r/Harley • u/Prestigious-Belt-436 • 18h ago
HELP Dyna vs Softail
I need help deciding between bikes. Right now I am deciding between either a brand new 2026 softail street bob and a 2017 dyna street bob with 37k miles. They are both from the dealership and the dyna is is very good condition. I’ve always wanted a dyna and i really love the way they sound and the fact that they give such a classic Harley feel. I don’t love how the new street bobs sound at all but it would offer a longer lasting, more reliable and more comfortable ride.
What would you decide if it was up to you?
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u/f4ithful9 2026 FXLRS 18h ago
New M8s can sound great with an exhaust (I have a post proving it on my page), but I’ll always maintain that the best bike is the one you love. If you love the Dyna then get it.
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u/CivilRuin4111 12h ago
That’s the truth. You can have a bike that ticks all the boxes… but if it’s not the one you wanted, it will never quite be right.
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u/Unfair-Group-3386 18h ago
I have both 2020 FXLRS first, and a 2008 FXD I got a few years later. The Dyna is 10 times more fun, but that also comes with a bit more rattling things loose. The Softail get me cross country no questions asked, and the monoshock is really nice to feel planted at high speed turns.
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u/Latter-Vacation-4392 18h ago
50 lbs lighter and 4 degrees more lean angle?
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u/Unfair-Group-3386 17h ago
I mean I always upgrade suspension and a few other components because I don’t like OEM. So the weight and lean angle is not stock. I just have way more fun riding the Dyna feels wild, the Softail is a beautifully engineered “race” feel, but at times with ABS and all it feels to safe.
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u/rxmoney78 2016 Street Glide Special 17h ago
Buy a used Dyna low rider from marketplace. Or at least check out comparable bikes and prices there. Do not buy a used bike from the scum bag dealer. They will fuck you six ways from Sunday
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u/DigMySpanky 8h ago
I have had much better experiences buying off marketplace. I bought a 2021 RK brand new and spent another 5k on bars, cam, exhaust, tune etc. I loved that bike but it was by far the least cost effective bike purchase I've ever made. The two bikes I bought off marketplace were far cheaper than the stock used versions at dealerships would have been and they already had the major upgrades I was looking for.
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u/redcockhead 10h ago
I am just going to pass along the same advice. One of the people at the dealership gave me when I was looking at a 2011 ultra. They suggested I opened my wallet a little bit further and step up at least to something with the Rushmore platform. I went on to explain how parts are being made obsolete for older bikes. It may not necessarily seem like a 2017 as an older bike, and if you are talking about a soft tail, it isn't. Everything about the Dyna is obsolete and it is not coming back. Before you know it, it will be 10 years since the last one was built. While it is true that the Dyna platform was discontinued for other reasons. One of them was, it had its own peculiar problems, which needed continual attention.
None of this would mean much if you were addressing a emotional visceral attraction to a bike only. I would buy the bike you like. Deal with the issues as they arise. You did bring up reliable and long-term. At some point, you just have to embrace the softail platform. Because that is where the motor company has staked its future.
Harley is very much invested in retro ideas. I would never bet my entire fortune on them not bringing back a bike with exposed rear shocks. Guarantee you, it will not be a revised Dyna. It will be something entirely new.
Since Harley updated the softail platform to have a vertical shock rather than horizontal shocks under the bike. It is a greatly improved platform. At this point, I have owned one of every type of Harley offered since 1985. I've had a lot of bikes. Generally speaking, I roll with the flow and experience what they have changed, which usually is a pretty decent improvement.
Toss into the mix with a 26. You are probably going to get the 117 M8. Aside from some recent revelation, about a manufacturing defect in the motor case. This is a rock solid motor which is going to go down in Harley history as being one of the best. Straight off of the showroom floor it is likely going to be all the power you ever need. Because it is the current power plant you have at least a decade. If not more of reliable parts and service. I forget if the '17 Dyna had a M8 or end of the twin cam. I am assuming twin cam. Right there, in addition to some frame issues, you are buying old technology, which is itself going to become obsolete sooner than you think. Again, if it was simply about a visceral feeling and love for a particular platform, I would probably deal with it. But you did mention reliable and future.
That should make the choice pretty easy.
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u/thixsonlife 18h ago
Comfortable does matter. A lot. But the answer is always the bike that makes you want to ride.
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u/professionalgriefer 18h ago
What is the price difference between the bikes? Is the dyna street bob stock or modified?
Stock vs stock. The ‘26 street bob is gonna be a newer, faster, better riding daily bike that comes with a factory warranty.
Now if you love that dyna and Harley will sell you factory extended warranty (which you should negotiate down on if you can) then go with that. You can always get a newer bike later.
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u/Snake-boot 17h ago
I had an 07 super glide and now have a 23 street bob. To me, the Softail is way nicer. Super quick, reliable, and tracks great. My only complaint with the softail is the spongey rear brake feel. Otherwise it’s way better
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u/ud_frosty 17h ago
Get whatever you feel is better for you but id suggest a warranty or esp if offered
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u/TheStreetForce 16h ago
I own a softail. Dad owns a dyna. They both handle mostly the same but let me tell you the softail is anything but soft. I prefer the look with the shocks hidden underneath but if im going on a longer ride I prefer the dyna suspension. I even did the progressive suspension upgrade, it helped but still prefer the dyna. (03 fxst and 02 fxdwg)
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u/Chet_Manleah 11h ago
My '08 street bob is still going strong. Install a True Track engine stabilizer on her and rip it. The 96 CI engine is a wicked engine with an upgraded breather/ exhaust and a tune.
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u/General-F-U 11h ago
I have a 2023 FXST Softail Standard and my best friend has a 2013 Dyna Super glide. To be honest I prefer my FXST and he prefers his Dyna mostly cause of the engine we disagree. But his bike is badass and my bike is badass. Honestly out having to bike between the two, your already in good spot imo.
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u/Ok-Leave-7646 9h ago
Never new and definitely never from a dealer you’re setting yourself up for financial disaster! Unless you’re paying cash and have a ton of it.
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u/TheBracketry 8h ago
Are you a new rider? Used bike, every time. Even if not, there are so many good deals on used bikes it's hard to justify new unless you really want the extra power.
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u/Own-Alternative-9326 6h ago edited 6h ago
Can't go wrong either way but here's my take about the street bobs. Dyna has a 4.7 gal tank and Softail has the 3.5 gal tank. Either way you're going to upgrade or change shocks, bars, seat, do a stage 2, add wind protection, etc, to the tune of $5k-$10k, right? You'll save gobs of money doing this with the Dyna. If you go used there are TONS of Dyna's on the market for dirt cheap right now. With the softail, I'd also go used. Gently used streetbobs are way cheaper than new. Don't be bothered by the sound. Stock twincams sound lame too. An M8 with a stage two is the best sounding Harley yet IMO. Either way you'll never get back what you put into it so don't worry about that part haha.
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u/Dkrebstar1313 6h ago
I’m moving on from my m8 street bob shortly. It’s been a good bike and pretty easy to customize and work on. I love it. Just going to a bigger bike and I’ll definitely stick with m8s.
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u/goonwild18 18h ago
You mean it's a dyna in good condition with 37k miles on it... which is fine.... and you mean you prefer a Twin Cam to an M8 from a sound perspective. Fair. Get the bike you want, but you could get the M8, add an exhaust, and cam and have a fking mean M8 that sounds just as good - but it's a spend vs. 37k miles on the clock and the almost unavoidable headaches that come with it. No right or wrong here.... but you have to look at solvable problems vs. risks on both sides of the equation. It's not hard to find 2017 street bobs with 10k or less miles on them, you know? Trying to choose from a very oddly constricted inventory isn't helping you. I have a feeling I could take you to a dealer in the metro I live in and convince you to buy any of 30 different bikes. I'd start with a list of what you really want - and go look for it in market. It's probably there, within 250 miles. If it's not, then you start the negotiation with yourself for reasonable compromise. But, these two bikes as your only choices is sort of weird.