Sportster Bagger

[PC_Hater]

I thought we had another 3 to 5 years before I would be too old for a heavily loaded Road Glide two-up, but it is not to be. I dropped the bike in France in September and broke my ankle. She says we now need a lighter bike or a trike.

Nobody makes a light bike with proper seating for a lovely big girl on the back and that also takes a load of luggage. If she was a sweet young thing I would buy a Ducati and job done! But no, the pillion seat has to be the same as on an Electraglide - I have the Electraglide saddle on my Road Glide to keep her comfy.

I have seen Sportster Baggers, does anybody remember the Baby Bagger from about 20 years ago?
They are all single seaters though. No good to me. So I am shoving ideas around.

A 2" longer swingarm is readily available so I can move the wheel back and then fit some sort of longer mudguard so the electraglide seat will fit and the FL saddlebags will be out of the way of her legs.
Some frame mods may be needed. Sadly chain drive will be needed too!

There are a couple of Baggster kits that might save the hassle of making up the brackets to mount the FL bags.

Anybody got any good ideas or thoughts?

[Hossamania]

Honestly, a trike would probably be the safest and most comfortable.
Going from the ride of a full touring bike to the ride of a Sportster will be less than satisfying, both solo and two-up.

[Hossamania]

The BMW RT is lighter, but also much taller, and puts her higher up still, making for high center of gravity.
There is a setup called Landing Gear that deploys small outrigger wheels at low speed, but they are not perfect either. Truck had them and ended up removing them for various reasons.
There's always the convertible car option.

[Hossamania]

One other thing I thought of with the Sportster, I believe the rear foot pegs are going to be higher than the dresser, much more knee bend for your passenger.

[boooby1744]

Sporty can can carry around 395 pounds,but tire pressures and shocks will be at max settings. Then there's that shorter wheelbase.

[TN]

Have you thought about a sidecar for that TR?

[PC_Hater]

We had a look at the Can-Am trikes and the Harley Tri-Glide. The insurance quotes I got were ridiculous!

I've had a sidecar outfit in the past so fitting one on The Barge is a possibility.
However, tootling round Europe means that if she is in the sidecar SHE is in the path of oncoming traffic when overtaking! Fitting a big box as the sidecar means we could carry a literal shed load of her luggage etc. It was the hand made carpet she bought in San Sebastian in Spain that got put in the topbox that was the final straw I think! Well, they wanted stupid money to post it to the UK...

The other possibility is hiring a trike as needed. So far the only place I have found that will hire us a trike in the UK is up in the north of Scotland. Tedious but do-able. There is a place in southern France that hires trikes too. Gets expensive but 15 years of hiring a trike versus buying one and insuring it probably comes out cheaper!

[Hossamania]

It is the age old problem with riding, how to keep at it as we get older and slightly weaker.

[Breeze]

I've had Sportsters and could really notice when I had a passenger on the back. I rode a 160+ man pillion one time and felt very uncomfortable with the handling.

[Fugawee]

Maybe You may want to consider a Dyna versus a Sportster?
Not that I have anything against Sportsters.
Back when My Wife used to go Touring with Me, She was famous for packing all kinds of un-necessary items.
It finally got to a point of where I would have to go thru the stuff that She wanted to pack and politely tell Her that You aren't going to need this or that.
That took a little doing...but, it worked.
As well as telling Her about having some spare room for the "goodies" that She would pick up along the ride.
I had to remind Her that I was the one handling this machine...not Her.
And with all this unneeded weight, She wasn't making My job any easier or enjoyable.
She finally saw it My way.
Luckily for Me though She isn't very large in height or weight.
About 5 Ft, 4 Inches, and still somewhat of a lightweight.  The true weight I will never know.
Probably get whacked in the head should I dare ask.

[Hossamania]

A nice Dyna, maybe even a Softail, might be the way to go. We travelled quite a bit on the old Heritage, nice low center of gravity, still pretty comfortable for her.

[calif phil]

The new version Heritage Softails are what you need, rented a 2021 for four days and rode it all around Phoenix, it was great, felt so light and easy to maneuver, loads of power, cruise control. Comfy.  Some day one will replace my RG. 

[Hossamania]

I'm thinking the same about the Heritage, Phil.

[Deye76]

My Roadglide got too heavy for me also, 2 up. This was the answer for me.

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[HogMike]

I'm thinking the same about the Heritage, Phil.

We've done some touring on our heritage softails and it's easy to set them up for solo riding or adding the luggage rack for multiple days.
Two up is tight, but if you pack right it's good enough for a couple of days on the road.
I put hard bags on my 2000 for a little extra space.
The 2005 still has the stock bags, but the 2003 has the new style bagger bags, nicer than the old style.
I like the softails, better balance, lower center of gravity.
The new ones are much better than our old ones IMO. Maybe have to sell my older ones and get a newer one!

[HogMike]

Hard bags

[Jim Bronson]

The new ones are much better than our old ones IMO. Maybe have to sell my older ones and get a newer one!

How do you define 'newer'?

[Hossamania]

The new ones are much better than our old ones IMO. Maybe have to sell my older ones and get a newer one!

How do you define 'newer'?

2018 and up, M8 models, new frame.

[kd]

Here's a low slung Slim with RK Classic bags and batwing.  With the rack and backrest a luggage bag can be added for trips.  The seat or "any seat" can be reworked for longer days for the passenger. 

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I have a couple of 1998 sidecar rigs.  (See my avatar) They will carry more than a trike, do daily grocery getter duty and retain their value for when you decide to hang up the helmet. You can pack the sidecar and she can still ride on the back.  If not on a trip loaded down, just throw a couple of small sand bags in if you like the weight on board.

[FSG]

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/a7/07/D84F7D29-E534-48BA-8816-D6F16B64BCCA/IMG_0810.JPG

 

[kd]

   Fixed it 

[PC_Hater]

I had a look at the M8 cruisers. No big comfy pillion seat available from HD.
No topbox mount. I did have a mount made for a big Givi topbox for my 1999 Sportster but my wife was tiny so the HD Sundowner? comfy seat was fine for us.

The Heritage is lighter than my 1999 Road Glide by about 30lbs. I suppose it might feel very different. We would need to try it. Bracketry would need to be made for the Givi topbox.

A Softail Standard or Street Bob with an aftermarket pillion seat and added panniers and back rest with a Givi mount might work. Should come in about 50lb lighter then The Barge. I will have to persuade her to try it and see if it feels OK!

[HogMike]

I had a look at the M8 cruisers. No big comfy pillion seat available from HD.
No topbox mount. I did have a mount made for a big Givi topbox for my 1999 Sportster but my wife was tiny so the HD Sundowner? comfy seat was fine for us.

The Heritage is lighter than my 1999 Road Glide by about 30lbs. I suppose it might feel very different. We would need to try it. Bracketry would need to be made for the Givi topbox.

A Softail Standard or Street Bob with an aftermarket pillion seat and added panniers and back rest with a Givi mount might work. Should come in about 50lb lighter then The Barge. I will have to persuade her to try it and see if it feels OK!

I believe Hogwertz has a tour box mount/rack/detatchable mount for the 18- Softail IIRC.
🤔

[FSG]

I believe Hogwertz has a tour box mount/rack/detatchable mount for the 18- Softail IIRC.

[PC_Hater]

hogworkz.com
hogwertz brings up a load of Harry Potter stuff!

Their products look interesting.

[biggzed]

If you don't like the softail, you can always check out a Road King. Should be able to fit your eglide seat. I don't know about your side of the pond, but in the states low mile Kings are pretty reasonable.

Zach

[kd]

I know a gal that started with a Sporty.  Her partner talked her into a Softail.  The first thing she said it was easier to hold up and also ride than the Sportster.  The high weight compared to even more weight on the Softail was harder to handle for her.  She switched to a Street Glide and it was tough for her.  It was too late because she had already sold the Softail.

[Hossamania]

Going from the Ultra to the RoadKing makes the king feel much smaller, going from the King to a friend's Heritage even more so.
One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.

[kd]

Going from the Ultra to the RoadKing makes the king feel much smaller, going from the King to a friend's Heritage even more so.
One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.

You may not want to hear this Hoss.  I have a 1998 Anniversary Ultra and Road King Classic and a 2011 Road Glide Ultra.  As you said, the Road King handles better and lighter than the Ultra.  However, the RoadGlide also handles better (IMO) low speed without the bat wing fairing and outperforms both of the other bikes on the highway in the wind, twisties, and meeting trucks.  It's like riding a dart compared to the others. The Ultra is marginally better in the rain though. Marginally.

[PC_Hater]

Going from the Ultra to the RoadKing makes the king feel much smaller, going from the King to a friend's Heritage even more so.
One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.

You may not want to hear this Hoss.  I have a 1998 Anniversary Ultra and Road King Classic and a 2011 Road Glide Ultra.  As you said, the Road King handles better and lighter than the Ultra.  However, the RoadGlide also handles better (IMO) low speed without the bat wing fairing and outperforms both of the other bikes on the highway in the wind, twisties, and meeting trucks.  It's like riding a dart compared to the others. The Ultra is marginally better in the rain though. Marginally.

We'll get the silly old fool on a Road Glide yet!

[Hossamania]

Going from the Ultra to the RoadKing makes the king feel much smaller, going from the King to a friend's Heritage even more so.
One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable.

You may not want to hear this Hoss.  I have a 1998 Anniversary Ultra and Road King Classic and a 2011 Road Glide Ultra.  As you said, the Road King handles better and lighter than the Ultra.  However, the RoadGlide also handles better (IMO) low speed without the bat wing fairing and outperforms both of the other bikes on the highway in the wind, twisties, and meeting trucks.  It's like riding a dart compared to the others. The Ultra is marginally better in the rain though. Marginally.

We'll get the silly old fool on a Road Glide yet!

I'll be honest, there was a really nice one at the dealer Saturday.
It almost made me consider looking at it as a possible candidate.
Almost.

[Deye76]

"One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable."

A Streetglide has 26 degree's of rake, a M8 Lowrider S 28 degrees of rake. Most can't feel the difference, not saying you can't, but IMHO tire size is more of a factor in steering than 2 degrees of rake.

[Hossamania]

"One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes due to the steering geometry. Nothing terrible, just noticeable."

A Streetglide has 26 degree's of rake, a M8 Lowrider S 28 degrees of rake. Most can't feel the difference, not saying you can't, but IMHO tire size is more of a factor in steering than 2 degrees of rake.

Besides just the difference in rake causing different feel, it is also the location of the steering head.
On touring models it is in front of the forks, on Softails it is behind the forks. This contributes to the heavier feel of Softail steering as well as the small rake difference.
This difference may show more in trail than rake?

[fbn ent]

The Switchback, although an older model, intrigues me for a lighter tourer. Less than 700 pounds and 27"(ish) seat height.

[Hossamania]

The Switchback, although an older model, intrigues me for a lighter tourer. Less than 700 pounds and 27"(ish) seat height.

Check the capacity of the bags first if the plan is to pack for touring.

[Hossamania]

Now there's one of these to consider, the new HydraGlide.

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[Deye76]

"One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes"

 I find it hard to believe that a Streetglide with a 4X8 sheet of plywood (batwing fairing) and a radio and speakers and wiring mounted to the forks, steers lighter than any of the Softails. 
Edit: Meant to say forks, not handlebars.

[Hossamania]

"One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes"

 I find it hard to believe that a Streetglide with a 4X8 sheet of plywood (batwing fairing) and a radio and speakers and wiring mounted to the handlebars, steers lighter than any of the Softails. 

At speed the SG steers lighter. Low speed might be close. Low or high speed, the RoadKing steers lighter.
I've not ridden the new frame Softails in a few years and can't remember the feel, so they may have changed from the older TwinCam frames.
When I would get off my Ultra and get on my brother's '96 Heritage, I was always surprised at how heavy his steering was, low or high speed. The touring bikes just plain steer better at speed.

[jrgreene1968]

"One thing I do notice is that Softails steer heavier than the touring bikes"

 I find it hard to believe that a Streetglide with a 4X8 sheet of plywood (batwing fairing) and a radio and speakers and wiring mounted to the handlebars, steers lighter than any of the Softails. 

At speed the SG steers lighter. Low speed might be close. Low or high speed, the RoadKing steers lighter.
I've not ridden the new frame Softails in a few years and can't remember the feel, so they may have changed from the older TwinCam frames.
When I would get off my Ultra and get on my brother's '96 Heritage, I was always surprised at how heavy his steering was, low or high speed. The touring bikes just plain steer better at speed.

I rode a newer fatboy awile back and it was definitely lighter steering than my 02. Ride was way better also. Guess the new frame is the difference. My 02 will beat you to death on a long ride. Im thinking of buying a RG to replace my fatboy