2005 Sporty 1200 2013 Switchback

I went from a Sporty i loved to my 2013 Switchback last fall. I love this bike even more, didn't think it was possible to be honest. My opinion is that you won't be disappointed.

 

Greetings,

Both my wife and I have have 2013 Switchbacks that were bought as our 10 year wedding anniversary present to each other. This will be year 6/7 of ownership.

Vibes - There are many stock Switchbacks I've read about that suffer from excessive vibes. Something with one of the exhaust support bolts being too tight. Google "clevis pin mod" for the fix. The fix is $5 at your local hardware store (this is what was done to the wife's bike). The other option is getting a full exhaust replacement (this is what I did to my bike). Either of these will bring the vibes to a "normal" Dyna level.

Suspension - I found the suspension of the FLD far from great. It works, but road imperfections are felt hard.
The FLD's fork is actually taken from some Softail models like the Slim. I forget now, which is in the right or left fork leg, but one side has a damper rod and the other has a crude cartridge. The fork has 4.1" of travel. No other Dyna uses these forks. These are 41mm where the other Dynas use a 49mm fork. On both of our bikes, we are now using Racetech single rate springs for our weight and on my bike, I'm also running their Gold Valve Emulator. Makes a world of difference.
The stock shocks are 12" from eyelet to eyelet and have just over 2" of travel (not much travel at all). Both of our bikes now sport 13" aftermarket shocks that were in the $500-$600 range (Bitubo 2 way adjustable for preload and dampening with 3.75" of travel for her and Hagon Nitro 2 way adjustable for preload and dampening with 3.4" of travel for me). By far, the best mods that were made to our bikes. Handling is notably improved and road imperfections are now muted enough to not be a factor. Can't over emphasize the improvement of better suspension.

Other stuff -
Stock handlebars are 8" in height with another 2" on the riser. The stock cables will support up to 12" in total rise.
Windshield - Uses the Road King hole pattern for the actual screen
Lights - Inside the nacelle, there are connectors to support auxiliary lights and I think also fog lights. Just hooked up the aux lights. All lights are JW Speaker LED's. I call it the plasma sun coming out of my bike
Sissy bar / Luggage rack - The actual mounting bracket is Switchback specific. The sissy bar/ luggage rack itself is generic Dyna
The rear brake reservoir is an absolute pain in the *** to get to. Unless you can figure out another way, you have to remove the exhaust to get to it.

The FLD is the first HD for my wife and I. We had Japanese cruisers and sporty standards prior to this. The FLD fits the need of touring bike without the weight of Touring bikes from HD. My wife and I visited my mom in Montana last summer and rented an Ultra. I did not enjoy it due to the gonka sized weight. Couldn't wait to get back on my bike. The hardbags are about 2/3rds the size of the Touring bags, however the internal dimensions of the Touring bags are a little compromised due to the interior wall that faces the bike, having to wrap around the hidden shock, whereas the FLD shock sits in front of the bag creating more of a clean box shape internally. Hope that makes sense. I don't find the slightly smaller bag dimensions to be a problem at all. I stuff my jacket, gloves, tools and what not on one side and have enough space to pick up a 6pk at the store down the street from me after a day's ride.

Every year, I take a hard look at HD's models. The only one that jazzes me is the Road King, which is basically a supersized Switchback. I've looked at the 2018+ Heritages, which is very similar to the Switchback in form factor. I HATE the floorboard position of the Heritage and not a fan of the design of the bags. My bike is paid off, and I still love it.

Good luck to you!

 

If you're not opposed to a recent model, check out the Sport Glide. I think it's the only one of the new lineup that I'd consider. Same removeable features, although the windshield is smaller. Less beefy forks with the inverted ones on the Sport Glide as well. Would be an easy transition from the Sporty.

 

Thought it'd be nice to see them next to each other