Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bill929 on March 14, 2020, 09:10:19 AM
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I've had about 20 bikes over my 58 years and before this one, had never even ridden a Harley Davidson. Decided to make a change. Just rode it home yesterday.
(https://i.ibb.co/FhxvKKm/IMG-0288.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FhxvKKm)
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Congrats! Nice looking bike :thumb:
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I've had about 20 bikes over my 58 years and before this one, had never even ridden a Harley Davidson. Decided to make a change. Just rode it home yesterday.
(https://i.ibb.co/FhxvKKm/IMG-0288.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FhxvKKm)
As one who has a couple years on you, I can verify that at our age our powers of discernment and good judgement are fading..... since there is no cure, might as well enjoy the process. :wink:
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Congratulations- Have fun with your sportster. Lots of opinions, but I really like them. Sportsters are Sportsters. they can be a lot of fun, even if others aren't interested.
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Nice bike, Bill! Is that sporty customized, or is that the way Harley sells it? Lately HD has gone in some new directions with their styling.
Rick.
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Beautiful Sporty! However, your clean garage is making me feel guilty!
Bob
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Sportys are cool and great bikes. Very reliable. IMHO the best bike Harley builds. I had one for a couple of years. I should have kept it for a run around town bike.
kk
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Why not if you are so inclined. With the exception of a few dirt bikes and one BMW I have ridden only Guzzis for 50+ years now. But as my sister and brother in law are Harley people not to mention my grandsons father was a Harley parts manager at the local dealership for 20 years I know them pretty well. Interestingly enough all of the Harleys I have ridden were sportsters that belonged to my sister. I liked them all. Not enough to buy one but thats not because I thought they were inferior, just different. If I were to buy a Harley it would most likely be a sporty.
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Very nice! I have had a couple Sportsters and enjoyed them. That Roadster is very nice!
And your garage is way too tidy! :laugh:
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Nice bike! :thumb:
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Looks like lots of fun! Nice color too.
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Nice bike, Bill! Is that sporty customized, or is that the way Harley sells it? Lately HD has gone in some new directions with their styling.
Rick.
Rick - that is bone stock. The Roadster comes with a longer (preload adjustable) rear shock - with the accompanying greater seat height and lean angle, double disk front brakes and an inverted front fork. Seat height is high for a Harley - 30.9 inches. It has an analog tach, with a digital speedo in the single cluster. Very minimalistic though, which is what I was going for...
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Beautiful Sporty! However, your clean garage is making me feel guilty!
Bob
Bob - don't feel guilty, I moved some crap before taking the photo... :grin:
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Rick - that is bone stock. The Roadster comes with a longer (preload adjustable) rear shock - with the accompanying greater seat height and lean angle, double disk front brakes and an inverted front fork. Seat height is high for a Harley - 30.9 inches. It has an analog tach, with a digital speedo in the single cluster. Very minimalistic though, which is what I was going for...
Bill, how would you describe the foot peg location? Slightly forward?
Bob
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Bill, how would you describe the foot peg location? Slightly forward?
Bob
Bob - Harley lists them as mid mounted pegs and I find them pretty close to standard. The seat to peg distance is pretty short (and so am I), so someone 6 feet or over is going to be cramped. They make both forward and rear sets for this bike, but both of those are pretty extreme, at least for me.
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I'm not an HD guy, never ridden or owned one, but I've always regretted that I didn't pick up a couple of NOS XLCRs for cheap,,,waayyy back in the day.
I've always had a soft spot for Sportsters of this style, they have a minimalist raw mechanical aura about them, that no other bike quite matches.
Congrats, very well bought, hope you put lots of miles on it
Kelly
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I'm not an HD guy, never ridden or owned one, but I've always regretted that I didn't pick up a couple of NOS XLCRs for cheap,,,waayyy back in the day.
I've always had a soft spot for Sportsters of this style, they have a minimalist raw mechanical aura about them, that no other bike quite matches.
Congrats, very well bought, hope you put lots of miles on it
Kelly
That minimalist raw mechanical aura was exactly what I was going for. You hit it right on the head...
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Nice bike and good luck. My opinion the XR1200 is a better looking piece,and you saw where that went.
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Congrats! :thumb:
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So how's the handling compared to a Guzzi?
I ask because when I was riding my Cal III, a friend swapped with me and I rode his Kawasaki Vulcan V-twin for a leg of a trip.
I stopped to put air in the tires (it didn't need it) because as bad as that thing handled, it was like riding a Guzzi with two flat tires.
I always assume that my Guzzis handle better than anything in their class ....
Lannis
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Oh well, you can always resell.
I went to look at a tuned HD a few years back on my Ducati MHR. Took the tuned HD for a ride (1200 Sportster with lots of add ons). Went home on my MHR and realised how different the bikes were. Kept the MHR a bit longer.
The HD just did not go around corners, and if I had managed to lean it, it would have touched down too easily......my right knee was about 6 inches too far out in the wind......my back hurt from my feet being so far forward.....the rev range of the engine was very small. I hate to think how an un-tuned bike would have been!
AndyB
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Bob - Harley lists them as mid mounted pegs and I find them pretty close to standard. The seat to peg distance is pretty short (and so am I), so someone 6 feet or over is going to be cramped. They make both forward and rear sets for this bike, but both of those are pretty extreme, at least for me.
Back in 2002, a good buddy and his wife called to ask if I could take a few days vacation, fly to L Vegas, rent a bike, and go riding into Utah and AZ with them. Sure! I couldn't find any Beemer rentals, so settled for a HD Dyna Low Rider. Made that decision looking at photos of several rental Harleys, and picked the one with the least amount of 'forward control.' Took some getting used to, but all in all, not a bad ride.
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:thumb:
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Good Choice, once you get used to 60 horsepower the XL1200CX is a fun bike. I bought one 6 months ago from a insurance auction , made the repairs and turned it into my daily transportation. The Griso is lighter, better brakes , faster and more comfortable but the sportster has its charm.
(https://i.ibb.co/B21HW4Q/20200311-123309-2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/B21HW4Q)
Yesterday
(https://i.ibb.co/sg5Pqqb/SAM-2953.jpg) (https://ibb.co/sg5Pqqb)
The day I got it
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Nice! Just saw that color in the flesh at the dealer today. Would have been my choice if it was available in 2017. After 26 bikes I figured I needed to have one Harley also. No regrets. 22,000+ miles so far. Stock tires went away quick. Quite a few mods to make it work for me -$$$. Enjoy!
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Congratulations. Every motorcycle enthusiast should own at least one Harley at some point in their lives. I had a 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone. (Not a Harley I have been told) It was really just a Sportster in a tube frame. I liked the bike but not enough to keep it. It was a bullet proof lump, comfortable on trips and it had lots of torque. I actually hated working on it because it was not metric and not what I was used to. The Buell had the feel of a prototype bike where things were just not thought out very well.
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I joined the Sportster club last year with an ‘06 Roadster. I’ve got to admit — it’s a fun bike. Don’t know why the posers look down on them. I bought it with the intent to ride it around for a month, and then sell it for what I have in it. Still have it, though, and now think I may just keep it.
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So how's the handling compared to a Guzzi?
I ask because when I was riding my Cal III, a friend swapped with me and I rode his Kawasaki Vulcan V-twin for a leg of a trip.
I stopped to put air in the tires (it didn't need it) because as bad as that thing handled, it was like riding a Guzzi with two flat tires.
I always assume that my Guzzis handle better than anything in their class ....
Lannis
Lannis - I just got it yesterday, so I only have 120 miles on it and the first 50 of those were scrubbing in the tires, so I was taking it pretty easy while getting used to the bike at the same time... I haven't ridden any of the new Guzzi bikes, so I can't compare, but it is far more willing to take corners quickly than my Californias. My LeMans was the last sporting Guzzi I had, but that was 1980s technology on bias ply tires, so that comparison is apples to oranges. The HP is not huge, but I found out many years ago that 125 bhp (like my BMW GS) doesn't really help that much on our roads - mid range torque is what really makes it fun and the Roadster has plenty. It is certainly not light, but the suspension is firm and when I look through a turn it naturally goes right through with very little counter steer effort - in fact the natural weight I put on the bar when I lean is all it takes. I've checked my speed after coming out of several familiar corners and it is comparable to what I was doing on my GS - which is certainly not sport bike territory, but plenty fast for sensible street riding. Published lean angles are 30.8 right and 31.1 left - again not sport bike territory, but plenty for me. And the seat height (and narrowness of the bike) are perfect for someone my size. I also was pleasantly surprised at how well it came up my driveway (8-15% grade and 3/10 mile of dirt and gravel). Actually did better than my GS (which wasn't that great until I switched tires). Someone told me the Roadster is a great bike at 6/10 - 8/10s, but falls short beyond that. I think that describes it well.
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It's been referred to as a 'girl's bike' by big twin riders for years. I think that was a Harley marketing ploy that started back (mid 1980's) when you could buy an 883 for $3995.00, ride it for a year, then trade it in on a 'big twin' and get $3995.00 in trade. 'We'll shame the 883 riders into trading up.' Come on, macho men, get off that moped.
To my way of thinking, (being 77 years old) I remember the Sportster being introduced in the late 1950s as a (the) very sporty Harley, one that could compete with the Brit bikes of the period.
I still have a right knee that will occasionally hurt. The cause? Trying to help a friend start his late '50's Sporty in 1965 - non electric leg.
- kick 1: damn, this thing is hard to kick over. Really put all of your 125 pounds into it next try.
- kick 2: Ouch, ouch, ouch ..... I put everything I had into it, and the starter ratchet slipped. That really hurt!
I think you bought a beautiful machine with over 60 years of history behind it.
Bob
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Congrats on the new bike. I have owned a few Harleys and still have one. I really like my shovel head and like my Calli 1100 I will never sell them. Harleys are torque monsters and just plane fun to ride. Unlike my shovel, you can flog your sporty all day long and she will do it without complaint. It is a good solid bike. Hope you have a lot of trouble free miles with it. One more thing, it is ok and not mandatory to dress up like a pirate when you ride it. :)
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Back in the 60's, if you wanted performance you chose either a BSA Lightning, the HD Sportster, or the Triumph Bonneville. All 3 could do the 100 mph mark. I always admired the Sportster...….It just looked macho !!! The Kid
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I had a 99 super glide, which I think is much the same bike as the sportster 1200 But with the 1450 motor. I put S+S cams, headers and jetted up the carb to match the cams and that bike was a Beast! I kept if for about a year then realized I needed to get rid of it before I got killed or lost my license. That thing tried to pull you off the back when you opened up the throttle!
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I'm a big EVO motor and Sporty fan. You got a very nice motorcycle.
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V&H FP-3, Rich Products 2-1 "Thunder" header and hang on tite!!! Great bike :thumb:
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I've had an Ironhead Sportster, two shovelheads and last year a 2001 Sportster...I had big pland for the Sportster, rear set pegs an controls,Koni rear shocks,different fork springs and low bars..It was a nice bike for back roads...But within a year I sold it because I just didn't care for the handling"feedback".......A personal choice that may mean nothing to other riders...
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Bill, how would you describe the foot peg location? Slightly forward?
Bob
I test rode one last week. Since you mentioned the foot peg. I noticed the shifter was more at the end of my boot
And weird to shift, then when we got back I had trouble getting neutral. So I went back to look at the other Sportster
Models and the Roadster has a set back on the foot peg. It was a good ride however, much more modern fell than my
06 1200R. They didn’t have any abs on any Roadsters which I didn’t like for a $12000 motorcycle. I can buy a newer Griso or V7 for a lot less and have abs, or there’s a hardly used Bmw 1200R for $11k here.
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I test rode one last week. Since you mentioned the foot peg. I noticed the shifter was more at the end of my boot
And weird to shift, then when we got back I had trouble getting neutral. So I went back to look at the other Sportster
Models and the Roadster has a set back on the foot peg. It was a good ride however, much more modern fell than my
06 1200R. They didn’t have any abs on any Roadsters which I didn’t like for a $12000 motorcycle. I can buy a newer Griso or V7 for a lot less and have abs, or there’s a hardly used Bmw 1200R for $11k here.
Several reviews I've read have noted an initial difficulty finding neutral, but I did not find that to be true with the Roadster I bought. I didn't pay anywhere near $12k for my bike. The other bikes I considered were a 2019 BMW R nine T Pure and a 2019 Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber Sport. All three were right around $10k, plus tax, tag. The BMW and Guzzi have ABS (an option on the Roadster), but the BMW just didn't have the character I was looking for (looks yes, motor no) and the Guzzi fell a very close 2nd to the Roadster. Two factors weighed heavily against the Guzzi. Availability of accessories and dealer network. I live in a rural area and the closest Guzzi dealer is more than 2 hours away - and is a heavy traffic (unpleasant at best) ride to get there. There are three HD dealerships within an hour or so ride (backroad riding). On the accessory side, LED lighting is a must for me. HD has an optional LED headlight (which was included) and Custom Dynamics make LED running lights (which I will soon install) that are integrated into the turn signals. Bright white LED running lights transform into amber turn signals when you hit the indicator switch. So once again, the lack of dealer network and support cost Guzzi a sale.