I know I would have seriously considered it, especially the big boar kit upgrade. I have wanted to own and experience at least one bike from each family (DYNA, Softial, and FLH). It's fun and interesting for me to talk with other folks that ride bikes, especially the Harley folks. I had a chance talk with the parts manager at the dealership and he is a cool down to earth rider. I am considering Ape's on my WG and he has some 16" apes on his Heritage. I got to look over his bike and it was interesting what he has done with it. Nothing fancy or over the top, but it's a bikers bike. He used a phrase I have heard before , but it had more meaning to me listening to him explain things he had done and why. The phrase he used was something like "I'm making the bike my own"... and he told me about an old FLH he saw in the 70's that he was inspired by. That's one part of the experience I am missing.

All bullshit aside, when I purchased my Heritage in 2006 I purchased someone elses creation. I really didn't even consider that then. It just looked cool and sounded great. It wasn't bad, I liked it, but over time I realized it really wasn't me. I am not a crome and flair person. I prefer basic, functional, and reliable. My Heritage has crome all over it and since I rode daily, rain or shine, the crome suffered.

So... I think I would have considered keeping hte Heritage, but in the end I probably would have made the change.

I really love my RK but eventually it is going to wear out and the day will come to sell it... I don't look forward to that.
I think I'll stay with touring style or sport touring style. HD made one other bike I considered it was a fairing'd out dyna. it had dual front disc brakes and hard saddle bags. I don't think they make it any more.
Have any of you every seen the Triumph Rocket 3? Cool bike - huge engine - I don't think it went over well.

One can always make any bike ones own. Don't like chrome...take it off,sell it on ebay/craigs list (chrome fanatics every where) and use the money to buy the parts you want. I don't like chrome either. Same with your new WG. Once you get past the MPG issue you can start sculpting and making that bike your own.

I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all. If i come off that way,my apologies. Just trying to encourage you to step outside the box.

Harley riders are a multi facited group. You got your yuppy high dollar guys(unfortunately real popular today,lol), you got your die in the wool lifetime, life style guys, newbies who are heading in the lifetime, lifestyle direction(learn as you go), and the group of riders who've always wanted a HD but couldn't pull the trigger till later in life or they sold it early on to finance a new house or babies etc.. and want another one now that things have settled down. Tourers, 1'ers(don't mess with those guys), make believe poser 1'ers(an azz whooping waiting to happen), bar hoppers and cliche riders(do rag,azzless chaps and fingerless glove). All of which make for a most interesting and ecclectic bunch. The harley world is such that I've never seen in my 56 years. And I hope everyone is receptive of everyone because we all have one thing in common. Viva la differance'!

I only mention the above because along with those differences comes differences of opinions about things. Whose right? Everyone? No one? Makes for interesting conversation when we all accept each other for who and what we are.

I still feel bad about most everyones intolerance for Tourist.

My opinion is like anyone elses just an opinion thrown out there for consideration, its not gospel.

I made my bike my own - I put my azz print on it

Everybody is changing something - I test rode my bike and rode that way since. I added the back rest and rack because I needed a place to put the extra helmet and the cooler. So my bike is stock and I love it... As BI so elequently put it in the "FXDWG MPG" thread and I couldn't agree with him more.

I really had no problems with him. But he hadn't hammered on me yet!!

[quote="badinfluence63
Harley riders are a multi facited group. You got your yuppy high dollar guys(unfortunately real popular today,lol), you got your die in the wool lifetime, life style guys, newbies who are heading in the lifetime, lifestyle direction(learn as you go), and the group of riders who've always wanted a HD but couldn't pull the trigger till later in life or they sold it early on to finance a new house or babies etc.. and want another one now that things have settled down. Tourers, 1'ers(don't mess with those guys), make believe poser 1'ers(an azz whooping waiting to happen), bar hoppers and cliche riders(do rag,azzless chaps and fingerless glove). All of which make for a most interesting and ecclectic bunch. The harley world is such that I've never seen in my 56 years. And I hope everyone is receptive of everyone because we all have one thing in common. Viva la differance'!

That's true, BI, what a mix. There is this rider down here in my town that rides a sportster. I didn't know you could hang so much leather on one of those bikes, back bags, front bags, on the bars, on the tank, and he is the same way, top to bottom, with leather cap, jacket, chaps, and most comical, a BIG ring thru his nose, but...he rides and rides a lot, much more than I have time for. The fact that he is on two wheels sort of throws his into the same club as all of us. As you say "Viva la Difference. I remember when I first got back on the asphalt with bikes, it was a 91 Softail, which i still have, but i was caught up in the cliche riders group. It didn't take long to mellow down to just the basics, cap turned backwards and goggles, serious leather gloves, and boots.

I wish I could encourage you to wear a helmet in your new ensemble. Those Vega SOA ones are sporty, small and are protection:

https://www.vegahelmet.com/xts_naked.html

You could still wear the goggles.

The hat backwards and goggles is a way cool look I'll give you that.

Thanks for the link, BI, we both know you are right about the helmet thing, I'm working towards it, especially since winter is just coming in around here. It would make my wife very happy, the only thing she would like better is if I didn't ride at all.

The new Harley Switchback with a fairing may be your poison in the future. It’s an interesting bike.



You don’t come across as a KIA… I priced the black pipes and they are more expensive than the chrome… lol I am forming a vision… and it’s looking good. Ape hangers and a skull shooting the finger on my license plate frame. Rock music just gives me crazy ideas… I dunno.



I prefer no helmet as well, but I don’t ride that way any longer. A helmet’s not going to save you from all wrecks, but it can save you from some simple wreck you would have survived if you had it on. I know of two people that died from massive head wounds that would have lived if they had a helmet on. I’m sure you have heard all this before… don’t mean to harp.

I sneak out and take a spin around the block without the helmet - can't go far - don't want to get caught. I like the feeling of the wind in my face. I think I'd go topless more if it was legal. I know the safety issues but truth is I don't wear a helmet in the shower and thats just as dangerous.