Which Harley would you hire?

**discotex** · 15th August 2011, 09:08

I'm lucky enough to be heading to San Francsisco for a work at the end of the month so figured I'd go for a burn up and down the coast. I'll have a couple of days to explore so should be fun

The tough part is deciding on a bike to hire.. I figure "when in Rome" so a Harley is an obvious choice. That is until you have to pick a model....

As a sports bike rider I have no clue so.. Which would you pick out of these options and why?:

Street Glide
Road King
Soft Tail
Fat Boy
Sportster 883 (a bit cheaper)

I'm leaning towards the Fat Boy but purely because of Terminator

**White trash** · 15th August 2011, 09:13

One up or two up? If you're riding solo and just a day trip or so, I'd take the Fatboy. If you're two up and need to carry any gear, or plan on going around a corner or two, take the Road King. Better handling and comfort than the Softail.

Either way, you'll love the experience.

**Kiwi Graham:Me** · 15th August 2011, 09:35

+1 for what trashy says plus the road king has hard luggage and a rack for the gear

**TIBLE_90** · 15th August 2011, 21:38

I personally like the softail and would take that if i was planning on doing a trip for a couple days. For a day trip I'd get the sportster 883 or the nightster as I too am a sports bike rider and find that they could be a bit of fun on the twisties around the coast.

**Zamiam** · 15th August 2011, 22:15

If it's day trips I'd go with a dyna as they are better IMO than any thing you've listed and closer to a sports bike (if you can call any HD close to a sports bike)

**JimO** · 15th August 2011, 22:15

if you get the fatboy go for the optional shotgun holder

**discotex** · 15th August 2011, 22:27

Thanks guys.. Only going to be two day trips from a base in South San Fran. Figure one North over the Golden Gate and one South around the coast unless I find any hot tips on the net.

I was sold on the Fat Boy looks but you guys have got me thinking it might be handy to have the luggage.. Mainly for camera and water bottle etc. I'm also planning on doing 6-8 hour days of riding so comfort is a plus.

What do you reckon about handling the extra weight? 350kg seems like a lot. Do you notice it?

I've pretty much ruled out the Sportster because of the small gas tank. Don't really want to get caught out down the coast.

**Flip** · 16th August 2011, 08:29

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

**Taz** · 16th August 2011, 09:20

Not sure what the ocean currents are like in san fran but the general rule of thumb is to get the heaviest one to prevent your boat from drifting.

**wysper** · 16th August 2011, 10:32

Originally Posted by Flip

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

Yeah, that really sucks. Even the sporty is heavy to push backwards up a small incline!

And good point on the tank, that is one thing that I will change on my sporty. A slightly bigger tank, I like the look of the 3.3 but the range is a bit short.

**discotex** · 16th August 2011, 12:52

Originally Posted by Flip

You won't notice the weight, unless you park it nose down and have to push it backwards. Once they get going they feel relatively light.

I'll have to be careful with there I stop. My CBR is nice and light so could get caught out there.

Originally Posted by wysper

And good point on the tank, that is one thing that I will change on my sporty. A slightly bigger tank, I like the look of the 3.3 but the range is a bit short.

Yeah if I read it right it's a 6 on the Road King. Seems like a much safer bet when going off the beaten path.

Originally Posted by Taz

Not sure what the ocean currents are like in san fran but the general rule of thumb is to get the heaviest one to prevent your boat from drifting.