They do kind of look like a big sportster, for me it was looks all the way!
I just LOVE the look of a softail!

the balanced engine is a plus, my buddies '06 Dyna looks like it's going to shake itself apart at idle, mine just sits there, smooth as silk at idle.....

get the one that turn you on the most!

 

Hey Six Pack - I had an 05 Dyna Super Glide Custom and it was a great bike - put 5000 miles on it but the Heritage kept calling my name. Well a divorce later freed up some cash (she wasn't shopping at the mall anymore!) and I traded the Dyna for a Heritage and I've never looked back, was the best choice I've made. The Heritage and Softail family just ride really nice, have a low center of gravity which makes the bike a breeze to ride and are good around town and on the highway for longer rides. Just my .02...

 

Softail Hands Down!!!

 

Just get one of each

 

I'll tell ya, the opinions will fly. LOL I put over 34000 miles on my 05 Nightrain in 2 years and I do not recall ever experiencing this "softail buzz". Beer buzz, yes I just bought my 07 Nightrain. BUY WHAT YOU LIKE!
They are all nice, they are all on the same level quality-wise......it just comes down to the guy who's gonna ride it.

 

Thanks for all the great advice. I guess I can hold a couple months and use the money to do some rentals.

I'm getting off the sportser because I feel too cramped. I ended up getting the '07 Low model, and I feel like a wadded up piece of paper on the thing. If I'm on a long ride, I spend as much time up on the passenger seat as I do the driver's. In the cold weather, my quads get some pretty bad cramps because the knees sit at such a sharp angle.

I made some newb mistakes buying my first bike, so I hope to do a little better on the second.

 

Don't be so hard on yourself. Everybody has to start someplace and there's nothing wrong with a Sporty. Great handling and acceleration and an all around kick to ride. If I had a bigger budget (and garage) I'd have a 1200 Sporty just for the days when I felt like burning up the back roads. Truth is, until you own your first bike and put some miles on it you're really not sure what you want. Most of us, despite what we currently ride and enjoy, would like a second bike for a variety of reasons.

For myself, I agree with much of the advice given here. Rent what you like the looks of and ride the wheels off it for the rental period. That's the only way you can even come close to figuring out what fits and feels best to you. I was torn between the Dyna Low Rider and the Fatboy. After spending several hundred miles on each, I chose the Fatboy but could easily have gone the other way. The Low Rider (to me) looks really cool, fits me like a glove, and is in every way, a "traditional" Harley and, in fact, a very traditional motorcycle. It looks, rides, handles, and sounds like a traditional bike. Like what I grew up on, even though I never owned a Harley before. And, maybe that's one of the reasons I went with the softail. Because the Dyna was too much like what I was used to. The softail was different in a variety of (again, to me) meaningful ways.

The Dyna was maybe a little more raw and visceral than the softail, and I mean that in a good way. The Dyna makes you feel very connected to the road and comfortable in a traditional sense. But, as much as I liked the Low Rider, after riding the Fatboy I was swayed. Maybe I'm showing my age here but I really liked the feel of the softail. I had never ridden a bike with floorboards before and this was another feature that helped sell the FL style softail to me. I like the weight and heft of the bike and the big FL style fork. Maybe it's the weight of the bike that makes it feel smoother and softer to me and that's what I really wanted in a bike. I realized that I was more comfortable with the floorboards on the Fatboy than with the footpegs on the Dyna. As far as the "buzzing" that some have complained about with the B motor, that hasn't been a problem for me. At sustained highway speeds there is a bit of vibration coming through the handlebars, but it's not objectionable to me. Yes, there is a difference between the vibration felt with a softail at speed and the comfort of the baggers. The baggers do smooth out nicely on the highway (as do the Dyna's) and are easier to ride and less fatiguing on long, fast rides. But most of my riding is done on secondary roads at less than highway speeds so the softail suits me fine. Also, I rarely do any two up riding.

From a purely visual standpoint, and this is really petty, I liked the look of the chrome oil tank on the softail and hated the battery box under the seat on the Dyna. Again, the Dyna is traditional and the Fatboy was just different (to me).

At the end of the day you have to pick what looks and feels right for you. Think about the type of riding you do (or intend to do) and on what type of roads. No two of us are alike and we all want something different in our rides. Heck, again, if I had the budget and space I'd have a Road King Classic in the stable for the long rides.

And don't forget the nearly e

 

It's like buying a new TV or Computer, if you wait for the latest greatest then you'll be waiting forever. Take a ride on both of them, look'em over and then make a decision. You won't go wrong with either bike. One of them has to jump out at you more than the other as far as looks go. I have no regrets going Softail. You'll make the right choice, just make one and ride.

 

i've had my 2006 softail a year now and love it. i was faced with your decision and i chose the softail standard over the street bob. when i sat on the softail it just felt right. mopardave i was thinking the same thing about that alledged buzz on highways. i've personally never experienced it. i also don't notice a power difference from my friends superglide custom. just my opinion. good luck with your decision. pat

 

SOFTAIL - 100%! custom socks - one for the whole ife!)