Next month I'm heading out on a four day girls only ride. The route alone sounds absolutely wonderful and riding with just the girls will surely be full of great memories. The downside to this, however, is that my husband won't be there for me to utilize the space in one of his saddle bags. I told Tiffany she'd have to let me use one of hers but her obsession with t-shirts over ruled that request. So, I've bitten the bullet and purchased my own saddle bags for my softail Deluxe. I haven't put them on yet. Guess I'm waiting until the last moment so I can continue to enjoy the clean look of the bike as it is right now.
Another item I bought for the bike and haven't installed is a heat shield that goes over the part of the bike that burns the crap out of my thigh. The weather hasn't been very hot here but the few times I've been out riding and felt that heat on my thigh, I just know when things do warm up that I'll be a hurtin'. A friend of mine bought a heat shield last summer for her softail Heritage and it's worked well for her. I'll probably hold off until my trip to install that too.
Something I haven't bought but would like to is a new exhaust. The stock pipes are okay (better than in the past) but they certainly don't put out the rumble that I prefer. One of the great service guys over at Latus showed me some Rinehart Cross Overs that looked pretty slick. The Vance & Hines Big Radius look great too. But lately I've been been thinking about going dual, maybe even with fishtail tips. I don't know, something about the nostalgic look that the Deluxe is known for is starting to grow on me. Whatever I end up deciding, it will most likely be some time before I get it. After the quote for the Rineharts (pipes, labor, dyno time, etc) my current budget just can't afford the new exhaust.
