Hello, folks. My first Harley, a 1200C sporty, will arrive in March. I need guidance on two issues.

1. I was in Miami last week and rented a Heritage Softail Classic, and I loved it. Now I am wondering whether I made the right choice in getting a Sporty. Your opinions, please?

2. What are the essential upgrades that should be made to the bike before I take delivery?

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful comments.

1. You'll love your Sporty more.

2. Pay the taxes.

1. You will not be disappointed with the XL1200C. Unless you like to feel like you are riding a log down steam. I have an '05 1200 Custom. It's fast, smooth, stable at 100+, and did I mention it's fast.

2. SE IIs. Everything else is cosmetic.

I got a new 05 1200C New Years Eve, this is one of the best bikes I have ever owned.

What I would suggest is have your Harley dealer install you new Cycle Shack exhaust system, this system uses the stock heat shealds and really gives the bike the right sound and a lot of power. Also have them do a jet & breather kit.

You will like the results.

1. You will not be disappointed with the XL1200C. Unless you like to feel like you are riding a log down steam. I have an '05 1200 Custom. It's fast, smooth, stable at 100+, and did I mention it's fast.

2. SE IIs. Everything else is cosmetic.


So all the other pipes the guys run on this site are cosmetic.
Like; Lightening Racing 2:1
Thunderheaders
White Bros. E-Series
Rineharts
Bub 2:2's
Cycle Shack Slip Ons
Double D's
S/E I's
Bassani Pro Street's
Supertrapp 2:1


Verrrrrrry Interesting

these items are part of the "cosmetic go-fast" collection .... :)

I got a new 05 1200C New Years Eve, this is one of the best bikes I have ever owned.

What I would suggest is have your Harley dealer install you new Cycle Shack exhaust system, this system uses the stock heat shealds and really gives the bike the right sound and a lot of power. Also have them do a jet & breather kit.

You will like the results.

When you talk about Cycle Shack exhaust system are you talking about an header complete system? Or just slip on mufflers?
And do they use the stock cross over?

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C
Kawasaki ZRX1200 152hp

Good day RISport,


Welcome to the best Forum on the web. You'll be very happy with the Sportster. I spent a couple of months in the dealerships before settling on the XL1200C. Maybe settling isn't the right word. More like coming to the conclusion that it was the best bike in the shop. It looks more like a motorcycle than the touring bikes it's fast and handles groovily (is that a word) :rolleyes: .

Kenny

When you talk about Cycle Shack exhaust system are you talking about an header complete system? Or just slip on mufflers?
And do they use the stock cross over?

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C
Kawasaki ZRX1200 152hp


Slip on mufflers.

Ha Ha Another RIslander. All you TX people can stuff it, there's two of us now. Time to gang up on ya'all.

Welcome to the forum. Where in RI? I am in Warwick. Did you get it from Russ'?

I got mine there last may. MSRP, can't beat it.

Welcome my suggestions are Progressive fork springs, 412 shocks and a new seat. The best improvments I've made.

Stop riding other bikes before you take delivery of yours! :) Seriously though don't panic. I love my Sporty but still enjoy riding my uncles Fat Boy occasionally :o I am sure that you will love it.

As far as modification goes the best advice I can offer is don't rush in. A stage one mod of the air filter, exhaust, and carby jetting is something that almost everyone does but there is no rush. The best thing you can do for your bike to start with is a proper run in. Have a think about what you want to get out of the bike and have a look around the forum. There are plenty of threads on just about every possible mod. And just keep asking questions.

Welcome.

I'll play devil's advocate here.

If you *REALLY* loved the Heritage, the shortcomings of the 1200C will bug you until you finally decide to upgrade to the Heritage. The Heritage is way more comfortable on the highway and with any kind of 2-up riding. The Sporty is much more lean and lithe for city and sport-riding.

You're in a no-lose situation in the big picture, both bikes are great. But if you fell in love with that big twin, you can probably save a lot of time and money by going that way right from the start. Assuming you can afford it of course. And if you need to wait a year or two, you're still ok, because riding the Sporty is still a blast.

DharmaWheels
'04 1200C

Hello, folks. My first Harley, a 1200C sporty, will arrive in March. I need guidance on two issues.

1. I was in Miami last week and rented a Heritage Softail Classic, and I loved it. Now I am wondering whether I made the right choice in getting a Sporty. Your opinions, please?

Another thing I just thought of is why not rent a Sportster for a day and really give it a test ride. You might want to do a back to back comparassion. Like someone else said think about if you really liked the Heritage and you really think that is the bike you are really going to want, then save yourself a lot of money and just go for it. It really depends on who you ride with and what kind of ride you really looking for. That is do you mostly ride with BT riders and you feel the pressure to own one because of pier pressure.

RISport,

Some good advice a couple of posts above. I had an 04 Custom, then traded it for an '05 Fatboy and have since added an 02 1200S (addicted to sporty quickness). Twinkies and sportys are very different bikes. For blasting around town or short/moderate length rides, there is no substitute for the sporty. For long rides/trips, the twinkie wins, hands down. I now have the best of both worlds, a real sporty and a softail sofa. Ride both the sporty and heritage, consider the type of riding you will do, consider your finances, and make the best choice available. And, not all twinkie riders buy them because of "peer pressure." Believe it or not, some want a twinkie. There's a lot of yada yada about what can "beat" what, but each bike is what the rider makes it into. There are sporty riders on this site who could beat most any BT in the 1/4, and there are more dreamers who think they can take any BT, most of whom would lose to my FB's 95" 90+ hp and tq. If you want to go fast, the sporty is a much better dollar to HP/TQ investment when building up the motor (twinkie shit is expensive). And, some myths persist, such as sportys are better in twisties. What is better, stability or lean angle? My 1200s has a better lean angle than the Fatboy, but the Fatboy is more stable due to a lower center of gravity and big front wheel. My sporty is like white lightnin' and my Fatboy is like Tennessee sipping whiskey. Sometimes I like one, sometimes the other. I'm just lucky!

Lucky Lefty :smoke

My Cycle Shack exhaust are a complete system that uses the stock heat shealds, They cost about the same as a set of Screaming Eagle or Harley slip ons. Changing out the complete exhaust my Harley dealer suggested a breather and jet kit up grade.
I really like the sound and the power is great.

My Cycle Shack exhaust are a complete system that uses the stock heat shealds, They cost about the same as a set of Screaming Eagle or Harley slip ons. Changing out the complete exhaust my Harley dealer suggested a breather and jet kit up grade.
I really like the sound and the power is great.

So you're saying they're M-Pipes ?

Thanks, everyone, for your ideas and suggestions. Two feet of snow on the ground here and I can't wait for Spring. I'll post when it arrives.

Hey RISPort,

Welcome to XLF. Glad you are here.

I sure do hope that you enjoy your new Sporty. As far as if you made the right decision or not that is something only you can answer. The Sportster and Heritage Softail are two differtent bikes with two very different rides.

My wife has a Honda VT-750C2 A.C.E and it is almost a carbon copy of the Heritage, without all the power of course. I like the ride of her Honda but it does not give me that thrill that I get when I jump on my Sporty.

RISPort, there were great responses to your questions. One thing I did not see was the fact that with the rubber mounted engine and a 4.5 gallon tank on 04 and above the sporty will also give you a good ride on a long tour as well as being a good bike in the city. I have a Mustang seat on my 1200C and I believe that I now have the best of both worlds and only paid half the price. Enjoy.

RISPort just wait until you get on that Sporty and ride. You'll never be the same again and, if it gets in your blood like the rest of us, you won't look back.

Bert, didn't anyone ever tell you that husbands don't let their wives ride Honda's? ;)

I had to test ride an 05 Softail Deluxe when I first saw one. I was ready to "trade up" as they say. The Deluxe was a nice smoooth ride but I was disappointed as to how smooth and 'boring' it was. It just didn't have the getup and go of my Sportster. Later on I rode home my 1200C with a grin and felt lucky.

-Cam
04 1200C "Scoot"

my 1st harley was a 2004 1200c. i loved it but thought i wanted a low rider so i sold it.i took a test ride on a 2004 low rider and thought it would be faster but the sporty was much quicker,handled better and felt more comfortable with the forward controls.bottom line, i bought another 2004 1200c.

actually theres 3 of us from ri now . were in warwick barry ? im from conimicut

breed

steady on the throttle ride out the storm