Dyna for sure all good advise on here but the dyna you will be happy with

 

At your height and weight I'd go for the dyna just for appearance. I'm kind of in the same boat on which one I want but I'm not so tall. If I were a tall guy it would be a dyna for sure. But I'm wide and thick muscle wise which fits the dyna better...

 

Wow. Thanks to everyone for the quick replies. I'm actually surprised that most of you recommended the Dyna. But I will obviously try both before I buy.

How does the Dyna do handling wise? Everyone talks about how comfortable it is for longer trips, but can you lean the thing? I'm nervous about going from a 450lb to a 700lb bike.

Most of my riding friends have the SV650's and Ducatis. They don't ride too far over the speed limit (they aren't squids), and they aren't knee draggers, but they are quick, nimble little bikes with really fast 40-60 roll on speeds. Would I get left in the dust if I rode with them on a Dyna?

 

And that's great if you're comfortable doing that. Fact is most people aren't. I know I wouldn't be. Heck before putting air shocks on 2-3 hours was a chore...

 

I am a previous track junkie, I was part of my local MCRA group before my local track closed and I moved (military move). A Dyna is no knee dragger by any means but it is still very flickable and does great in the twisty's. It is a differant weighted bike but you will get use to it. Within a week I got comfortable on it and enjoyed it much more than any sports bike I have driven on the street. Now a sports bike on a road course is def. no comparison but that isn't what a Harley is intended for.

 

I'm 5'5" and I've owned a sporty and now a softy. I've also ridden long distance on my pops wide dyna and with the current set up I have now I feel more at home on my Softy then the dyna and the sporty. If you can I'd suggest test riding both bikes. The dynas are basically slightly bigger sporties with a softail motor. I would think that the dyna would be more comfortable for longer trips.

 

Is that your bike in the picture? Must be fun riding in a straight line and never having to turn because of those pipes lol.

 

Dyna. You will find that although it's heavy it doesn't ride like it's heavy. I love my street bob. I like the sporty too but I bought a dyna.

 

Like others have mentioned you need to test ride both to see what is right for you. Each of the Harley family of models ie Vrods,Sporties,Dyna's,Softails,and Touring bikes are different and unique in their own way. I have owned some of each over the years, loved them all and wish I could afford to have one of each. That said I do prefer my softail over all of them now that I am older, ride slower and really don't do the touring thing. I just like the feeling of sitting in the bike and not on it. The wife's Sportster is fun to ride but I feel cramped on it. I guess if it had forward controls like my old Sporty had I would like it more. Last Dyna I had was a 1984 Low Rider and that was a fun bike to ride, not as nimble as the Sportster but it seemed to handle just as well in the curves. Good luck on your search for the perfect bike for you. What ever you choose have fun with it and ride safe.

 

I'm lucky enough to have both. The Dyna has a smoother ride and lots more torque. Great for longer rides and freeway trips mainly because the engine is not winging out at 70-80 mph like the Sportster is and goes around 230 miles between fillups. The Dyna stops slower, doesn't turn as quick, and is just bulkier in city riding. But the Laughlin trip I'm planning in 2 weeks (3.5 hours one way) will definately be on the bigger bike.

The Sporty stops on a dime, accelerates just about as quick, sounds more bad-***, and handles like a bicycle compared the the Super Glide, but rides like that 2 wheeled truck someone mentioned. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

I ride almost everyday, did over 50 miles tonight on the Sportster, but divide my rides between both. I'm positive I have a bigger grin on my face ripping around on that 883 than when I'm just cruising on the Dyna.