I am only 69, but I know there will be a time when a 850# bike will feel like too much. My girlfriend and I just spent 16 days on the road in June. On the first day after riding 400 miles, I pulled into our wilderness "resort" and the parking area had fresh gravel, 3" deep. We saw the office sign and as I started forward in the gravel, my girlfriend moved and the rear tire sank 3" at the same time. Dropped it. No damage except to my ego. I was tired, she and her stuff made the bike heavier so I had less lean angle and after 8 hours on the bike, she was wiggling around. I had forgotten to just ask her to get off. We ran into that same new gravel several more times on the trip in parking lots. I simply had her get off, no issues. But I am aware that at some time, hopefully in my 80's, I'll need a different bike. But my answer to your question is that it is the view from the handlebars that matters, not the brand. If I had to go to a different brand, smaller and lighter, I will. I have owned a sporty (since 1964) that I use around town. I do enjoy the seemingly effortless handling. When I was just divorced, my touring bike was a metric. Cheap, reliable and fun. I could not afford a Harley outside my sporty. If I had to tour on a Suzuki C50 or a Kawasaki Vulcan 900, I'd be okay. I've had other makes in addition to a long line of Harley's, Triumph Bonnevilles, Suzuki VStrom, Enduros, BMW airheads, Moto Guzzi. I'd find something and ride. Maybe the girlfriend will fly to the destination and we'll ride from there. When I feel I have to trailer my bike, I'll get a lighter bike. I am not a candidate for a 3 wheeler. Just not for me. When we can no longer tour two up or I do not feel I can handle two wheels for 4500 mile trips, I'll take the vette and try not to wave to everyone on two, but it will be hard. My take away...it has always been the view over the handlebars that matters, not the view of it parked.

 

Seems like a lot of us responding are near the age of 70 and have seen our strength and skills lessen over time. Yes, we are wiser but that often doesn't compensate for physical strength. I'm 70 and hope to have at least ten more good years of riding. I'll see what life brings me. But I know if I am fortunate enough to live a very long time, there will probably come a time when I will be too frail to ride.

So I'm going to make whatever accommodations are needed. Regarding riding, to date I don't think I have made any accommodations to age so far. The Switchback that I ride now I would probably be riding if I were twenty years younger. It's the bike I like. I don't go any fewer miles today then I did when I was younger. I still average between 300-350 a day on the very long rides. I have always liked getting to the motel early and setting up for the evening.

One thing has changed. I stay in nicer motels. The cheap places I stayed in years ago no longer cut it.

 

Didn't put in earlier post that I just turned 772

 

Didn't put in earlier post that I just turned 72

 

Started riding in '64. Planning on doing the lower 48 in 2018 to commemorate my 70th birthday.

If you're concerned about weight, I would suggest that a Softail won't help all that much. A Heritage is only 60 pounds lighter than a Road King.

Here's the last bike I had before going to my Road Glide. A '14 Super Glide Custom, bags, comfy seat, and windshield. 666 pounds, 150 pounds lighter than a Road King, only 100 pounds heavier than a Sporty. The '14 was the last year for this particular model, it was replaced for '15 with the Low Rider.

 

When it's my time it will be my motivation to finally hunt down an original restored servi-car! even if I have to restore it myself!


Hope to find a police model with the electric start option.

 

Well I'm from the flat land of SW Florida . I have had a 79 flh ,02 heritage,05 Dyna, 07 Rd glide 14 limited and the 13 triglide in the NC mountains. The triglide is as much fun to ride as any of them.

 

I am biased but a Super Glide Custom or Low Rider is a great choice if you are looking for lighter weight and fun riding. The bike in the photo above does it all. Add the Mustang back rest and ride forever! I think you would be shocked at how inexpensive these bikes are selling for also.

 

I, and my wife, both have 2013 Switchbacks (FLD's) that we bought new for our 10 year anniversary present to each other. Prior to the test ride that led me to the FLD, I had test ridden a 2014 Road King, 2013 Street Bob and Fat Bob, and a 2006 used SuperGlide. Of them all, the Road King handled the best. Of the remaining, I thought the FLD handled the best and easiest, followed by the Fat Bob. I thought the Road King, when above 10mph, was very confidence inspiring, had very good brakes and decent suspension. However, I noticed every one of those 96+ lbs compared to the Dynas in slow speeds and parking lot speeds.

I like Dynas in general because of the visceral quality of the experience vs. the different character of the Softtail variants I've ridden. I think in some ways, the Dynas get closer to the experience of the ride of the touring bikes because of the rubber mounts. As far as HD's go, I think the Road Kings have some of the best cornering clearance and learn angle. The RK has 31 degrees or so of lean vs. the 29 degrees of the FLD. However, I put 13" (same length as the RK) Hagon shocks and I guess the lean angle is probably much closer to the RK now, not to mention the ride quality is notably better. The Heritage is a nice bike too, but the even more limited lean angle is a concern for me as I like taking the turns deep. It's also a little heavier than the FLD. While the weight of the RK to the FLD, or any Dyna and I would guess Softails as well, are at or near 100lbs of a difference, dare I say it......

.......my bike was down for a cam install and my buddy graciously lent me his Sportster 1200 Custom (upgraded with Mustang wide touring seat, mid mount pegs, windshield and Progressive 412 shocks and Progressive fork springs.) for a bike trip I had scheduled with my wife this past July 4th. We went from northeast NJ, up to Killington, VT and covered most of VT while we were up there....about 800 miles round trip over 3 days, including highway speeds up to 85 and VT mountain switchbacks. Yeah, it was a little weird being on the Sportster, especially while my wife is riding her FLD, but I had a surprisingly great ride on that bike. One of the biggest things was the weight difference to the FLD. I don't think of the FLD as heavy, but the Sportster made it feel ponderous. I would guess a Sportster 1200 Touring model with upgraded/taller suspension and "stuff" would give you a considerably lighter bike setup that's touring friendly. Totally understand the refinement factor of a Sportster to a RK is like going from an old MG to a modern Cadillac, but if weight is a huge concern and you want to stick with HD, I would guess dropping to a Dyna / Softail will still leave with you with a bike that will wind up being heavy for you. If not now, then conceivably in a couple of years. In the Dyna / Softail family, I really think an FLD gets pretty damn close to a lighter RK. I would think hard on an Indian Scout as well. If not one of these lighter bikes, I'd go Trike or sidecar.

 

At 75 I ride more than ever. After I retired at 62 I rode over 30K a year. Last year I did over 42K. So far this year I'm at 26K and have several big rides planned.

I have had two heart attacks and all the other issues that come with age. However with touring bikes I found that just swing your leg over from the left side and bump the tank as you settle into the seat with your left inner thigh and the bike is up. My heaviest two wheel bike is the 16 RGC CVO Ultra at 916 lbs. Technique not muscle gets the job down every time.

I do remember my first ride. In March 1956 I got my first bike so I have been riding over 60 years. I do have a Freewheeler which for now is for winter riding but will be my "wheelchair" if that time comes. I love small and middle weight bikes. So I have a variety in the garage of the other families of H-D including a Street 750