HarleyTechTalk

don't ask me why but I am going to buy a 2008 heritage anniversary bike

it has 7 k miles on it, only mods done are rush slip ons, original air box ,cams etc

I currently own and will keep my 03 roadking so my ? is ,what am I getting myself in to, are there any issues I need to know about, where there changes in the bikes from 03  to 08 other than cubes

also I ride 2 up a lot and the rk has been great , how will the soft tail do, do they hand le the weight of 2 up with larger people well like the rk

thanks for your input

You may have to adjust the shocks to get more travel out of them. I don't think the ride is as nice as the RK but it's not bad. Mine was a '95 so I didn't have the balanced motor but I understand the new motor does have more vibration at speed than the RK. And I think the Heritage rides a little smaller than the RK, not a bad thing.
However, I find the steering to be much heavier and slower on Softails due to the geometry of the frame and rake of the front end.
I will say that my wife liked the Softail seat better because it put her higher so she could see over me.
For me the RK is a better long distance tourer.

thanks for the input, I believe the guy sold the bike tonight on e bay though

will find out tomorrow for sure

um..   why?

LOL!

I'd own another Heritage in a heartbeat , you sit in a Softail not on it like a bagger. Down side is less ground clearance and single disc. A heritage seems to fit everyone from 5'2" to 6'4".

Quote from: remmag on May 27, 2013, 04:15:18 PM
don't ask me why but I am going to buy a 2008 heritage anniversary bike

it has 7 k miles on it, only mods done are rush slip ons, original air box ,cams etc

I currently own and will keep my 03 roadking so my ? is ,what am I getting myself in to, are there any issues I need to know about, where there changes in the bikes from 03  to 08 other than cubes

also I ride 2 up a lot and the rk has been great , how will the soft tail do, do they hand le the weight of 2 up with larger people well like the rk

thanks for your input

I have the same bike and my wife & I ride two up on it with no real issues other than the usual way that a seat either fits you or it doesn't. So we have played the seat game with the bike.  The bike handles the weight fine, but you do have to watch out for having less lean angle between a RK & Softail. Brakes are different so you have to plan ahead a bit.  In our case we tried out a Goldwing 1800 & the Heritage and she much preferred the Heritage as she had less wind on her ( go figure ) so we bought the heritage. Also adjust the rear shocks for the weight you are carrying, otherwise it will bottom out on the rear on big bumps.

I haven't ridden a RK so I can't comment on the vibration on a RK but a Heritage does have some very slight vibration that you'll mostly feel in the handlebars.  The softail engine is mounted solid to the frame, not rubber mounted like the touring bikes, so you are going to get a small amount of vibration.  The vibration is of the low frequency type and doesn't cause any issues like putting your hands to sleep like a high frequency vibration will do. You will only notice any vibration when the bike is under load ( going up a hill, pushing a head wind below 70 in 6th and so on. The lack of a rubber mounted drivetrain makes for a stiff bike that handles better than you'd think.

The 08 models had the updated frame for the softails ( maybe the 07 ones as well ), brakes are different that the earlier ones, hollow rear axle and with the frame/swingarm changes it was supposed to stiffen the bike.  I do know that you have to specify the model & year when buying brake pads so you get the right ones.

As somebody else has noted.  You sit in a Heritage not on it.  It has a very low center of gravity, very stable in crosswinds and is very easy to ride from parking lot speed to cruising speed.  It is not top heavy and it weighs about 100 lbs less than a touring bike.

All and all a very good all around bike.  Enjoy it.

Quote from: NETacomaFatboy on May 27, 2013, 11:59:29 PM
um..   why?

LOL!

Cuz I smoke most if not all bagers/with my softail.  Can you stay in my mirror?