thinkin' geiser glide
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Novice
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 18
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From: manitoba canada
thinkin' geiser glide
i love the heritage but the trips thru rain and cold at my elevated age have got me thinkin' comfort may be in my future . anyone here ever compare the electic glide type full bagger to the heritage . any thoughts . comfort , drivability , top heavy ( with two up ) , mileage , geekiness ,pros and cons . i know i've seen this thread on here before but only remember bits and peices of the thread . not that you need to be a geezer to drive a glide , by the way .
Last edited by cootschop; Jul 1, 2010 at 08:48 AM.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 0
From: Rocky Mtn High CO
My previous bike was an 03 softail duece on which I had added quick release saddle bags from Boss Bags. Looked great in either configuration and with a T-Bag on back I could tour on it too.
Last year I rented a Road Glide for grins while I was in Scottsdale, AZ. Having the gloveboxes for little things and the stereo took my riding enjoyment to a whole new level! Within a few months, I had an 09 RG and bought a quick detachable tourpak so the OL could ride with me when she didn't want to ride her own. The tourpak gives her a great backrest and ensures I have some place to put my stuff too.
On any of the touring bikes, you can count on changing out the seat and windshield to fit you better as minimum mods.
My suggestion is rent a few models for a day or weekend and see what you like. A dealer test ride isn't long enough to be sure.
Oh, and FYI - it appear HD will make a Road Glide Ultra this year (tourpak included) which would save some $$$ over doing it yourself.
Last year I rented a Road Glide for grins while I was in Scottsdale, AZ. Having the gloveboxes for little things and the stereo took my riding enjoyment to a whole new level! Within a few months, I had an 09 RG and bought a quick detachable tourpak so the OL could ride with me when she didn't want to ride her own. The tourpak gives her a great backrest and ensures I have some place to put my stuff too.
On any of the touring bikes, you can count on changing out the seat and windshield to fit you better as minimum mods.
My suggestion is rent a few models for a day or weekend and see what you like. A dealer test ride isn't long enough to be sure.
Oh, and FYI - it appear HD will make a Road Glide Ultra this year (tourpak included) which would save some $$$ over doing it yourself.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Brandon, SD
i love the heritage but the trips thru rain and cold at my elevated age have got me thinkin' comfort may be in my future . anyone here ever compare the electic glide type full bagger to the heritage . any thoughts . comfort , drivability , top heavy ( with two up ) , mileage , geekiness ,pros and cons . i know i've seen this thread on here before but only remember bits and peices of the thread . not that you need to be a geezer to drive a glide , by the way .
Last edited by Soft422; Jul 1, 2010 at 10:27 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 143
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I went from an 07' Ultra Classic back to a softail. At the time I bought it, my wife talked it into me to buy the Ultra for her comfort. Forget about mine. It's a totally different animal. You can lean the $hit out it compared to a softail. But the weight difference for me was what I didn't like. Smooth ride once you get going. But the engine shake when sitting idle I couldn't stand. Well anyway the wife started riding, so back to a softail I went. And I'm very happy with it. I just took my Heritage on a 1400 mile 4 day trip through the Georgia mountains. very comfortable. I don't miss my Ultra at all. Like other said rent one for a couple of days. You might just keep your softail. Good luck in your decision.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Brandon, SD
I went from an 07' Ultra Classic back to a softail. At the time I bought it, my wife talked it into me to buy the Ultra for her comfort. Forget about mine. It's a totally different animal. You can lean the $hit out it compared to a softail. But the weight difference for me was what I didn't like. Smooth ride once you get going. But the engine shake when sitting idle I couldn't stand. Well anyway the wife started riding, so back to a softail I went. And I'm very happy with it. I just took my Heritage on a 1400 mile 4 day trip through the Georgia mountains. very comfortable. I don't miss my Ultra at all. Like other said rent one for a couple of days. You might just keep your softail. Good luck in your decision.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,891
Likes: 54
From: Mansfield, MA
I just took my Heritage Springer on a 3400 mile 8 day cruise.......I have all the bags and space of a bagger and it's very comfortable...... I can't imagine how an Ultra would be any better.....
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,054
Likes: 26
From: Florida
I own a 08 Crossbones Springer set up with detachable windshield, bags and backrest and pillion.
I recently test drove my buddy's 2010 Ultra Limited with a stock 103. Many pro's and cons and I think it will boil down to your personal taste.
First off the cons.
It does feel heavier but I think it may have seemed more excessive because the seat height was kinda high for me. My friend is about 4 inches taller than me so he seems to have no problem handling the thing.
I experienced a LOT more vibration at idle than on my softail which is way smooth.
The bike was EXTREMELY HOT! I understand this is a particular problem with 2010 touring bikes based on some other forum threads I have read. I hated being on the thing at speeds below 35 mph! At full stop I wanted to get off the damn thing until the light turned green!
Riding with him on several trips we have determined that my Bones gets about the same miles out of a 5 gallon tank as his does out of his 6 gallon tank.
Pros:
Lots of storage space.
Passenger seating is way more comfortable based on reactions from our gals.
Very comfortable at speed thanks to all that fairing and lowers (although my windshield on my Bones is enough for all day comfort for me).
Comfortable suspension.
Needs very little added for function, even in stock form.
The Ultra had lots of other perks but they are mostly things that would benefit my passenger more than me since I am perfectly fine without things such as heated seats and grips, stereo systems and plugs for iPods and the like. If I wanted my ride to have all those things and a bunch of extra tins around me to keep me as much out of the elements as possible then I would have just gotten a car.
I recently test drove my buddy's 2010 Ultra Limited with a stock 103. Many pro's and cons and I think it will boil down to your personal taste.
First off the cons.
It does feel heavier but I think it may have seemed more excessive because the seat height was kinda high for me. My friend is about 4 inches taller than me so he seems to have no problem handling the thing.
I experienced a LOT more vibration at idle than on my softail which is way smooth.
The bike was EXTREMELY HOT! I understand this is a particular problem with 2010 touring bikes based on some other forum threads I have read. I hated being on the thing at speeds below 35 mph! At full stop I wanted to get off the damn thing until the light turned green!
Riding with him on several trips we have determined that my Bones gets about the same miles out of a 5 gallon tank as his does out of his 6 gallon tank.
Pros:
Lots of storage space.
Passenger seating is way more comfortable based on reactions from our gals.
Very comfortable at speed thanks to all that fairing and lowers (although my windshield on my Bones is enough for all day comfort for me).
Comfortable suspension.
Needs very little added for function, even in stock form.
The Ultra had lots of other perks but they are mostly things that would benefit my passenger more than me since I am perfectly fine without things such as heated seats and grips, stereo systems and plugs for iPods and the like. If I wanted my ride to have all those things and a bunch of extra tins around me to keep me as much out of the elements as possible then I would have just gotten a car.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,664
Likes: 99
From: P.E.I. Canada
Yeah, so true about the car thing... lol. what type of driving do you mostly do? I know a lot of guys that spend weeks at a time touring around on long trips. If I was doing that, than I might go for the bagger, but for my daily driving with a few good trips a year, I don't want all that extra bike.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 762
Likes: 1
From: mission bc canada
i love the heritage but the trips thru rain and cold at my elevated age have got me thinkin' comfort may be in my future . anyone here ever compare the electic glide type full bagger to the heritage . any thoughts . comfort , drivability , top heavy ( with two up ) , mileage , geekiness ,pros and cons . i know i've seen this thread on here before but only remember bits and peices of the thread . not that you need to be a geezer to drive a glide , by the way .
hey i live on the wet coast and it isnt as cold in the winter but damn it rains more often then not..the bagger has a lower c of g and can lean it over in corners more than my softail..very easy to ride hwy but around town can be a bitch as they are 900lbs before you fill it up or stuff anything in the bags or even get on it..loaded with a passenger your looking at over 1200lbs..wow and all that on the same 96" engine
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: N. IL
Test Ride, Rent or Demo all...a Street Glide is in my near future. I rarely take long trips, but the joy I received from a 2010 Street Glide Demo ride I had this spring was enough to almost make me wanna trade my Night Train in...almost, instead I'll have both!