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Sportsters...for kinda big guys??


progrmr

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I've put my Honda VTX 1300S up for sale on CL - the gear ratio is more tuned to a boulevard cruiser rather than a highway cruiser. 2nd gear goes all the to 45mph and that's shifting early! Plus the top gear doesn't seem to have a lot of juice over 65-70mph, I assume due to the strange gear ratio. For a 1300cc engine I expect the highway experience to be much better, although the bike will do 75-80 if I push it. No tach so I can't tell where the engine really is but it seems to be working lol!

 

I'm considering a 1200 sportster - I'm about 5'10" coming in at 215lbs neked. I've never ridden a sportster but they seem like a great way to into a Harley without breaking the bank.

 

I'm less concerned with what I look like on it, more concerned that it will have enough power and be comfortable enough to hit the highway for a couple hours at a time.

 

Anyone have experience with the 883 or 1200 sportsters?

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I'm of very similar size. I had an 883 a few bikes ago and really did like it. I thought the acceleration was decent. I really had fun on it. That being said, it was not a very comfortable long-distance bike with the forward foot controls and the drag bars. It was only my second bike and the first one was a nighthawk 250, so I suppose anything seemed fast back then. I would do it again though. Really was a great bike.

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Meh, I think I'm going to pass on the sportster - and the full on Harley's like the fatboy or soft tail's are really expensive even for years used and high miles.

 

I wish I could get used to this 1300S and just save the money but I know I won't like it. At least there's lots of options. I think I went through this "sportster" thing two years ago when I got the VTX lol!

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I've never rode a harley that truly impressed me in the areas of performance or comfort. I'm betting your vtx had a lot more motor left on the freeway. I had a vt1100 and it would do 95 no problem and was only a 4 speed. It's incredibly easy to put a tach on a biken 3 wires and a bar clamp and you're done. At least then you'd have a idea of how hard you were ragging the motor. If you're looking for a better freeway bike a wing may be up your alley...you can pick up decent 1200 cc gold wings for peanuts and those motors will go 100k miles no problem...and they look pretty cool after you remove the fairing and bags.

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Im very impressed with my Victory. New Gunners are close to new Sportster prices (although not on the used market yet). Victories don't appreciate like many think their Harleys do. You can actually find them for less than new prices.

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Anyone have experience with the 883 or 1200 sportsters?

 

 

883 is a great bike, my boss has one and I have taken it for spins often. He is a noob so every little rattle or noise he freaks and I am asked to test ride it. Great bike, lots of fun to ride for a small cruiser but it is not a long haul highway bike at all. On the highway it buzzes like hell.

 

Take a look at a used Kawasaki Nomad. 2006-2008 is a 1600, I put 75,000 miles on mine...all long hauls. or 2009 up is a 1700 and even nicer to ride on the long haul. Used they are really reasonable.

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I've ridden a few sportster 1200's.

They're good for a laugh. That's about it. Not in a bad way, but in all honesty, they're a useless motorcycle... Unless you count bike night and bar hopping as motorcycling.

I'm not a big fan of a non-faired/no bag cruiser. If I'm going to kick back and cruise, I would like to be able and comfortable to do so for lots of time and miles. The sportster just isn't enough chassis for this.

If I were to buy a Harley, I'd look at an ultra.

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V-Strom 650 or V-Strom 1000.......give them a look and even better a ride. ;)

+1. Best riding position I've experienced, at a cost at or below most sportsters.

The only negative is that tassels look like shit on a V-Strom. [emoji6]

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Have you tried a VTX1800? It has significantly more power than the 1300, and they can be found inexpensively. The VTX1800 is my favorite cruiser that I have ridden. As mentioned above the Stroms are good bike, and you can find some deals. There are many great options on the market. Go to Iron Pony and sit on some bikes. They represent a number of manufacturers.

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Have you considered just changing up the final drive ratio by swapping sprockets on the VTX?

The concern your describing sounds fixable with a smaller rear sprocket.

 

i have thought about trying to change it that way - but I don't know enough about engines to say that the only thing that'd need to be changed is the sprocket. I certainly wouldn't attempt it on my own. I thought the engine was built around this type of gear ratio and that tinkering with it could mess up the engine performance.

 

It's a common "issue" reported with VTX 1300's if you google it. I've done a lot of reading on it and was surprised I didn't find this offered as a solution. I figured that the reason it wasn't brought up in my research is because it's not a simple change.

 

Do you have the contact information for a qualified MC mechanic that I could ask that question to?

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The VTX is a shaft drive you nitwits, not worth the effort and cost. Get a new bike.

such poor advice, all you need is a new drive shaft sprocket, new muffler bearings, and a few zip ties. Knowledge of different types of drive train not needed, belt, chain, shaft....it's all the same. Just pick the shiney comfy one.
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I saw a V-strom on CL - I could definitely rock that. I do need to sit on some bikes though and see what fits best.

 

Plus I need to sell my bike before anything can happen!

 

The amount of accessories available for those bikes is just staggering, you literally can make it do almost anything you want. There are very few bikes out there that can tour.......carve the corners....take the roads less traveled.....and even do a track day. ;) I am on my second V-Strom, missed my first one so bad I just had to buy another.

 

Take a look at http://www.stromtrooper.com/ ,lots of good info to be found there.

Edited by Pokey
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Only ride 5 months out of the year? What?

I need the weather to warm up, so I can wash the salt off of my bikes. If you seriously consider a sport touring, adventure, or other type of bike with a fairing, you will get a lot more use out of the bike. A bike becomes cheaper (based on utility) if you utilize it more often.

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