How do you find the power difference? I miss the acceleration of my Sportster 1200, but love the ride and comfort of my new Heritage.

 

+1 on the Simple Green and Magic Eraser combo for the whitewalls. I used an upholstery brush instead of just a terrycloth towel.

 

When my whitewalls on my RKC got bad enough, I always used SOS pads. Worked perfect. Clean is one thing. White is another. SOS pads always brought 'em back to "new" for me!

John

 

Hard to say yet, since I'm in break in stage.

If the 1200 had a 6 speed, I might still have it.

Of course the 1200 will get to 75 faster with the lighter weight.

I changed since I'm disabled with sever back & neck troubles.

I'll give the final verdict on power after 1000 miles when I can be more agressive.

 

I had American Customs with the medium growl baffles on the 1200.
They are a good deal cheaper than the Rush, and need no MAP if you use their baffles.

How do the Rush pipes compare, and since the bike is new, do any of the after market pipes void the warranty.

After 3 days my pipes are getting a bit louder, but I really want something mid way. I don't want straight pipe noise, just the classic Vtwin rumble.

 

Nice choice! I'm keeping mine forever....

 

Well, I had the V&H side shots on my 1200 and they were loud. These Rush slip-ons sound great with the 1.5 inch baffles. Some here think those baffles are too quiet but they are wrong. They have that perfect rumble I was looking for and they DO get louder over time.

 

Yes, nowadays that's how Harley categorizes them. Softail is a line of its own, distinct from the touring class. However, the old hard-tail Harley with leather bags was the only way to go in its day, and riders rode it across the country in some pretty grueling rides and competitions. I consider my Heritage Softail Classic an "old school" touring bike, and some have described the model as an "old school" full dresser. It's how it was done early on. My wife and I regularly take long trips on it, and find it more comfortable for us, despite the harder suspension (I like the "honest" road feel), than HD's current "touring" line--no disrespect to people who own those beautiful bikes.

I checked out your pics. Those mini apes are extremely comfortable, I found. Also, the cast aluminum "profile" rims absorb a lot of the road and are light, so it increases acceleration. I switched my bars out to beach bars--less comfortable to me, but still work for the long haul. Plus, I sold my aluminum wheels and went with HD's original steel wheels. The back one I went with 80-spoke design, which is really, really heavy and even stiffer than the front one. The bumps are more noticeable, but my wife still likes to ride with me all the time, near and far. We liked the stock seat so much, I had it reupholstered in leather instead of "upgrading" to another. (Oh yeah, I did buy the studded pillion and backrest from HD, which are a little larger. Now they're leather.)

I guess what I'm saying is that your setup is really comfortable and will keep you fresh on long trips. So, I think it qualifies for touring. Congrats on your new bike! I think the break-in when I bought mine was 500 miles at 55 mph or under.

As far as care... Harley leather care is really good. I don't use it as often as I should. If you want your bags to keep their original shape, consider some bag stiffeners. I got the Boss Bags kit. There are others. Harley makes 'em now too, with barrel locks that can match your key.Micro scratches are more apparent on dark paint. But, I don't think I've had a major problem with swirling on the black paint, and I've got 46,000 miles on the bike. A little wax is all it takes I think. They say not to use Windex or foaming Windex type spray on your windshield, though it works wonders on chrome. It'll yellow your windshield and make it brittle in time, forming little cracks on the surface. However, I've used it on my '06 since new. There's nothing like it to get the bugs. I do think my windshield has a very, very slight yellowing. The best stuff for the longevity of your windshield is probably Plex-All. To get really stuck bugs, you can prep the windshield by laying a wet towel on it overnight.

Sorry for the book!

Happy touring.

 

Rode to D.C. over the weekend 600 miles each way. The only thing i would suggest would be some bag stiffiners since they sag after a while so doing them new would keep them looking new. Leather care also keeps them nice and new looking plus waterproof. We rode in hard rain for several hours and everything stayed dry. They are a great bike i love mine. congrats!

 

I know nothing about the bag stiffeners. Would that be a plastic insert that attaches inside the bags? I guess you have to send the bags in for installation?