Snippets

[Crusty]

Commando; if you go to the MoFoCos site and plug that part number in, it shows a sport shield. If you check the fit by year and model, it states it won't fit a 2016 CX.

Paul; the kit I ordered supposedly fits my bike and will allow me to put a Memphis Fats or a Memphis Slims windshield on my bike. It's supposedly a new item according to J&P Cycles. I'll keep everyone posted about how it looks and fits.

Brian; the MoFoCo had offered a silly and useless looking shield that used 55 mm quick release clamps. The parts guy at Cin City H-D looked them up and it would cost $55.00 per clamp, on top of the price of a windshield. I was thinking about doing something like just swapping out clamps,but then I wanted to take measurements to make sure the windshield with clamps would fit my front forks. The windshield that fits my 05 Roadster will not fit the 16. The spacing of the brackets is too narrow. It really would suck if I spent over $600.00 and had a windshield that wouldn't fit.

That's why I'm so happy that Memphis Shades came up with their mounting kit. It makes the windshield detachable and that's what I want.

THis is what I ordered:

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/100...lete-mount-kit

[BKB]

That set-up looks pretty good. Memphis stuff is good quality & I'm sure they have more than one shield that will fit those brackets. I'm using a Memphis softail plastic on my H-D quick release brackets. It fit those brackets perfectly & works better, for me, than the taller, narrower original H-D plastic for a Sporty.

[Tomcatt]

Originally Posted by Crusty

...the kit I ordered supposedly fits my bike and will allow me to put a Memphis Fats or a Memphis Slims windshield on my bike...

Consider the Memphis Fats Drop Top. I have one, they work.

[commando57]

Originally Posted by Crusty

Commando; if you go to the MoFoCos site and plug that part number in, it shows a sport shield. If you check the fit by year and model, it states it won't fit a 2016 CX.

/url]

Will fit New (mine is 2016) Roadster. Pops right on and off. Sorry HD link changed, I removed it. Shield instructions have HD part numbers for 55mm clamps, they are available separately, only thing is they are chrome. ADV rider thread link referenced is where I found all this info. Sorry, I tried to help.

[Crusty]

I appreciate that you were trying to help; but for some reason, the factory doesn't want people to like the better suspension and brakes of the Roadster. I don't know why. It almost seems like it's a deliberate attempt to dissuade people from buying them. I think I'll write a Snippet on that subject.

[Crusty]

What Were They Thinking?


In 2018, I went to Daytona for Bike Week. While there, I took a new Roadster out for a Demo ride. Twice; once on Thursday and once on Friday. At that time I had something like 90K on my 05 Roadster and the better suspension and brakes got my attention. I decided that I’d get one and transform it into my idea of a good Sport-Tourer.

Because of things like a new Furnace, Air Conditioner, Water Heater and a copper water line to replace the lead pipe into my house, I had to wait until 2020, but I finally bought a low mileage 2016 Roadster a year ago.

The thought that has run through my mind since I got the bike was Why? Why would the MoFoCo put good suspension and brakes on a Sportster, then set the rest of the bike up so that the people who would appreciate such items would hate riding that bike? And why would they use one off items that made improving the bike so much work?

The stock ergonomics suck. Riding that bike home from Wichita, Kansas was painful. My wrists hurt. My hands hurt. My butt definitely hurt. It was 800 miles of increasing pain. When my friend RD sat on the bike he hated it and that was while it was parked.

So I started changing things. It cost me close to $500.00 just to change the handlebars. I had to replace the clutch and throttle cables and also replace the brake lines. The front end is unique to the Roadster. None of Harley’s other male slider (upside down) forks have the same fender mounting setup. And the stock fenders are a joke. I was caught in rush hour traffic in a thunderstorm and at 15 MPF the water from my front tire was shooting straight up in front of my headlight. It looked like one of those fireworks Fountains that shoots luminous sparks straight up. The rear fender was even worse. it was a guaranteed “skunk stripe’ down the back of my jacket and it deposited a lot of sand and road phlegm on the back of my helmet.

When I took the bike to Georgia last fall, I discovered that the glare from the lens of the speedometer was bad enough that I couldn’t see how fast I was going through most of the daylight hours.

In all, I’ve had to change the fenders, gas tank, handlebars, seat and speedometer mount to make the bike rideable for any real length of time. I’m especially fortunate that I know a bodyman (Gravydog) who has remarkable skills and he fabricated a front fender mount for me because he enjoyed the challenge.

I have a friend who also rides a Sportster and he has commented repeatedly that almost everything I’ve tried to do to improve the bike has been a struggle.

To build the Gentleman’s Express, I’ve had to research parts from many different years of Sportsters. The bike has stock parts from ’05, ’10, ’12, ’15 and ’19 models and the front fender came from either a V-Rod or an XR 1200 (it’s the same part#).

H-D made the new Roadster from 2016 through 2020, but the support for it is abysmal. It almost seems like they want to discourage people from liking the bike. Why? Do they think that if some sucker buys one, it’ll encourage him (or her) to hurry up and trade it in for a Bulgemobile Glide?

Sportsters sell in numbers that make every other manufacturer jealous, yet it seems like the morons in charge think it’s a waste; that people really want to get a Garbage Wagon, replete with a bun warmer seat, 500 watt stereo and a 18” LED screen so that they can check their texts while perambulating between home and the local watering hole. (If they want to actually go someplace, they should get an Official Licensed Hog Hauler so they can ride in comfort).

There’s a lot more I can rant about, but I think I’ve made my point.

I sure am glad that there’s such a great supply of aftermarket items. Just for shits and giggles; you can buy an Offishul Daymaker headlight for $409.00 from a stealership. You can buy the same LED headlight from fleaBay for $29.00 with free shipping. The headlight from fleaBay costs less than the sales tax alone on the headlight from the MoFoCo. And I can’t see any difference worth mentioning. There are several other similar accessories and price differences.

I really like Sportsters. But sometimes I really wonder if the Board of Directors in Milwaukee may have been infected with the virus that causes rectal occulitis. It really seems like it.

[sportsterpaul]

Well put John, and those sentiments are shared by many of us here, thank you.

[5mel42]

It seems that it would be simpler to begin with a SuperLow or a Custom (4.5 gal tanks) and go on to improve the suspension and brakes. Probably a lot less expensive as well.

[sportsterpaul]

Maybe, but once you’ve ridden a “Roadster” there’s no going back.

[Crusty]

…And One Step Back


There are many disappointments in life. Most are fairly minor and give us a chance to practice acceptance. Things like buying lottery tickets and winning nothing, repeatedly; asking that attractive woman out for a date and she has previous plans, or riding 1200 miles to see a race and having it get rained out.

Right now, my latest disappointment has to do with the Gentleman’s Express. Coincidentally, my latest excitement has to do with the Express, also.

The other day, I was doing my usual surfing on various websites and saw a NEW item at J&P Cycles. A windshield mounting kit that supposedly fit a 2016 XL1200CX and allowed me to mount a Memphis Shades windshield. I immediately bought one. I would have bought a windshield at the same time, but they were out of stock.

On Thursday, the kit arrived and J&P was wrong. It did not fit my bike at all. It fit a 2016 Sportster Iron. So, after making calls to Memphis Shades and J&P yesterday, I downloaded the return form and sent it back this morning. I had also bought the black windshield straps for a Memphis Fats windshield, so I had to send them back as well. Now, I’m back to thinking about how I’m going to put a detachable windshield on the Express. I do have an idea, though…

That was the one step back; the two steps forward have to do with the saddlebag mounts. Joe worked his magic again, last weekend and came up with a better design than I had thought of. It’s a lot simpler and probably stronger than what I was thinking of. I had said that I was going to wait to get the brackets powder coated and I guess I kind of did. I had said I was going to wait until my next SS deposit, which is in another week. I held back as long as I could and I didn’t take the mounting brackets off the bike until Wednesday; then I took them up to Powdercoating Specialty. They were done on Thursday morning and I picked them up in the early afternoon. As soon as I got home, I put them on the 16 and they look perfect; just like they were designed as part of the bike. Most people won’t notice them, but I know; and I’m very happy.

Yesterday, I finally washed the Express after riding through that Monsoon last Saturday. It took a while to get all the road phlegm off, but she looks a lot better for it. I also put another coat of Shine Master on it. It really is beautiful when it’s all spit shined and polished up.

Now; about a windshield…