Any Sportster Riders? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Any Sportster Riders?

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mimico_polak

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Any information you can provide me would be very helpful in your thoughts, experiences, tips, etc. regarding buying a Sportster? I am leaning towards the 2004+ with the rubber mounting of the motor, would prefer EFI, and a double rotor front brake. Anything newer is out of my range unfortunately so it'll be a difference in price of the X to the 883 (or 1200 as those seem to be in decent pricing compared to the 883). ABS is too recent on those things so that's out also.

Really liking it, and tempted to sell the X and try out the Sportster, but since no test rides before buying...well it's not something I want to gamble and then find out 'wtf was I thinking!?'

If someone has one and wants to try the 500X and is willing to let me ride their Sportster...would be forever grateful, but obviously that's a long shot.
 
What’s a jug kit @bitzz .... I assume it’s the 883 to 1200 kit.
how’s that work with insurance...do you even tell em?
 
mimico_polak said:
What’s a jug kit @bitzz .... I assume it’s the 883 to 1200 kit.
how’s that work with insurance...do you even tell em?
Click to expand...

Id be more curious about the reliability of these modded bikes
if you want more power just get the bigger bike
 
I had one and I called it 50/50. At 50 MPH everything was a blur and at 50 Miles you started looking for a gas station. It was an 883 with the jug kit. Mine had carbs and rigid mounts. They do have small gas tanks and to be honest mine had a high normal fuel pick up tube.

It got me back into biking but I found that I preferred touring so went the Goldwing route and never looked back.

I came close to wiping out when I switched to the wing because the Sportie let me know the speed by the vibration. On my way north I was about to enter a familiar corner on the wing and because it was so smooth I didn't realize I was going a lot faster than I thought.

I wouldn't go back.
 
Ummm a lot of the HD faithful call them skirters..... just saying :ROFLMAO:

Already tired of your 500X?

Also maybe after the announcement this week demo's might be possible, or they might have been already.
 
Just get the most recent 1200 you can with the fuel injection, larger tank and rubber mounts. The faster you go with the Sportster, the more it beats you up. If you're one of those who believes they will skyrocket in price after 2021, I suggest the price will go the other way when the new Sportster arrives. I'm hearing through the grapevine the new one will be way faster and modern.
 
I hope you're a glutton for punishment. Sportster has a great, classic, HD look, but is a terrible ride according to anyone I know who has had one. Brutal seat, paint mixer vibration, bad brakes and terrible handling. If you're cruising 10k to the local Timmies and back then OK, if you really expect to ride anywhere pick another bike.
 
sburns said:
Ummm a lot of the HD faithful call them skirters..... just saying :ROFLMAO:

Already tired of your 500X?

Also maybe after the announcement this week demo's might be possible, or they might have been already.
Click to expand...
Nah not tired of it at all. Just a part of me wants to try something different. I’m stupid like that. Like the X and would keep that as primary and then flip secondary bikes for variety’s sake. Since I don’t have the funds for that....need to look differently.
 
Just curious what’s your budget for the sportie and why do you want one? What kinda riding do you want out of it? When I was looking for a new to me bike the small tank really put me off with the sportie.
 
I’ve had 3 Sportsters. The first 2 were rubber mount, 883c then a 1200s.
I loved the rough, brutal simplicity of the 883 after having refined Japanese bikes for many years. The 1200 was more refined. However, they were both reliable, simple bikes that were easy to maintain and took me far.

I traded the 1200s in on a brand new 2007 50th Anniversary Edition Sportster. It was boring and I sold it within 2 years. The rubber mount engine added 50 lbs and sucked the character out of the bike.
I find the current Sportster lineup to be more of a styling exercise than anything I’d personally want to ride.
 
@ReSTored are they that bad? I understand the handling isn't all that awesome, but didn't think it was that bad.

@Kawyman I'm looking up to the 8k range and hoping I can get something within 7k. All depends on what I would be able to get for the X. Hence me asking if there's anyone willing to let me try theirs (which is an obvious longshot). But never hurts to ask.

To answer your other question, I tried the Rebel 500 to get a feel for a cruiser, but that didn't turn my crank. Not sure what it was about it. I'm not doing any more 800-1000km days like before, and that's simply due to time. 200-300km is enough for me nowadays as I want to get home to spend time with the family. The small tank size is def a turn off...but no bike does it all.

I'll call some Harley dealers this week, and insurance, to see what's the deal with rentals and maybe get it out of my system that way.

@kruzuki Thanks for that. I read that when they went to the rubber mounting it gained 50-75lbs. But then it came alive once they hit the EFI instead of the carburetors.
 
"As the model’s launch nears, it’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s part of a series of bikes that will effectively replace the Sportster range. Harley has already withdrawn the entire Sportster lineup from the European market, where the existing 883 and 1200 models no longer meet emissions regulations, leaving a gaping chasm in The Motor Company’s portfolio. The water-cooled, DOHC, 1,250cc “High Performance Custom” will go a long way toward plugging that gap, particularly if it can match the competitive pricing of the Pan America adventure bike that shares the same engine."

www.cycleworld.com

Harley-Davidson Looks to Revive the Nightster Nameplate

Harley-Davidson looks to reclaim the Nightster nameplate in worldwide trademark applications, suggesting its upcoming 1,250cc custom model will bear the name.
www.cycleworld.com www.cycleworld.com

Apparently the new sporties will have the pan america engine, looks neat, but like much of HDs line up, it wont be cheap

@mimico_polak Rode a bunch of sporties a few years back, they're neat bikes, but the suspension is awful, you WILL feel every bump reverberate throughout your spine. I spoke to some owners and nearly all of them replaced the suspension after buying
 
mimico_polak said:
@ReSTored are they that bad? I understand the handling isn't all that awesome, but didn't think it was that bad.

@Kawyman I'm looking up to the 8k range and hoping I can get something within 7k. All depends on what I would be able to get for the X. Hence me asking if there's anyone willing to let me try theirs (which is an obvious longshot). But never hurts to ask.

To answer your other question, I tried the Rebel 500 to get a feel for a cruiser, but that didn't turn my crank. Not sure what it was about it. I'm not doing any more 800-1000km days like before, and that's simply due to time. 200-300km is enough for me nowadays as I want to get home to spend time with the family. The small tank size is def a turn off...but no bike does it all.

I'll call some Harley dealers this week, and insurance, to see what's the deal with rentals and maybe get it out of my system that way.

@kruzuki Thanks for that. I read that when they went to the rubber mounting it gained 50-75lbs. But then it came alive once they hit the EFI instead of the carburetors.
Click to expand...
You’re in XR1200 territory. Might be the only sporty that doesn’t get you into a skirt.

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mimico_polak said:
@ReSTored are they that bad? I understand the handling @kruzuki Thanks for that. I read that when they went to the rubber mounting it gained 50-75lbs. But then it came alive once they hit the EFI instead of the carburetors.
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This is true, but, once again, it sucked the primitive character out of the bike, which was what personally appealed to me in my first Sportsters.
That single carburetor hanging out there between the cylinders makes it so simple for even a beginner home mechanic to modify the intake/jetting to improve performance.
 
With that budget, I’d look at a Victory Vegas/Hammer or Harley 1200C or a1200N perhaps. I believe the 1200C has bigger tank then the 883.. Never bought a 883, but jumping up to a little bigger HP may help with highway cruising and keeping it longer. You could always bump the budget and get a nice Street Glide :)
 
Id suggest the italian harley aka guzzi, but I know polaks and italians dont get along
 
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