Ditto on all your comments. But, You need to ride someones bike that has payed the so called Harley TAX. One that has been Camed and tuned. Then make a decision on if you like the power and torque of the Harley motor. After that, pick a motor, Balanced (B, softail) or unbalanced (A Dyna, Touring) then the rear tire width and buy that Bike. Everything else can be modified to fit YOU for a cost. Biggest thing is see if you like the feel of a REAL Harley motor and not a stock EPA chocked motor.

 

+1 ^^

I also had metric cruisers first.. I started with an anemic Suzuki Volusia then went to a 1600cc Yamaha RoadStar.. The Roadie had tons of torque and I never considered it sluggish..

When I bought my FatBoy I was a little disappointed in the power but I never regretted buying it and loved the ride anyway..

After my mods though, it's definitely not sluggish.. It's got plenty of power for me and I'd be hard pressed to find a vehicle (other than a sports car) that could accelerate faster.

 

Seems like there is nothing about the Harley that you liked other than the name. Just get you a Harley vest and put a Hardley Davison sticker on your Metric and you will be a Happy Camper. C-Ya!

 

Man, if Harley depended on this forum to entice new buyers, they would be out of business quickly.



Like some others have said - go try a few more bikes. A demo day is a great chance to ride a few different styles and get a better feel - or go back to the same guy that you talked to when you tested the softail and tell him what your thoughts were. They WANT to sell you a bike, so they should have no problem letting you test a few more out!

Good luck and take everything posted here with a grain of salt and a good sense of humor...

 

ROB929 you are correct about everything, it does accelerate slowly and if you take off all that stuff, the wind will knock you right off the road...possibly. I've rode other bikes for years and my 2011 Heritage Softail is not even in the same ballpark which by the way, I bought for my 70th birthday. I love the retro look. Leave the windshield on and everything else then add a rider backrest and its very comfortable. Harley doesn't make this model fast as they support the American dream, make more money. For a couple thousand more they will provide you with a big bore kit and it is considerably faster. So now the money you have in this bike will buy a new Honda Goldwing which has everything and lots of power. Back to the subject... if your younger, Harley does make faster bikes like a V-rod for example. My wife and I ride no more than a couple hundred miles a day, we don't have a lot of passing power with the 2 of us but their are no sore butts at the end of the day. No complaints as I knew what the bike could and could not do before I bought it.

 

 

First, I agree some elements of Harley's designs leave a lot to be desired. I own a CVO softail, so I spent ALOT of money for a bike that still has cosmetic issues that should have been caught by a half-blind ape at the factory. The bike also has mediocre performance for 110 cubic inches of engine.

HOWEVER, in my opinion no other bike has a timeless quality about it. I had metric cruisers in the past and all of those bikes looked outdated after a few years. Nobody looks at a Honda Shadow/Suzuki Intruder ten years later and says now that's a "classic". Those makers also keep revamping their lines to stay relevant, making the older designs obsolete in no time. To me, the only makes that stand the test of time are Harley's and BMW's. The latter being more utilitarian in nature, like Germans in general.

Owning a Harley is like being on vacation. You need to have a different mindset, let your anxieties go, roll with the punches, and enjoy a simpler existence where measures of efficiency and value are not as important. Plus it's a fact that it makes you think your johnson is three inches longer and you can kick anyone's ***, except the bigger Harley owner at the bar.

Now, I owned a Fat Bob and found the Dyna chassis more similar to metric cruisers than the Softail I now own or the other models I test rode. The Switchback has the cruiser to tourer conversation aspects, is lighter than a softail (or feels it) and can be easily updated with go fast parts. You would be surprised how much better a bike will run with $1k worth of exhaust, intake and ECM upgrades.

Last point. Buy a used Harley. Most have been babied and traded in with lower miles (like my Fat Bob) as Harley guys always want to upgrade every few years. Dyna bikes should have less miles than used tourers.

Finally, stay metric if that makes you happier. Wanting a Harley does not make it a good choice for you given your preferences. If you want the mystique, go buy a Sportster and play the part for cheap money. If not, stick with a Honda, enjoy the low cost of ownership, solid engineering and I will feel your envy when you see me on the road.

 

I started riding in the early 70's and on all kinds of bikes but all I ever owned was a Harley. The bike previous to the one I have now was a 97 Heritage and it was a complete pig, borring as hell to ride. It was worse then an old 70 Electra Glide I once had. I now have a Deluxe with tons of mods and it is a dream come true. This thing has MAJOR ***** and I would ride it anywhere, anytime and that is even with my bad hips. Give a Deluxe or a few other bikes a try before you throw in the towel. Always remember this though, its a HARLEY, not a METRIC and there is and always will be a differance. If you are not prepared for a few small trade off's then its not the bike for you. Its like the differance between a Cadillac and a Datsun Z car, what do you want to ride. Its a "LEGEND" not a sport bike and thats what its all about.

 

Fatboy, blackline

 

I bought my 07 Heritage new (first and only harley). And the reason I went new is because they came out with the 96" 6 speed that year (had to have it). I too was very disappointed with the power but was pretty happy with the comfort. Since then I have modded the motor and changed seats, added highway pegs and a few other gizmoz. I'm really happy with it now though you can always find yourself wanting more power (it's a sickness). Usually when we swap bikes on our rides I'm always glad to climb back on mine. In hindsight I would have looked to buy a used one that had low miles and was modded and accessorized. Could have saved a **** ton of money. Maybe check out a used one that has been done up some especially the motor.