Went to a Harley Demo days event and rode a Sportster. It was more uncomfortable to ride than my old 98 Sportster and not nice to ride like my late brothers 07 Sportster. The problem with the 2019 might be the solo seat however. I sat on a Electra Glide and a Road Glide, on both of those I had to us the tips of my toes to balance them, so I didn't ride them. (I have short legs) I didn't see a Road King for some reason. The last bike rode just out of curiosity was a red Softail Deluxe. ci M8 engine. If I recall correctly it had a 107 I loved the old school style of it. The ride was very nice, even over one particularly bad road. Handling was excellent in the curves, good power. Riding it I felt like Goldilocks with the right bowl of porridge. It's been a long time since I've been tempted to buy.a new bike, but I was tempted.

I had a couple of questions at the time but due to the time of day I had to get going, so I'm going to ask it here, hoping someone has the answer.

1. Can a removable windscreen be put on it without extreme modifications, like on a Road King?

2. Can a good 2 up touring seat be easily put on it on those occasions when you want to take a passenger?

3. I've read somewhere (maybe here) that the M8 's on the Softails haven't had the sumping issues that some of the touring bikes had, is that correct?

 

Windshield yes easy
Two up seat yes. Not sure what is out there, I have a heritage. But seats are available.
I have a 107. And love it. Lots of power no problems.
I am not an expert but i believe the sumping is on touring bigger builds and the tranny fluid migration is mostly touring models.
The deluxe is a striped down lowered version of the heritage and comes with white wall tires.
Check out the heritage it has a windshield abd saddlebags and if you have to you could put the lower shock in it. The heritage also has a two up seat that is a 2 peice thing. I run solo then put the back half on for momma.
Heritage has passenger pegs deluxe doesn't.
For the price difference go with a Heritage and strip it down when you want. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thanks for mentioning the Heritage, I don't recall seeing one there that day. Looking at a pic of it and the MSRP compared to the Deluxe it does appear to be a better deal. One concern I have (and I won't know if it's an issue until I sit on one) is the handlebars. The bars on the Deluxe were perfect, but due to a disability I can't do anything even approaching ape hangers. (although the actual bars on th Heritage is probably not as high as they appear in the pics)

 

Windscreen - yes, absolutely. Straight out of the Harley parts and accessories catalog
2 up seat - yes. As above. 2 up Sundowner seat would be a good choice
Sumping - there was some conflicting information at first and one or two people did report dumping, but it doesn't really seem to be a problem. Harley upgraded the old pumps a few times and that seems to have done the trick. The Touring bikes also had an oil transfer issue caused (IIRC) by the hydraulic clutch, but the new Softail are not affected as they have a cable clutch.

 

I bet if you tilt the heritage classic bars toward the rider, they wont be very much higher than the deluxe. Or you can just ask them to change out the bars.

 

Here is a pic of the 2018 deluxe loaded with Harley's accessories...



You don't have to go with HD accessories though. Plenty of sources for all you need. Some examples - Leatherpros for bags/tour packs, Mustang or Ultimate for seats.

If you have buffeting problems with the windshield, checkout Freedom Shields and JES Customs (for wind deflectors).

Sumping and transmission fluid migration... The Softail M8 are cable clutch (vs. the hydraulic clutch on the touring models), so they don't have migration problems. I believe I recall seeing 1 report of sumping on a Softail M8, but that's based on what would now be pretty stale memory.

You said you have short legs. I believe the Heritage has more suspension travel in the rear and may sit higher than the Deluxe.

I have a Heritage. One might think because it comes with windshield and bags already, that it has an advantage. Maybe not. I'm already replacing the stock windshield and might consider doing the same with the bags. The bags are hard mounted and have the latch in the way when you open them. I might replace them with quick release bags. So, if I'm replacing the bags and windshields anyway, what's the advantage? Well there is the 114 and increased suspension travel...

Between the chrome vs. black... I'd probably pick chrome. It's a tougher finish than the soft black paint, so it wears better. Whitewalls vs. black rubber... Hard call, but the Deluxe does look good with the whitewalls/chrome rims.

 

I bought my blue jewel last year and bought most all the HD quick release items as pictured here. I was a sold on the color and the whitewalls, plus I felt way too large on the Heritage.
You can't go wrong with the Deluxe either.

 

Yeah I agree ... If your going to make it more of a tourer .. its probably going to save you money in the long run to get the Heritage. But .. for me .. dont like all that blacked out stuff. If you do chose to go with the Deluxe .. save yourself a little money and get Viking bags and use the Harley detachable stuff. I have the Vikings tour pack. Bigger than Harleys with equivalent quality.

 

There heritage is certainly the better value off the showroom floor. As a quick guess, I'd say the passenger pegs/seat, cruise control, windscreen and bags are would cost about $2,500 to add after the fact (HD parts/labort). Considering the MSRP difference for the same 107 motor is only $1,000 this is a deal.

That said.... I bought the Deluxe! Loved the look of the chrome and feel of the lower suspension. The dealer 'threw in' an HD 18" quick detach windscreen when we did the deal. I'll add the rest as I want it and the bags will probably be soon. I'm very happy with my choice. Every time I see the chrome and whitewalls it puts a huge smile on my face.

 

I have an ‘18 Deluxe. I didn’t really start to like it until I had a full OEM Stage 1 with the SE slip ons installed on it (I wanted other mufflers and a FP3 tuner, but decided not to mess with the warranty).

It’s a great bike. I get tons of compliments on it. If you don’t get a windshield, the wind buffeting on it over 60mph is kind of bad.

I’m 5’ 7”, 160 lbs. I can put my feet on the ground when on the bike, but not quite as flat footed as when I’m on my ‘17 Slim.

My one issue with the bike is the stock seat: it’s really comfortable, but it’s too damn wide. I’m waiting for a decent aftermarket solution to come along, but it’s been like a year and a half, and not many companies are making seats for it. Saddlemen has a new solo one for it, but I’m iffy on it having gel, and you can’t order it in leather.