My first touring bike

[Drew]

I had my Sporty for exactly a year. Have 5000 miles on it.

It took about 15 minutes (no exaggeration) to get comfortable on the RK. After a ride of about 50 miles through the back roads (hills and twisties) I felt like I had been riding it all along. It's much easier in the slow turns, and much more stable at high speeds.

The only thing that will take another few rides to get used to is the toe/heel shifting. Not a big deal at all...just getting used to the pedal locations.

Oh...one more thing. I'm still getting used to the cruise control too.

BTW, my plan was to keep the Sporty too. My wife and I love it. But, I'm pretty sure it's going up on the sales block. The RK is just as much (make that MORE) fun, and I don't want the ole gal to just sit around. I'll just have to find someone else to love her as I did.

Thanks. The downfall of the sporty for me it's a little small for me (overall size, not power) and going on the highway has never felt real stable, though I'm sure a good part of that is being new to riding and just not having the experience. I'm fine riding the thing at 55-60mph on major roads, but going faster than that (which has only been on the highway) just hasn't felt real comfortable. I'm jealous of the people I see cruising on the highway (usually on the bagger) without a care in the world... I want that to be me

did you test ride Heritage, by chance?

Drew

 

[glider]

The only thing that will take another few rides to get used to is the toe/heel shifting. Not a big deal at all...just getting used to the pedal locations.

Oh...one more thing. I'm still getting used to the cruise control too.

Don't forget that the shift arms are adjustable by moving them up or down on the spline as well as the length of the shift arm to get the pegs in just the right place for you.

 

[Sharky1948]

did you test ride Heritage, by chance?

Drew

No, I didn't ride it. I wanted the air suspension for my wife who is often on the pillion.

 

[hntwrobin]

Thanks. The downfall of the sporty for me it's a little small for me (overall size, not power) and going on the highway has never felt real stable, though I'm sure a good part of that is being new to riding and just not having the experience. I'm fine riding the thing at 55-60mph on major roads, but going faster than that (which has only been on the highway) just hasn't felt real comfortable. I'm jealous of the people I see cruising on the highway (usually on the bagger) without a care in the world... I want that to be me

did you test ride Heritage, by chance?

Drew

I had a Heritage before my Roadking and Streetglide, I loved it at the time, I also had my ex's 1200 sporty for a while, by far my favorite right now is the 09 Streetglide! It handles like a sport bike and is extremely comfortable. This is much nicer than my 99 RK which was a big difference from the 93 Heritage.
Sportsters are fun to ride though, just not on a long trip IMO. I will never be without a bagger!

 

[Drew]

I had a Heritage before my Roadking and Streetglide, I loved it at the time, I also had my ex's 1200 sporty for a while, by far my favorite right now is the 09 Streetglide! It handles like a sport bike and is extremely comfortable. This is much nicer than my 99 RK which was a big difference from the 93 Heritage.
Sportsters are fun to ride though, just not on a long trip IMO. I will never be without a bagger!

People really seem to like the Streetglide. I just don't do enough long trips to warrant that kind of bike. The majority of my riding will still be local. Plus, I like the more stripped down look of the RK... I'm not a big fan of the looks of fairings.

thanks for your comments

Drew

 

[zman216]

Drew
You don't have to be a long hauler, I just look for any excuse to get on the street glide,
need milk, no problem I got a street glide.
kid missed the school bus, again no problem I got a street glide.
My Sister wants me to come up to Massachusetts for diner no problem, that's right I got a street glide. (took my son with me).
got chores to do around the house....... Street Glide to the rescue.

 

[Bill S.]

People really seem to like the Streetglide. I just don't do enough long trips to warrant that kind of bike. The majority of my riding will still be local. Plus, I like the more stripped down look of the RK... I'm not a big fan of the looks of fairings.

thanks for your comments

Drew

Drew, I bought my 1997 RK for almost the exact same reasons. I also am not a fan of the look of the fairings. Most of my riding is local and my windshield seems to be more than enough for me. When I first bought my RK, I had a hard time getting used to the weight of the bike. Dropped it twice (once in the garage and once at a stop sign) before I learned not to let it lean to far over! :wall