I personaly love my FATBOY, but it does have a wide seat.I also have a friend and he loves his ROAD KING.I think that you are very smart for shopping around because buying the right HARLEY DAVIDSON that fits your body and personality is very important.

 

Get the softail custom.....Sweet bike! Or Standard if on a budget.
Like was said upthread, rent it before you buy it.

I rented a RK years ago, my wife hated it, she has short legs and the bags rubbed, plus all the heat comes right up the bags and on her.
Have had many styles and the wife loves the FXSTC best.

 

I have a different seat on fatboy and felt the stocker was a bit too wide for me as well.

 

I agree with what Citoriplus said. If you liked the Dyna Wide Glide, but felt too stretched, the Softail Custom would probably be perfect. I've said it numerous times in other threads that I absolutely love the stock seat on the Custom. The Softail Custom is great for around town and for longer rides. I think it's a very versitile bike. You can put bags on it if you're lookin' for some storage space, and it will still look good. I see no reason why you couldn't ride all day long on the Custom. Also, there are tons of parts available for it from many different venders. I like the Dynas as well. I think they look cool. But the comfort just isn't quite there for me. I think the Softails are quite a bit more comfortable, especially for 2-up riding. That's my $.02.

 

I'm about the same hight as you and my Night Train fits me like a glove.

 

I chose the '07 Fat Boy to replace my '04 BMW RT1150, glad I did.Over a year now and10K of problem-free miles.

You are going to get a lot of input here, but YOU will have the ultimate word in what to get. I suggest to rent or borrow, if possible, a late model of your choice, and see for yourself if you like it or not. Or find out if your dealer has demo bikes available. Also, if you can wait, the upcoming motorcycle shows feature Harley demo rides.

 

Welcome aboard ... literally. You'll find lots of us in the late 40s, 50s and up range who were gone for an extended period of time. Nothing wrong with that ... at least you're back.

Sounds like most of what I do. I throw in an occasional long distance trip, usually 300 to 500 mile days at most, just to keep things lively. You'll find lots of guys (and couples) who do most of their riding on short commutes and short trips.

Sounds like the Deluxe might be a good bike for you. I'm just over 6'1" and 265 to 275 (depending on how good the meals have been) and the Deluxe just didn't fit. I ride with a fellow who's about your size and he seems to love the Deluxe. Frankly, I think it's one of the best looking rides going today. Of course, you can't go wrong with the Fatboy or Heritage, but there are a couple things to consider.

First, are you going to add bags and windshield?

I'm like you, I liked the Deluxe, Heritage and Fatboy, but in the end the Heritage offered more bang for my buck.

How much with the significant other ride with you? Take a look at the Deluxe for rear passenger room.

As for the seat on the Fatboy, you'll find the Heritage also has a wide seat. But if you do any lengthy trips you'll find that wider seat a bit more comfortable. At least it will give you a little more room to move the butt around from time to time. Custom seats are also an option, and you'll find prices ranging from $200 to over $800 for a setup that handles the rider, passenger (pillion), and both rider backrest (a necessity for long rides, in my opinion) and sissy bar pad.

You'll get differing opinions on this one. Before I came back to Harley this year I rode a Yamaha Roadliner and Honda Gold Wing, both of which had a "heat issue." The Roadliner, like the Harley, is air cooled, so there is just going to be more heat on a larger engine. So for me the Harley "heat" issue wasn't as shocking as it seems to be for those coming from older ('06 and earlier) Harleys.

This month's American Rider magazine actually has a good article on the Cobra Fi2000 which is used to help adjust the air/fuel mixture so that the bike runs cooler. The article actually does a decent job of identifying th reasons for higher heat, and with the fuel injection management system (Cobra or one of the other brands) you'll see some good reduction in heat. The Cobra setup is around $220 from the major wholesale outlets online.

The major suggestions, as you'll see, are changing the fuel management system, adding different pipes (which raises a whole new set of issues), and air cleaner. But I'll leave that to folks who are more knowledeable.


As a proud Heritage owner I can assure you the Heritage will hit the floorboards quicker than the others. And when I'm two-up it is worse. But grinding the floorboards just means the neighbors have a light show when I come home at night.

 

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm going to thedealers this weekend to check the bikes out and let my wife see what she thinks of the back seats. I'll have to see how eagerthe dealers are to talk money. It may be too early in the fall. I'll keep you guys up to date and I will definitely post pics once she's home.