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Fair deal on the bike, BUT you need to lose weight!!! If you must stay Touring line, go look at a Road King. But as suggested go lighter, Dyna Switchback is a great mini touring bike or Heritage Softail. An Evo Road King or Evo anything would be a cool side step. Good luck.
Lord knows I don't have the answers. Advice comes from all directions but the best advice I think.....is to know yourself. Don't delude yourself. Use your brain and think it through. Your heart will try to take you places you probably shouldn't go. What's right for you is right for you.
For me: I'm aging but still strong. I plan to keep working out and staying active every day. Sitting is wasting time, body and opportunity. I've got to pay to play, which means I have to do the things which keep me in shape to ride, hike, hunt and work hard. Motorcycling for me is 2 wheels and I'll stop riding if I can't manage it. I'm not negative about a trike, except that I simply have no interest in riding one. Sidecar the same for me. I'm not an elitist or purist in attitude....just know what I like in my life. Knowing when to say when is sometimes difficult but it's a smart man who walks away with good memories and happy regrets. That's my plan.
And then....who knows. We've been talking about a Porsche 911 someday.
I've owned an 09 Road King Classic, an 04 Electra Glide, and an 03 Road King, which looks just like the Ultra you're considering minus the fairing. They are all great bikes but they are heavy. The Electra Glide was somewhere in the 800-900 pound range and the Road Kings were just a little lighter.
I got to the point where I dreaded backing them out of my shed because I had a hard time rolling them backwards in the driveway. That and the fact that my Missus cant ride with me anymore convinced me to sell the bagger and buy a Dyna and it was the right decision.
I now have a 1995 FXDS Dyna Convertible. It weighs in around 600 pounds and has detachable saddle bags and windshield. I love the bikes versatility. Its light weight enough that I can enjoy a short local cruise around town, and with the bags and windshield I can load it up and go across country if I want to. Plus it's got just enough performance and handling that I can toss it through the corners whenever I want to go for a spirited ride.
I would strongly recommend a Dyna for your situation.
Check out a trike. Take a test ride, even if just around the parking lot for starters. You might surprise yourself. Its different and steering may feel awfully hard at first, but youll get used to it and you cant beat the stability. I made the switch at 70. It put the fun back into riding for me and eliminated a lot of the stress that had me thinking maybe my riding days were over, a very difficult thought to have. Thousands of miles and multiple cross country trips later, I cant tell ya how happy I didnt give up riding all together. Good luck to you. Hope you can get something figured out and get some enjoyment from whatever you do next.
I rode Dynas for years and now ride a 22 Heritage . I highly recommend the new Heritage it feels light has a low seat Height and the handling is superb.
I agree with Bubba. I suggest a Switchback, bags and windshield remove with ease. Of course I am biased having a 13 FLD.
MIne has after market bags.
I love the looks of the Switchback. If I ever buy another bike, that's what it will be. I really don't understand why it didn't sell better than it did.
Ok, so, I'm having serious withdrawal pain. I think I've convinced myself that I can still ride, so I'm looking at a 2003 Electra Glide Ultra Classic with only 19,000 miles. What do you all think? I know the cam chain tensioner issue with that year, but other than that, and possibly new tires, what all could be wrong on a 19,000 mile motorcycle? Seals, dry rot rubber? It's barely broken in. Oh, yeah, $6500, but I'll offer $6,000. It looks like a new bike. Thoughts?
I'm about to turn 77 in December. I'm still riding as much as ever. Here's my dos centavos...
1. Get a lighter bike. I'd recommend a Softail.
2. MOST IMPORTANT!!!! Given your current physical condition and any limitations, you MUST start exercising. Some weight training, some flexibility and mobility exercises. This really doesn't have anything to do with riding, it has everything to do with staying active, staying mobile, staying alive. It has everything to do with being able to lift a bag of groceries out of the trunk without hurting your back. It has everything to so with being able to "catch yourself" when you start to stumble.
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