There are not a lot of resources available to help the newbie figure out the functional differences between the different Harley lines ... The Harley web site talks of lifestyle, open roads and feelings. Pure marketing crap. Then you get the time-tested advice to "Figure out what kind of riding you want to do and go from there." How do you go from there without any guidelines? Here's my attempt to distill some.



How do you envision using this bike? Hopping from bar to bar on Friday night? Blasting around curvy mountain roads? Commuting to work? Riding long distances with a rider and luggage? A little of all these?

You may need two bikes ...

You need to consider the compromises you'll be making when selecting a bike to fit your needs. A bike slammed to the ground looks cool, but if you're an aggressive mountain rider, you'll likely be dragging parts in turns. A long rake might look cool, and offer more stability on straight-aways, but how important is negotiating twisties and low-speed handling in parking lots to you? How do you feel about hidden shocks vs exposed? How will your skeleton and mass fit on the bike, and how'll you feel after more than an hour in the saddle? Forward controls vs. mid controls; drag bars vs. pull-backs vs. ape-hangers, seat selection, seat height ... Lots to talk about. Make google, and/or a knowledgeable, patient salesperson your friend!

Harley groups bikes into four lines - Touring, Softails, Dynas and Sportsters. Within each line you can get into a basic, no-frills "Standard," usually with a polished engine, and customize it to fulfill your own vision, or you can shell out a few more clams and get a little chrome and a black engine with polished fins. Still a few more, and you can get Willy Davidson's vision of a semi-custom Harley. Each model within each line has different wheelbase, rake and trail, and each bike is going to fit your body differently. Dig into the specs on the HD web site to get an idea of which bike best meets your fit and handling requirements.  Then go to the dealer and sit on them.  Often, dealers have open houses with demo rides, and many rent bikes.

Dirt track racing is where the Sportsters were bred. Don't let comments like "Half a Harley, "Girley Bike" or questions about  your pink frillys get to you. They have great power to weight ratios. However, they are more  top-heavy than their big twin brothers. There is a lowered version for the vertically challenged.

Looking at that Fat Boy? You like that traditional hard-tail Harley look? Softails achieve that look with a hidden rear suspension, and HD offers a lot of models within this line. The Standard is the least expensive (tho MIA in 2008),  then there's the ever popular Fat Boy, the Deuce,  the Heritage, Springer etc. The Heritage Softails give you the softail look, with the outfitting of a bagger. Softails are damned nice looking bikes. They're perfect for posing in your well-creased chaps in front of the bar on Friday night, or for short Saturday rides with your local HOG chapter. Ok, that was unfair, but most put you in a feet forward, arms raised position that is not the best for nuanced riding, and they do compromise handling and long-distance comfort for those looks. That suspension ain't the best for aggressive riding in the twisties, and the guy who coined the term "Softail" never rode one any distance! 

You want a fast bike that handles the twisties?  Dynas are closest HD comes to sport bike handling. When the predecessors to the Dynas, the FXRs, first came out, the faithful screamed about those exposed rear shocks making them look too much like Japanese bikes. The true aficionado knows better. They're like Sportsters on steroids, they handle great, and can certainly be set up for light touring. Within the Dyna line you have the Standard, Nightrider, Lowrider, the Sport, and the Wide Glide ... The Lowrider has a cool slammed look and is setup well for those with short legs. OTOH, It may scrape parts whilst negotiating sharp turns. The Dyna Sport is probably the ying to the Lowrider's yang. It sits higher for greater cornering clearance, and has less rake for more responsive handling (perhaps at the expense of some straight line stability). Over the years, some "Sport" models had dual disk front brakes.  Some models have forward controls and pull-back bars, and some have mid controls with flatter bars for a more aggressive riding posture.  Put on a windshield and throw on some saddlebags, and you're ready for light touring.

Thinking of touring? Or just want a comfortable, well-handling machine that rides two-up well? Harley baggers are known for exceptional comfort and handling, and come in just about any configuration from the relatively minimalist Road King, to the well-appointed Ultra Classic. With a great suspension, a windshield and hard saddlebags, the Road King might just be the perfect bike for commuting, bar-hopping and touring. The 'Glides sport the famous bat-wing fairing, and come in several flavors. The Electra Glide Standard is no frills w/ no radio, no tour pak, and no comms. It sports little chrome and has a silver powder-coated engine. The EG Classic adds more chrome, a black engine with polished fins, a radio/cd player and a tour pak. The EG Ultra adds lower fairings for year-round comfort, it has cruise control, an upgraded stereo with rear speakers, an intercom, a CB, with all audio going to the helmet. A lot of the Ultra's functionality can be added to the others, but installing that Stereo/CB/intercom is a big job. Then there's the Road Glides ... Their fairing is frame mounted and folks say wind buffeting affects steering less than it does to the EGlides.  OTOH, their headlights point differently and some don't like that. 

Take a long look at the standards in each family. You might just save a bunch of bucks by not buying the MoCo's vision of what a custom oughta look like. To realize your personal vision of righteousness, the Motor Company, a brazillion after-market companies, and your local indy shops are all ready to help you mold it into your personal ideal. Take a walk around the accys section of the dealer, look through the catalog. Just about any part on these bikes can be swapped out with something that looks different. You can tweak your fit with seats that'll set you forward, and those that'll set you back.  Suspension lowering kits, move your foot controls up, down fore and aft, and an almost infinite number of different handlebars can all be employed to fit your bike to your skeleton and riding style.

And, every model can have their performance upgraded in an almost infinite number of combinations of carburation, pipes, breathers, head work, bore and stroke, yielding different HP and torque curves.  They generally came from the factory with a quiet exhaust, an air cleaner designed to match the exhaust and running a little on the lean side to meet EPA noise and emmissions requirements.  Many folks change the exhaust  right away to get the classic Harley sound, often at the expense of low-end torque.  Lots of online forums can help you balance exhaust, air cleaner and tuning to get the sound you like, and the most performance bang for your buck.  Often, a second phase in the quest for power is a relatively simple boring or swapping of jugs, and installing mild cams.  From there the quest for power becomes more expensive with stroking, head work, cams and  more esoteric  stuff.

Up untill recently, just about any HD was available with either carburation, or electronic fuel injection (EFI).   In the last few model years, carbs have disappeared.  Many old school traditionalists  are sticking with carburation as they can simply adjust it without a computer and/or plug-in boxes, and they can fix it on the side of the road if something goes wrong.  If something goes wrong with EFI, it generally means a trip to the dealer.  OTOH, things seldom go wrong.  EFI bikes start easily in any weather condition, without fussing with chokes, and they are infinitely more tunable than carbs with the right interface.

Lusting after an old Knucklehead or Shovel?  Gotta find your birthday Pan?  Are you ready to do a lot of your own wrenching?  Combing swap meets and the net for parts?  Great!  The world needs more folks to keep old iron alive!  Show an ad to a knowledgeable old-timer if getting a stock or properly restored bike is important to you.

Finally, is this your first bike? Some say buy a cheap Japanese bike you won't mind dumping too much. Others suggest the Sportster as an entry-level bike - though it is top-heavy compared to the other lines. A few suggest getting the bike you want and to learn to ride it. Everyone says get your butt to a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course.

See you in the wind!