| Author | Message | ||
     4cammer |
Looking to get a project bike to keep me sane as I have too much time on my hands. Always have loved the look and idea of the old CCS/AMA TwinSports 883 Sportsters and am thinking of doing that to a 1200. I have only been on a XR1200, how does the vibration of the pre-2004 bikes compare to my XB9R? Some say they are terrible, some say not too bad. | ||
| Pammy |
Harsh(to me)....but subjective | ||
| Patches |
Try sales adds near your area or shops and see if you can get a test ride to see how you like it. More than one test bike ride will give you a good feel for them. If you show up riding a bike it makes easier to get a test ride and a friend of a friend is also a good source. Is this what your talking about.  | ||
| Dwardo |
I've only ridden one and it was almost-but-not-quite as bad as a BSA 650. That's really, really bad. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
I doubt any non balanced, non rubber mounted Harley will be as nice as your XB9. I rode an '84 Sportster ("Iron Head"-pre evo) for 11 years, 80k miles and I never understood why they added 60lbs to the XL just to rubber mount it. As bad as my 750 Triumph-no. As bad as my AMF year FLH (aka 'the jackhammer') heck no. Spent limited time on an Evo 883 XL and it felt much smoother than the '84. Did I ever suffer from numb hands on it-no. The only parts that ever vibrated off were aftermarket non-Harley. Rode it across country several times without an issue. Biggest anti vibration improvement was changing from chain to belt drive. For a project bike that you're not going to spend thousands of miles on at a time, I'd say vibration is a non issue. Remember-rubber mounting adds 60lbs! Thats my opinion! | ||
| Dano |
Evo solid mount Sportsters aren't bad at all until you get off one and hop on a Buell. Seriously though, if you keep it in the sweet spot from just above idle to about 3500 RPM they are pretty smooth. The 1200 is a bit worse than an 883 but has taller gearing to make highway riding more enjoyable. I seldom take my 883 on the super slab, anything over 60 MPH and the vibes really get annoying. Modifying the Sporty with a chain conversion will make it worse. I remember riding a friend's 1977 XLCR years ago and had to stop after a few miles because my hands were going numb. | ||
| Moxnix |
Ditto on the XLCR, used mine for cafe racing, really, in the city and posing around the big twin crowd back in the AMF era. | ||
| Frito |
I chopped my 97 M2. Put the Buell drivetrain in a rigid frame. I used a 29 tooth front cog so the rpms were somewhat lowered, but I didn't think it was that bad. I know several people that have put 30-40K on Evo Sportys without complaint.  | ||
| Rick_a |
I'm thinkin' he means something more like this:  | ||
| 4cammer |
Rick you are spot on. Unfortunately, don't have quite the interest in anything HD badged any longer. New or used. | ||
| Rick_a |
I hear ya. It was tempting to go that route before my Buell...I'm glad I hadn't as I likely would not have kept it long. There's always Triumph  Lighter, smaller, better balanced, little to no vibration...it just costs a bit more to build the motors up. (Message edited by Rick_A on October 17, 2009) | ||
| 46champ |
It really depends on the individual bike some arn't too bad some are horrible. 1200's more so than 883's. I know some people change the balance factor and there better. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
I have the 03 XL883R, and a 05 XL883R and a Buell XB9SX. The Buell is the better performing, more comfortable of the set. The 03 does vibe more than the 05, you really feel it at freeway speeds in excess of 80 (dont do that  ) around town, the vibration is minimal. It is offset by being way lighter, a bit shorter and feels more nimble than my 05. the o3 is getting the cafe treatment this winter. The bike has the 3.3 (or depending on your year the 2.2) gallon tank on it. When it is time to gas up, it is right about the right time to get off the bike and stretch abit. your kidneys will thank you . | ||
| Fast1075 |
The old school boys called them "Milwaukee Vibrators"....nuff said. | ||
| Bcmike |
It does vary from motor to motor and smooths out a little over time and miles. Not a concern for short rides around town. When I had my FLHS, just for fun I bought a 97 XL883. It was actually pretty smooth. I rode it more than the FL, even toured backroads with it. Looking for more performance I got a 99 XL1200S Sportster Sport. Now that was hella fun but a serious vibrator! It had one smooth sweet spot at 3,000 rpm, other than that my hands and forearms went numb, mirrors and levers fell off... Traded for an 01 Cyclone M2... smooooth. | ||
| Puddlepirate |
The idle vibes are worse than the at speed. I converted my 883 to a 1200 after a little over 10K miles, and the vibrations aren't noticeably worse. It is just something that I learned to live with. | ||
| Koz5150 |
My Dad has 36,000 on his 2001 sporty. Not bad for a Wisconsin biker, he rides anywhere I ride on my M2 300 and 400+ mile days. (and he is 62) | ||
| Oyrider |
My 94 Sportster 883 was great around town. At 63 mph, it was fine, but any faster and it vibrated enough to become uncomfortable after a short distance. The 2000 Buell M2 was the Sportster I always wanted. It could go, stop, and turn way better than the 883 and was worthy of long trips. The worst vibration I've experienced was on my brother's 1979 Sportster and it never seemed to bother him. | ||
| Xbduck |
My wife's '02 was pretty rough when I was switching back and forth from my XB9S. When I went to only ridding it while saving for a rear tire on my bike I got used to it. My hands still get numbed from time to time, though I thinks it's more a medical issue for me. | ||
| Brumbear |
Carolina Corner CarversCRRRRAAAAAPPPPPPP TTTTHHHIIIISSSS TTTTTHHHHHIIIIINNNNNGGGG SSSSSTTTTTIIIINNNNKKKKKSSSSSS SSSHHHHAAAKKKKEEESSS LLLLIIIKKKEEE HHHHEEEELLLLL | ||
| Sportyeric |
My 92 (in my profile pic) is an 883 converted to 1200. This affects the balance factor as the crank is balanced for smaller pistons. That said, the balance is a percentage figure where there is some debate about what the % should be. I have a $400 Fisher harmonic balancer in mine but since I put it in at the same time as a bunch of other stuff, I don't know what, if any effect it has. I've put 85K miles on mine. Half commuting, half road-racing. Some outings 500 mile days. A lot of time is hanging off and putting lots of weight on the footpegs. I don't mind the vibration as long as I shift before 5500rpm. Actually found the high frequency vibe on my buddy's RC 51 to be more annoying. A standard Sportster has a rubber mount aspect to the handlebars that is lacking in mine with clip-ons. I'd rather ride my Sporty than the Buell. Pardon the sacrilege. But I like the ergonomics better and, again, I don't find the vibration an issue. I did lose a lot of mirrors until I switched to bar-ends. The stock high rise bars use short mirrors but stock low-rise bars need mirrors too long to survive. | ||
| Bcmike |
Hey SportyEric, we met in 2001 when I had the black Cyclone M2. Amazing to see you still own the same Sporty! Cheers, Mike  | ||
| Sportyeric |
Hey Mike! I didn't notice your handle when I first replied here. The Sporty was down for five years. A rebuild delayed by a divorce. But an S2 has been serving me well in its place. Now I've got both running (and the S2 runs collector plates.) | ||
| Jb2 |
I put nearly 100K miles on two different Sportsters in the early 90's traveling for 10+ days in a stretch. Both rigid mount. I took one ride on a new iso-mounted Sporty and thought they sucked out loud. I got used to the vibes back then and I'm currently riding a rigid mounted Vic. It has counter-balanced engine and is a little smoother than the old Sportys. If I was going to get another one it would be an old rigid mounted. Never have cared for the paint shaker version they sell today. | ||
| Hex |
99 XL12S here with 60K miles. I love it. I've had it up to 120+ mph indicated, holding my front left fork in one hand, throttle in the other, flat track, straight-away position. I never thought it was too buzzy or viby. But I like a motorcycle that has character. I'd own another one, but this one won't wear out...oh, yeah, I'd rebuild this one first. | ||
| Nukeblue |
my first bike was a 99 883c. sweet bike. rode a buell and never looked back. but i did ride a 1200 custom recently and let me tell you, the vibes are way worse. esp after 65mph | ||
| Terrycoxusa |
I read a review of the sportster in a bike magazine a few years ago. They referred to the engine as a 'paintshaker' and concluded the review by saying that if the only bike made was a sportster, they would drive a car. I only rode one sportster and it was a raked out chopper. I couldn't get off of it fast enough. | ||
| Bumblebee |
It depends on the bike, some are fairly smooth, some will vibrate your gonads off. Depends on the bike. The Buells are smoother than the non-rubber mounted sportys. | ||
| Prof_stack |
My new '86 883 Evo (4-speed) was a real paintshaker. But I was much younger then than now and didn't think much of it. After all, it was a HARLEY and I OWNED it! Woo-hoo!! Not. I put 4,200 miles on it in 6 years, that's how much I must have like riding it. My '03 XB9S got 4,200 within a year. Nuff said. | ||
| Buelleaver |
i've ridden 4 different older sporters so far,(never owned one) and they didn't seem that bad to me. |
