Thinking about a Fat Boy...  Bomb around town, in summer, lots of air, lighter bike than my full Ultra, ride to work, local runs with the boys..... 

 I am Old School and like the Old School look of the Fat Boy, rigid look like a 1950 Panhead HydraGlide look, and I want the three head lights are definitely Old School but also Roo lights hanging out a little..  Thinking about a fire engine read one, this year model close out, and they will put a 103 Stage 1 kit, triple headlights  and indicators, this has the all chrome mag wheels, they will go 103 badges on the engine... And engine protection bars (leg protection) al for a great close out price under the 2012s.

What do you think?   I looked at the new Dyna Swithback but I do not need the windscreen or bags and I think the Softail might handle better?  Chunkier?  May not be able to do the three headlights on the Switchback...    Any Help?  Feel, power, ride, handling for a Fat Boy over a Dyna..  

Any comments welcome... Thank you in advance, Cowboy...

 No offence meant Cowboy.....................just thought it was common knowledge re the handling of Dynas compared to softails.

A well set up dyna will eat a well set up softail thru the twisties.......................unless the softail is ridden by one mate of mine...............who pushes his softail beyond the limits! Leaves a lot of metal on the road though!!! (pipes, primary and frame!!)

Burto.

Go for the Fatboy. I am happy with mine and it will do what you are after and they do look better than the Dyna from my perspective.  The ultra might get rusty from lack of use.

Alright Brothers,

Thank you for the perspectives...  It sounds like the consensus is that if you were really going for it, the Dyna would go harder on the danger zone edge of things...  But as I get it from you, both will do the job in normal hard riding...  I am Old School leaning on 60 and don't bounce good any more.  I will probably not go to that outer limit of the danger zone anyway...  Funny how some of you prefer the look of one or the other.  They are both OK with me, rigid or swingarm look back to the 50's.  Wheels and front end are a lot more important to me.....

I am kind of partial to the Fat Boy front end look...  But it is available in a Dyna as well, in the new Switchback due here in October...  Being Old School, I like the big front end, and the three headlights with the spotties angled out a bit for jumpers on the side of the road...  A Fat Boy is in the running, but also the Switchback in the Dyna.  I don't need bags and windscreen that come off on the new Switchback, and not crazy about the wheels, but it is going to be about $3000 cheaper when released, that fixes a lot of chrome and wheels...  Right now, I can't pick the perfect bike, that is why I am taking in your feedback...

The other thing I am considering, since there is no perfect one, is to buy a late Panhead to early Shovel, FLH ....  I don't mind putting a wrench to them now and then, and not going a great distance from home...  Maybe a little classier way to do this for second bike? 

Thanks for all your considered answers...   Cowboy

Cowboy, clearly you're Old School and you have good taste in motorcycles! I would suggest you also consider the Deluxe, (which is a classic Old School machine). Apart from being a good looker, she handles OK, (I give her a bit pretty regularly up the Putty Rd most weekends), and if you replace the original seat with a Heritage seat, you can ride as little, or as much, in comfort. I've also done the cam upgrade including bearings tensioners, and she goes well. My wife told me this morning after a ride, ïf you sell it, I will divorce you!!!!!!!!!! WTF!!

When I ride with the missus, I use an older style Fatboy seat with a wide pillion. Not because her bum is wide....err you know what I mean!

Remember, happy wife, happy life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cowboy, what are you going to do with three bikes man!!!!!!!! Bring one of those tourers down to Sydney and I'll help you put some k's on them,

Hello Robcig,

You have good taste in HD, nice bike... As to me, I only have one Tourer, I sold the Street Glide, so I am only down to one Tourer.   It was a great bike, but it is just what it says, more of a street city machine.  I have the 2011.5 fire blue black flamed Ultra now, and the difference is amazing.  It has smaller wheels and fatter tyres, air suspension, fat seat, 2 way X 2 heated seat, 6 way heated grips, automatic remote locking boxes and ford, LED lights and head lights, ABS brakes, and a lot more.  The Streetie was just too close in style, and for a summer local bike I wanted to have something light and hanging in the wind...

The difference: After a few hundred kms beat up in hinterland patchwork roads, you are ready to get off the Streetie.  7 Brothers went down to Kempsey to help a Family doing it tough, and two had to get back up to the Southside of Brisbane for work on Monday.  Having the best lights, cruise control, and all the rest, I escorted them back, and then went 200 kms further north myself.  The difference?  We had to stop for one of them with numb but and legs going to sleep, where I did 650 kms in the day in comfort and EZ ....

Put some kms on?  Robcig, I did 3000 kms last month.  Don't think many would have gone more in this rainy weather, and the big PHATT Ultra does it is ease......  As a second bike, I am just going to get something hanging out in the wind, local runner, but this RIG is the tops for safety and comfort, not meaning to skite this is just the facts and it is FAST to...

Howdy cowboy, screw the shocks up hard,as far as they will go and it would be fine, the biggest issue would be the boards scraping mate.

Ask people with fatboys,[ and get a biased opinion -he! he!].

Cheers

Cowboy , i had the street bob , when ridden hard in twisties , it bounced and hopped all over the place , to be honest i thought it was out and out fucking dangerous , , I changed the shocks and it made a BIG difference ,

Just take the Harley for what it is a Cruiser and a Cruiser is all it will ever be, it will never handle or stop as well as a sportsbike.

Fat boys handle like a dog on a Lino floor but I still love mine

Hello Brothers,

I want to thank all of you for your input...  What I decided was that yes I wanted a second stripped down bike, to put around locally, but I really missed the old School stuff....  So, the FLH look of the Fat Boy or a Dyna?  They are the copies of an old style from the 50's and 60's to me, of the FLH look in the HydraGlide Panhead rigid or the DuoGlide Panhead and shovelhead in the Shocks model..  And I realized that what I really missed was a kick start most of all...

Soooooo, I went for this all chromed up new wheels Bitsa of 60's and 70's style FLH in a later model Shovel....  All chromed, chromed front end all the way down to the brake calipers, inner primary, S&S Super, chromed all the way up to rocker boxes and back to chain gaurd and even a chrome brake drum, cuz "Chrome gets you home"....

Here is picture of Her, a REAL THUMPER, starts on the third kick, straight pipes, back up electric, and I am going through her right now with a new primary and secondary chains, re do of wheel bearings and rear brakes, the general touch up.. 

Once in a while with my CVO 2011.5 Blue Ultra gets too tame, I will wheel this old Girl out to dance just like old days...!!

Cowboy..

I've got progressive springs and 20 weight oil up front and fournales air shocks on the back. Tracks steady and true through the twisties.

I changed over to an Andrews 26 chain drive. The tensioners were not too bad after 40,000 k's, but were replaced with new ones anyway. The bearings were also replaced, and I was happy with the end result. The difference is incredible! The wife and I ride most weekends (when its not pissing down), and the difference in torque with the 26's is also noticeable. I LOVE when she's cold (the bike not the wife), you can really notice the lumpy cams. Kinda reminds me of my old XU1!!!