how do they handle????
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,205
Likes: 3
From: Mebane, NC
Looks like a nice ride with some mods already on it! You have to be careful who you listen to, people sometimes talk to hear the sound of their own voice. I'm not aware of any quirks but do your research so you'll be comfortable. Do a search on this forum if it's an issue I bet it's been brought up on here.
May our Moderator Rest in Peace
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,386
Likes: 35
From: Rochester, NY
There is an old wives tale about Softails being sloptails and it is to some extent true. But only on the older (pre 99 I think) bikes where the swing arm was not as solidly mounted as they are today.
After 2000 Softails are very solid rides, but like all heavy bikes they do have some limitations that need to be respected.
Bikes with floorboards will regularly make obscene noises as the boards drag if pushed too far. Bike's with the lighter FX front ends and skinny 21" wheels do tend to wobble a bit on uneven surfaces, but a good fork brace can stop that.
As this is your first Harley there is one thing that all of their big twin's seem to have in common and that is that the low end torque in even a stock TwinCam engine can easily overpower the traction limitations of the rear tire in high angle low speed turns. So cranking on the power hard while you have the bike leaned way over like you can with many high reving metrics could easily get you into trouble if your not careful.
Dumping too much power into the rear tire on wet leaves or tar strips will make it jump sideways on you and you could go down if your dumb enough to keep it up too long.
But then again if we wanted a bike to drag our knees through corners at a hundred miles an hour, we wouldn't be riding big twin Harley's in the first place.
After 2000 Softails are very solid rides, but like all heavy bikes they do have some limitations that need to be respected.
Bikes with floorboards will regularly make obscene noises as the boards drag if pushed too far. Bike's with the lighter FX front ends and skinny 21" wheels do tend to wobble a bit on uneven surfaces, but a good fork brace can stop that.
As this is your first Harley there is one thing that all of their big twin's seem to have in common and that is that the low end torque in even a stock TwinCam engine can easily overpower the traction limitations of the rear tire in high angle low speed turns. So cranking on the power hard while you have the bike leaned way over like you can with many high reving metrics could easily get you into trouble if your not careful.
Dumping too much power into the rear tire on wet leaves or tar strips will make it jump sideways on you and you could go down if your dumb enough to keep it up too long.
But then again if we wanted a bike to drag our knees through corners at a hundred miles an hour, we wouldn't be riding big twin Harley's in the first place.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 147
Likes: 0
Nice bike but I think the price is too high. Last year I bought a 07 softail deluxe with 1600 miles on it for 11,500 and that was from a dealer. The deals are there you have to be patient. BTW my softail handles like a dream. Never maintenance issues with the swingarm. Not enough power stock but that can be easily increased.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,173
Likes: 177
From: East Coast
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,074
Likes: 1
From: Baltimore, MD
I wouldn't say quirky, but they don't handle like a sportbike, that's for sure! I'm not always too crazy about the way my FXSTDI handles in the mountains. But it's a cruiser after all and does just fine. She just needs to be coaxed a bit at times......