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New sportster

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They sure do take their time from the time of press release to availability to the market.

I am happy the Indian has caused a stir for HD to offer more than CVO touring machines that cost a fortune.

Looking forward to seeing the new stuff out in the wild.


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i really dont like the fat front tire. looks more like a fat bob than a sportster.

hoping that aftermarket will have closer foot controls and different front end available.
wonder what the pricing will be? if close to the price of the current sporty it might do well.

edit: bike is also very similar in spec to the vrod but ~100lbs lighter.
 
Chris-CJ said:
Looks more like the XR 750 / Indian FTR and less like the traditional Sportster.
If they are going to call it Sportster then IMO, it should look like one.
(another such example is the Mustang and Mustang Mach-E)
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I don't get why they are trying to copy the Indian FTR that no one bought. I would imagine that sportsters were still one of the best selling bikes in north America. If people wanted and FTR, Scout they would have bought them. I like my simple sportster and knowing the people globally who are on sportster / harley groups this bike is not going to appeal to them. Honestly I can't think of any of Harley's new bikes that I like. 5-6 years ago I dreamed of at least one of every platform. When I rented one of the new touring bikes a couple years ago it was such a boring bike it may as well have been a Honda.

Harley haters won't buy it because it's a Harley. Harley lovers won't buy it because it's not a Harley. I'd buy a 20 year year old v-star before that thing.
 
woot said:
I don't get why they are trying to copy the Indian FTR that no one bought. I would imagine that sportsters were still one of the best selling bikes in north America. If people wanted and FTR, Scout they would have bought them. I like my simple sportster and knowing the people globally who are on sportster / harley groups this bike is not going to appeal to them. Honestly I can't think of any of Harley's new bikes that I like. 5-6 years ago I dreamed of at least one of every platform. When I rented one of the new touring bikes a couple years ago it was such a boring bike it may as well have been a Honda.

Harley haters won't buy it because it's a Harley. Harley lovers won't buy it because it's not a Harley. I'd buy a 20 year year old v-star before that thing.
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Time marches on unfortunately.

The old air-cooled lumps won't cut the cheese from an emissions standpoint, so if they want to have something to sell moving forward they have to go all-in. Same with ABS and perhaps traction control with ABS being mandated in some markets. They'll need their platforms to be ready.

The look will grow on you and they'll release other models that may be closer to the original in execution. This one needed to be dramatically new to prove they were serious about their new lease on life.

Personally I'm glad for them, I hope they get plenty of new riders. My cousins will hate these bikes though. I can hear them now, "Not a real Harley! Looks like a Japanese bike." As long as it works like a Japanese bike then they're gonna be doing well.
 
woot said:
I don't get why they are trying to copy the Indian FTR that no one bought. I would imagine that sportsters were still one of the best selling bikes in north America. If people wanted and FTR, Scout they would have bought them. I like my simple sportster and knowing the people globally who are on sportster / harley groups this bike is not going to appeal to them. Honestly I can't think of any of Harley's new bikes that I like. 5-6 years ago I dreamed of at least one of every platform. When I rented one of the new touring bikes a couple years ago it was such a boring bike it may as well have been a Honda.

Harley haters won't buy it because it's a Harley. Harley lovers won't buy it because it's not a Harley. I'd buy a 20 year year old v-star before that thing.
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The Sportster has been around in one incarnation or another since 1957, its way past time to move along.
The 883s for years have been perceived as a newby/girls bike and wouldn't pull the skin off a pudding.
People ARE buying FTR1200s and Scouts cutting into H-D's 'low end' market.
Change is inevitable, best get used to it.
 
I'll agree with that perception of the 883 but the 1200s are not viewed that way. Most of what is said about sportsters is usually joking to troll a response. I would actually say it may be the most respected bike in the Harley community, as nearly everyone has had one at some point.

Maybe someone who can google better will prove me wrong but I wouldn't be surprised if HD was still selling more sportsters in a year than whatever the best selling sport bike is. I have maybe seen one Scout in the wild and never an FTR.

I think that the new CEO has it right focusing on current products that sell. Or was that last year's CEO? I can't keep track.
 
woot said:
Maybe someone who can google better will prove me wrong but I wouldn't be surprised if HD was still selling more sportsters in a year than whatever the best selling sport bike is.
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Neither would I.

I like all the sportster models. Hopefully this new sportster will gain traction in markets they had to pull the existing sportster out of (e.g. europe)

Sidenote: i can spend hours on instagram viewing european / asian sportsters and their group rides. Beautiful bikes
 
For all the people that trash HD (many of which are on this forum)
Doesn't seem to bother HD one bit.
My advice, appreciate a motorcycle for what it is, not what it isn't.

I agree with the above, I think this bike could do very well if priced right and introduced into the right segment. I think HD proved this with their ADV bike and it will continue to grow a following.
 
This is a replacement for the Sportster, although they may label it a Sportster for branding reasons.

I can remember as a kid in the mid sixties that the Sportster was considered quite the machine and highly regarded vs. the British 500 and 650 singles and twins of the day. The Japanese bikes quashed that pretty quickly and it then continued on as a bare bones entry level HD. The Sportster was / is ancient technology, poor performance and a PITA (literally) to ride for any distance.

I suspect the price of the new bike will be quite a bit more than the Sportster is replaces and we'll have to see how it compares with other bikes in the same price catagory.
 
Jampy00 said:
My advice, appreciate a motorcycle for what it is, not what it isn't.
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Baloney. Nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade. If the owners want to get butthurt about it then that’s on them.
 
I like the new fresher designs coming from HD. While this style of bike isn't my cup of java, the specs on the new Sportster put it into class leadership (against the Scout, Triumph Bobber, Bolt Vulcan, Boulevard etc). I think price will define success for this bike, hopefully HD recognizes this is the entry to their brand and they may have a small window where they could crush the aforementioned competition - if priced right.

Based on what I read, this is going to be the high end of midweight cruisers, leaving room for a smaller, cheaper "883-ish" replacement. That would be a couple of nice bookends for the midweight cruiser market.

I guess we'll know in the next few days.
 
Evoex said:
Baloney. Nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade. If the owners want to get butthurt about it then that’s on them.
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Wait, so my advise is wrong and yours is right?
 
I concur with everyone else who says it has Indian vibes.

I also concur with the comment that it might be tough to shake it's "Girls bike" vibe with carrying the Sportster name. There's a very large portion of the native HD market (not including any new people they bring into the circle, which could be the goal here) who wouldn't be caught dead riding anything with the Sportster badge, no matter how much they might actually like it.

I do kinda dig it though even though it's not really the kinda bike I'd ever own.
 
PrivatePilot said:
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I also concur with the comment that it might be tough to shake it's "Girls bike" vibe with carrying the Sportster name. There's a very large portion of the native HD market (not including any new people they bring into the circle, which could be the goal here) who wouldn't be caught dead riding anything with the Sportster badge, no matter how much they might actually like it.

I do kinda dig it though even though it's not really the kinda bike I'd ever own.
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I too think it's a cool bike. I'd never own, one -- that's not a jab at the bike as there are hundreds of bikes and a few makes that I'd never own.

I'm pretty sure the Sportster will be used as it always has been used, for a new riders first taste of a Harley and for the Harley Girl's bike. Personally the girl's bike label wouldn't bother me if I really liked a bike, I really don't care what anyone else thinks about what I ride, I buy bikes for me (and I have proof: my daily is a DL650).

The new rider will be the key. It's going to be tough to shell out for a Bolt, Vulcan, Scout, if the HD (girls bike) is even close in price. Too early to call it a winner, but I think it will do well.
 
Mad Mike said:
I really don't care what anyone else thinks about what I ride
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Let's not forget we're talking about Harley here. Ensuring everyone else knows what they're riding is the name of the game for 90% of their owners. If the name on the bike isn't enough, it's on their jacket, their boots, their gloves, their wallet, their socks, their underwear, and the back of their vehicle.

So the native "already own a Harley" market won't go for that. It'l be forever a "chick bike" in the hard core pre-existing owner circles.

New entry level riders looking for an "in" to the Harley world, yeah, it's got hope for sure. I think there will be a lot of guys secretly digging it as well, but not willing to risk the horrific ribbing in the parking lot from all their kin when they pull in on said girls bike lol.
 
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