I think this says almost everything needed, I have one addition though. How much riding experince do you have with "heavy" bikes, I choose the dyna because it is a "riders" bike and with the right setup is as comfortable as most touring bikes minus the extra weight and large storage.

Go to the stealer during demo days and ride each of them, then rent the one you think you will like.
Enjoy.

 

Go Dyna or you'll regret it soon enough.

 

The amount of riding experience you have is part of the same story...one buddy took the course, rode a Virago 750 for a year then bought a Dyna and has had no problems. He's also about 5'6"...that said, I went from a Sporty to a Dyna 'cause I wanted more room for touring with the wife. I tried a couple of Road Kings and the huge windshield and backrest (one had a tour pak) were preffered by the wife but they felt like going from a Camaro to a Kenworth to me...kept the Dyna. If you are going to want to do much 2-up then the Dyna is an excellent platform. Otherwise, a Sporty will serve you well and you should be able to find lots of them cheap with low miles if you are looking for used; then if you want to move up it shouldn't cost much to get rid of the Sporty.

 

THINK about it,wouldn't you rather have that big 96 inch,6 speed torque monster?Case closed. [IMG]local://upfiles/50648/7E05040039E74064AD37F37E103FE590.jpg[/IMG]

 

You ride in it? Like a cage. Yep. Says it all![sm=biker2.gif]

Seriously, it depends on what you want. Try a couple of each. I suspect that if you asked the same question in the Sportster forum, the answers would tend to be different. But then again, Sportsters aren't for everybody.

 

Unless you and you're wife are small-ish people you'll find that Sporty is gonna be too...small. If you're going solo, that's another story. Havingboth a dyna and a touring model, I advise people to buy the biggest bike you feel comfortable driving. The Low Rider is an excellent choice.

 

I like em both.To me the most beautiful bikes ever made were the Harley Sportster and the Triumph Bonneville.But I own a Dyna, why? because I heard of so many people buying Sportsters and trading up I decided to start out with the big twin.In retrospect I probably would have had more fun with a Sportster because they're so much cheaper it would have freed up more cash for customisation.Plus, the way I ride is closer to what the Sporty was designed for, oh well.

 

Since either way, I have to have a Rekluse or EFM modification added(can't quite reach the clutch from a stop, missing finger length on left hand should be ok once moving) I figured I'd get as much bike as I think I'll want now rather than trade up later. Money will not be an object. I've never riden a bike with a clutch but am a faster learner.

 

My $.02:
1. Most Sportsters I have seen are either long time owners or 1 to 2 year trade ins. If you go with the Sportster you will probably trade it in in a year or two, especially if money is not a restriction to you. That being said, if you do decide to start on the Sportster I would look at getting a 1 or 2 year old trade in (let someone else pay your deprec. and mods) that fits you. That way if you unload it in a year you won't lose a lot, and if you keep it in 5 years it will be an 06 instead of an 08 (who cares).
2. None of this may apply if you are stuck on a specific model only available in recent years (Nightster, anyone?)

 

Go for the Dyna. Ihave owned a 78 and 90Sportster, a92 Softail Custom and a 05 Super Glide. They will have to bury me with my Dyna.