For the last several months, I have been contemplating dumping my 900 pound 2016 ultra limited and going to the other touring style bike - like the new one coming out from HD this summer.
For me the (well one of the issues) challenge is seat height. The ultra limited low I have fits me and my 29 inseam pretty well.
But my wife has ridden with me less and less the last two years and the need for "her" comfort has lessened a lot. The guys at the local metric dealership (Yamaha/Susuki/Royal Enfeld/Benelli) once showed me a Suzuki Dual Sport and they said they could easily get seat height down to 30 inches or so.
Have any of you touring riders made the switch or added one of these dual sport bikes to your collection and if so what do you think of them for both running around town and regional touring?

 

I have no insight to your question but man that is an exciting bike to come out of Milwaukee. Congrats and while I won't be switching from a touring to the Pan America I will be adding the Pan America to the stable, just not sure when. From what I understand if you go with the special it has variable seat height adjustments as well as the suspension that drops when you come to a stop or slow speeds. I have a 30" inseam with average leg girth. If you have thicker legs then the reach becomes harder.

 

I have not seen a whole lot about the specs - variable seat height adjustments would be nice if they get down to my level - but guessing they can't get to the seat height of my ultra limited low - which has been a great bike. It's just that age 61, I am tired of the weight (mine and the bike's) when maneuvering, but would like to make 350-500 mile runs in a day comfortably. The rest of the traditional harley line really doesn't save me much weight.

 

I haven't yet but I'm doing a lot of looking. Even for me, at 6"2", some of those bikes are tall. I understand the reason for that...ground clearance. The guys that really use these dual sport bike AS dual sport bikes really don't care about seat height because they jump up on them are ride thru all kinds of bad brush and terrain. Seat height is almost a 3rd or 4th consideration, mainly because where( and how ) they ride them, they're standing on the pegs most of the time.

It seems like you're just wanting a LIGHTER bike to tool around town and do some morning/afternoon rides. If that's what you are really going to use it for, I'd look at lighter bikes like the new Yamaha MT 09. The specs look like that would be a hoot to ride around town and still be able to go on a 150 mile day trip. That thing has gobs of power and weighs less than 500 lbs. If you really want a bike that you can take off pavement, I would suggest that you look around for a used bike of that type. One that you can get on the cheap and test i out to see if that's REALLY what you want. Otherwise, this could wind up being a hefty financial blunder. I say that because these little bikes used to be a bargain. Today it's hard to find one less than $8000 because they have all this electronic stuff on them.

Tell you who make a good looking adventure bike....Moto Guzzi. That V85TT Adventure model bike comes standard with saddlebags and a SHAFT drive. Take a look at it on the webpage. But tell us a little more about what you're trying to do with the smaller bike and I bet somebody around here has one and can give you the Pros and cons.

 

Actually, I put a few more miles on it at a time than 150 - my usual weekend ride is about 350 or so and then when I do a weekend trip total ride could be 1000 or so.

 

Yeah. Not sure how low this bike can get. It's definitely an awesome bike and bet it would perk up your riding being it's so new.

You could always go the route of the Bagster (Sportster converted bagger). This particular photo may not be your style but you can convert as tame or as wild as your pocketbook allows.

 

Man, when you go ridin' you don't mess around, do YOU? LOL! You might wanna re-think that dual sport thing! ROFL

 

I've got a Pan Am on order for the same reasons with the exception of less frequent passenger. I want a the lighter weigh and better power the Pan Am has. With the optional ride height option that can lower the bike up to 2" when stopping and a 1" lower seat option I don't see the Pan Am having a seat heigh problem. Check out some of the pics of riders on Pan Ams stopped. They are flat footed with a bend in the knees. I do have two concerns first is the heel under butt riding position. Not sure if my 70 year old body will adapt comfortable. Second is passenger comfort and passenger accessibility for my fiancée at 5' 2". It's certain that passenger comfort won't be as good as on a Electraglide Limited. But will it be comfortable enough for the times she's not on her own bike. Waiting for the demo bikes hoping they arrive before my order hits the dealership so I can get some answers to my concerns.

 

Why not do both

 

I am one of those people who never buy the first year production of any vehicle... I wait for a year for the bugs to show up and give them a chance to fix them, or if it is a design flaw that can't be fixed at least I am not stuck with a lemon

Yes it LOOKS like the MoCo has a winner on their hands, but I don't trust them enough to go all in on one

Now you could keep your touring bike and buy a used Metric bike for the adventure/sport touring/dual sport mode you are looking for.

There are used metrics out there for short money... keep your ears open.

When I wanted a C14 (not the one I have now) back in 2010, I could not justify the expense (14 grand) but I found a gently used ZZR with new tires, adult owned, full service history for 4 grand and that was a fun bike to have in the garage... I had the bagger for trips, my ZRX for around town, and the ZZR for approaching the speed of light. I kept that bike 5 years and sold it for more than I paid for it.