JamieWG us correct about the Duece and Night Train being cramped. My 05' XL1200C has more leg room than the Duece or Train, but not as much passenger room. One could move the controls forward I suppose. I bought a Heritage for the long rides.
One item to consider is height. The seat in the Softails is quite a bit lower than the Dyna. You sit "on" a Sporty or Dyna and "in" a Softail. I'm not too impressed with the "Touring" frames; good scoots for some but not for me.

 

You've got a lot of good advice here. My first and current is the Springer. Just love this bike. It's been great to ride. As a previous poster had mentioned, I had never considered the "touring" class bike at all, but the more I am riding, the more I think I will look at a Road King for my next and final ride for many different reasons. Now if they only made it in a Springer style...

 

A lot of folks mention fit and comfort...this is probably the most important thing when buying a bike. That said, I went into the dealers when I was first shopping for a harley. I had only ridden a Wide Glide and a Softail standard before I started seriously looking for a new one for myself. Before actually sitting on any of the bikes, I kinda had it in my head that I wanted a more touring oriented bike...or at least an FL softail....this, after riding smaller metrics for 7 years prior. I was thinking, maybe a roadking custom or a fatboy. Funny thing is, those bikes felt cramped to me. The fatboy was really small, which surprised the hell out of me (small wheelbase anyway). Granted, I had a Yamaha V-star 1100 with forward controls before, so I was pretty used to being stretched out...but in all honesty...I was expecting more room from the touring bikes. Even the Electra Glides felt a little tight. Superglides and softail deluxes were downright cramped beyond any comfort to me. Obviously, forward controls/highway pegs are an option on any of these.
Now I'm not a really tall guy...average...6' tall. But because of what I was used to, I guess I had expectations. In the end, the only bikes that really felt like I would have plenty of room were the wide glides, heritage softails, and (surprisingly) a VRSCA V-Rod...which has forward controls.

The point I'm trying to make is that even if you have an idea of what you want, you may be very surprised when you actually sit on that bike. You really do need to check them out and sit on every single model before you make a decision...and if possible take some test rides (or rent if that's the only option).

Fortunately for me, I had already ridden a wideglide...I liked the style...and it fit me like a glove. Sure, I sometimes wish I had a little more storage space...and it certainly isn't the best choice for a cross country trip....but there isn't a bike in harley's catalog that fits me better.

Just a few thoughts.



Todd