiffness, but the Sportster flex is simple frame flex as opposed to the system flex of the Twin Cam A bikes.




Aside from the motor designs and their mounting systems, as several people indicated, the bigger bikes are longer, wider, and heavier. This suits highway riding better, but it doesn't mean Sportsters are bad at it.


The sixth gear and bigger tanks on the Twin Cam bikes are bonuses for highway riding though.

 

I switched from a Sportster to a Softail Heritage in February. I am 65 years old, so keep that in mind while reading this post. My Sportster had plenty of power and was very easy to ride. It always got me where I wanted to go. However, I felt every bump and rock in the road up and down my spine. I found that I really need to change out the foot pegs to heal riser pegs to help with some arthritis in one knee. Also, it seemed that I had to make frequent stops for gas due to the small tank on the bike. I began looking for a more comfortable bike, and to make a long story a bit shorter, I found a Heritage Softail. What I got in the Heritage was a MUCH more comfortable ride, which was what I was looking for. The Heritage has footboards, which allow for more leg movement, thus helping my "gimpy" knee. The five-gallon tank allows me to ride much further without having to fill up. As far as perceived power, I'm not sure that I notice a big difference between the two bikes, but I do know that traveling at 70 mph feels much more stable and comfortable on the Heritage.

If you find your Sportster fits your needs, I'd keep it and enjoy it. There are a lot of folks riding Sportsters, and they are very fine bikes. However, you will find fewer old guys on top of Sportsters because of the above mentioned.

 

You are absolutely right and the following is a PERFECT example.

Might be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard, honestly.

 

You must be new to this section. It gets pretty entertaining and humorous at times.

 

Great addition to the thread man...I'd expect more class from a Boston man

 

In case you missed it I already gave some useful insign, unlike Rog48, on the real life differences between the two. Notice I didn't say it's better because it's more expensive.

 

What he said. It's all about who you are and the style you like. I'm a sportster guy - it's who I am. I doubt I'll ever buy a Dyna and I'll never buy a softtail (too heavy). I own an Iron that I freaking love - best bike I've EVER ridden. It does everything I want it to do - including riding great on the interstate. I owned a Hugger for years. I've ridden several 1200 customs - a couple 48s - several 72s (owned one for a while) and a couple superlow's and they are great bikes. I've ridden several Dyna's and they aren't the same at all - they feel heavy and cumbersome compared to a Sportster. When I ride, I want to feel the road, feel alive, and enjoy every part of the ride - if i want a cadillac, I'll buy one, but it's not my style.

Most guys I know who ride soft tails do it because it cost more and is bigger - that's all, and that doesn't make sense to me. A motorcycle is about the ride.

Plus, as far as touring goes, a 1200 Custom is a good bike to do it on. I've only owned my Iron for a month and my longest ride was into New Orleans and riding around town - spent about 6 hours on the bike during the day, and I felt great. Could I feel some bumps and feel the road, ya, but that's what I love. At the dealership, I get comments from Dyna and Softtail riders about riding a sportster, but I just call them old and move on. LOL. I'm 40, btw, and I've been riding most of my life. I own a Suzuki and a Yamaha too.

so, just ask yourself what your style is.