Dyna Switchback Review

Full review of a 2012 harley davidson dyna switchback.
What do you think of this bike?

[dcmckenz]

I currently own a 2014 FLD Switchback and it’s my favorite bike that I’ve ever owned. I bought it because I took a 7 day trip from Texas to Colorado and back, and I rode my dad’s FLD about half the time. I live in Hawaii and had to rent a bike (FLSTF) which I didn’t like as much. My dad is 5’10” and I’m 6’3”. It was totally comfortable for me and handled great on twisty roads at speed and cruising on the freeway. At the time I owned a 2007 FLSTN that was at my home in Hawaii. These are the bikes I’ve owned in order- ‘71 Yamaha XS-650, ‘73 Yamaha XS-750, Honda CB 900, ‘99 Sportster 1200, ‘07 Softail Deluxe, and now the ‘14 FLD Switchback which has the 103 motor. I don’t care what some other Harley guys think of it, or if they call it a baby Road King. My brother had a Road King and the FLD is twice the bike as far as I’m concerned.

[edwestbrook]

So the switchback doesn’t have a touring front end, it looks like one but it’s a wideglide front end with a nacelle. It’s a dyna chassis with a 103, what’s not to love! It’s nimble, fast enough and almost 100lbs lighter than your average touring bike. Also the stock handlebars are awesome, maybe not your thing but the bike handles fantastically with the stock set up. The bag issue is a user error thing, I’ve never had this problem but I do check it all the time so it does live in my head rent free. My problem with the switchback is that it was only made for a few years so it can be hard to find replacement parts like the stock bags. Perfect daily rider though vs the bigger touring bikes. I personally own a switchback and an Electraglide and a couple shovel choppers and the switchback is my main rig. It’s great for day rides, ripping around town and carving the twisties. You can even tour with it.

[Jeff-ttyt]

Love my switchback. Handles like a Dyna with better comfort. Riding the mountains is a blast with it. Traded my RK in for something better in the curves and this bike nailed it. Bags are perfect size for day trips . Did change the bars, pipes and added DJ 9:36 tuner. Seem to a

[C-sy]

This bike makes much more sense in Europe, where the roads are smaller. A simple cable tie would solve the bag problem.

[elwaupo]

I have the Dyna Street Bob Dyna that’s been converted to a Switchback, love how much lighter it is then my buddies full dresser. Full Dresser is nice and floats like a cloud on the road but not practical for every day riding and I can take it on long trips. I love mine!

[garrettashby]

Why do I always meet fat guys 4” shorter than me talking about how Sportster/Softail/Dyna are too small for them. Then they go hop in their lifted Silverado and drive off.

[positivelynegative]

All the things you call "terrible" are just not your preference. That doesn't make it a made design. For example, I happen to like those handlebars and floorboards. 🤷‍♂️

[scottcalloway]

Its a great bike. The bags falling off is mostly operator error, ask me how I know. The issue is people keep mucking around with them and screw up the bushings or slide it on and forget to turn the lock. I've had mine for 1 year and a half and put 11K on it cruising the PCH and have no issues. The bars are upgraded though, but everybody upgrades the bars. I saw a guy that put T-bars on a breakout once.

[Ben-tdzv]

Road from Pittsburgh to Sturgis on mine in 2 days.

Pushed the stock bars forward for a better angle and removed the stock quick detach windshield.

Bike has treated me very well.

[brghry]

Bought my FLD new in '12, cause it was very comfortable being 5'5". We've toured the mountain roads between Michigan and Florida each season. I frequently use the 'switch' options, and my daily rider config is to remove the windshield and bags and outfit it with a solo saddle. It's like having two motorcycles.

[thekid]

Just picked one up. Im 6'0" and totally comfortable (although i would like a heel toe shift eventually). So i like the bike, however at the dealer we could not remove the bags, and i noticed removable cotter keys modified into the attachment hardware. After seeing your video I totally understood what it was for. And after seeing your video I think I'm just going to leave the bags on, and keep the cotter keys in place. Thanks for the heads up though, much appreciated!

[Doobie]

That saddlebag issue was a 20 dollar fix for my Dad's FLD. Conely's has a bracket that locks it to your bike from the inside of the bag. Gotta be honest with you a couldn't disagree more on this bike and I feel like people always tear down anything Harley does that doesn't fit the Harley mold. I like how Dynas feel better than Soft tails too, always have for some reason. I like the aggressive feel over the smoothness of the soft tail. One big thing I like about the Switchback is that it gets better gas mileage than any other HD I have ridden and it still has balls. IDK I think you are wrong on this one but opinions are opinions I'm not mad about it. Stay up!

[majortunesmusic]

They knew what they were making, you have to get a bike that fits you.
Customized a few things to fit my style and BAM! My switchback is the sh!t..
No issues, maybe a one off but a 2 for 1 bike. You gotta know what you’re buying. Mikey Loco from DirtBags California has one. Very true on finding parts for it tho’ gotta do your own work.

[robthomason]

Half assed opinion and hate… the switchback is a great all rounder and a great start point for some customising! The bag fell off… laughed my ass off - how’s that the bikes fault? Operator error dude.

[seansimone-ek]

I always love those bikes. I thought it was a great design. Makes me want to go out and buy another one, but I can’t afford a second bike.

[bradmiller]

Interesting. I'm looking at a 2012 with 20k miles on it for 7 thousand dollars. It looks super this a fair price ? It's at a dealer.

[raymondwalls]

Looked at those, since I have an 01 Dyna, but ended up buying a RK...
Came down to comfort! And bags..
Switchback bags were way to small vs the RK's..

[charliesimpson]

Pretty strong opinions for someone selling a bike! I’ve heard a lot of good reviews on this bike, so would take what this guy says with a grain of salt. Lol

[dalejarman]

Or a 75 year old rider with a bad back.

[charlesdigennaro]

I’ve rode my friends. I thought it felt great. I ride a road king so this bike was much easier to handle but he had the same issue with the bag falling off. I saw the mechanism they use and I thought it was a stupid design but it could have been rider error. Who knows