I hate to  sound like an ass. But the 2004 and new 883's have rubber mount engines, and easy clutches. The clutch on this one is just as easy as my gs. I think if you want to complain about one, rider a newer one first, because the older ones are kinda crappy in those ways.

Quote from: Ed_in_AzI'd love to have an SV650 for a 2nd bike if Zuki would only put sensible threaded valve adjusters (like Yamaha) on it. I like V-Twin power, even Japanese V-Twin power. I did learn my lesson about buying a machine with senseless frequent time consuming maintenance designed right in.

The SV's only require valve adjustments every 14,500 miles, and that includes the initial adjustment.

Porsche, are you gripping the tank with your legs?  It sounds like your wrist issue may be that you are putting weight on your bars.  I was doing that for a while, particularly with my left arm.  Try riding with your left hand on your lap on straightaways.  It will force you to shift your weight and grip with your legs.  You may find the GS more comfortable.

I do that, but I still get some pain. I will let my arms, one at a time, off the bars for a few seconds when I can. But riding a distance on the freeway doesn't seem comfertable.

EDIT: I actually feel more comfertable riding thru the twisty's when always moving my weight around.

I too experiance the sore wrist after riding awhile.  After getting Srinaths bars it is better but find that if I lean more forward then they do not get as sore :dunno:

Quote from: porsche4786it's not new, it's at a guys house. I think the newer harleys work better, the older ones had oil leaks, when i say older i mean like 90's

the newer ones are tons better the sportsters dont handle that bad,actually about like most other cruisers as far as vibration since the introduction of rubberglide engine mounts. Its very smooth.
If it doesnt have foward controls it will be very uncomfortable for you at  your height, but there still fun to ride way more torque than the gs.

two weeks ago i test road a new v-rod that was a cool bike.     i wanted to try a 883 but they dident have one ready to ride.   i think i would try a sportster.    i hear they have alot of problems,well look in the past post's about all the problems the gs has and we love our gs's.  i have had to work on every bike i have owned i think it would be weard to have a bike that i dident have to work on.   see ya.

I borrowed a friends 883 and I liked the way it handled but my dads 650 Vstar Classic is quicker through the first 3 gears

I rode my dad's girlfriend's '97 883 last weekend... first bike I've ever ridden besides my GS.  It was... I'll say 'different.'  I'm still undecided whether I like it better or worse.  It all depends on what you want out of a bike.  I'm still young, so I can live with getting a sore lower back and legs from riding the GS.  Honestly with the drag bars she has on it and forward controls, my leggy '6 self found I couldn't really straighten out my back for comfort.  I'd def have to put different handlebars on it if it was mine.  I think a Superglide would fit me better.  Yeah, a cruiser would be nice and more comfortable, but I don't have a large enough shed to fit a bike bigger than the GS, nor do I think I want as relaxed of a ride as a cruiser.  It was fun, and it was cool to ride a bike with as much character as a harley, but just putting along... I dunno.  I'm seriously looking into a Buell XB12SS (new long model) as my next bike.  I love the exhaust note, wouldn't mind having something decent and fast to take to the 1/8 mile track that is 2 miles from my house, and I just don't think I'm ready to go cruiser yet.  For 11k I can have a brand new kick arse Buell, for the same money I could get a couple year old Superglide or Wideglide that looks the same as everyone else's in town.  There aren't many naked streetfighter-esque type bikes around me (like a GS, SV or Buell) so I think it would be cool to be a little different.  I just like that the GS/Buell, etc are so light and maneuverable, when I'm old and lazy I'll be ready to ride my sofa down the street and dress 'er up in chrome!

I own a 2004 1200 Roadster and am very happy with the bike.  Way better with a passenger than my 2000 SV650, and the SV650 has the front & rear suspension done over.  I love the SV and can take it to the track down the street from me, but the Harley is more comfortable going the speed limit and cruising at a reasonable speed down a twisty road.

I don't know why everyone can't get alone... do people on Honda Civic forums sit around bashing Buicks because the Buicks can't handle as well?  The GS is a good, nimble bike.  The Sportster, for a cruiser, is affordable, reliable, comfortable and offers a ton of personality.  There are many good options out there, and this may be better for others than for you.  It doesn't mean that the sportster sucks.  And keep in mind that many improvements were made with the 2004+ rubber mount engine sportsters.

I went riding with a guy who rode an old '88 Sportster. It had a 2.5 gallon tank on it and it shook like an old person with Parkinson's. I felt sorry for the guy for having to deal with such a crappy bike.

Quote from: fuzzymemorydo people on Honda Civic forums sit around bashing Buicks because the Buicks can't handle as well?

Why yes.  Yes they do.

Quote from: fuzzymemory
I don't know why everyone can't get alone... do people on Honda Civic forums sit around bashing Buicks because the Buicks can't handle as well?

Civics don't handle good, they just think they do.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5I went riding with a guy who rode an old '88 Sportster. It had a 2.5 gallon tank on it and it shook like an old person with Parkinson's. I felt sorry for the guy for having to deal with such a crappy bike.

Why feel sorry for him, it probably works for him... Would you like to hear that people with nicer bikes feel sorry for you when they see you putt along?  Yeah, it works for us, but no doubt some people must shake their heads when they see us go by with our 40hp!!!

Yeah, but it's also a cost issue. He paid more than $10,000 to get this thing and fix it up, only to get a 4-speed tranny, 2.5 gallon tank, and a bike with epilepsy.

Very true, but people will spend stupid amounts of money on whatever they think is cool... I'm sure we're all guilty... and they'll always be people out there that think we're stupid!!!  (But yeah, I wouldn't be rolling a '88 883 either!!)

What's REALLY funny is that when he was restoring it he bought an '93 tank to fit his bike FROM Harley and they sent him a '94 tank with '95 graphics.

Since Harley doesn't do returns period he had to fab up his frame to accept the tank, which says "Sportster 5-speed" on it. I laughed. It's got a freakin' 4-speed tranny.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5What's REALLY funny is that when he was restoring it he bought an '93 tank to fit his bike FROM Harley and they sent him a '94 tank with '95 graphics.

Since Harley doesn't do returns period he had to fab up his frame to accept the tank, which says "Sportster 5-speed" on it. I laughed. It's got a freakin' 4-speed tranny.

I bet they would return something they messed up on. If not you just call the local news channel and then they will replace it! I don't think harley would want their name on the news for something like that.

My dad has a fatboy.. There's always something wrong with it.

They're good looking bikes and they come with the harley history/image and all but it seems like you can never fix anything for under a hundred bucks.. I guess if I had an assload of money sitting around I would probably pick up a roadking... It's like streetfighter version of the electraglide classic...

Last year I was staying at a bed and breakfast in southern Ohio and met a couple from Michagan that rolled in on an electraglide.. They were on a road trip with no destination just a time limit. His bike had some insane amount of mile on it (my GS had about 12 or 1300 on that trip) They were telling me about some huge trips they took... Like Florida to Alaska.. He even pointed out some crusted mud on the bottom of the bike and said it came from some dirt roads...

I guess it's all about how you take care of your toys...