First I’ll admit most of you will blast me for this, but let it come. The first thing you need to understand is you’re not a tourer, but rather a day rider. Riding to and back from a destination is part of the journey. Trailering to advoid that part to me makes you a day rider. Nothing wrong with that but it isn’t touring.

Knowing that you want to be a day rider then either the HC or FB modified to accomadate your day rides will be simple. For us that actually tour, those mods become a little intensive as you don’t have options such as putting the. Ike on the trailer when the weather changes. When I pack to take my trips, it’s leathers, rain gear, warm weather gear (cool vest, etc.), multiple boots and footwear, various gloves, and minimal clothes as I will do laundry every 4-5 days. Plus a tent and gear for camping.

BTW, yes I work and I’m mid 60’s so it’s still possible for the vast majority of riders to do this. I did a 4700 mile trip to Lake George, Laconia, and Maine in June, 10 days.

 

The only correct statement of your post.

Your opinion. Do whatever you like with your bike and your time and call it whatever you want. I don't see why you felt the need to tell me what you think about what I do on my time on my bike, or how I refer to it. Your point is irrelevant and off topic.

Do you want a cookie or a gold sticky star for your fortitude?

Congratulations for finding the time. Enjoy your time and your bike, it certainly beats imposing your personal beliefs on others.

 

Used to ride my Softail Custom all over the country. Added a H-D sport windshield to take the wind blast off my chest, and I added some LeDoux leather saddlbags. Also added a rear fender luggage rack with a tailpack made for my setup. That bike is in my sig pic. I have since stepped up to a Road Glide Custom and now only use the Softail as a bar hopper.

 

Let me be clear, I am not taking sides in this argument. Both of you make valid points. I would not hesitate to take my Softail on an extended trip (with appropriate compromises); however, 9 times out of 10 I'll take my Ultra. Would I avoid an extended trip with the Softail if I didn't have the luxury of choice? Certainly not!

I don't want to put words in other people's mouths or attempt to analyze what they were thinking, but the following personal experience came to mind when I read Rickl's post. When I first started sailing, I thought it was imperative to buy a "cruiser" that slept 7 people minimum. Better yet, I highly desired a "blue water cruiser" over a coastal cruiser. This "need" was based on my desire, but unrealistic expectation, that I was going to sail all over the eastern seaboard [maybe even out into the ocean]. Fast forward: the maximum number of berths ever used on my boat was three (3). I can count on both hands the number of extended trips taken over many years [none of them in open ocean, unless you want to consider Block Island Sound "open ocean"]. If I was in the market for a sailboat today, I'd be looking for a daysailer or "racer". IMHO, the same applies to bikes.

 

I've did a couple tours on my Wide Glide of 2000 miles or more. It has no wind shield, cruise control or anything extra. I wore my 3/4 helmet with a bubble shield on it and had a Sena 20S and my iPhone for music and used Google Maps on it for GPS when I needed it. Did 500+ mile days on it. As the 500 mile days rack up, I would start to get pretty fatigued. I do have an Airhawk seat bladder I'll use on it on long trips. Over this past Memorial Day and the week after I rode the WG to Colorado from St. Louis and came back through Nebraska and Iowa. Put about 2500 miles or so on that trip in about 5 or 6 days. I did concede and buy some cheap throw over bags for storage. I would wire up a temporary 12 volt power connector (like a cigarette lighter in a car) so I could charge my iphone and GoPro.

After I got back from that Memorial Day trip, I realized how much I like touring by bike but the comfort level on my Wide Glide for day after day of big mile days would wear me out a lot. So I bought my Street Glide less than a month after getting back from that trip. I'm at about 9700 miles on the SGS since I bought it in June, I've done two trips on it. Over July 4th weekend, left STL to Cherahola Pass and then on about an hour south of Atlanta to hang out with one of my oldest friends. I don't recall how many miles that trip was, maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 miles. Then just in the past month I took the SGS out to Colorado and onto Yellowstone, the Badlands, Milwaukee and back to STL. That trip was in the neighborhood of 4200 miles in 8 days.

After riding my Wide Glide the SGS feels like riding on a cloud. On the WG, at the end of a long riding day, my whole body is sore, wrists, shoulders, butt, ankles, knees. On the SGS, my butt occasionally gets sore, but not enough that I would use my Air Hawk on it.

I can't see myself ever touring on the Wide Glide again. There is only scenario I can think where I would take the WG on a trip. I have a couple buddies currently without bikes. I've tossed around the idea of touring with them and letting them ride one of my bikes. Even then, since they're both my bikes, I'd probably ride the SGS mostly and occasionally swap and ride the WG for shorter distances.

As for the touring/hauling argument. I'll stay out too, as I don't care what somebody else does with their bikes. I will say, I personally am not a fan of long trips by car, but for some reason I really enjoy them on my bike. I don't know why I feel differently about them, because I basically think they are the same thing, but eating up miles on two wheels just gives me a lot of enjoyment. Probably done with the big trips this year, as my last week of vacation is set for deer season, but I'm already thinking about the first one of spring, probably the Grand Canyon and the southwest and at least going/returning through Colorado so I can hit the Million Dollar Highway.

 

Did 12000 miles each of the last two summers solo on my 06 Fatboy. It has detachable tour box, saddle bags and windshield. I use the original back seat packed up to make a backrest when iron butting it.
All I would suggest if you go the way of a Fatboy and sometime decide on aftermarket saddlebags, get very good supports. The cheaper ones, no matter how little you put in them tend to collapse in on the rear axle. Knocked off my axle cover.
Oh one other thing I'd consider a 2017 or a used Fatboy, I don't like what they did with the 18's rear fender.

Skeetz Tripin @ Facebook

 

I have ridden a Heritage all over the country and several things I added made it much more comfortable without a lot of expense. No cruise control so look at a throttle boss, best $20 I have ever spent. Secondly look at a new shield with a recurve top, gets the air up and over your head. the last thing i did was get the lower wind deflectors, sometimes called fangs. last I will never ride any harley without a Capt Itch crotch cooler. This past year I added a seat sheep skin and could not be more pleased with it, from Alaska leather. You will love your heritage just need to make it yours

 

I'm on my way to making the bike more road friendly. I decided on the Harley Hammock touring seat which is every bit as comfortable; if not more, than the seat on my old ULL. Got the wife her back rest and I'm going to have cruise control installed at the 1k mile service. I'll probably get some highway bars and the new 15" recurve windshield to top off the comfort mods. Probably gonna wait for 2 years before I do anything performance related, HD seems to be really cracking down on warranty claims against people who do any sort of mods to their bike.

 

Like Dan28 said after you’ve did 500 miles on a touring bike you’ll wonder why it took you so long to do it
My opinion is you can buy all the add on’s for your ride to make it CLOSE to a touring bike, but it will never be as good
Harley Ultra Classic 👍👍

 

just do it!!! the smaller the bike, the more street credit you get! I love the look you get when you are half way across the country on a dyna with no windshield, huge apes, and just a sleeping bag on your bike. thats bad ***!