homo color? I'd think purple and yellow is a little gayer than white but that's just me. Oh, I have the Legends air ride...smoooooth. But don't try; it you would hate it.

 

I'm planning to buy a new SGS next year. I've been riding my tweaked up Sporty for 9 years. I got 9k in the bike total purchase and upgrades to include suspension. I don't expect the low end bikes to ride stock worth a crap at least not from Harley. Metrics don't need upgrades off the show room floor to be comfy.

I'm about to drop 23-26k cash next spring on a tourer. I shouldn't need to spend any more to get it ride like a 2-wheeled Cadillac right out the door. Its hard for me to believe that HD top end machines need anything. The bike i plan to buy will remain bone stock. My next ride is going to be all about lush comfort long hauling.

 

You are about to be sorely disappointed......

 

The sad thing is, the entire lineup of touring bikes have an entry level suspension. The Street/Road Glide has the "shorty" air shocks and the "Special" version has the short hand adjustable while better isn't top shelf. I've ridden the 2014 Limited and while the front end is more precise (I haven't upgraded with new triple trees and the 49 mm forks yet), the dampening isn't as good as what I've got. I just recently replaced my rear shocks with Ohlin's #2 adjustables from Motorcycle Metal. While traveling down a road next to the river, my Wife and I rode over a sharp bump caused by a tree root under the pavement, I commented "I guess the shocks can't absorb everything", She said, "Are you kidding? With the old shocks, that bump would have hurt" Unfortunately, if you want a Cadillac ride, you'll need to upgrade the suspension on that new bike.

 

Just like some people spend loads on their Japanese bikes to make them look like Harleys there's a group of guys who want their Harley to give them the feeling that they're riding a Honda.

 

Harley realized it had to step up it's game when they developed the Rushmore improvements. The days of waiting on line for a new Harley are long gone. Harley has a lot going for it. A quality suspension, however, isn't part of the equation. Is it better than it used to be? Yes. Is it where it should be? I guess that depends on your point of view. I ride my bike. It's an 07 that has better than 83k miles. That said, I don't consider the fact that it's a Harley should in any way require that I subject myself to an ill riding, ill handling machine. It's certainly more capable than that. As a rider, with the miles I ride, the style of riding I do (fairly aggressive), I know it's indeed possible to have a nice ride with good handling and still have the Harley badge on my tank. The one thing that's incredibly Harley is the fact that with a thriving aftermarket, you can have it your way, from mild to wild. That also appeals to my American sense of individualism. The one size fits all approach of Communism never really appealed to me. I say have it your way, you want it stock, don't be a hypocrite and criticize when someone upgrades their bike the way they want to when you've changed your pipes, air cleaner, seat, etc. Keep it stock. Or... Do what ever you want, but criticize when it doesn't appeal to you because it's not Harley enough (to you) but keep in mind, you are the one impacting your own credibility with your contradictory opinions.

 

Very few people who buy a new car or truck do a single thing to them. Then there are the few that do. New paint, pipes, wheels etc and thats great. Fortunately most Rushmore reviews call the changes phenomenal. HD did get it right on 2015s finally. My new ride will be a 2016 and i expect it to be even more refined since the initial release of the Rushmore touring line. Its good to wait a year after an initial release for a company to sort out the bugs and fix them if you will. The reality is that 99% of HD riders don't read these forums and are content with there bikes as is.

 

If that were true, there would not be thriving aftermarket sales.

 

 

Someone is gonna get an IzzoGram....