I'm looking to buy my wife her own bike but I don't know any female riders. She likes the lowrider but they dicontinued them so I tried to get her interested in a Softail Deluxe without success. She's 5'6" and about 120 lbs. Any suggestions would be helpfull. Also her first bike.
I want it to be a nice bike because it may turn out to be my second bike if you know what I mean....ha ha ha
What was the problem convincing her to go for the Deluxe? This bike was designed for shorter inseams with a lower seat height and the seat moved slightly forward to reach the foot & hand controls better. Even at 5'6" she'll feel much more comfortable and in control on this bike, even though she's not that short. The advantage of the Heritage over a Deluxe is that it comes with bags and shield... However the Deluxe is way better for handling by a new rider, IMHO.
After coming off of a Honda 250 Rebel my wife had a Low Rider for 7 years and although it was a great looking bike, with the raked front end it was a lot more difficult to maneuver than the Ultra she currently rides.
If she's (or you) are stuck on H-D the Deluxe is the way to go... However a great starting bike for a lady is the Honda 750 Shadow... More than enough power to start off with and a bike that could do for a few years while she decides what's next. Besides, you can pick up a used Shadow without a big investment until she knows for sure that this riding thing is for her.
Again, JMHO.
Good luck & please pass along a message to your better half...
You go girl!