We’ve all had a sickening feeling at one time or another. It came to me recently when I realized I might have made a $20,000 mistake purchasing the Street Glide I’ve talked so much about in this column the last few months. “I thought I was ready for a big touring motorcycle. Stop second-guessing yourself,” I scolded myself as I rode the bike on Interstate 90 toward the Sturgis rally. “You just spent 20 grand and then made it your own with custom paint. There’s no backing out now! Quit thinking those silly thoughts!”

Why, all of a sudden, was I thinking I’d made the wrong decision with my Street Glide? Because this year, more than any, it seemed like I have seen a greater number of riders on motorcycles, mostly Softail Deluxes and Heritage Softail Classics, with apehangers. I love apehangers. I love how the high bars position a rider. Very old school. I’m comfortable riding in that position. But I gave up the apes when I moved from riding my ’94 Dyna Low Rider. You can’t have apes on a Street Glide. Well, you can, but they look pretty stupid. The only FL model that looks half decent with apes is the Road King, and more and more Road King riders, including my husband, are making the switch so that they can have their knuckles high in the breeze. For his birthday, I fulfilled his wish by buying him a set of 16" apes.

So here we are, riding to Sturgis, he with his arms hanging high, me with the new Matte Brown and Antique Red flame suede-to-the-touch custom paint, and who gets more attention at gas stations? “How d’ya like the apes?” was the question we heard all week. Well, who cares what other people think. I got the new bike and paint to please myself. But all those questions brought attention to the fact that I miss riding with my arms high like that. In fact, the 11" apes on my Dyna are too low. I’ve always wanted barely legal high ones. The low, wide stance of the stock Street Glide bars, or any touring bars for that matter, just don’t feel or look cool to me.

The whole ape/no ape struggle that week forced me to analyze why I went for the touring bike in the first place, and not to dwell on what I lost, but what I’d gained. First, I was seeking more stability on the road. The wide footprint, larger front end, and all around heavier bike makes me feel more stable at high speeds, which is comforting when traveling on the highway in the 75-80 mph range. Unlike most people, I don’t like speed, but I go fast on a highway because I have to. Second, I was seeking more storage space. I love the large, hard-sided bags that allow me to take a lot of stuff. I’m way over trying to pare down when I go for a ride. If I want to take my big hobo-sized purse because I don’t feel like transferring the necessities to my fanny pack that day, I can. If I want to take several different pairs of sunglasses — clear for evening, yellow if the day turns overcast, and two different tinted ones because I can’t decide which ones I want to wear — I can. I never have to debate with myself if there’s a place for rain gear. Now I can take the rain protection, as well as the lighter and heavier fleeces. It was all about compromise with the smallish, soft-sided, brown leather saddlebags that hung from my Dyna. Extra stuff had to be bungeed to the sissybar. When you’re a new rider, it can be a fun challenge proving to yourself just how much you can get by with, but I’m done trying to prove anything to myself anymore. I’m done with compromise. I love that the bags are lockable, too. As I leave my bike, I never have to be preoccupied with thoughts that somebody’s going to steal my jacket. Lockable bags give me peace of mind.

Lastly, I wanted a radio and CD player. I’d ridden a few dressers before with audio setups and, to my surprise, enjoyed having tunes on the ride. I really got hooked on jamming to music and singing out loud on a long distance trip. Plus, it’s a great way to prevent yourself from getting sleepy while riding. In 2007, I tucked my iPod in my jacket pocket while riding a Victory King Pin Deluxe to and from Sturgis, but I didn’t feel safe having the iPod in my ears, blocking out other noise while riding. The Street Glide’s external speakers allow me to safely listen to music on the road.

So, I traded in apes for creature comforts. What did I learn from this mental wrestling match with myself? That there’s no utopia, even in motorcycling. The only way to have it all is to have a different selection of bikes to choose from. I still have my Dyna in the garage; now I’ll just have to get a Softail and outfit it with apes.AIM

Genevieve Schmitt is the founder of www.WomenRidersNow.com, the leading source for motorcycling lifestyle news. E-mail her at gschmitt@womenridersnow.com.