As for touring, you can search individually of each item to get the best opinions.

I don't tour much but the Wife and I do go on a couple short 3-4 day bike trips every year but we try to limit the travel part of the trip to only one long hour day ride to the destination with one long day ride home.

If we are going to be gone for more than 3-4 days, we trailer the bike.
We don't trailer because we don't like the ride, we trailer because we want to take more crap with us than can fit on the bike.

The order of what you upgrade probably is dictated by your wallet, however for "touring" on a softail my opinion and order is-

Crotch cooler-
Whether in traffic or cruising down the highway, these rides are air cooled so there is some heat below the thighs. A deflector or leather "crotch cooler" is the best answer. The deflector works well I hear however I think the "crotch cooler" is the way to go and Capt. Itch seems to be the vendor of choice.

My ride has a leather crotch cooler.

Storage-
Let's face it you've got to have enough storage space to hold enough stuff to last you a few days. The only advice here is to strap/bolt/hang whatever you can in order to "pigeon hole" your crap while maintaining safety and being able to access the stuff rather easily when needed.

My ride has stock saddle bags, an added Tour Pak with a rack that we strap a Saddlemen's EX2000 to it.

Seat-
There are many aftermarket seat options available and each one comes with supporters. For some just adding gel pads to the stock seats provides the needed comfort. In any case there's no doubt that a seat upgrade of some sort is needed.

My ride has stock seats with gel pad inserts and Harley "Circulator" pads but I'm been thinking of adding an Airhawk for the Wife.


Windshield-
The taller the shield, the less air and bugs hitting you thus more comfort.
However the downside is more air resistance which computes to more drag (less power) and lower fuel economy.
For me giving up a little power and less fuel economy is a good trade-off for the comfort.

My ride has a 20" Klock Werks Billboard Flare windshield that we put on for long rides.
We average 40-42 mpg while cruising on the hwy at an average of 65 mph.

Also I should note that I have the Harley "Fangs" on as well and recommend them to decrease driver buffering.

Suspension-
Let's face it in reality you have three choices; stock, Progressive, Shotgun Air.

Stock- works for most people once they've figured out how and where to properly set the shocks. When touring once you hit the road, it's unlikely that you'll need to adjust the shocks during the trip.

Progressive 422s- With the RAP version adjustment of the dampening is only the turn of a dial, however that's somewhat of a luxury. As for the shocks there is no doubt that they provide an enhanced ride over stock. They don't remove all the bumps, but do soften most of them and on the highway 90% of the minor bumps go unnoticed. The downside is the cost of around $500.

Shotgun Air- If you read this forum much you shouldn't need to be schooled on Shotgun Shocks. These are apparently the king of suspension upgrades, but do come at a price of around $1200. Also since these are more complicated than Stock or Progressive shocks the chance of failure on the road is increased. JD is quick to resolve problems but swapping out the components in a hotel parking lot or campground might not be the best situation, not to mention the downtime waiting for the replacement parts to arrive.
However if you're looking for the softest ride, apparently Shotgun Shocks is the answer.

My ride has Progressive 422 RAP HDs.

Communication/entertainment-
Let's face it, music does make the time go by faster and there are many options out there.
The need to communicate with the passenger is also nice however a turn of the head and raised voice can typically get it done, however to be able to communicate with the passenger or other riders in a normal voice does have it's place. As for phone service; if you need to be available while riding, turn around and go back home.

For my ride we use Sena SMH10 bluetooth headsets since we always wear helmets.
If there's a better system out there I'm certainly not aware of it.

 

I've had both and like my Fatboy better. Last year loaded up 'Pearl'(my Fatboy) in Alaska and went to Arizona. Then Sturgis was happening so headed up through Colo. and took that in. Went and visited my Dad in western Mt. and then headed back to Az. where I left 'Pearl' for the winter and went back to Ak. That was about 24 days of riding so yes you can set your Fatboy up to be a great tourer. Equipped her with a removable windshield that I can just look over and as wide as I could get; Renthal grips for better grip; got rid of the thumb star they call a throttle control for a lever that locks on with a short flip of the thumb; Mustache bars with rain shields for those damp or cold days and alternative foot rests; a good oil cooler for the hot days out west; Corbin seat that fits my behind; lockable saddlebags from a Road King classic(leather) on Cyclevision bag brackets; I've also got the trunk that matches the saddlebags; SS shocks for adjustability over various terrain and comfort; Stop, turn, taillight combiner for the back for better visibility for those behind. Well as you can see you'll have 4 grand in accessories by the time you're done but most of it's quickly removeable when home and you don't need all this stuff cluttering up your ride. I like my Fatboy.

 

Sweet info guys! Extra thanks to DK, FB1389 & Bluraven.

I think if I start buying in Jan and get a major component four months in a row to start with (windshield, seat, rear suspension & storage) then that will be a great start. There's definitely a pattern of consensus on the most important parts to address so now I just do a bit more homework. Even if my budget hits the 2k mark I am still 2k+ ahead on trade-in loss, and truth is I like my Fatty quite a lot. There are some great tourers out there (Road King, Thunderbird, Vulcan) however they all have issues that have to be addressed, not too mention price tags.

 

I have a 2013 Heritage. No changes to the bike other than stage 1. Stock suspension, bars, seat etc...

I'm 60 years young, have 2 titanium bars and 8 titanium screws in lower back spanning L-3,4,5 and S-1. That portion of spine is fused. I rode 300 miles one day this week with no problems. Did 200 to Chimney Rock NC the day b/4 the 300. I know I can knock out 400 to 500 miles in a day if I need to.

I guess if you've got several thousand more bucks to throw at your Heritage there's plenty of places to spend it. New suspension, seat, bars and other stuff. But to do 300 miles in a day all you need is gas and oil and time !!!

 

Well stated!

 

Now this one is ready to tour

 

The vibration ( the engine is bolted directly to the frame ) no rubber mounts.
That's the vibration I'm talking about.

 

Are you serious??? Softail motors are internally counter balanced so that they can be mounted without rubber engine mounts. My mirrors do not shake at idle

 

I agree runs very smooth even at idle..


to OP I had same problem after buying my crossbones.. bike went from being mine to ours lol .. so the transformation began first with full fenders to keep the weather under the bike instead of all over me.. after several different set ups and bags for softails always have space issues in the end I got cycle visions bagger brackets and some hard bags off a touring bike and a tour pak and called it done..

 

As erd04056 stated softails are counterbalanced and DO NOT SHAKE AT ALL. Are you just trolling? If you are it is ok because tourer dudes troll here all the time. Besides I thought that tourer dudes like the shake because it feels like a "real Harley". I'm just glad Harley makes fake Harleys that don't shake.