I have grandchidren that have been riding with my wife and myself since they were three with the harness system.The youngest is now six and think's she's to old for harness so last summer we bought armrest called Love Handles you can find them on internet.They bolt on to sissy bar and can be removed. They swing out of the way to mount bike but do give kid a little more security.

 

I have that harness and I use to use it with my daughter when riding her on the back of my Nighttrain. I think at 8 years old your daughter would be too big for it. I still have mine and would be willing to sell it if you want to try it out.

I personally think you are just fine with a softtail and don't need a touring bike for your child to be safe on the rear. It is more important that they know to sit still, how to hang on, and when to lean and such. My daughter is now 9 and has been riding since she was 5. Make sure your foot geg or floor boards are high enough for her to reach. Have a good backrest for her to lean on and put saddle bags on so there is something for her to push down on.

Here is my daughter on her 5th birthday getting picked up from Pre-School. Start with short trips and go from there. Again I don't think you need to trade in your softtail, just make it work for you.


Here is a link for that harness.
http://www.childridingbelt.com/engprod.htm

Here is the link for the Love Handles mentioned above.
http://www.getlovehandles.com/index.html

 

Buy the ultra and put detachable tourpack on for when your daughter isn't riding

 

I can see I'm out numbered here but I would keep your daughter off the bike.jmo

 

I don't think changing bikes is the right answer, the soft tail sits a little lower than the touring models and therefore offers you more control at lower speeds and when stopped. Keep researching and enhance your skills until you are truly comfortable riding your daughter.

 

I agree. 8 years old? Kinda young to be holding on IMO.

 

If you really want to experience a touring bike, then rent one. I would not suggest taking your daughter on the rental, but try one out to see if you are comfortable with the handling for the kind of riding that you do. If you do purchase a new one, the rental will give you an idea of what you would need to change such as the handle bars, seat, or other adjustments. If you can't find your comfort level on a touring rig, then start to look at some of the suggestions that others posted to change your current ride. Keep us posted.

 

The two wheel/three wheel thing dont matter if you are a safe biker
it is not yourself that you have to be afraid of it is the dumb a$$ in
the cage that you have to be afraid of. I was taking my son to church
with me on my bike when he was old enough to hold on to the handle
bars siting on the gass tank. At that time I was a sprinkler and my wife
was a dunker and I used my bike to get my boy to go with me insted
of his mom "dang if it didn't work" !!!

 

After owning both a softail custom and an ultra classic for you and your daughters saftey I would think the softail would be easier for you to handle and have more control over. My reasons are lower center of gravity, lighter bike, and a lower seat height. The ultra classic does hold the passenger in more but if you dump the bike I dont that is going to matter. My vote goes for the softail with some sort of armrest or somthing that is detachable so you can still go fast and have fun when you want to....

 

I am sorry to say that there is no safe ride. My mother was thrown from an Ultra on Good Friday and died on impact with a helmet. Now I am not trying to scare you I am just saying we don't ride because it's safe. We take that risk every time we straddle the tank. I got right back on this week and did a 200 mile turn around in honor of mom. It is what she would have wanted. You have to decide if you want to take that risk with an 8 year old. As for my 8 year old she is sitting out for a while.