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thanks for your answer...
I think your arguments are right, the Softail range can be customize in every way you like or need and that is the main advantage, I always liked the old school look and had only Harleys in this style, now as I am getting older, I would like to have have a Harley with a more modern style to make a change in my riding style, I have riden a Sport Glide for 3 months and nearly 6000 miles last year and I didn't find it unconfortable, 500 miles a day in one and not destroyed on arrival, the fork is a liittle stiffer than the Heritage, but it was not a problem, the rear shock is shorter than the Heritage and also not a problem, so I think the LRST with the same length of shock at the rear could be nice, but as you say, I would have to mount floorboards and some pull back risers to have a comfy position like Holy Shift, and I think the position is the most important thing in terms of comfort on a motorcycle...
The other solution would be modernising my Heritage, but with its big chunky wheels and fender its not so easy, and what could I do to replace the windshield, perhaps an amovible Batwing, a club style bar and a Road Warrior fairing or so ? I wonder if I would like to do that on my Heritage...
the first think I need to do is to try an LRST to see if its convenient to me and if I like the 117...
When I finally decided to get a newer bike, the Fat Bob was on top of my list. I found one about 4 hrs away that I liked - road warrior fairing, bars, etc. No cam or big bore, which I wanted. I would have bought it, but the sale on my previous bike fell thru and I was not buying until old bike was sold. As much as liked the Fat Bob style, I finally sat on one and did not like the sitting on top of bike feel. I was used to sitting in bike.
Found a Low Rider S with with ST style fairing and 131 BB. This bike ticked all the boxes and I would have bought it, but salesman would never return calls or answer the questions I sent by email. He would send a short email with with a little info, but never what I asked. I gave up on him and the bike.
Found a Heritage FLHCS with 128 BB already done and bought it. I always liked the old Heritages and the variety of styles you could take them. The new ones are not as easy to mod - surprised at how little aftermarket parts for this model. When I bought it, it looked like a stock bike, except for Fatcat exhaust. As much as liked the bike and ride, I needed to change it up and try to make it look a little more sporty. Changed seat, bars, tank badges, blacked out shield and brackets, and few other things. Not as sporty as some of the other models, but I really like the bike and how it rides. It fits me the most like my previous bikes, which I like. I love a little bag space to carry some items, and have not even had the windshield or bags off for a ride - probably never will - just too convenient.
Just got to get the bike that calls to you, or mod it to your liking.
When I finally decided to get a newer bike, the Fat Bob was on top of my list. I found one about 4 hrs away that I liked - road warrior fairing, bars, etc. No cam or big bore, which I wanted. I would have bought it, but the sale on my previous bike fell thru and I was not buying until old bike was sold. As much as liked the Fat Bob style, I finally sat on one and did not like the sitting on top of bike feel. I was used to sitting in bike.
Found a Low Rider S with with ST style fairing and 131 BB. This bike ticked all the boxes and I would have bought it, but salesman would never return calls or answer the questions I sent by email. He would send a short email with with a little info, but never what I asked. I gave up on him and the bike.
Found a Heritage FLHCS with 128 BB already done and bought it. I always liked the old Heritages and the variety of styles you could take them. The new ones are not as easy to mod - surprised at how little aftermarket parts for this model. When I bought it, it looked like a stock bike, except for Fatcat exhaust. As much as liked the bike and ride, I needed to change it up and try to make it look a little more sporty. Changed seat, bars, tank badges, blacked out shield and brackets, and few other things. Not as sporty as some of the other models, but I really like the bike and how it rides. It fits me the most like my previous bikes, which I like. I love a little bag space to carry some items, and have not even had the windshield or bags off for a ride - probably never will - just too convenient.
Just got to get the bike that calls to you, or mod it to your liking.
nice mods on your Heritage which look a bit sportier with the 2 into 1 and the saddle, I don'treally like your handlebar but its your choice, I will perhaps mount ŕ ProPipe in black for the look and also for the sound as my Neighbor hater are a bit too loud for me, my bike look more traditional than yours but I like it like that, like you I like the bags and the windshield for the practicality, my set up is little bit more quiet than yours, only a stage 1 with an FP3, perhaps I will make a stage 2 with an S&S 475 cam....
like you I was very tempted by the Fat Bob, I like the style of this bike, very different from the others with its look of a modern bobber, but I have tried one and I found the suspensions a bit stiffer for me and and I found the position too forward, so I abandoned the project...
Now I am tempted by the LRS or the LRST, they look more modern and are certainly more flexible as I often ride on small roads and in the mountains, I just need to modify the position with forward controls and pull back risers, if I choose the LRS I would also need to mount bags and fairing...
will see next year, for the moment I am very happy with my bike, only 6 month and 8000 miles...
[QUOTE=Big Al 59;21233297]nice mods on your Heritage which look a bit sportier with the 2 into 1 and the saddle, I don'treally like your handlebar but its your choice.
When I post, I realize not everyone will like what I have done. I liked the stock bars - just too low. Put on a set of 12 narrow apes. Liked them, but was getting some numbness in right hand, and I thought it might be due to angle of bars at the grips. Went with these 14 straight Tbars. Very narrow and club style feel, and definitely not what you usually see on a Heritage. I liked them as soon as I finished install and still like them.
nice mods on your Heritage which look a bit sportier with the 2 into 1 and the saddle, I don'treally like your handlebar but its your choice, I will perhaps mount ŕ ProPipe in black for the look and also for the sound as my Neighbor hater are a bit too loud for me, my bike look more traditional than yours but I like it like that, like you I like the bags and the windshield for the practicality, my set up is little bit more quiet than yours, only a stage 1 with an FP3, perhaps I will make a stage 2 with an S&S 475 cam....
like you I was very tempted by the Fat Bob, I like the style of this bike, very different from the others with its look of a modern bobber, but I have tried one and I found the suspensions a bit stiffer for me and and I found the position too forward, so I abandoned the project...
Now I am tempted by the LRS or the LRST, they look more modern and are certainly more flexible as I often ride on small roads and in the mountains, I just need to modify the position with forward controls and pull back risers, if I choose the LRS I would also need to mount bags and fairing...
will see next year, for the moment I am very happy with my bike, only 6 month and 8000 miles...
The Fat Bob like the LR or LRST all need risers with at least 2" or more of pullback. My Fat Bob needed risers AND bars as those drag bars are way too wide and too low. I installed 2" riser blocks and Trask Moto bars and could not be happier.
I think all these discussions of "Which is the best" are tough as each of us has different riding styles, abilities, how we will use it, and how it looks to us. No right or wrong decisions only what works for you.
I do think HD knows this and that's why many of us have two HDs. You just can't get it all from one bike. The Heritage might be the exception to that, which explains why they are so popular. You can go from a naked bar hopper to a touring setup in 10 minutes with quick connect hardware and have basically two bikes in one.
even if we don't always agree and even if the bike that suits us doesn't necessarily suit the other person, it's always interresting to compare what we like, it gives you ideas and sometimes helps you discover an aspect you've overlooked...
in any case, thank you for this exchange...
as you said, many of us have more than a bike in the garage, some times ago I had two Harleys, but at the end, I was always riding the same, so I sold the second one, and I prefere to keep only one bike, and that's true that the Heritage is the most versatile Harley and can be adapted to many different configurations...
but I will keep an eye on the Low Rider range for the future and think about the configuration that suits me best...
I dunno for sure. but for me the Heritage and the Low Rider ST are two completely different bikes.
The Heritage is "your dad's Harley" but brought up a few years. The Low Rider ST is much more futuristic and cool looking, even through it has a back to the '84 FXRST vibe.
If you are a younger guy (relatively speaking - maybe 50s like me), then take the Low Rider and ride the **** out of it. If you just want to putt around, then the Heritage is probably better. Either bike can do any ride you want it to - from bar hops to intercontinental.
I dunno for sure. but for me the Heritage and the Low Rider ST are two completely different bikes.
The Heritage is "your dad's Harley" but brought up a few years. The Low Rider ST is much more futuristic and cool looking, even through it has a back to the '84 FXRST vibe.
If you are a younger guy (relatively speaking - maybe 50s like me), then take the Low Rider and ride the **** out of it. If you just want to putt around, then the Heritage is probably better. Either bike can do any ride you want it to - from bar hops to intercontinental.
That's maybe true if you're looking at it from a certain narrow perspective. I don't think I'm alone when I say that when I'm shopping for a bike, or just looking at bikes, I don't really concern myself with what a prior generation or even a future generation might think.
When I bought my Heritage, I test rode at least a half dozen other bikes. The Heritage was head and shoulders above, in terms of looks, comfort, power and reliability, with the Sport Glide coming in a fairly distant second. I didn't think about what some 20-year-old might have thought about "dad bikes."
Last edited by tmac00333; May 30, 2023 at 07:36 PM.
That's maybe true if you're looking at it from a certain narrow perspective. I don't think I'm alone when I say that when I'm shopping for a bike, or just looking at bikes, I don't really concern myself with what a prior generation or even a future generation might think.
When I bought my Heritage, I test rode at least a half dozen other bikes. The Heritage was head and shoulders above, in terms of looks, comfort, power and reliability, with the Sport Glide coming in a fairly distant second. I didn't think about what some 20-year-old might have thought about "dad bikes."
Well, me neither. But you have to agree that the styling of the Heritage harks back more to the 50s or 60s. Which is a fine thing in itself and it's a fine bike. I have several friends with them and they all love them. We all ride together and put on a lot of miles.
The Heritage is a comfortable and capable bike, make no mistake.
The Low Rider ST is a sleeker, meaner looking machine with styling cues from the 80s. It's also a very comfortable and capable machine - although mine wasn't comfortable for me for long stretches until I changed out the mids to forwards. And changed the seat. And added 2" up/back risers. Now it's dialled in nicely. But had I bought the Heritage, I would probably have had to still make modifications to get it how I wanted.
Both bikes share many of the same components, but the ST is aimed a bit more at "performance" riding (BS.....it's still a pushrod, air cooled v-twin) having dual front disks, inverted forks and the 117 CVO motor. They both have adequate wind protection and fairly decent luggage capacity. Decent cam and tune will wake either bike up quite a lot more if that's your thing.
Anyway, buy whatever speaks to you more. They are both fine bikes, but probably aimed at slightly different audiences.
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