Hi everyone currently in the process of selling some of my Japanese classics off for another Harley had a 833 iron for a very short while till I got made redundant when the company I worked at shut.

My Current ride is a 1967 Norton 650SS I'm using as a daily which is epic apart from the vibes get to me a bit after 350 miles.

I'm 30, 6'3 32" an a bit leg an about 14-15 stone.

Been reading lots of old posts an know they are all quite different but really torn between the following three bikes.

Wide Glide Dyna (only just started looking at these) Quite liked the seating position with the forward controls

Heritage Softail (love the look but read a few things about handling?) seat and bar combination felt really comfy.

Road King (read in a cycle world comparison that the seat and bars make it awkward for people my height?) Not got to see a road king yet.

Was wondering has anyone gone from the wide glide or the road king to the heritage or visa versa if so anything you regret or are super happy about?

How are the heritage's on bumpy pot hole strewn tarmac roads our uk ones are getting pretty worn out now.

For anyone familiar with the uk It'l be trips from Manchester back an forward to Cornwall some trips up round the nc of Scotland an some over into the continent which is something I've not done.

Would most likely be looking at a tc88 then addressing the cam chain tensioners.

The evo is also a possibility if I turned up a carb one. Assuming the evo heritage transmits the vibes a bit more than the b motor on the tc88?

Many thanks in advance

 

Road King will be the smoothest, heaviest and best for long trips, Heritage will be the most versatile and the Dyna will be the most fun batting *** around the UK for short to medium stints.

 

Thanks TMac Not much price difference between the models over here maybe 500 either way.

 

I currently have a '16 Ultra (touring frame like road king), an '03 Heritage, and an '01 FXSTS Springer (FX softail, not exactly a dyna, but similar)...

I am only 5'8" with 31" inseam @ 190lbs, so my experience may differ from yours...


Reference question #1;

For long trips, the seating position, and suspension (possibilities not necessarily OEM shocks) of the touring bike frame is superior in my opinion... If you want the most comfort on long rides, go with the Road King... It is not as heavy as a full bagger, but has the same frame & geometry, and you can strap on bags (luggage) as needed...

The Heritage has a different feel than the touring, and a different riding position... but it's capable of doing anything you want on a bike... the suspension options are limited if you want to go for the best ride, but I've done many long, multi-day rides on my Heritage over the years with the OEM suspension... I have to admit, now that I have the bagger, the Heritage isn't considered for long, multi-day trips anymore, but it could do it... You mentioned that you "Quite liked the seating position with the forward controls" of the Dyna.... When I jump on the Heritage after riding the Ultra, I immediately notice the difference of the riding positions and foot positions... I don't notice a difference between the Heritage and the Springer..

The Springer, by virtue of its smaller, FX style front end (narrower forks and smaller front tire) than the the Heritage, and it's forward pegs/controls v the Heritage footboards/controls.... feels different from the Heritage, even though they are close in weight, riding position, and are both softails.... The Springer feels very much like my old '78 & '80 FXS lowriders, which would be considered Dyna bikes. The Springer has the most fun riding experience, but even though I went across the US on my '78 FXS in my youth, I'm not too sure I'd want to try that now....

My point is you are looking at three different bikes with different riding, and sitting characteristics... the best choice will be based on what your intended use is, and of course how the bike fits you. You really should make it a point to ride each type, before making a decision...

Reference question #2;

For bumpy roads, teh Road King will offer the best OEM suspension and a wide open field of premium suspension products for both the rear and the front suspensions. If taming roads is a priority, a Road King would be a good choice.

Reference question #3;

I owned an '89 Heritage. That carbed, EVO engine ran great, trouble free, and was an excellent bike... I did notice a difference between its non-balance engine and the '03 Heritage 88B engine.... While I still believe I can feel a small vibration/buzz from the 88B balancers at 75ish MPH cruising... I remember feeling a distinct "buzz" in the grips of the '89 Heritage at similar cruising speeds. I never really thought about it much, until I started reading about it and discussing it with fellow riders.... certainly wouldn't have made me trade-off or otherwise get rid of the bike.... I guess it boils down to some people are more sensitive to things like vibration, heat, wind, and noise than others... when I read many complaints about "issues" on Harleys in these areas, I often wonder what the poster is talking about, because I just don't feel it the same...

Hope some of my experiences/observations help you with your search/decision.....

Enjoy the search and then enjoy the bike....!!! Good Luck...!

 

Thanks Hattitude that's a really superb reply and a big help information wise certainly looking forward to getting back on a Harley.

 

have also a look at the Street Glide,...

 

Thanks everyone yep the street glide is out of my budget unfortunately

Hopefully gonna start looking at a few over the next month or so, still really liking the heritage bikes, sucker for that Wl-Duo Glide sorta look with riding the Norton's

At the moment I'm probably leaning towards an evo one, is there anything on the tc-B engines other than the tensioner to be aware of ?

 

You might trade up to a Commando and get away from vibration, but if your heart's set on a Harley, I understand it! I have an '05 Springer (narrow wheel FXSTS) and I just sold my '07 Road King Classic to make room for a new '19 Heritage, which is fully 90 lbs lighter than the King. One question I would have is whether you do any riding two-up. The beauty of the Road King is that it's lighter than the other tourers, but the cushy Electraglide seats bolt right on. I had mine fitted with a removable tour pak so it was excellent for long interstate trips. I'm smaller than you (and shrinking fast as I age) but I found the Road King handling to be very solid, only really feeling any weight while paddling around in parking lots. It was very smooth at all speeds, and an excellent do-it-all bike with a classic look. However.... I rode my little Springer up to West Virginia a couple of times, once up to Georgia, and once to North Carolina. This was from deep in south Texas. My longest day was about 880 miles. It would have been easier on the Road King by far, but it was obviously do-able. It's the easiest bike I've ever owned to go quick in the corners on. The front tire stays glued to the pavement and helps with my confidence. The only weak spot is that it's fairly easy to bottom out the rear suspension, not ideal for comfort.
From the few times I've been in England it seems you have endless roads that are narrow and twisty and not much distance between towns and villages. I'm not sure the Road King is the right tool for the job over there, especially since you like that Wide Glide look. Maybe you're going to ferry over to the mainland and take some long touring rides? If so, it might be that the Heritage is a really good compromise. I hope you'll get the chance to ride examples of these bikes before you decide. That should clarify things for you.

Enjoy making your decision!

 

Thanks for the reply 1968 some great info there as well as my 67 Norton 650SS I've got a 68 NV Commando (few pics on my instagram norton.rider an vids on my youtube channel under the same name) which I'm halfway through rebuilding previous owner left media in the cylinder head on the commando. Epicly smooth bike just splitting the crank this week then I'm back on assembly.

I guess that's what I sort of think the electra glides and rubber mount harley's would be like compared to the solid mount evo Heritage. Harley is gonna be in addition of the Norton's.

I know a few lads an ladies over here that swear by the road kings. An yeah you hit the nail on the head. Endless narrow twisty roads which is brilliant fun. Unfortunately single at the moment ha so don't need to think about passengers.

One end to the other over here is about 14 hours and 837 miles.

Dad was in hysterics at me the other day usually when it comes to bikes I'm really decisive but this one is taking a little longer to decide one.

Those springer's sure are beautiful bikes. I was looking at the new Heritage yesterday look awesome way outta my price range currently though. It's interesting how close the pricing on the bikes is over here evo an early twincam, heritage, electra glide, road king, dyna's, are all within a few grand of each other certainly a buyers market.

 

I had several Nortons and a couple of BSA's back in the day. I still have a '72 Combat that I am rebuilding at a snail's pace (bought it in '85 as a project). Life keeps getting in the way but this year I split the crank and found practically nothing accumulated in it, maybe a teaspoon of grunge. I just got the timing cover polished up and back on, barrels and pistons in place, ready to drop in the frame. Next step is to go through the transmission, but we are headed out of the country later this morning, gone until Christmas. Something to do when I get back.
We now return you to the regular programming Harley thread.

One other thought, I put many miles on an Evo Springer, bought new in '91 and one of my sons bought it and is still riding it. Maybe it was the nature of the handlebars but I used to get numb fingers when I took multi-state trips on it. I would stick with a rubber mount model like the Road King or Dyna frame if you go with an Evo. So, if you decide on a Heritage my suggestion would be to stay with a Twin Cam. Best of Luck!!!