Harley Davidson
Discussion
Just bought this off my Dad, 1998 Sportster 1200 'Sport' if you could ever call a Harley that
twin discs on the front, adjustable suspension front and rear, higher compression and better cams. Personally I quite like the look of the older ones mostly left alone, a nice set of pipes and maybe a Stage 1 filter etc. I've grown up with Dad loving bikes and old vehicles, he's had about 3 Sportsters and a Dyna over the years. There is no comparison to a sports bike etc but they have a charm all of their own, very much a classic sort of experience on 2 wheels. No interest in the whole 'image' thing or the new ones, at the end of the day people like different things Jazoli said:
Al Gorithum said:
Personally I reckon that HD has massively raised it's game in terms of styling and engineering, but I'm not a fan of V twin engines, outrageous pricing or the Village People 
Styling!That red one posted above is bloody awful, styled by Stevie Wonder.
I use this for commuting, it enables me to do 140-160 miles per day to get to work and back (depending on if I take the scenic route home) and still be able to function at either end. The riding position works well for me, and I'm personally a big fan of the cruiser look over any sportsbike or naked I've seen. If I want a nice sedate ride it does that well, if I want to go out with the Mrs its a nice comfortable and controllable ride for both of us, if I want to hoon about at 145mph or get the front up it can do that too (although its bloody heavy!), it can also get flung into corners fairly well. Obviously other bikes can do these things too, for better or worse, it's all about what works for you and what you want from a bike.
I'm probably not a typical HD rider having bought my first one in my very early 20's (im late 30's now), I don't like arseless chaps/patches/group rides/or 'merch' and am happy to wave /nod at everyone, perv at other brands and models of bikes, and also to admit that my bike whilst a 2015, is not a technical or performance marvel - it has a job and it does that job pretty damn well for me. I totally get some of the criticisms people have of the brand and a certain clique of HD riders, although some of the criticisms that still float about are either outdated (eg. the old 'hardley made it son' of reliability) or demonstrate someone has never ridden one (eg. it doesn't go around corners)
I'm not a HD fan boy though, I always wanted a Triumph Bonneville, but the insurance for one when I was able to get my first 'big boy bike' was over £2K a year whilst an 883 Sportster was only £198 which made the decision a no brainer. I've stuck with HD since then as I've learned how to do 90% of my own maintenance and just haven't found anything that feels quite as 'right' for me that can hold up to the high mileage I do per year in all weathers.
I can't say I like the new Sportster S looks, but the technology is definitely getting up there and showing HD is trying to modernise - I am quite looking forward to them doing a 'traditional' looking Sportster, Dyna, or Softail with that engine and technology powering it. If they don't and things continue the way they are going, I may very well end up getting myself an Indian as my next bike providing it ticks the boxes that I want ticked.
I ride a lot, all year round, and what you see most of in the winter months is BMWs and Harleys.
I've had both and the BMWs fit me better, but I wouldn't ever slag off a Harley rider's choice of bike. That said, I really can't be bothered with the sad wanna be Hells Angels act so many of them adopt.
I've had both and the BMWs fit me better, but I wouldn't ever slag off a Harley rider's choice of bike. That said, I really can't be bothered with the sad wanna be Hells Angels act so many of them adopt.
HD Adam said:
Getting more bhp from a sportster is doable with decent cam upgrades, remmap, air filter, exhaust etc. Mine dyno's just shy of 81bhp and I am happy with that for the work I've done on it and what I've paid to get it there; sure I coudl go for the 1275kit and do 'more' but for a daily commuter I'm happy where it sits.
https://www.hammerperf.com/tthoppingup1200.shtml
And here's a nice youtube for how to get the wheel up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmS3krQpMzM
I've only done it a few times and never more than a few inches as quite frankly, I'm a bit of a coward for both my own safety and my wallet should anything go tits up!
Back on topic though, I ended taking the kids to the rare breeds centre which is between Ashford and Hastings whilst the may day run was on - saw a few local HOG chapters go past - think a fair few of those chaps paid more for 'merch' than they did on their bikes given how many bolt ons, eagle emblazened, live to ride type bits they had on!
Speed addicted said:
81bhp is the after tuning number? What was it before?
Stock is 66bhp I believe, although without the 'Harley tax' stage one upgrade of exhaust/air filter/remap they run ridiculously lean to meet emmisions regulations. The tech is old for these air cooled vtwins - its why the new Sportster S technology appeals to me as its is looking at modern performance figures without the ballache (think stock of those is 120bhp) - just a shame the looks are so damn awful!DirtyHarley said:
HD Adam said:
Getting more bhp from a sportster is doable with decent cam upgrades, remmap, air filter, exhaust etc. Mine dyno's just shy of 81bhp and I am happy with that for the work I've done on it and what I've paid to get it there; sure I coudl go for the 1275kit and do 'more' but for a daily commuter I'm happy where it sits.
https://www.hammerperf.com/tthoppingup1200.shtml
And here's a nice youtube for how to get the wheel up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmS3krQpMzM
I've only done it a few times and never more than a few inches as quite frankly, I'm a bit of a coward for both my own safety and my wallet should anything go tits up!
Back on topic though, I ended taking the kids to the rare breeds centre which is between Ashford and Hastings whilst the may day run was on - saw a few local HOG chapters go past - think a fair few of those chaps paid more for 'merch' than they did on their bikes given how many bolt ons, eagle emblazened, live to ride type bits they had on!
There are plenty of modified sportsters with the power to do 145 but they're be short of gearing to get there, even the XR1200 which has 6900rpm to play with and 80bhp will top out at ~125. A common mod for them is to replace the 28t front pulley and primary chain with a 30t but this will still be topping out at 135, you need some serious pulley and belt changes to get to 145mph.
boyse7en said:
forrestgrump said:
A ‘68 Mustang isn’t going to see which way an M3 went on track, won’t carry as much to the tip as an A6 Avant, and won’t off-road like a Defender. But that isn’t the point of having one.
But that's comparing a 50-year-old car against new technology, Whereas HD is still trying to (mostly) peddle pretty much the same tech as it was in 1968 at premium prices in 2022!andburg said:
Think its more the idea that a sportster will do 145mph!
There are plenty of modified sportsters with the power to do 145 but they're be short of gearing to get there, even the XR1200 which has 6900rpm to play with and 80bhp will top out at ~125. A common mod for them is to replace the 28t front pulley and primary chain with a 30t but this will still be topping out at 135, you need some serious pulley and belt changes to get to 145mph.
Or just convert to chain drive, after breaking 2 belts, thats what I did, geared to hit 160mph in 6th at 6000rpm, it'll never do that of course, but it will do 140 in 5th, though I found it impossible to do more with the bike's feet forward riding position. The engine is a 20 year old Evo, makes 129bhp at the rear wheel last time it was dynoed.. could make 5 or 10 more with a bigger carb, but I'm happy with it as is. There are plenty of modified sportsters with the power to do 145 but they're be short of gearing to get there, even the XR1200 which has 6900rpm to play with and 80bhp will top out at ~125. A common mod for them is to replace the 28t front pulley and primary chain with a 30t but this will still be topping out at 135, you need some serious pulley and belt changes to get to 145mph.
Merch131 said:
Or just convert to chain drive, after breaking 2 belts, thats what I did, geared to hit 160mph in 6th at 6000rpm, it'll never do that of course, but it will do 140 in 5th, though I found it impossible to do more with the bike's feet forward riding position. The engine is a 20 year old Evo, makes 129bhp at the rear wheel last time it was dynoed.. could make 5 or 10 more with a bigger carb, but I'm happy with it as is.
Assuming (from your username) you're running that engine? that's making impressive power! I looked at Merch when replacing my stock Evo, ended up going S&S 96" in the end.Merch131 said:
andburg said:
Think its more the idea that a sportster will do 145mph!
There are plenty of modified sportsters with the power to do 145 but they're be short of gearing to get there, even the XR1200 which has 6900rpm to play with and 80bhp will top out at ~125. A common mod for them is to replace the 28t front pulley and primary chain with a 30t but this will still be topping out at 135, you need some serious pulley and belt changes to get to 145mph.
Or just convert to chain drive, after breaking 2 belts, thats what I did, geared to hit 160mph in 6th at 6000rpm, it'll never do that of course, but it will do 140 in 5th, though I found it impossible to do more with the bike's feet forward riding position. The engine is a 20 year old Evo, makes 129bhp at the rear wheel last time it was dynoed.. could make 5 or 10 more with a bigger carb, but I'm happy with it as is. There are plenty of modified sportsters with the power to do 145 but they're be short of gearing to get there, even the XR1200 which has 6900rpm to play with and 80bhp will top out at ~125. A common mod for them is to replace the 28t front pulley and primary chain with a 30t but this will still be topping out at 135, you need some serious pulley and belt changes to get to 145mph.
andburg said:
Of course its possible for a lot of effort and money, but most people wouldn't. Your 130bhp evo with a 6 speed box (dyna i assume) is a long long way from the 80bhp 1200 sporty the claimant posted.
Not a Dyna, one off build with drop seat German HPU softail frame. My mate took a 883 XL from 35hp to 95hp at the rear wheel using a 1275 conversion, that wasn't too expensive, as the heads were left standard, just cams and ignition were upgraded. Could've been over 100hp if the heads had bigger valves. Evo Harleys are simple and in a low state of tune due to noise and emission regs. They are probably the easiest bikes to increase HP cheaply. Of course you really need to upgrade everything else too.. brakes and suspension mainly. I go further and use different frame lol Legacywr said:
Let’s see the bike
There's a whole thread about it!https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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