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Any body switch from a touring bike to a softail??..currently have a 2007 FLHR with front fairing lower fairings & after market trunk. Its a heavy bike & Im gettin old 70s+ Oregon truck scales say it weighs 800 LBs..Its all I can do to pick it up if it should lay over on its side.. thinking of moving up to a newer bike any way( 2020 ish) considering a Heritage or deluxe or there abouts Wondering if any you guys out there have made the the switch from a touring bike to softail and what you think about it .Would like to keep the trunk cause ole lady likes the comfort of the built in backrest..looks like front fairings with windshields are available for them.. So if anyone made the switch & kinda made it a touring softail Id appreciate your input....
Couple year ago friend of mine at age 81 thought he was done and ready to quit sold his 2018 Ultra Limited. Few months later couldn't live without a bike bought himself 2021 Heritage to make a trip to Sturgis one more time. He was not happy on the Heritage came back traded it in for another Limited. Now he is 84 and happy to be on his Limited. I think most of us older guys including me wouldn't be able to pick up the bike without help but goal is not to drop it. I can pick up my BMW I tried it but no way with my CVO Limited.
I went from a 19 RKS to a 21 Lowrider S.
never looked back. The Lowrider is a great all around bike and I do not tour with that bike. Easy to maneuver around no easy to ride. No regrets at all
I never made the move from bagger to Softail, but I regularly turn my Softail into a Bagger(tail) for trips.
What I can tell you 100% is that a properly set up Softail makes an AWESOME touring bike. I have over 380,000 kms (236,000+ miles) on Reaper, and have always travelled in comfort, including many long trips with my ex OL on the back.
Reaper in her normal configuration:
Reaper in Baggertail mode, ready to head out on Road Trip 2023 - over 10,000 miles in 39 days:
The bags are all on quick release hardware, and The rear shocks are Progressive 422 w/RAP, so it literally takes about 3 minutes to switch between configurations.
I don't have a new mono-shock softail but currently have two old-style softails, a bagger, and a Dyna... all different, all fun....
In 2003 I bought a new Heritage. It last OEM 6 months before it got a 95" big bore kit.... the rest was/is all stock. It was my only bike. I rode that thing all over the place. It was a local bike and my "touring" bike... I never backed down from a long ride or multi-day trip because all I had was a softail. I was more than satisfied, I was very happy to take that bike anywhere..
In 2012, I bought my first bagger, a '12 Limited. It was the first time in my life I had two bikes. I put a cam in the bagger and took it across country.. No doubt it is more comfortable, and the long rides are great on that bike too.
These days I have a '16 Ultra Classic bagger and use it for all my long-range, multi-day trips. If I was leaving on a trip, and the bagger was "acting up", I wouldn't hesitate to pack up the Heritage and take that bike instead...
The Heritage is lighter, lower, and has a different sitting position, but I don't find it uncomfortable. I can handle the bagger easily, but it is noticeably heavier. I'm now 66 yrs old. I have several friends who ride older Heritage bikes, instead of baggers.... and I'm talking the old style softails. The new ones are supposed to handle and ride much better.
Buy what fits you and stay in the wind as long as you can.... That's the goal..!
A rest stop during a week long trip on my Heritage, circa 2007;
Leaving Flagstaff on my way to SoCal from upstate NY on my '12 Limited, June 2012;
Took up riding again at age 65 after 39 years since I rode a motorcycle. Bought a new 2017 Sportster and kept it for 1.5 years (~11k miles) and bought a new 2018 Heritage. Traded that in after 34k miles for a 2022 Heritage. Have put 7.7k miles on the 2022 in 1 year. I ride solo, take 2-3 road trips per year. Haven't seen the reason to get a Touring model, so I guess I won't be downsizing to a Softail. Already there at age 71 and happy. Am I ahead of the times?
In 1997 I bought a Road King. It was all touring frame bikes from there on, most recently a 2020 Road Glide. I sold the Road Glide in the spring and thought I was done. The itch came on real strong in September and I bought a new 2023 Heritage Classic 114. I'm extremely happy with it. It's lighter and much more nimble. I wanted something different and this bike fits the bill perfectly.
I went from a heritage to a roadglide back to a heritage back to a roadglide and now a trike. I just got banned from 2 wheels but dont have to give it up. I kept my heritage just in case.. lol but true.
I rode a new Mono Shock Heritage, to me it just didn't feel right compared to my 05 FLSTCI, but my 05 isn't stock as far as suspension. I load up several times a year, (not this year tho) I say this all the time in here, every time I load my Heritage up for a Solo or 2UP journey, I tell myself, "Someday I'm going to get touring bike" after 12 to 1300 miles later, I then say, "what do I need a touring bike for, when my Softail does everything I need her to do. Not only that, but she also looks better doing it. To many cookie cutter Glides out there for me.
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from touring to softail
