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Ulysses is a rad bike, too. Guy I work with owns one, I rode it a couple times. Lots of fun, comfortable, sounds cool, my only complaint was the GM-style low quality switch gear.
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Sep 23, 2012 02:51
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The quality seems solid to me, mine has almost 50k of use and it's been kept outside for a while at some point; hasn't given me trouble. It's just the same exact stuff they were using 12 years ago so it's dated looking and feeling. GM is a good comparison I think.
clutchpuck fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Sep 23, 2012 |
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Sep 23, 2012 07:01
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I found some bags I liked (for running errands, overnight etc), but the mounting system was cheesy. I hated the idea of straps going across the tail, just looked untidy. After mulling it over for a bit, and wandering around the hardware store, I found just the thing. The saddlebags had these molle-type webbing on the back, and that give me an idea.  There are some T-Brackets you can get in the hardware/woodworking area that were the perfect base. A couple of cuts, some trimming of the corners....  Welded them together in the center first, to keep them lined up.  Then welded them to the Bungee Bars and repainted. The welds are strong enough to grab the bracket and shake the whole bike without bending them  When the bags are NOT on there, it gives you lots of options for bungee cords or twine (I use paracord) You can see how the brackets are just long enough to stick through the webbing. I ordered some small carabiners that will attach to the handle and clip into the holes in the bracket, securing the bags in place.  With them installed, they fit nicely and no straps!  And the best part is that if I want to run the bike clean for a while, the bungee bars are attached with 2 bolts each up under the tail and can be removed without taking the tail off (though that is a 2 minute job itself)
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Sep 23, 2012 19:10
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This thread makes me want a HD. I'm sick of spaceship looking bikes (had a R1100gs i traded for my dad's Versys.) I'm going to try and trade straight across for a 883. I'm 6'1", which one do I want? There's always a lot for sale. Mainly customs, how hard is it to put mid-controls on them? Can I still go around a curvy road once in awhile? I hate the way the Versys handles (little wheels front and back.) I liked the way my CX500C and GS handled (bigger wheel in front.)
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Sep 25, 2012 03:19
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thylacine posted:This thread makes me want a HD. I'm sick of spaceship looking bikes (had a R1100gs i traded for my dad's Versys.) I'm going to try and trade straight across for a 883. I'm 6'1", which one do I want? There's always a lot for sale. Mainly customs, how hard is it to put mid-controls on them? Can I still go around a curvy road once in awhile? I hate the way the Versys handles (little wheels front and back.) I liked the way my CX500C and GS handled (bigger wheel in front.) Moving controls around on a Sporty is elementary. There are too many versions out there for me to be able to recommend one but if I had to go back I'd try to get a Shovelhead because that motor just looks cool as heck. There are so many aftermarket parts available - as well as salvage parts - that it's pretty easy to get a bit here, a bit there, both for the cosmetics as well as the performance. If I were you I'd ride a lot of different years / versions to see what suits you best. In my opinion the 2012s and 13s are the best-looking Sportsters in a long time. On my Softail the exhaust limits right turns, on the left the lowest reach of my kickstand is the limit. Its maximums are nowhere near what I could do on a sportbike, but it's well enough over to get the attention of a passenger.
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Sep 25, 2012 06:45
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Schlieren posted:Moving controls around on a Sporty is elementary. There are too many versions out there for me to be able to recommend one but if I had to go back I'd try to get a Shovelhead because that motor just looks cool as heck. There are so many aftermarket parts available - as well as salvage parts - that it's pretty easy to get a bit here, a bit there, both for the cosmetics as well as the performance. If I were you I'd ride a lot of different years / versions to see what suits you best. In my opinion the 2012s and 13s are the best-looking Sportsters in a long time. Shovelheads aren't Sportsters.  thylacine: Sporties are more than capable of taking corners. Mine with fresh Progressive shocks on the rear is very stable and predictable. The center of gravity is lower than most bikes, so the lean comes on quick. I would advised against one of the "L" models of Sportsters. They are lower to the ground and designed for short women. The "C" models typically have a larger tank IIRC. Pre-85 gets you the old Ironhead motor. They're notorious leaking oil, valves need adjusting frequently, and use a ridiculously heavy generator system. They do sound awesome though. '85-89 Gets you the newer Evo motor with the 4-speed trans. '90-200(3?) Gets you the Evo motor with the 5-speed trans..still solid mounted. '04-05ish they switched to Rubber mounts and fuel injection a couple years later. These are super-reliable, smooth bikes that run beautifully and the formula really hasn't changed in the last decade aside from injection. If you're thinking about customizing, take a look at jpcycles.com to get an idea of what you can do to a Sporty. Mods are dirt cheap and plentiful.
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Sep 25, 2012 12:52
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angryhampster posted:'90-200(3?) Gets you the Evo motor with the 5-speed trans..still solid mounted. Just to confirm, '03 was the last year of solid mount (so '04 was the first rubber-mount) and '06 was the start of EFI. I've ridden an '03 XL883R a lot and did demo rides on two '13 1200s, and the difference is vibration is definitely noticeable. The '13 1200s were also a good deal faster than the '03 883.
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Sep 25, 2012 20:32
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Went and looked at some bikes yesterday. Pricing out here is ridiculous. Sportster forty eight? One for 13.9, one for 15.2. How the gently caress. They look amazing, but gently caress that noise. Also they both had forward controls, I'm 6' even and that was the most uncomfortable bike I've ever sat on. Other bike was a left over 2010 XR1200. Fourteen thousand fuckig dollars. And they won't budge. So, needless to say I won't be owning or looking at another Harley any time soon.
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Sep 30, 2012 02:50
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Right. I had my eye on a Sportster, then went to the metric dealer and found a '07 C50 I really liked so I traded my Versys for it + $100 for a new set of tires (dealer cost I assume.) It's only 800ccs, but it makes the brrrppppppppp sound so I'm happy.
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Sep 30, 2012 03:35
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Finally got my street bob up and running. It had a broken cam shaft sensor. Went riding on it for a hour around Hawaii and I realized I miss that obnoxiously loud machine. I was originally going to just sell it and use the money to buy a Ducati Sport Classic. But now I think I'm going to keep it and start riding with a few friends from work because they won't let me play unless I ride an American cruiser.
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Sep 30, 2012 09:14
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DILLIGAF posted:I found some bags I liked (for running errands, overnight etc), but the mounting system was cheesy. I hated the idea of straps going across the tail, just looked untidy. After mulling it over for a bit, and wandering around the hardware store, I found just the thing. Thats very tidy, the only worry i'd have is that the webbing would pull off the back of the bag over time if the packs had much weight in them. But with the different holes in the brackets you could easily run a bungee around the bags when you had to stuff heavy things into them
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Sep 30, 2012 14:17
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So what's the overall opinion of the Fourty-Eight and Seventy-Two Sportsters? I've been looking for a first bike for a year or two, and now that my truck is paid off I think I'm ready to get one by next spring. My sister can get me a smokin' hot deal at the dealership near here, and I've more or less settled on one of those two. I know, I know, Sportster and all, but goddamn are those some sexy bikes.
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Sep 30, 2012 14:19
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VikingSkull posted:So what's the overall opinion of the Fourty-Eight and Seventy-Two Sportsters? I've been looking for a first bike for a year or two, and now that my truck is paid off I think I'm ready to get one by next spring. My sister can get me a smokin' hot deal at the dealership near here, and I've more or less settled on one of those two. I know, I know, Sportster and all, but goddamn are those some sexy bikes. The 48 is beautiful but these bikes are meant for looking at, not riding. Extremely low fuel capacity, very little ground clearance (keep hearing this complaint over and over), supposedly the 48's seat gets uncomfortable after an hour and I doubt the 72 is any better. The Iron 883 has a larger tank and the Custom 1200 larger again, but I don't know about their respective ground clearances. Apparently they ditched the 883 Roadster for this year, which was the last sportster with dual front discs (the XR1200 notwithstanding). I think 2008 was the last year for the 1200 Roadster, which IMO is the best non-XR1200 sportster.
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Sep 30, 2012 16:21
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VikingSkull posted:So what's the overall opinion of the Fourty-Eight and Seventy-Two Sportsters? I've been looking for a first bike for a year or two, and now that my truck is paid off I think I'm ready to get one by next spring. My sister can get me a smokin' hot deal at the dealership near here, and I've more or less settled on one of those two. I know, I know, Sportster and all, but goddamn are those some sexy bikes. I wouldn't pay the premium for the bass boat paintjob.
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Sep 30, 2012 16:52
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I'm not really worried about the seat being too comfortable, or the tank capacity. Mostly I'll be riding 7 miles to and from work, with the occasional cruise on the weekends. I looked at the Iron 883 also, it's a very cool bike. I'll have to get hands on with each of them to see how the seat/bar placement feels, though. I'm 6' tall so going by the other Sportsters I've sat on at the auction I work at, they all shouldn't be too bad. I'm also not too worried about the premium paint, my sis is hooking me up with her good friend that's the sales manager and I'll most likely be getting it at cost. I like crazy paint in general, and would do a metalflake style like that anyway. A few hundred bucks isn't any worse than me doing it myself I figure. If I could get the Fourty-Eight in that green metalflake my mind would be made up already. e- I don't like the fork style on the Iron 883, though, goddamn that just throws off the whole style of it. Seizure Meat fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Sep 30, 2012 |
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Sep 30, 2012 17:16
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VikingSkull posted:e- I don't like the fork style on the Iron 883, though, goddamn that just throws off the whole style of it. Those are easy enough to remove though.
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Sep 30, 2012 17:42
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Anybody who's considered a Sporty because they want a lighter, sportier Harley but they're too expensive, too slow, or uncomfortable: consider a tube frame buell. The cyclone has perfect ergos and the lightning has awesome stock suspension for a standard.
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Oct 1, 2012 01:05
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echomadman posted:Thats very tidy, the only worry i'd have is that the webbing would pull off the back of the bag over time if the packs had much weight in them. But with the different holes in the brackets you could easily run a bungee around the bags when you had to stuff heavy things into them That is a good point... I imagine I can reinforce the stitching on the two loops the bracket actually uses. Would be good insurance.... Thanks!
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Oct 1, 2012 03:04
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I modified the ebay cans by tacking a washer into the outlet side of the baffle, then rewrapped the baffles in some better packing. The packing that came in the cans was paper thin and disintegrated immediately. The sound is mellower and a bit more civilized. http://youtu.be/S4XfBGDOf00 Also found the clips I wanted for my QD saddlebags... keeps them secure but come off in about a minute. 
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Oct 1, 2012 17:52
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Finally going through pics from my 3500 mile trip. Thought I'd share thisaone: In Red Rocks Canyon outside of Vegas.
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Oct 1, 2012 18:53
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It's been a gently caress of a while since I posted in CA. Was at a Harley demo day this weekend and tried out a V-Rod Muscle and a Sportster '48, and man what a difference between the two. The V-Rod was very nice, I couldn't believe how smooth and quiet the motor was compared to everything around me. I did find myself wishing it had more suspension travel, more standard ergos, maybe some wind protection, so basically what I rode in on but with more power. I don't think I'd get one at this point in my life unless I had 18 grand of someone else's money to spend (and the one the dealer had on hand was marked up to 21.5, wtf). I understand the Night Rod is a little better on the ergos but I suspect I'd still want to convert it to standard pegs. And a passenger seat and luggage and a screen to keep the wind off my chest. The 48, I should have rode first. I don't want to think about what they were like before the rubber-mounted engine. Thing looks fantastic sitting there, but it made a hell of a lot of production about getting up to 130 kph. The real killer is, I don't know what it was about the seat but I felt like I was sitting directly on my rear end in a top hat. Forget an hour, I wanted off after the first couple minutes.
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Oct 2, 2012 22:09
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All these posts about the 48 make me really glad I didn't buy a 48.
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Oct 3, 2012 01:24
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I'm on a sprint toward 50,000mi with the Buell and am definitely using more oil than I did at the beginning of the year, so this winter might be the right time to do a top-end refresh. That will give me an opportunity to add a bung to the front header while it's off, so I can datalog individual cylinders and dial the tune in even better. Does anybody know anything about Hammer Performance components? I am looking at their 1250 kit; cylinders, lightweight pistons, circlips, rings. The price seems about right, but I want to do it once and get another 50k out of the top end so I need good longevity; might as well ask around about how they do...
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Oct 3, 2012 19:43
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clutchpuck posted:I'm on a sprint toward 50,000mi with the Buell and am definitely using more oil than I did at the beginning of the year, so this winter might be the right time to do a top-end refresh. That will give me an opportunity to add a bung to the front header while it's off, so I can datalog individual cylinders and dial the tune in even better. I've heard nothing but good things about Hammer but haven't dealt with them. I did do the 1250 kit from NRHS and have nothing but great things to say about them. From what I've read on xlforum.net forums, both outfits are top notch. Hammer I know used to do the head porting for NRHS but I believe they had a bit of a falling out. I went with the 1250 kit, SE Heads which I believe are the same as your Buells and did Andrews N4 cams as well. Really made a HUGE difference in power on the bike. I know there is at least one guy on xlforum that has 50k+ on his 1250 conversion. If you search there I'm sure you can find it and there is actually a conversion forum that has a ton of 1250 conversions documented start to finish. I was like you. I wanted the performance but wanted reliability so I just kept it the standard heads with no porting and the mild cams. With my 883 gearing, it's easy to get the front end off the ground.
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Oct 3, 2012 22:16
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Would this be too subtle a joke? http://www.clockshoppes.com/cuckoo-clocks-qwoinkcoo.aspx
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Oct 7, 2012 00:06
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Someone at work has a XR 1200 with the same scheme as my Sporty   The Royal Nonesuch fucked around with this message at 19:18 on Oct 9, 2012 |
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Oct 9, 2012 18:51
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I was talking about how if I ever got my mitts on a Night Rod, I'd want to convert it to mid controls... HD is now selling a kit for that. So that's neat.
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Oct 9, 2012 21:39
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:Someone at work has a XR 1200 with the same scheme as my Sporty I want an XR1200 real bad. Why do I never lust after awesome bikes being made by H-D until they cancel them?
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Oct 10, 2012 01:47
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Phy posted:I was talking about how if I ever got my mitts on a Night Rod, I'd want to convert it to mid controls... HD is now selling a kit for that. So that's neat. Where did you find that? I can't find anything on their website.
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Oct 10, 2012 02:04
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TheScott2K posted:I want an XR1200 real bad. Why do I never lust after awesome bikes being made by H-D until they cancel them? Closing down buell helped push used prices into my budget so it might not be all bad... At least Harley is still in business!
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Oct 10, 2012 02:07
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:Someone at work has a XR 1200 with the same scheme as my Sporty Man... that makes me want to fix my 05 up to match my XR1200X... Hmm....
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Oct 10, 2012 13:01
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Deeters posted:Where did you find that? I can't find anything on their website. V-Rod Mid Control Kit.
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Oct 10, 2012 15:26
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TheScott2K posted:I want an XR1200 real bad. Why do I never lust after awesome bikes being made by H-D until they cancel them? Unnggh, me too. That's definitely the top Harley on my list.
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Oct 10, 2012 17:19
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Read this as "V-Rod Mind Control Kit," was disappointed. I wanted a chrome-plated tinfoil hat.
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Oct 10, 2012 23:54
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The Royal Nonesuch posted:Someone at work has a XR 1200 with the same scheme as my Sporty You should get 2 into 1 pipes as well, then you can really match, and your bike will run better.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:12
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What keeps a regular Sportster from turning into an XR via the race parts? From the chatting thread:Z3n posted:They do but it's not like they run production anything in either of those classes...they'll all custom bikes that share very little with the roadgoing harleys. The only one that is even close to the stock stuff is the XR1200 cup, and those have a race kit you have to buy that changes the forks, shocks, triples, wheels, etc. ... you end up replacing a pretty healthy chunk of the XR-specific stuff anyway. What else needs to get done? Swingarm?
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Oct 11, 2012 04:30
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I always had a thing for XR1200s until I found out they're nearly 550 lbs if I remember correctly. No wonder at Indy the Moto3 250cc singles turn faster lap times... Still kinda want one. nsaP fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Oct 11, 2012 |
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Oct 11, 2012 04:52
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Hm, that is awfully heavy. I guess what I really want is an XR883 or something.
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Oct 11, 2012 05:22
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Sagebrush posted:Hm, that is awfully heavy. I guess what I really want is an XR883 or something. Sportsters are all like 530lbs dry or more, 883 vs. 1200 makes no difference.
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Oct 11, 2012 05:42
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Cruisers are inherently heavy. It's a consequence of the steel frames, dual shocks, heavy bars, chrome and cosmetics etc. instead of an aluminum backbone and plastic body. The weight does have the advantage of damping engine vibes. Beyond the tinybikes like the S40 and Rebel, the Shadow RS is about the lightest and it's right at 500 pounds. Even a Thruxton is about 500 due to the cruiser-derived construction. You might be able to strip a Sporster down below that since it's not carrying water cooling, but I don't know.
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Oct 11, 2012 06:17
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