Local dealer told me they usually let you follow them on your bike of choice, rides are usually about 30 min he said.

 

Ride the dealer bike with his escort to get the feel.

Go onto the private market and get the deal.

I got my 07 with 9k on it for 9k. Lots of extras, seats helmets and the like and in killer condition.

 

Indawynd

Yea unless the dealer really had a steal of a deal, for sure. Love that avatar, it must be one of those movie guns that never needs reloading lol

 

Don't discount the RK if it's available when you're ready to buy. If you don't need all the gauges, you can always get a detachable fairing (plain-Jane or with an audio) and tourpak for that long distance run. Take it all off when riding solo or keep the fairing on for tunes. Makes for a nice around-town cruiser w/o the windshield.

If you want to get a feel for how the touring bikes ride, I suggest renting for a weekend. The newer bikes will have more power, but at least you can get a feel for the handling and weight of the bikes. If you rent for a weekend, some dealers will let you take a bike out on day one and a different bike on day two.

 

Boy I wish I was ready to do this (not possible at this time). Went browsing to see, and came across this beauty.

https://bakersfield.craigslist.org/m...928760272.html

Only about 100 miles from here, and exactly what I would want, hopefully more will come up when I am ready.

 

Good luck and you’ll not regret the switch. I went from a 04 Yamaha Warrior to an 03 Ultra. That warrior is a beast but I don’t regret the change. The warrior was a rush, but the ultra is a joy.
[img]blob:https://www.hdforums.com/9ad508f2-8f04-47cf-9284-5d7d5db3e18a[/img][img]blob:https://www.hdforums.com/0be14b08-ee79-491a-ad8c-cd6deff6902d[/img]

 

I would tell you to ride a Road King, an Electra and a Road Glide.
I was sure I wanted a king, got an Ultra instead.
Can't go wrong on any, you may like the shark better than the bat...

 

Take you're time , ask around and see what comes up when you are close , there are a lot of garage queens out there !!!

 

This forum software is starting to annoy me. No other site does it but this one will OFTEN say there is a problem, and reloads the page, thus wiping out what sometimes are numerous paragraphs of typing on my part. Grrrrrrr

 

I will try again.

Now that I know what to look for thanks to you guys. Now I know what years I want and a better idea of which bikes to try. Much appreciated, you guys are a big help.

1957buick

Yea when the time comes I will really look close. That post I showed off craigslist was as much for me as anyone. It showed me if I look long enough the deal of a lifetime waiting for me.