Hi Everyone, Im from Detroit and currently own a nighter. I financed the bike last summer and rode for a good portion of it. It didnt take long till I figured out I want a bigger bike. The sporty wasnt comfortable at highway speeds and I guess Im too stubborn to put a windshield on it. Nonetheless, Ive decided to get something bigger and take the hit on trading the sporty. Im not a tall guy (5'6 on a good day) so seat height matters to me. Im kinda impressed with the looks of the softail slim since it kinda looks like the nightster that impressed me in the first place. At the same time the looks of the street glide are starting to grow on me. Now, the kind of riding that I do is zipping around town more than actual touring and when I ask ppl that currently have dyna's and softails they say if they could do it all over again, they would get the street glide. My biggest reason for getting away from the sporty is to enjoy my ride rather than just hold on to the bike at freeway speeds when I need to be there. So my questions are if I get the slim and start to ride a little more does anyone foresee me taking another big hit and feeling stupid again next season then upgrading to the SG? Do ppl ride the SG just to zip around town and not for touring? Id like to keep the discussions between these two bikes since they are the 2 that im trying to decide between. Thank you in advance to everyone willing to help!!! Going to the dealer in 2 days on my next day off!

 

IMO the street glide is fine for zipping around town and if you get a wild hair up your butt you can zip off for a few thousand mile treck

 

Rent before you buy, that's my best advice. If you get the slim without riding a SG first,
you will always be left wondering....again. my 2cts

 

I have a Softail and a Road King and I never ride the softail. It just sits. I think that of the touring bikes the Street Glide is more suited for around town than it is the Highway. I would just skip the Softails and go for a touring chassis. Don't over look the Road King, its a fine motorcycle and can be stripped down in a couple of seconds for that wind in your face feeling around town but if you want to go across country, no problem with the King.

 

A second on the Road King. It "Zips" around town just fine. My motor unit ran for years before going with the EG, and it handles great. The SG is very chic right now, so you see a lot of them. A Road KIng is Classic HD. It has presence, and there are a lot more ways to go with it if you want to customize. Give the Road King a serious look. Don't just go with the "flavor of the month".

 

Correction: meant to say "my motor unit ran Road Kings for years before going with the EG." Sorry-too early, coffee not ready yet! (:

 

I agree you should rent them both before you decide. No matter which one you end up with you'll probably wonder what the other one would have been like, that's just human nature.

 

No penalties for typos between 1 and 7 a.m. Hard to type when you're half asleep.

 

+1 on the road king you can build them up like an ultra
or you can strip them down like a road king custom

 

I would demo/test ride a number of bikes. Once you think you like the feel of one, rent it for the day before you pull the trigger.

I always liked the SG and thought it would by my next bike. I rented one this last summer and came to hate the thing. I am 5'11" and felt the riding position cramped me. At highway speeds the bike was awesome, no comparison. Cruising around town was another thing entirely; the fairing blocked so much wind that I begged for a crosswind just to get some air on me to cool down (hot summer, 100 degrees). I found that after the novelty of the radio wore off I never touched it again. This is all my personal experience though, but I would have never have known unless I had rented the beast.

I think if I go with a tourer after my Fat Boy it will probably be the Road King or Road King Classic...with a bobber front fender mod