JLC wrote:
"PS: I am a lot closer to my 70th birthday than my 69th, and I am only 5' 3" tall, but I am not ready for lighter bikes or a three wheeler yet! "
Yup. I agree, I'm taller than you, but not by a lot (5' 6") and I just turned 70. My Sportster is an '04, one of the first of the rubbermounts, so it's pretty porky. Honestly though the only time the weight is a problem is when I'm shoving it around inside the garage. The S40 feels like a little dirt bike doing that. When riding, I'm perfectly happy on either one.
I've never had a lot of interest in the bigger HDs but I've always been fond of Sportsters. However last fall I went to an open house at one of the local Harley dealers when they rolled out the new 2018 softail line. I have to hand it to HD. Those are some very nice bikes, and beneath the surface - they still look like traditional HD cruisers mostly, they are actually quite different from the previous models. They weren't doing demo rides that day so I didn't get to ride one.
I especially liked the 2018 Street Bob. Sitting on it and tipping it from side to side it felt lighter and less top heavy than my Sportster, even though it actually weighs a good bit more. The ergos were great for someone my size. Even the stock bars. which HD calls mini-apes, felt good. I's probably a good thing that I didn't get a test ride. Might have turned into an expensive day
https://www.cycleworld.com/2018-harley-davidson-softail-street-bob#page-2I get that HDs aren't for everyone. They are what they are. I am somewhat amused by some of the knee-jerk hatred, and, some of the uninformed, criticism of the brand though.. The newer Harley's are very much modern motorcycles, with a lot of modern technology hidden underneath the styling.
In fact, because the new Harleys are modern motorcycles, not antiquated, neanderthal POS relics of ans earlier age is, ironically, the reason I'll probably hang on to my carbureted, air cooled, Sporty, with a cable operated throttle and clutch, and practically no electronics, except for the self cancelling turn signals, which I would be happy to do without.