Fatboy is a nice bike...I had one for a while, but ifI had to start all over again, I'd go with the Heritage. For a little more money, you get the bags, Windshield AND backrest that all would have to be added to the Fatboy

Also, the Fatboy's stock pipes make adding a decent sized bag impossible, so those would definatly have to be changed in order to carry anything on a trip.

Both the Heritage and Fatboy have the same frame, engine, trans...controls are the same, tires are the same. Wheels are different, and some like the solid fatboy wheels, some don't. Some say they catch the wind too much making riding in a crosswind difficult. Both bikes have floorboards, where the custom has pegs..On a longer ride, you will be glad to have the boards. Much more comfort.

Don't get me wrong, Iam t against the fatboy. its a great bike..but you need to be aware of things befor you buy. Far too many people go into a dealer, and buy the wrong bike for them. Dealer doesn't care in many cases..they just want the sale. This is a big desicion, and needs to be carefully thought out, with all the knowledge you can find.

Asking questions on here is a great way to learn more..we aren't trying to sell you anything, we just want you to get a bike and join our group, but we also don't want you to get the wrong bike, cause that will cause alot of people to stop riding..

 

You forgot to add that the Heritage also has:

"a front fender that can be used as an emergency shelter in a pinch"

 

You might want to go to the Harley website. They have two resources that can answer many of your questions about what you can get on a bike, and what it will look like. The motor accessories section will let you "shop for your bike," which means if you put in the year and model it'll bring up which accesssories are available for that particular bike. It's available only for '08 and '09 models. There's also a "customizer" that lets you do pretty much the same thing, except that it shows pictures of the bike with each of your accessories installed. The customizer has a more limited selection of accessories, but it'll probably get you where you need to be with how major accessories will look.

 

Ya might wanna look at a Heritage. After having a Fatboy, it turns out most everything I wanted to do to it was already on the Heritage, including the backrest. So I got one. It's the same awesome Softail ride and a great foundation for customizing/personalizing down the road. Sorry about your luck with your local HD sales help.

 

i did not like the harley sissy-bar because you had to relocate the turn lamps. i found on the forum where you can grind the bracket so you dont have to relocate. before i found that i got a haulen *** backrest and put a road king back pad and the people who use it love it for the lower back support.

 

the tires are not the same as the fatboy has radial tires and they make a different ride. the crosswind is a rumor for the rims. yesterday we were parked on the side of the road waiting for a large storm to pass and a down burst blew over an ultra.
I also had full size bags with easy brackets on stock exhaust and they fit fine.