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I sat on a Harley today!
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My knees are still shaking, do you ever get over it? Anyhoo, I was
going to Walmart anyway and the HD dealer is right next door so
I said what the heck. I looked em over and thought the big
Sportster was more my cup of tea with a decent sized tank.
All fuel injected this year. I think the guy may have been a little
offended when I said I was thinking about a puttin bike for when I
wanted to take it easy. When I'm on the Ducati, I'm on the throttle,
I can't help it. I might test one out when it warms up a bit, looks
like it might be a fun ride. Anybody got one of those?
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Yeah, but have you ever sat on a Harely?
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No, but I had a barely Harely sit on me before.
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I got one! Well, sort of. My wife says it's hers. ;)
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Yeah, I was just about to make the observation that most Sporty riders
these days are women. Especially since the advent of the 883, the
Sportster has been increasingly looked upon as a chick bike by the
general HD crowd.
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Seems to me that may be partly because, men over 6' tall, the bike is
a bit small. I feel sort of cramped on it. For shorter guys (and
most women), it's just right though.
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I'm 6' with longish arms so I may be on the edge of the comfort zone.
Guess I won't know till I do the ole road test.
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Go for the XL1200.
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I like it. Especially the mags rather than spokes.
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Tim Kreitz
2003 ZX7R
2000 ZX6R
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The 883 *is* a girl's bike. Now, the Sportster 1200 looks like a different
story. If I didn't buy Cathy the 883L, and waited until the 1200L came out
this year. I'd be riding it. What a nice bike. Such classic looks.
So cool.
I want one.
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You'll want an XR 1200, I can all but guarantee it.
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Got some photos and write-ups about the bike on my Website at
"Sportster's Maiden Voyage" links).
And hers is a '05 1200C - not the fuel-injected 2007 model - but
pretty much the same thing as the one you sat on. Fuel injection is
probably a good improvement on the Sportster. Reliable, easy
starting, no warm-up required and more power too.
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Makes you wonder why they didn't do it sooner. The last Sporty I
rode was in 74. I had about 2 years on my Honduh CL350 and a buddy
bought the HD new, had about 300 miles on her and threw me the
keys for a ride. It was exciting but I didn't go far, I was afraid of
stalling it out. Me and my buddies watched his kick starting routine
and his knee slowly get worse and worse. He limped badly for quite
awhile. Once during that period some gas station guy was admiring it
and bumped the key, turning it off. He hobbled after the guy as fast as
he could but fortunantly was unable to catch him.
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The engine is rubber-mounted, which results in a vibration-free ride -
even at highway speeds. No numb-hands problem. With the good fuel
economy it has, the gas tank is large enough for touring - my wife's
has the same range as my Road Glide.
The bike is a little more top-heavy than the big twin models so, in
slow-speed maneouvering, the big twins do handle somewhat better. But
the light weight is real nice - especially for the usual parking tasks
and such.
Plenty of stuff you can do to customize the bike too, since it's a
Harley. Hers is the 1200C (custom) and came standard with forward
controls and lotsa chrome. Got some good saddle bags, a touring seat,
sissy bar, luggage rack and a quick-detach windshield added to my
wife's bike and it's excellent for multi-day, long trips. Very
comfortable for her size, but too small for me to sit on it for long
periods in comfort.
Simple to maintain and work on, you can get the Service Manual from HD
written to apply to the same year as your bike. I like that aspect.
In terms of retained value, resale-wise, you will take more of a
beating with a Sportster than with a big twin. Big twins retain their
value better. But if a Sportster fits the bill for you, that
shouldn't be a prohibitive negative. You buy the bike for yourself,
primarily.
The warranty is quite decent (2 years, unlimited miles and the option
to purchase a longer term), and supplies of parts and service in the
Harley world are probably the best around, in my opinion.
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I have other bikes for the long range stuff. I rode for a Vrod a few
years back and decided it wasn't a day long cruiser either but was
really impressed with the power plant. That motor in a cruiser
would probably be nice.
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Cat sat on a 2007, 1200L, Sportster, she liked it a lot. In fact, it could
sit it in her living room, right next to her 883L.
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