Hey guys!

I have been riding my Honda 750 ACE now for 7 months. I have put 4k miles on her and I am ready for an upgrade. (In Houston traffic, I need something with more top end). I could really use some feedback on some of the motorcycles I am interested in. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! I have been scouring the forums and reading about each bike, but I figured I could start a post to answer some of my particular questions.

Background

I am 5 ft. 5in. and I weigh 130.

2013 Softail Slim

I love the look of this bike. It is lean with an old school look. How does it handle? With the position of the handlebars, it seems I will be bent over when riding. Is this a comfortable position? The dealership has a 2013 blue slim on clearance for $13,400. Is this a good price? The sale started yesterday and runs through this Saturday.

Heritage Softail (2006 and Newer)

My husband and I rented one of these to ride in New York in August. It handled really well and has a lot of storage. But I always ride with my husband and he has a Road King. I always put all of my stuff in his bags. So the bags are not really an issue. How does the Heritage compare to the Slim handling wise? The dealership has some 2013's on clearance as well, but I can't recall the price. They also have a black 2009 with 19k miles for 10k. I don't know if this is a good price or not.


Fat Boy Lo

The dealership has a 2013 for $14,400. I am not sure if it is worth $1k more than the slim. I like the styling on the slim better. I have ridden my brother's Fat Boy before, but he has it so modded out that I don't think it is even close to riding anything stock.

On another note, I can't reach the kickstand on the new Harley's underneath the floorboard. Is there a way to fix this?

I would love to go and test ride the bikes at the dealership, but I almost broke my arm last night playing with my dogs (playing chase around your living room with 2 90 lb+ dogs at midnight probably wasn't the smartest thing I have ever done. Especially when they gang tackled me on top of a stack of hardwood flooring we are going to install).

I have to make a decision fairly quickly. Please help! Thanks!

 

First thing I would recommend is NOT to make a hasty decision. You will want to at the very least sit on all the bikes you are interested in to see how they feel for your body type and personal preference. A test ride is really what you need to determine if a bike is right for you. Worst thing you can do is jump at something and spend 10-15k (or more) on something you are not happy with.

Also, don't settle with just the one dealer, visit several as they will have different bikes and different prices. You are in Katy so you have a LOT of dealers at your disposal in the Houston area. I went to 4 dealers before finally getting exactly what I wanted at the price I wanted. It DOES help to have a number in mind and to be able to tell who you are working with that so and so dealer quoted you X price on the same model... They want your business.

Make sure you can touch both feet and feel stable, with your height some bikes might not allow that without a reach seat and/or different bars. Remember there are options for getting better reach if you fall in love with a bike but you don't quite have the reach you want.

I know it is completely opposite of your side of town, but I ended up getting mine at Cowboy Harley in Beaumont, they totally made it worth the time to get out there. Jason the sales manager went out of his way to make me happy. Good luck with your search! My wife and I ride around Houston quite a bit, if you and your hub ever need help with bike stuff just let me know.

 

Ditto, go to a few dealers near you, and sit on the bikes. See what feels good, what strikes your fancy. Whenever possible go for a test ride. Get the one that gives you the biggest smile

 

It has the lowest seat height in the current H-D line-up, great handling, low center of gravity...
I added the pullback risers as I was leaning too far forward as well - problem solved.

..and whoa, that's an EXCELLENT price. I've seen used ones selling for more than that.

 

The bikes you are looking at are all Softails so the ride and handling is gonna be about the same, the riding position may be different tho. Ride them all if possible and see which one you feel more comfortable then go from there. They are all great bikes and the heritage you can remove the bags and shield for a different look. Good luck and keep up updated on what you decide.

 

+1 what Jam said. Of the 3 that you're looking at, I think the slim is your best bet. Fits your needs with the low seat height and it is a very stylish looking bike. I love the old school look as well. And if the reach is an issue, you can do what Jam did and get the pullback risers, not a big deal.

But that price is gonna be hard to beat, no matter where you go. If you decide to look around, do it in a timely manner. A softail slim isn't gonna sit around long with a price like that. Just sit on it and make sure it suits YOU.

 

Also consider the SwitchBack. That bike has a low seat height too. It has hard bags and a windshield for long trips.

 

The absolute worse thing you can do is making a hasty purchase decision. If somebody snatches up a bike you wanted before you can make up your mind, then that bike was not meant for you. There are millions of bikes for sale, so it's not like in the 90's where bikes were hard to come up which resulted in prices of bikes escalating to the price of a small home.

You need to test ride a bike before buying, especially buying used.

In summary, get the Slim, try different seats on it, especailly ones that change the amount of reach, and try different handlebars. Sometimes the handlebar is just find and you just need to change the height of the riser.

 

Slim, I tried one last summer and liked it really well. I ride a Fatboy and it fits me well but felt the Slim to be a bit more nimble and a big plus it doesn't have a 200 rear tire which wear out too quick and take away a bit of the nimble feeling. Have you sit on a Deluxe?

 

100% correct: I Learned that the hard way, still in love with it though, my next harley probably will be another Fatboy Lo...