Rode a Harley!

[Kijona]

So I rode a Harley for the first time today. 2013 Sportster 883. It was...different. Definitely more torque than most bikes I've ridden. The lack of a tachometer made me a little uncomfortable but then again I guess it doesn't really matter on such old technology.

I know nothing about Harley Davidson motorcycles. Sue me.

[The Buddha]

Sportster is Fuel injected right ? That makes it ahead of GS. Belt drive too. Yea yea the push rod cams need to be tossed, else its a modern bike.
Cool.
Buddha.

[peteGS]

I had a ride on one a while back, some sort of soft tail and pretty new. I think it was a 1340cc or something like that.

Didn't like the inability to lean in corners... didn't like how the suspension felt, especially the front forks being at the top of the travel all the time... didn't like the brakes... didn't like having to hold my feet on the footpegs to avoid being blown off...

However the torque from that thing was awesome! Totally addictive...

[john]

I rode a v-rod once.  Smooth engine, very linear power, turned OK for a cruiser, but the brakes were frightening. 

[Kijona]

It is FI but the actual engine technology predates the GS500 if I'm not mistaken. Also, I found the lean to be very unsettling. The turn-in was very bad. Felt like it had flat-tread tires like on a car. The torque was nice, again, but overall it wasn't that mind blowing. It felt like it should have had much better acceleration for the displacement of the engine.

[Watcher]

I personally can't stand the forward set controls of Harleys, I feel very uncomfortable with my feet in front of me while I'm riding.  It doesn't help at all that the ones with mid-set controls are extra wide because of the engine covers...

I don't necessarily like the big V-twins either.  Sure they sound nice and make great torque, but they are rattly and heavy.

In the end, Harley Davidson does not make a bike I would ride.  I get a lot of flack for being a freedom loving gun owning American and riding a Japanese bike, but I always say that if Harley ever makes a 750cc bike that's thin and set up as a "standard", not a cruiser, I'll buy it.  But until then they do not make anything that fits my needs.
The closest thing they ever made to that was the old XR750, which isn't made anymore and was never made in a street-legal configuration even then.

I'd much rather ride a Buell, like an M2, but even then the engine is a bit too large for my tastes.


I had always questioned why the only American bike manufacturers are Harley, Victory, and Indian, all of which crank out big V-twin cruisers, while the Japanese market is HUGE and unopposed by anyone else.

If you want a big V-twin cruiser you can be proud to buy domestic, but you can also buy import since Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki all make v-twin cruisers.
If you want a small-medium sized "standard" or sport-bike with a parallel engine configuration you are forced to buy import.  Nobody domestic makes a "standard", and the Harleys that have "standard" riding positions are big and uncomfortable.

In local conversation I've have heard that Harley buys out any domestic competition, don't know if it's true but judging from the evidence on the table I'd say it's likely.
Plenty of domestically produced cars don't have big thirsty V8s in them, my sister's Dodge Avenger has a 2.4L inline 4-cylinder with DOHC and variable valve timing.  The Ford Fiesta has a little 1.6L I-4.  There are plenty of other small American cars with little "Japanese" style engines.
Why don't any American motorcycle makers do the same thing?
You'd think someone here would want a piece of the pie, especially in the dirt-bike game.  It's been so long and not a single US company makes dirt-bikes...




@Kijona

The 883 has always been regarded as underpowered.  Japanese v-twins with similar displacement will beat it every time.
There a video on YouTube of an informal drag-race of the Yamaha Bolt 950 vs the Harley Sportster 883 and it's no contest.  It's like a man trying to foot-race a cheetah...

[john]

I should add I rode a Honda Shadow once.  Handled better because it was much lighter, and the brakes were acceptable, but the fun ends so fast on a twin.  Thank goodness the thing had a rev limiter because I would have blown the engine for sure.

For me the riding position is just not what I like or back can take.  I prefer the forward leaning position for my lower back issues.

[ron freeman]

I rode my in-laws Harley 1200 Sportster a while back and loved it except for when the rpms got on up there, then it vibrated so hard my vision blurred. I have to say I loved the power, I just wish the GS had power equal to it. I had a chance to buy and would have except the funds aren't there. Oh well, at least I still have my low mileage reliable ole Suzuki.
On thing I've heard about owning a Harley is that it is comparable to adopting a child.

[yamahonkawazuki]

  the fi is a theottlebody type setup. I had an 883c

[yamahonkawazuki]

*throttlebody

[RossLH]

I also recently rode a Harley...sort of.



Picking it up on the 10th. 19 days left...but who's counting?

[john]

Gee Ross.  I'm sorry.

[codajastal]

This is the one I ride on a regular basis

[peteGS]

Ah now a Buell... I reckon I could probably handle a Buell in the garage 

That would have to be after I have my Katana though... the Kat comes first!

And I'd probably have a T500 Titan in between the Kat and the Buell...

[RossLH]

Gee Ross.  I'm sorry.

No worries, it's not your fault I have to wait this long.

[john]

I feel a custom title coming on...

[RossLH]

Aww, a couple weeks in advance. You're too kind.

[gsJack]

Closest I've come to riding a Harley was when I had a demo ride on a Buell Cyclone with a modified 1200 Sporty engine at the Honda Hoot near Knoxville back in 01, about an hour mix of both freeway and back roads.  It was all torque and vibrated so much you could hardly see the turn signals at idle but smoothed out at 2k and ran smooth to 3k where the vibes picked up again, but it sure was sweet and powerful from 2-3k.  Made the trip down there on my 97 GS500 going over the Dragon and up the Blue Ridge Pkwy going home to NE Ohio following son JP on his GS1100E.

[john]

No doubt they have power.  I just wish they were allowed to play with the v-rod engine.  I think they could have built a sweet sportbike out of one.

[RossLH]

On the bright side, now they have an even better engine and don't have to answer to HD.