Drifter vs. heritage softail impressions so far

[indue]

As i haven't been on here for some time, I thought I should make my final thoughts on this subject. The major problem with the bike had been in a gas tank liner that was failing and the big patches would interrupt the flow of gas. I had done the re-coating of tanks before so, I knew it would be a pain. It finally turned out that I had to completely strip both tanks' interiors. Needless to say, I got some stripper on top of the left tank so, now I had to re-shoot the top of the tank. Anyway it works great! You know how all bikes have there little idiosyncrasies, this bike is no different but it will get you there and back, just like the Drifter.

[Old Drifter]

Nice looking bike.

[indue]

Oh, some pictures...

[indue]

Well, here is an update. I had to take the bike into a mechanic because frankly I was stumped. I eventually put on a new carburetor (S&S) and that improved things but its low rpm/idle was very bad. I mean it would still run at higher rpm's but one would have to blip the throttle to keep it lit. So, I took it in. The head of the shop "Bob" has some notable accomplishments on the salt flats in a two engined Harley and on turbocharged Hayabusa's. And he has been working on Harley's for many years. So, some of the things he did: change the front sprocket to lower the rpms, a cracked manifold flange, a VOES which was missing which effects the timing at lower rpm's, a single fire coil instead of the dual fire that was on there, new valve cover gaskets, realign motor and shim the front brake. Well, after the work was done I took a trip up north to San Luis Obispo. The traffic was terrible the whole 300+ miles up there. I left early Sunday morning as that is the only time that you can transit LA relatively easily and I couldn't believe how bad 101 was past Santa Barbara. 4 lane divided and people racing in and out. On this bike you are somewhat at a disadvantage as you don't have instantaneous power. But it got me there. Not without a few hiccups and it does leak oil (something the Drifter never did) but not much although it blows back onto the bike so you have to carry a rag to touch up some of the chrome so it doesn't look like an old Triumph-just kidding! One thing that I noticed which kind of irritated me was the volume of the bike. It is a loud bike and even though I wear very good ear plugs it was still deafening. It would be more enjoyable long distance wise if it was toned down a bit. Another thing is that the vibration is quite noticeable but the bike does handle and take the bumps much better than the Drifter. However, the  Drifter's motor is better!

[indue]

I subsequently cut it down and it worked very well as I don't like helmet buffeting which in its full size (even though it had laminar flow up curve) I did get quite a lot of buffeting but when I cut it down it was excellent at least it was to me. I have sold the bike and maybe he will chime in whether it was good for him. Here is a picture of the cut down size. It was a National Stinger windshield.

[RockinRollin]

That's quite the windshield on the Drifter, how is it on the highway?

[greenbarn]

Nice write -up.  That's a great looking HD - I love a 2-tone bike, and that's a classic looking bike. 

[Bucko]

That's a nice looking beautiful HOG!

[Trall]

Both of your bikes are beautiful colors and styles.  Enjoy the ride.  Enjoyed the write up and comparisons   

[indue]

This may not be a good comparison as I still have work to do on the Heritage namely, the carburetor needs to be looked after as the bike has probably not been driven in quite some time and I need to purge all the old gas. But here goes...Looks: both bikes are good lookers and actually I think the Drifter looks more authentic than the new Indian. The Heritage that I have has been made to look like an old bike of which the old Harley's particularly 1936-1963 I think are their best lookers. Engine: the Drifter motor is more refined and smoother and revs faster. The Heritage has quite a lot of vibration so, you really know you are sitting atop a V-Twin motor. But the motor works well. Maintenance: the Heritage requires a bit more as far as checking fluid levels namely, the trans and primary. Because the Drifter is unit construction it requires only one type of oil and the Heritage requires two, the primary and dry sump engine oil and the trans which is separate. As all of you know, you just have to check these things on both bikes. Drive: the Drifter has old style drive shaft nothing like the new BMW's and Guzzi's which are fully articulating. The belt drive on the Heritage works great and lasts a long time making it easier maintenance. Braking: I did put on a PM 6 piston front brake on the Heritage and new brake pads on the rear and they are not fully worked in yet but they will stop well so I don't have an opinion on that yet vis a vis both bikes. Ride: now here we get to the difference. The Heritage just rides and takes the bumps and the atrocious roads so much better that with my bad back this is a major plus. Trans: the gearing on the Heritage is a bit lower so you have to change gears a little bit sooner but, both are good shifters except on the Heritage it is quite difficult to find neutral. Handling: the Heritage handles better because (I'd have to look this up to confirm) it seems to have a shorter wheelbase and less rake making those U-turns and twisties a bit easier. Availability of parts: I really do like metric measurements but of course the Harley is English so there are a lot of proprietary parts on the Harley. How about 3/8X 32? That is all I can come up with because my bolt/nut measure does only 3/8X16 and 24. So, it is off to the Harley dealer to get a new one. Luckily, there are a gazillion Harley dealers around. I never had that problem on the Drifter as all of the metrics are standard. Dealer network is very good on Harley and I have one of the big one's within 5 miles and they are really nice people (not like yesteryear). Fuel consumption: I have not had a chance to analyze that aspect yet. Riders: Even though the Drifter riders don't number nearly as many as the Harley guys, I have never been one to buy anything because someone else has it. So, Drifter riders rejoice, you have an excellent bike.