I was content that I had a bike with it's own claim to fame, being the first of a line, that no one knew at the time, would end in 2003, when the last FLSTS would be sold. 'Springers' had a bad rap from the old days, supposedly an uncomfortable ride, which is why the 'hydra-glide' front ends had replaced them 50 years earlier. But they did not deserve the rap, as I had ridden both, and this bike rode as smoothly as any pneumatic I had ridden, but H-D is about $$$, and I guess the sales were not justifying the assembly line requirements, so they stopped making them. Possible 'protests' brought them back, as they re-released a 'Springer Classic' in 2005(?), and still have at least one Springer model available today, for us die-hard 'spring-heads'.