I will second the WG vote. At 6'2" my 99 fits me perfectly. As you can see from my sig pic she is far from stock. The stock 88" with 5 speed will run down the highway at 70MPH all day long 2 up while getting 38-40 MPG. Something you want to check is the cam chain tensioners for the twin cams. Mine has 33K so far with no troubles.


I would say get the Dyna that fits you best in its stock condition then make it yours.

 

I went from an '06 883 to a 2014 Super Glide Custom. Couldn't be happier.

On longer rides it's smoother, more comfortable, less susceptible to crosswinds, and, oh yeah, a ton more powerful.

I like a traditional riding position, I do not care for forward controls, so the Super Glide was the Dyna that made the most sense for me. If your Sportie doesn't have forward controls, or you've never taken any significant rides on a bike with forward controls, make sure you finagle some test rides. I rode a Wide Glide a few times, and absolutely did not care for the riding position.

Of course, ymmv.

As far as things to avoid, I'd just personally suggest that you get a fuel injected model. Yes, carbs worked fine for decades and they can certainly work fine now, but EFI is generally a lot more reliable.

No matter which Dyna you pick, you're going to like it.

 

I agree with the rest of your post but completely disagree about this. Carbs are much more reliable than EFI because they have no fuel pump or sensors to crap out. Sure, the enricher makes cold starts harder and mileage might suffer a slight amount but what could be simpler than a gravity feed carb? And they idle like a Harley should.

 

I think he means they're much easier to tune, and don't require rebuilding (although you can gum up and kill injectors like you can a jet)

 

Pretty much.

For the record, my brother and I had a '59 Sportster that we had down to everything except the crank bearings. Wouldn't run because of crud in the float. Then I had a '67 XLH, and then my '06 XL.

In fact, my current '14 Super Glide is the only EFI bike I've ever owned. Every one of the previous 8 were carb. Don't need to rebuild and rejet any more carbs, thankyouverymuch.

 

You say an 02, did you buy that new? You don't say what kind of riding you do or what kind of riding you would _like_ to do. The Sportster is a nimble, flickable, adventure type bike. If you like that sort of thing, then a Dyna (Super, Low, Custom) could be a good alternative, but it will not be as light and flickable as the Sportster. If you think you want to do more road cruising, then don't limit yourself to the Dyna's. Consider a Softail or touring (say Road King). My point is, don't think you need to walk yourself up the frame tree; such a thing doesn't exist. A softail frame is different than a Dyna's. Not better or worse, just different. What's best is what works for your needs. You never know, if you want good speed but can do without the cornering then a VROD may be a more comfortable, better choice.

 

My neighbors wife wanted to learn to ride and get a Sportster. She insisted on one and nothing bigger. I found her an 07 Anniversary 1200, did a bit of cosmetic work on it and taught her in one of my classes. She has had the Sportster for almost 5 years now and put only about 400 miles on it.
It is rough riding, jerky, and feels very top heavy compared to my 07 Wide Glide. I tried to get her to try mine but she refuses because of the breather location being in the way of her leg.
Her husband doesn't like it because of the mid controls cramping his legs. I am in the process of selling him my 07 WG and have purchased a 2011 Super Glide. I purchased it at an auction and haven't got it going yet.
I have to say that the Wide Glide is one of the best handling and comfortable bikes I have ever ridden.
I will say that I had a problem with it when I first got it because it had a touring seat and forward controls. I am only a bit over 5' 6" and had difficulty reaching the controls until I had a friend modify my seat. He cut the bottom of the seat about 1-1/2" and glued it to the rear of the seat pushing me forward, then recovered it. Probably the most comfortable seat I have ever sat on. By modifying it I could sit in it rather than on it.

 

Thanks for all the info. I have been researching prices and some ase reasonable, might pick one up in late fall and sell the sporty in the spring.

Not sure about EFI or carb. I know about the pro's and con's but too me sometimes less is more. I hate the fact that if you want to do anything other than basic maintenance on todays vehicles you need a masters degree and 20k of specialty tools and computers.

My riding consists of short trips during the week and up to 300mi 2-up on the weekends.

Again thanks, and keep the replies coming.

 

you cant go wrong with a superglide. Other than lacking the dual disc they are an awesome handling hd, especially true with some longer quality suspension

 

Exactly, carb's don't need a $500 "Super Power Protune X-5000" for adjustments. Regarding rebuilds, over 40 years I've owned over 25 vehicles with carbs and rebuilt exactly 1 carb. And that was on a boat due to pouring too heavy oil into it to fog cylinders over the winter. EFI is a pollution control.