I'd like to ride a big twin to see what they're like. A friend of mine has a Road King win an 88 engine, I think he'll let me take it for a spin. I'm hoping to go to an HD demo day this summer and ride a Low Rider with a 103. Not that they'd ever let me put a 103 through it's paces.

The Sporty is just so perfect for me. Ever since I got a Mustang Vintage Solo seat, comfort issues are gone. The rear suspension is pretty horrid, but even that isn't noticeable like before. it's such a great bike.

So answer, No. If I ever did get a BT, I would really want to keep my Sporty.

 

Suspension is ~$60-$130, depending on shock length and that would be about all you'd need. The seat would be an extra comfort and that'll run you $200 or so.. Seems a lot cheaper than $5-6,000 more for a bigger bike...

 

Well maybe i did my research wrong, but i saw the touring seats, mustang or sundowner, at around 350, and air suspension at 400-600. Maybe on ebay its cheaper but i wont install a 15 year old suspension on a 3 year old bike.

 

I keep thinking of getting a big twin but after sitting on a few of them I'm a bit deterred. I do a lot of riding and sometimes I'm on the interstate for about 150 to 200 miles. I also like to take the girlfriend for a ride and even though she is about 5'3" my heel will sometimes hit her toes (I have mids). I don't know how a dyna rides in the mountains but as everyone else has said it is not as good as a sportster. Sure with a good rider it can be really good but in comparison I believe most dynas are about 100 lbs heavier. For a little while I started convincing myself I needed a big twin and one of my reasons was power. I don't know why I thought that but I guess I was trying to justify getting a new bike in a year or two because you can mod a sportster to over 100hp and it's not too difficult.

For the 2 or so hours I'm on the interstate I wish I had a big twin but the 5 hours I spend riding in the mountains makes me so happy I have a sportster. I'll be honest though, I still want a big twin but probably as a 2nd bike. I just like the looks or functionality of some of them. I especially like the new low rider s.

 

The Evolution is a big twin, I have one, then some years later the Sporty engine was upgraded along similar lines, such as all alloy. The current twincams are also 'big twins'.

 

No, you are right. Cheap shocks will give a cheap ride, so it depends very much on the level of riding comfort we each want. Even air suspension doesn't make the grade IMHO. I have Ohlins suspension on my Glide and plan upgrading my Sporty as well before long.

 

I went through a few seats - Sundowner (moved me higher and closer which I didn't like), Mustage Fastback (a little too hard), and finally the Mustang Vintage Solo, which I love. I then added the Mustang Vintage Read for the passenger, partly for appearance, and the rare occasion I take a friend for a ride. The seats came out to about $360 and were worth every penny.

 

Take your friends King for a ride if you like BUT dont judge all Big Twins by it. I traded my 2012 Fatboy in for a 14 CVO Road King and as awsome as that bike looked i hated the way it rode. It was fine in a straight line but at slow speeds or jockeying it around it sucked. It also always felt too top heavy always felt awkward and like it wanted to fall sideways. Long story short in the end i just bought a new Fatboy. And it good to have it back. Owning and riding a Softail like the Fatboy will spoil you. You sit low and comfy in the seat instead of on top of the bike, and its super balanced to the point where if your sitting on it for it to go side ways you'd have to push it that way.

 

If I was to get a big twin it would be to compliment my Sportster not replace it simply because I don't consider it an upgrade, it's a different beast all together. Haven't thought about a big twin until they released the Low Rider S.


Now that I've upgraded the suspension on my XL1200 and have a feel for what it's capable of I'm considering getting an 883.

 

I've always had a soft spot for the Softail Heritage Classic.