Hey,

I currently own a 2000 Twin Cam Fat Boy and recently been getting the itch to switch things up due to a few reasons. I was looking at various softails and dynas before I bought the Fat Boy and I was looking for something that looks good, comfortable to ride and decent for going 2 up. Well, my other half is starting the process of getting her own licence & bike so that's no longer something I need to consider. Honestly, the fat boy was an impulse buy I saw the ad and lets be honest, the Fat Boy is a looker. Its actually a really nice ride and i'd be happy to keep it for the next 10 years however I can't help but feel that a Dyna might be more suited to what I need. Unfortunately because i'm only 23, I can't test ride anything (must be 25 to satisfy dealer's insurance policies) so i'm looking for advice from people who have experience with softails and dynas to help me make an informed decision. I'm specifically considering the pre-2018 Fat bob to customise with aspects from the CVO version.

You see, I live in England and our roads aren't big, they aren't straight and you never really get a chance to just cruise at a nice pace for a while. Its a lot of stop/start traffic and bends and I find myself having to slow right down to make some turns. And I hate scraping the floorboards trying to go around roundabouts etc. I went from a Honda 650 to the Fat Boy and although the Fat Boy is a powerful beast, I sort of miss being able to overtake, corner quickly and generally hot rod (safely of course) which I don't feel like I can on the Fat Boy. The Fat Bob is still a heavy machine so i'm not sure if it can scratch the itch i'm having.

Most of my riding is around town, less than an hour a time and usually every saturday me and my friends go around twisty and challenging country roads for a good few hours - this is where I struggle the most on the Fat boy. We do have a 600mile round trip into France soon over 2 days so I need something that will do that as well. To be honest, the Fat Boy fits me quite well (6ft 1) I went to sat on a 2011 Fat Bob at the dealership today but apparently its at a different branch (sigh), so I sat on the 2018 version and the Low Rider S... to be honest the forward controls is more comfortable on the legs, less so on the feet however a big concern is will my leg ache after a while having it stretched like that? I met someone at the dealership who is in the market for a used fat boy so we exchanged numbers... I just really don't want to make a mistake and regret it because I really do love my Fat Boy at the end of the day and I'm proud to own it but I don't feel like my Harley itch has been fully satisfied... I want something that feels a bit more alive, y'know? The Fat Boy feels a bit too smooth and not as engaging as I thought a Harley would feel like and I know the Dynas shake at idle which is cool but I long for something that sort of keeps me on my toes in a good way and feels more satisfying to ride. Right now, i'm constantly slowing down and taking things slow on the Fat Boy which to be fair is what its meant for but I do want something that can also get a move on when I want or need it to without scraping floor boards.

Ahhhh I just really don't know. As i'm posting this in the Dyna sub forum I expect a lot of you will steer me to the Dyna, but I need to know that I can comfortably do weekend trips up to 700ish miles without wishing I kept the softail. Any advice whether its an essay or a single word is greatly appreciated.

 

Helluva fist post, mate.

Welcome to the site.

Can you rent bikes at 23 in England?

 

Unfortunately not, at least where I live. Also the FXDF is quite hard to come by as it is.

 

Nice post, and I completely understand your dilemma...

I kinda took a roundabout route to my current Dyna (2000 FXDX)... I started riding on a Yamaha RD350, which was pretty much the "King of Nimble," and then moved on to some larger and quicker Yamahas. In my mid-twenties (mid 80's, I turned 56 recently) I really fell for HD. At that point I started working in an independent Harley shop and got pretty involved with the custom scene for a bit, and had a variety of cool stuff for awhile. In '06 I got a Triumph Speed Triple which was my only bike for about 8 years, when I started really missing the personality (and ability to customize) of a Harley. Here's what I wanted: Something that could make power in the triple digits, be a mean local bar hopping hot rod, carry a passenger here and there, reliably take me and some luggage on an occasional week long trip, turn and stop on twisty roads well enough to hang with my sportbike friends, and look completely unique to me. Since that certainly didn't exist at the store, I've been building it (slowly) for the last several years. For the most part, I've kept the "apart" time to the winter, so I'm not without it in-season (and I still have the Triple too).

I think you're on the right track looking at Dynas. The blend of comfort/practicality/handling can't really be touched by a Softail (by which I mean pre-2018). Since riding them is difficult, just sit on as many as you can find. Once deciding which model "fits" you best, you'll find that all Dynas respond really well to some pretty simple suspension and engine tweaks. Honestly, they're all basically the same bike, just with different styling and accessory tweaks. If you could buy a Dyna frame from HD w/engine, tranny and swingarm assembled, you could basically build any Dyna model from the parts catalog. HD gets a lot of mileage using different seats, bars, and fenders to create a bunch of different models (simplified, but pretty true).

Get the one that's most comfortable in your price range. Once a couple of things are rectified, Dynas really are pretty good bikes in corners. They also have all the personality of a Harley, and can be quite practical for light touring too. Super flexible bikes!

Good luck!

BTW, what part of the UK are you in? I have a bunch of English "HD Friends." In fact, I just got back from London and Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.

 

I spent a lot of money modifying an FXDXT years ago. In 2008, I test rode the new FXDF at Sturgis. I had one within a couple years; it was a great update for me. I like the larger front tire, dual discs and I have mids. Stay away from the ‘06 Dynas; too many first year glitches. I bought a used ‘08 with the HD 103 kit and swapped out the HD cams for S&S E-Z starts. A decent handling solo touring bike that has carried me through 30 states and 6 provinces

 

Are lots of Dyna Styles around when searching for mine was hoping to find an early 2000's FXDX but didn't do well with that and stumbled across a Rider selling the present FXD I currently have with low miles and and receipts to show it had been well cared for at a Great Price so jumped on it ..

 

The Softails are the worst handling bikes Harley ever made...FXR's are the best Handling bikes Harley ever made.
Now, Having said that...I would buy a Dyna if I were you, Even though the FXR edges out the Dyna stock bike for stock bike, The FXR's these days are pretty expensive to keep in perfect condition because some of the parts are getting hard to find.
A Dyna can be made to handle as well as an FXR for a few hundred dollars in parts and you can still get parts for them from a dealership.
Even when the dealerships stop carrying the parts for Dyna's they will be easier to get parts for because there are LOTS of Dyna's around, Way more than there are FXR's.
The Dyna's built after '05 are heavier than the older ones and IMHO are not as nimble as their earlier lighter cousins were.
Buy a Dyna....You won't be sorry.

 

This is exactly why I got a Dyna. I made some significant suspension/engine mount/brakes mods and it handles quite well (for a big, heavy bike) while still maintaining a 'Harley' look and feel. Something very soothing about that uneven firing V-Twin! At the same time, it can be used for a comfortable around town, commute to work, or even light touring bike. I have been very happy with my Dyna for all these tasks!

 

UK Low Rider S owner here.
Dyna is much better than the old Softails, but it still needs a fair bit of work to make it a real canyon carver. Weight is still the biggest problem on later Dynas and dealing with that isn't going to be cheap, but even stock it should run rings around any pre '18 Softail.
Have you considered a Sportster? Much lighter and more nimble. There's a reason they're so popular in the UK. For the type of riding you do, do you really need the bigger bike?

 

the dyna is a good handling bike for a cruiser. can be improved with better shocks and front motor mount.