i have no experience with springers, but i can say that since i swapped over to front suspension mountain bikes (in the mid 90's when they first became popular/cheap) I would never go back to non suspension. When i built my motoredbike there was really no question it had to have front shocks. I'm sure it helps the vibration going to the engine when i go off-road/over grass, and in Ottawa the curb where you're supposed to ride a bike is generally not much better then a field in terms of bumpiness, because we suffer from continual frost heave every year. So for me, in my city, for my application, a springer probably wouldn't cut it. They certainly do look slick and cool though, i can't argue that! If i was going to put a springer on a bike, i would probably build the bike around the fact it was going to look retro.