Go Sportsters

A loop around and through Death Valley this weekend.

NO baffle in that Kerker? :eek1 That's gotta be loud!!

There's a baffle, just not an endcap. Its a bassani, and not too loud at all. Somewhere between stock and the SE II slip ons I had on it before.

I finally have my 1200! Ordered early december and delivered, with all work on it done, last week! Paint job, tuning, some add-ons. For now I'm all set, except for the weather, which sucks big time for the coming weeks. No riding, just lurking in the garage :)

Man you post some cool photos from the day

Thanks.



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I had a Bub's 7 on a Dyna I once owned, they are a good pipe, run much better than the typical 2 into 2 setups. Nice sound too. That's a good looking bike..

Hey folks,

I'm looking at getting a Sporty this spring, I love the 883 Iron. Its an awesome looking bike. I was wondering if there are any, or much difference in the ride quality of that vs the 1200 custom, other than the power difference and the tank size. I'm 6ft and 180lbs. Thanks

I don't know that it'll help since I haven't ridden a Custom, but I did ride an Iron, back to back with a 48. As you mentioned, there was a power difference. At urban speeds it didn't feel like as much of a difference as I would have thought though. I believe the Iron is geared lower so around town it was fine, but I got the impression that it would run out of oomph sooner than the larger 1200 and would probably be more noticeable at highway speeds.

Ride quality wise, I didn't detect a difference but the seat on the Iron felt better. Then again, the Iron had mid controls and the 48 had forwards (that's why I rode them both actually) so that may have contributed to the difference I felt in the seat comfort. I felt more natural and comfortable and really enjoyed the ride on the Iron more. I have since changed out the controls on my 48 to mids and all is well.

With that said, the ride quality on both absolutely SUCKS! As soon as I can afford it I'm planning to upgrade my suspension to Ohlins in the rear and Rico Intiminators and new springs in the forks.

Not sure about the dealers in Canada, but here it's pretty easy to get a test ride. All I needed was my motorcycle endorsement on my license and proof of motorcycle insurance. If possible I'd recommend you just do as I did and take a spin on both, back to back and see which you like for yourself.

"I didn't buy a Sportster because I wanted a Harley....I bought a Harley because I wanted a Sportster."

My sentiments exactly.

looks like somebody transplanted a sporty mill into a suzuki gs chassis, cool.

That's where I am at right now. My friends tell me to go bigger, but the Sporty is what I like, nothing against the bigger bikes, they just don't do anything for me. Coming off a Ninja 400R.......I am going bigger.

Thanks Randy,

I was back at then dealer this morning and sat on both the 1200 custom and the 883. Gotta say I like the Iron better. Coming off sport bikes, and this being my first Harley/cruiserish (I think I just made up a new word) bike, the mids fell better, and more natural to me. Throw some highway pegs on to stretch out on long trips and I'll be good.

Ya, I have not heard one good thing about the Sporty suspension, or lack of. But I figure that's a pretty easy, fairly inexpensive fix.

Thanks again.

Finally the roads where dry and clear of salt today. The sun was shining so I took my 2013 Harley Davidson Sportster XL1200C Special for a short ride. The very first kilometers. 26 to be exact. What a joy!

Yep, same here. I've always been a sport bike type, or at least a standard bike guy. Before the 48 my GS was the least sporty street bike I've ever owned. In fact, until just recently I just didn't get the whole H-D/cruiser thing at all.

The forwards just felt really weird to me. I decided I'd give a try and see if I could get used to em, so I left em on my bike for a bit. And yeah, I did get used to them, but that doesn't change the fact that they are an inferior set-up for really riding a bike. All of your weight is on your ass, my hips were rotated to a weird angle that just didn't feel right, the reach to the relatively low and forward bars on the 48 made me feel like I was folded up like a taco and didn't feel right to my back, shoulders or arms. Combine that with the poor suspension and the fact that your ass is planted with no way of standing to use your legs to absorb the bigger hits, and it was just a receipt for a bad experience. And then there is the whole control issue too. Of course I can say that because I'm fortunate to not have long legs or bad knees. Everyone's preoccupation with a low seat height really does limit the ergonomic options with the typical cruiser platform. And that's not even considering the typical cruiser rider's concern with "looking cool"...

But for me at least, the mids really help all of that. In fact, the crappy stock seat on the 48 and 72, that everyone bitches about is actually pretty comfortable once I swapped to the mids. Sorta like a Corbin or Sargent actually. Firm and sculpted into the "tractor" shape that fits my narrow ass pretty well. I do plan to add some highway pegs at some point just so I can shift positions occasionally, but I'll be selling the forward set-up since I can't ever see going back to it.

The suspension is a relative easy fix. Cost is relative to just how well you want it "fixed". There are some cheap options out there and some people are happy with them. Just depends on your expectations, and what you hope to achieve. I'm going with Ohlins and they aren't exactly "cheap". But for me they are worth the extra. I firmly believe that with suspension, like so many other things in life, you get what you pay for and I'm willing to spend more to get more.

Good luck getting the bike that suits your needs and getting it set up to your satisfaction.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm not a "Harley rider". I am a motorcyclist that just happens to have a motorcycle made by Harley Davidson. Before seeing the 48 the first time I had no interest in anything H-D. Never did. It was actually just a fluke that I even went into the dealership in the first place. In fact, it was a customer's 48 sitting out front that originally peaked my curiosity. Then once I saw mine (or one like it at least), with the gold bass boat paint job.... First H-D to even turn my head...

I think some guys are hung up on the whole male ego thing too. Then again, size probably has a lot to do with it. I'm not a big guy. I'm about 5'7" and weigh a whopping 145ish pounds, so a Sportster fits me well. If I was 6'4" and topped 250, I'm sure I'd feel differently. Now, don't get me wrong... If they produced my bike with a big inch motor... Or even if it came stock with a Buell top end and could be making close to 100hp, I'd be all over that! My Buell S1 does feel a good bit quicker. But I digress. They are different machines with different purposes in mind and I new that going in. I have faster bikes already. I really just wanted exactly what the Sportster offers. Or I will at least, once I get my NRHS filter on it, get the fueling right, and then get my suspension up to snuff.... Does it ever end?

I sure hope not!!

Allan Girdler, of Cycle World fame with his iron motor XR 750 at Daytona in the 90's. I raced against him several times with a 750 Ducati.
The last time I talked with him , he said he was done with AHRMA because they changed the rules saying all bikes in F-750 had to run twin front discs and a fairing. He said his bike was never equiped with twin discs or a fairing ,though other versions on the 750 were , so he was out.
To me it's just another case of AHRMA throwing the baby out with the bath water.

While polishing the chrome for the first time ever, I just noticed that my Nightster has a little star wheel to tighten the throttle down for cruise control. I didn't even know what it was until I played with it a bit. ARRRRRRGGHH!!! I suppose I am pretty happy, but why didn't anybody tell me this before? I sure could have used that a few times.

It's pretty terrible though, almost unsafe. I guess on really long rides on straight flat roads it would be good.

I'm going to ride I-95 down to Florida next week, so I'll test it out then. I imagine it will be tricky to keep the throttle at the intended position while tightening the wheel just enough to hold it.