| Author | Message | ||
     Hughlysses |
Wow- 18" rear and 19" front wheels, inverted forks, decent cornering clearance, dual front disks, no clunky tail section. Best looking Sportster they've built in years:  http://www.cycleworld.com/2016-harley-davidson-roa dster-cruiser-motorcycle-review-first-look/?src=SO C&dom=fb | ||
| Pwnzor |
Wow... the name Sportster is almost appropriate! | ||
| Court |
Easy to tell where all the Buell folks went to work . . . . hahaha | ||
| Slash6 |
Not that much different from the XR1200, which Harley dropped because of slow sales. Neither one holds enough fuel. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Not that much different from the XR1200 Well, it's kind of in the same vein as the XR1200, but to my eye, it's a lot better looking. Those big-ass pipes and clunky tail section on the XR just seemed to kill the looks. The XR probably was significantly ahead of this in the performance department. | ||
| Sifo |
It's a step in the right direction, but it's still a steel frame that wraps around the engine, and has dual rear shocks. I'm sure the weight is up pretty high for the power. At least it looks like it might be tall enough to lean into a corner. Needs ape hangers.  | ||
| Tootal |
Looks like it might have been influenced by BMW's R9T. Something for the cafe racer guys. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I never thought I'd hear myself saying this but... That's a Harley I might consider buying at some point in the future. | ||
| Rick_a |
It's not bad. It still ain't this  or this  But I digress. For a factory effort it's just fine. I still like the pre '04 XL chassis better. | ||
| 86129squids |
Doesn't suck! I've got a neighbor who rolls by regularly on his "dark" Sporty or whatever they call it, gotta say it's a pretty slick ride. These appeal so much more to me than most of the FL boats- IIRC they have some kind of Dyna "convertible" now, I could do something like that. OTOH, I'd love to have another Shovel, properly built- could do that for less $$$, I'd guess. Still keep a roadside assistance policy on it though...  | ||
| Teeps |
Why didn't Harley-Davidson use the XB platform to build this bike? Don't they still own all the rights to the Buell XB line? | ||
| 86129squids |
Ummm- can haz a Photochop of an XB frame and a Sportster?!? Teeps, hate to say it, but that's a very high probability of a HD turd in a punchbowl. Now, if there were some way to resurrect the old Tuber frames in service of the Sportster line, THAT would be sweet!  | ||
| Teeps |
They could have used the XB engine. An XB engine in a tuber style frame could work. However, I never liked the under slung rear shock and especially the huge chicken wing air intake on the tubers. | ||
| Rick_a |
The top end and valvetrain set up on the '04 up 1200's are directly from the Buell XB line. Technically my tuber has XL heads. They already have the intake mounts drilled vs using the XB heads. Your dreams are just a frame kit away.   | ||
| Teeps |
The Sportster bottom end has never appealed to me aesthetically, either. | ||
| Ffbuell1 |
Still in my opinion no where close to an XR 1200 the engine appears to be standard Sportster ,all they did (and for HD I guess it is a lot) was put on a decent front end and dual disc's It almost seems as if they do want to make some thing a little bit performance and handling oriented ,but are afraid to do it fully! | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
HD do not want their bikes looking like a Buell. They want them to reflect the classic HD style. | ||
| Greg_e |
All of you need to remember the number 1 rule at Harley... Give the custom a reason to buy upgrades! How else will they sell all the Screamin Eagle stuff if they make the host machine worth having in the first place. Until you get up into things like the CVO models that already have most upgrades, or the Screamin Eagle models that have all the SE stuff on them, you have to leave room for all the pieces parts of add ons and extras. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Hopefully Indian will make a Scout along these lines soon. Toss in the new Triumph Scrambler and we've got ourselves a retro shoot out! | ||
| Josequinones |
did someone say Indian?: indian-motorcycles-750cc-race-engine-approved-for- ama-twins-pro-flat-track-racing and HD has another platform for this too: get-quick-glimpse-new-harley-latest-captain-americ a-civil-war-trailer | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jose! Good to see you posting! Where the hell have you been? | ||
| Zhen13 |
Maybe Harley finally went with inverted forks on the sportster because they got a good deal on inverted tubes at the EBR garage sale.  | ||
| Josequinones |
lurking, riding my zero and keeping the Buells running. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Every time I visit a Harley dealer, all of their bike have those forward controls which I absolutely hate! | ||
| Ezblast |
HD - bold new colors!!!! | ||
| Rick_a |
It is still mid controls which I find quite awkward. Are the passenger pegs still attached to the swingarm? They can't put a 2:1 on it or even 2:1:2 because "bikers" will immediately declare it a "Jap bike." | ||
| Crusty |
Hmm... There are sure a lot of Sportster haters here. | ||
| Henshao |
As long as you're willing to overlook the superior comfort, performance, handling and fuel economy of a Buell, a sportster is a great choice. (There are indeed a lot of sportster haters here. Why do you think we bought Buells? I'd love to see a list of things a sportster is better at than a Buell) | ||
| Froggy |
We don't serve their kind here!
Better at holding down stacks of papers More dealer support More efficient at converting gasoline into noise without the side effect of horsepower Factory wheelie control Ok obviously that was mostly in jest. The dealer support is nice, if you break a belt in the middle of nowhere, you are significantly more likely to have a Harley dealer with a belt in stock within a hundred miles than a Buell dealer. | ||
| Henshao |
No, I agree, the sporty is better at being a Harley, and all that that implies. One of the bonuses is that there is a plethora of support for repairing Yesterday's Technology, Today. (It seems like everyone has a hill they're willing to die on, and a big single carb on motorcycles is one of mine...) |
