i've toured on bmw;s! i've toured on honda's! so what! i think if the bike is maintained and serviced you can get reliable service! having toured alot in the 70's i can say the new harley's are way more reliable! have your bike looked at by a professional before your trip; you;ll be ok! cheers from montana

 

I find the seat on my 12 TK to be the most comfy I have ridden and the stage 1 does what I need it to do. It pays to have a petite wife.

 

Yeah, well someone has to love the big girls. And for that reason, I have a stage 4 in my ride.

 

I hope she won't see this post!

 

Everyone thold me that once I've ridden a Harley touring bike I would be truly spoiled. Mmmm... Maybe not. I have put thousands of miles on my Fatboy before I sold it and have over 20K on my 2013 Street Glide. Very little appreciable difference in the ride between the two.

The biggest difference to me is cruise control.

 

Interesting thread. I though I might as well kick in an opinion. Just traded in a 2004 Yamaha FJR on a 2013 Ultra Limited about 10 weeks ago. After 5000 miles, the Ultra is a little more comfortable long range (I did one 600 mile day, I was ready to get off but I wasn't in pain) but not as much fun in the twisties. Its really apples and oranges, the Harley is better at touring and the FJR was great for the shorter trips. The Harley is smooth and the radio is great up to 80 mph, 99% of the time that's all the faster I ride. The Harley is better to look at but takes a lot longer to clean. I say, ride what you like and if you can afford 2, go for it. I'm 53 years old now and quit riding while my kids were growing up. I'm just glad I started riding on the street again about 5 or 6 years ago and that the wife likes to go too. Met a lot of nice people on the road over the last 45 -50 thousand miles.

 

I can't see how anyone at least in our area of the country could be close to happy with the rear suspension when riding two up. My wife and I weigh a combined 330 pounds and have two choices. Set the air pressure at 30 psi and feel almost every bump on the road or run 20 psi which smooth's out 80% of the bumps but then we suffer from multiple hard hits during a 200 to 300 mile days. I will admit that I could probably live with the rear shocks if I only rode alone.

Don't get me wrong we love this bike.
Over 22K in just over a year is the proof.

 

Don't argue with 'em. Some just don't have a clue how short Harleys are on power compared to sport tourers. My next bike will be a R1200RT.

 

Try different shocks.

Try upgrading to 13" shocks. Get a little more travel.

Are you in 6th gear at 50mph? 80mph is 3000rpm. If you're having issues 2-up, loaded uphill at those speeds, you better get your motor checked.

I've drag raced and on tracks and in "Mexico" for years as well as studied all the test result data for many bikes. I know how slow Harley's are, my motto is "Fast cars, slow bikes".

Guess we better define "struggle" because if you're having issues at 3000rpm, there is a problem.

 

No Mr. Deuuuce, I am not in 6th @ 50mph or 60mph and sometimes not at 70 mph which is the minimum speed I use 6th gear. I can assure you I know how to ride the bike. Struggle means the bike works hard to maintain 85 fully loaded, 2-up, uphill grade, wind. There is not a stock 103 and many modified Harley's that won't have to work awfully hard to maintain 85 under these conditions. There are other touring bikes that won't even notice these conditions.