One of my pals bought a Harley Davidson Sportster Roadster for some unknown reason. This weekend me and some mates took it for a spin...
Excellent, that is the first review that I have ever watched to the end, very amusing. Thanks for that.
Thanks glad you liked it - there's a few more on my Youtube channel, with a Multistrada v S1000XR v 1290GT v 1200GS two parter for your excitement.
I looked at one the other year,, then opted for the Yam XV950 Bolt,cheaper, bit more reliable, obviously not as torquey but still a good little good weekend ride around the Peaks even tho the riding position was similar you could do a good 2 hrs in the saddle
My wife had an 883 sportser low from new. We had it about 18 months and sold it with under 200 miles on the clock. Says it all.
The Sportster could be a good bike if Harley made more of an effort. They have proved themselves perfectly capable of producing a chassis that can corner and brakes that work. Its quite a good looking bike and sounds nice, so why must they go out of their way to wreck its ground clearance make it torture to ride for the sake of style? I mention the Bobber because Triumph have proved that custom style doesn't have to mean decrepit performance or terrible comfort and poor cornering. Their version looks effortlessly cool but it rides well in every department. It isn't just amusing to ride its actually exhilarating with some serious punch. Its perfectly comfortable and doesn't just handle well for a custom, it handles well full stop. In a mixed group of more powerful "conventional" bikes on a weekend ride the Bobber isn't going to get left behind. It will run out of ground clearance eventually, its a little slow steering at low speed and the front brake is weak given the pace it can achieve between bends but other than that its an object lesson in how style and performance can co-exist. It might look like a rigid 1930's Speed Twin but it rides like a 10 grand 21st century bike. Harley can do the heritage thing; why are they stubborn about the second bit? But it is clearly possible. They should take a Bobber back to Milwaukee and study how its done.
I do like the Bobber actually. I haven't tried one yet but it looks super cool and Triumph seem to have their shit together these days. I'd definitely have one in preference to that lump of pig iron in the review. Why Scholey elected to get the Sportster is anyone's guess. But he seems to like it which is the main thing. I reckon he'll be shot of it within 6 months though.
bet that H_D owner will have the last laugh, that thing will still be going strong after 100k whilst our Dukes will be processed into pet food tins once the warranty runs out. I had 2 Sportsters and a Softail custom and the reliability was superior to the horror stories Im reading on this forum lately....yeah they are crap on corners and the brakes leave a lot to be desired but they are what they are and that suits some people ! I just couldn't handle the "lifestyle" badges, beer guts, beards, camping, therefore had no one to ride with....
Well, I bought a 2007 XL883L and it seems fine (although I prefer carbs rather than fuel injection). Although I could throw my SS around a speed, because the XL needs a completely different riding style I haven't managed to ground it, probably because I deliberately avoid doing so - why anyone would want to 'chuck' a Sportster around when it wasn't intended for that purpose is beyond me. It is obvious that it wasn't intended as a sporty bike - it is still based on the same design as the original 50s Sportster, so effectively it is a heritage / retro design which some people like - besides the brakes give it away. Most people that normally ride sports bikes whether Italian, Jap multis or BMWs will generally poo-poo Harleys regardless of the model. Critiscism of the Sportster qulaity can easily be countered by critiscism of Ducati quality - which isn't always that good as is evident from what we can read on this forum. Fuel tank is smaller than the SS but as the SS low fuel level warning light didn't work, I simply filled up every 100 miles - which is practically the same as the Sportster. The fact that the gearbox and clutch run in oil 'compartments' separate from the engine may seem old fashioned, but in some ways it makes sense by not contaminating the engine oil with unwanted particles. Riding position and comfort is on a par with the SS but it is easier to tailor the Sportster to ones own preference, given all the options available - and if you want loud exhausts buy a Sportster. Bearing in mind the weather we have had and I suffer badly in the cold, I have already done 600 miles on it which is more than I did in the whole of last year on the SS. BTW - depreciation on the Sportsters is significantly less than Ducati and other bikes - it isn't easy to find a dirt cheap one like you can with SS models in particular. Having just seen Diver's post above, I don't like the Harley rider image with tassles, badges, and beer guts either - but then I don't like riding with others. Oddly though, I live in a fairly isolated area, yet three house owners out of four within a mile of mine all have Sportsters - the fourth owner has a V-Twin as well, but it's a Yam. AL
@tobers - just watched all of your vids on you tube. Very refreshing, a good watch. You all seem to be very capable riders with lots of experience. Very enjoyable. I did subscribe so ill look out for more.... Oh yeah...HD's not for me and i think that vid reinforced what i already knew plus on top of that ive not really grown up yet (48 this year).
So what did you already know? :wink: I collect my State Pension in a month's time, so rather than collect any speeding tickets or broken bones as well, I thought I had better slow down and stop leaving my brain at the kerbside - the Sportster, I guess, has done that, because although I know it is possible for them to exceed 80mph, riding at that speed isn't part of the easy ride and comfort. But I hope none of you 'penalise' me for changing bikes.
Where do i start.... Overly uncomfortable, no ground clearance, doesnt stop very well. Not the best looking bike, the HD culture, "buying into the brand" (if im honest i hate the look of Harley's but that really subjective) probably more but i cant think of them right now. The only bonus i can see is it wont get stolen. Ill slow down eventually i expect - not the hard way I hope but it wont be on a harley. My current way of slowing down is on a 525 supermoto (tops out at about 92mph) but most fun is to be had at around 50 - 60. I dont think age has got anything to do with slowing down (ive chased "lads" over the mountain at the TT) and then found they were well past retirement age once they took their crash helmets off. The above statement isnt made in an argumentative way Arquebus, just more of a "yeah....that really isnt for me" and the video kinda proved that...
It doesn't necessarily have to be faster to be better, it just needs IMO a bit of modern polish. Leaving aside the awful wannabe brand culture, I get why normal people like AQ and Tober's mate buy them and though its not a bad bike, Harley should take the Sportster's modest brief more seriously and make it do what it sets out to do much better than it actually does.
