I committed an act of heresy... And I kind of liked it... Sportster 1200c Ride

[xunedeinx]

So, out of curiosity (after going to Yamaha demo days, and riding an XJR1300, YZ8, and V-Star 1300) I went to the hardley dealer and test rode a new sportster.

Was a 1200c, nothing special, 10,099 OTD.

Liked it, it felt like and had slightly more power than a SV650 engine, it handled very well for a 600lb bike ( Was no problem doing 30 around a 90 degree corner without scraping pegs, so plenty of clearance for DDing).

It was defiantly more comfortable. it had the Standard bars, not the mini-apes, but it still felt an inch too high. Id like it to be in inch lower and an inch more towards me, but I'm small.

Its was quiet, extremely smooth (always get people saying it'll rattle my teeth out, but it was actually quite pleasant) and easy and intuitive to ride. Ive jumped on R6's and 636's and that Vstar, and they all had their little quirks. The sporty just kinda worked.

And, quite honestly, minus the weight (which you don't feel bc of the lower cg) It feels like an SV650's standard twin brother.

I kind of liked it.

[comradeiggy]

Yeah, I really want to try one out, they look awesome. There's also an AMA racing league for them, if I'm not mistaken.

[Ridetilempty93]

1200cc engine, slightly more power than an SV650... It's nonsense.

[xunedeinx]

1200cc engine, slightly more power than an SV650... It's nonsense.

SV650 =
73.4 hp (54.7 kW) @ 8800 rpm
Torque4 2.3 lbf·ft (57.4 N·m) @ 7200 rpm

1200 =
Hp  68.9 @4200 rpm Tq 67.8 @ 4000 rpm
5500 rpm redline on the sporty

[Ridetilempty93]

Can somebody explain how that works? I would think with 1200cc you would have much more torque and hp than a 650. I'm also not exactly a mechanic..

[Tombstones81]

I've heard the same thing a bunch of times but never rode a cruiser yet.

One funny thing I heard, that some cant even keep up with a GS500.

but of course, thats not what they are built for (cruisers)

[xunedeinx]

Can somebody explain how that works? I would think with 1200cc you would have much more torque and hp than a 650. I'm also not exactly a mechanic..

Easy, the SV was turning at 7k rpm, the xl was turning at 4k rpm, and they had about the same hp. If you put in a top end that could handle the extra revolutions, and a cam that would be efficient at that speed, the xl would almost double the sv's tq at the same rpm's. You need to wind up the sv to get to max, where the  xl has tq off the line. Betcha if you could get a xl to spin at 7krpm and breath, it'd produce a boatload of power.

I've heard the same thing a bunch of times but never rode a cruiser yet.

One funny thing I heard, that some cant even keep up with a GS500.

but of course, thats not what they are built for (cruisers)

I can tell you right now, that that bike is MUCH faster off the line than the GS, with a lot less effort. Around corners though, nope.

[Suzuki Stevo]

A Harley on the open road is one of those things that everyone should experience at some point in their life 

[Ridetilempty93]

Thank you xune. Good information.

[Falcon01]

I've heard the same thing a bunch of times but never rode a cruiser yet.

One funny thing I heard, that some cant even keep up with a GS500.

but of course, thats not what they are built for (cruisers)

That's wishful thinking on the part of the people that told you that.  I have a 09 GS500 and a Sportster 1200 Custom, and the Sportster will absolutely leave the GS in the dust.  I love both bikes, but for different reasons. 

[dam]

A Harley on the open road is one of those things that everyone should experience at some point in their life 

Been there, done that, and enjoyed it

[shonole]

Sorry, the only Harley I want is this one:

http://tallahassee.craigslist.org/mcy/2935996141.html

Although..

http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-sportster-custom

is pretty hot.  I LOVE that paint job.

[Mauricio]

Its was quiet, extremely smooth (always get people saying it'll rattle my teeth out, but it was actually quite pleasant) and easy and intuitive to ride. Ive jumped on R6's and 636's and that Vstar, and they all had their little quirks. The sporty just kinda worked.

That about sums it up... they just work.

There's a reason veteran riders gravitate to them, to Guzzis, and to Bimmers. You get to the point where you just want to ride, and that is something Harleys do quite well. Hydraulic lifters mean you never do a valve adjustment, belt drive means you never have to worry about a chain.

They do everything quite alright. Properly equipped, Sportsters are surprisingly competent tourers. They can be made to hustle too, again to a surprising extent for such a dense little bike. Where HD screwed up IMHO is in killing the Sportster to have (the R model with dual front discs, mid-mount pegs and shifter, and real suspension) and leaving only the Low, Lower, and Poser models in the lineup.

[BaltimoreGS]

As far as the power difference between the Harler and the SV650, there are a lot of factors at play.  Harley is old technology just like the GS; air cooled and 2 valves per cylinder.  And since it does not have over head cams it can not be reved very high.

My Harley of choice:  Sportster XR1200

-Jessie

[mister]

My HD of choice...



the "iron", quite similar to the "nightser"

Michael

[Suzuki Stevo]

Bagger, cuz you need to bring your stuff!

[jestercinti]

I agree, the Harley Sportster 1200 is a nice bike.  Rented a fatboy once in Arizona and met a friend of mine who lived out there.  Rode 800 miles and had a blast, except I dropped a few hard parts on I-10 .  The owner of the bike said "I forgot to put locktite on the bolts"

That said, I have had a few screws work themselves out of my 2009 GS as well.

I just think that the price can be a bit high for what you get.

[seamax]

A Harley on the open road is one of those things that everyone should experience at some point in their life 

Totally agree. It will be my next bike after I'm done with my cafe. A cheaper 800 would do for me. I'm not looking for speed. This time I'm leaving it stock except for pipes.

[gsJack]

I got a nice long demo ride on a Buell Cyclone back in 01 at the Honda Hoot, it had the Sporster 1200 engine back then.  I think the 1200 was tuned a bit differently for the Buell and at idle it shook so much you could hardly see the vibrating turn signals.  It smoothed out by 1800 rpm and from 2000-3000 rpm it was as smooth as the GS500 I rode from Cleveland to Knoxville to get there.  From 3000 rpm up it vibrated progressively more.  The ride covered some freeway riding as well as some back road riding.  I was very favorably impressed with that 1200, it was all torque from 2-3K rpm and pulled strong in any gear at those engine speeds.

[Flux Maven]

I was going to be the smart ass that posted a pic of one of the old Harley dirtbikes but then I came across this thing!