Should I go with a Harley Davidson Softail or Dyna Model-Pros and Cons of each?

Answer 1

I love the looks and the performance of a Softail, however being a middle aged man I had a problem with the hardness of the ride of my Softail Night Train. Depending on your height, I would choose the Dyna it has a better ride, however the Dyna's are wider and sit higher than the softails. I would ride both even if you have to rent them for a day. Renting is a good idea it will give you 24 hours to get the feel of the bike and help you determine which one fits you best. Renting might cost you several hundred but that's better than spending $18,000 on a bike that is not right for you.

Answer 2

Never rode a Softail, but my 1998 WideGlide is great. I didn't have an opportunity to test ride before buying so here is what I did. I got a sales brochure from a dealer, then I compared features - capacity of gas tank, seat height, weight of bike, etc. After doing my tabulations the WideGlide came out on top.
Pros - has a custom look right off the showroom floor, great handlebars, forward controls standard, not as plain from the factory as other models so you save $ on customizing.
Cons - seat height a little high, visable shocks don't look as good as the Softail's hidden shocks, a lot of custom parts won't interchange so you have to get the one made for the WideGlide.
One word of warning - unless Harley has changed something, the DynaGlide is a lesser bike in price than the other Dynas. When there was a year waiting list for Harleys some people were buying DynaGlides then selling them for the same price that other Dynas were bringing, thus the unsuspecting buyer was getting the shaft.
Sorry I can't make a definite recommendation, but either way you'll have a great bike!

Answer 3

You can't go wrong with either one. I just sold my 99 dyna twin cam superglide and bought a 07 Softail custom. I never thought I would ever get rid of my Dyna. Never a major problem for 60,000 miles. I saw the custom and it moved me. Biggest differences between the two are the 96 inch "B" motor. B for balanced. The Softail series since 2000 have internal balancers connected to the crank via a chain and spin with the crank to smooth out the vibes. The Softail series of bikes have the engine solid mounted to the frame. The balancers take away the shake. The Dyna series have the unbalanced twin cam that's rubber mounted to the frame. Shakes at idle but smooths out nicely as you accelerate. The dyna seemed to handle better but I don't drag my knees going around turns so, for me, it wasn't much of a factor. The dyna was a bit lighter also. Both engines sound the same. I love my new Softail but to tell you the truth I kinda miss the shakes. Also, the Deuce is in the Softail family.

Answer 4

I agree with Harley Redneck. You really need to ride each one and determine which is right for you. I personally favor the Dyna. I have an 02 Dyna Superglide FXD and I'm completely satisfied with it. I think the ride is more comfortable and it handles great. Nothing against the softail. It's a great bike as well. I'm rather tall, so I had to add forward controls to by FXD in order to have enough leg room. Keep this in mind as something to consider if you find you're a little cramped. Enjoy the new bike.

Answer 5

Dyna Deuce would be my choice.

I've had '87 Heritage, it was a great scooter for long trips and handled really nice.

Currently have '04 Super Glide &'77 SuperGlide, and being most of my runs are under hundred mile, as of late, I perfer the handling of my FX.

Answer 6

i have a 1992 heritage classic it looks more like what a harley is supposed to look like ,it is a copy of the 1955 panhead dresser .
the dyna types are more hot rod look .i have almost a hundred thousand miles on mine an it still runs good

Answer 7

I have rode both and have nothing bad to say about ether one but I just love my softail. I love to get half way through a curve and turn on the power. It comes out of that curve so great.

Answer 8

I've got a 05 deuce. I love the way it looks and performs. Of course the Vance and Hines long shots make the difference for me on the sound. Any way you go the word Harley makes the bike.