Well seems this forum area is a little slim, and the title description does say reviews of bikes as well as parts and acessories. So, I thought I would post a some what rolling account of my observations and thoughts of my XL883. My hope is maybe to help others who are considering buying a new Sporty and along the way, learn from you more experienced Sporty riders about things I may be noticing and/or wondering about. As I make changes to the bike and encounter new things, I will update this "log." I'll try to break it up so it won't just be one long read.

And as always, feel free to jump in at any time.

My Bike/Riding Background:
Started riding dirt bikes around the age of 12 and rode them hard and long every summer until I left for the service. Almost all that time was on a 100cc and a 275cc motorcyles. That's it. Just dirt bikes, none too big, and all when I was a kid. I was around bikes all my life and often given the chance to take them out for rides but always declined. Mostly out of nervousness but a little out of a feeling that it just wasn't right.

Then over the next 15-20yrs, I logged a lot of time on ATV's. I think all this time on four-wheels is a double-edged sword. On the one side, it was just that much more time spent operating a "non-conventional" vehicle. Developing and honing the skills of working with a machine to do what I want and not neccessarily what it (or gravity) wants. But, on the otherside, the unique skills required for ATV's became an immediate, I'll say quirk, when I first went out on my Sportster. I found myself way over using my body and shifting my weight opposite the bike rather than with it. My butt was conditioned that it needed to go the opposite way of a turn to keep the rubber-side down. I say it was a quirk, because even the word issue seems too strong. It was immediately noticible and easily recognizable and therefore not too hard to correct and overcome.

I have not yet taken the MSF course but fully intend to when time/schedule allows. Hard course to get into in my area and my work schedule makes it even harder. But I still want to make the time. If this is something you are pondering, I highly encourage you to do it. Beginner or seasoned rider. I took an ATV course while I was in Alaska and it was really a great experience and I learned a lot even though I'd already been on them for years. A friend of my brother in law has been riding HD's forever and he got "finagled" into going to the course with his wife. The beginner's course no less. His report back to my brother in law? It was a humbling experience. He also said the students that did best were the brand new riders. He noted that they paid close attention and hadn't developed any bad habits.

Other than that, my best friend has been riding a '97 Springer, well since '97. He's had street bikes of one form or another pretty much all his life so he's got about 20yrs experience. And my brother in law (very close) has a '75 Super Glide. He too has been riding bikes of various forms all his life so he accounts for about 30yrs seat time. So I do have good resources for what is good and bad about individual bikes and about riding in general.

Okay enough of all that...

I found myself way over using my body and shifting my weight opposite the bike rather than with it. My butt was conditioned that it need to go the opposite way of a turn to keep the rubber-side down.

I'm having a hard time imagining what you are saying here. Your butt goes to the OUTSIDE of your turn? Maybe I'm missunderstanding, but when I ride my quad I drop my butt off the seat leaning to the INSIDE of the corner, to get maximum lean into the corners. This is much like riding a Crotch Rocket hard into the corners, by hanging off the bike to the inside of the corner, dragging a knee. Not as extreme because the quad don't lean too, but you get the picture.

Please continue, though. I'm anxious to read your review.

The Decision
It had to be a Harley. Beyond that, pretty much all things were negotiable. So I had to start thinking about what was reasonable and fit what I envisioned me doing with the bike. Be aware, almost all of this is a personal prefference and/or opinion. What I think, or what works for me is by no means an absolute.

First and foremost, I've always liked Sporty's but when I first saw those 04 models I was completely enamoured. In lust is a more appropriate description. At first the big tanks attracted me but the more I looked, the more I liked the old classic (albeit remounted) peanut tank. Beyond the Sporty, I'm a Super Glide fan. I like Softtails and Electra/RK's, just not as much. I find my tastes lean toward clean, sleek, but tough looking bikes. Like an old scrappy dog that isn't going to win any glamour contests but just have that subtle look that you know means it will rip your leg off.

Used bikes were not completely out of the question although they did pose some very real and very necessary considerations.

1) I have no garage for one. While I intend to erect one down the road, right now feeding the kids and making my Harley payment seem to be bigger priorities. My brother in law has a real nice and well equipped shop and there isn't anything on the planet he can't diagnose/fix. But I didn't want to be always rellying on him. He's got his hands full with all his projects without me having to toss mine into the mix.

2) I wouldn't/don't have the up front cash to buy a used bike and then pour a couple grand into it to make it road worthy. For example, my brother in law bought his '75 Shovelhead Super Glide for like $7000. The bike was in great shape, well maintained and nicely (cleanly) accessorized. But the engine was on it's last leg. So he financed the bike (as a side note, that's a testement to HD's that you can finance a ~30yr old motorcycle) and then threw it on his bike rack and dumped about $2000 into the motor. And that was with him doing all but the machine work. So, again, no garage and a lack of disposable funds to put into a used bike.

3) If I did get a Sportster, I knew I wanted an 04- model. Like it or not, I wanted the rubber mounted engine. This became a non-negotiable issue the more I thought on it. So much so in fact, I turned down the chance to buy a '00 (then four yrs old) XL883 that was pretty nicely tricked out and at a great price. Just take over the balance of the loan. But, with a lot of will power I managed to overcome my very assertive inner 10yr old and passed on the deal. I knew buying a bike right now was going to be a long term decision. That whatever I ended up with, I was going to have for a long time before I could afford another one. So it had to be right, and that bike was not right.

So I kept looking and drooling and considering. I knew a used bike was not likely an option so more and more my decision was zeroing on a new HD. My eyes just naturally kept coming back to the Sporty's and the Super Glide Sport (gee, how coincidental that it is just a bigger version of a Sporty). My brother in law and best friend kept hammering two things into me, vibration and size/power. Now I had done enough research to know that vibration was not going to be the big issue they were sure it would be. But the second half of that was a very valid point.

The size and power of a Sporty is a factor for extended two-up riding. Especially, if you or your riding partner are on the bigger side. But, the wife said she just didn't see herself wanting to take long rides on a motorcycle. Around town and stuff okay and maybe on down the road at some point more, but not for a long while and not until circumstances changed. See my brother in law is now an empty-nester and my best friend at that time had not yet had his son. So they can load up the bike, toss the wife on the back and head out on a 300-400 mile trip. We still have two girls (15 and 10) at home. Our long trips involve the four of us. And no matter what motorcycle I chose, none of them were going to carry all four of us!

So this bike was essentially going to be my summer replacement for my old '70 Ford F250. To and from work, the store, etc. Just my summer time mode of transportation. And of course the occassional poker rides and such and I knew that the rubber-mounted engine would allow me to do that with ease.

I also knew that whatever bike I chose would hold value very well. So, when the oldest heads out into life, or even later when the youngest does, I knew I could always trade in my ride on a new one.

So the more I thought and considered, the less "need" there was for a Big Twin. Which was working out just fine since more and more the only bike I found myself looking at was the XL883 and XL1200R.

Two other points that I considered: price and weight. No BS about it, price was going to be an issue. There was no way I could swing $16-18000 on a bike. $11-12000 might have been do-able but still made me squimish to think about. But $7-8000 fit much nicer and was much less offensive to my sensibilities. The other factor being weight, this was important to me. I stand 5'11" and weigh 165 (if I had steak and eggs for breakfast) so I'm not the heftiest guy around. I wanted a motorcycle that I felt completely in control of. One that I had the confidence that I could pick up if it fell over and that I could man handle not only out on the road, but out in the back yard. Here again, two more factors pushing me more and more toward a Sporty.

So, early in 2004, things were right and I was ready to buy a bike. I had Sporty's on the brain. Unfortunately, as I have posted elsewhere on the board, the dealer wasn't. Dealing that is. He wanted $2k over MSRP on a stripped down stock XL883. Again I wrestled down the inner kid and waited. Over the remainder of the year my brother in law kept on me about getting a bigger bike to be happier in the long run. He isn't against Sporty's or holds them in contempt or anything, he just was convinced that I needed a bigger bike for the wife and I. And he was not convinced about the vibration reduction. But in the back of my mind, when I closed my eyes and pictured myself riding, it was always on a Sporty.

Over the course of 2004, the dealership changed hands and everything came back to MSRP. But, my down-payment window had closed so again I would have to wait.

Forward to the present and back into bike buying mode. By this time I was convinced it was going to be a Sporty so now it was just down to what model.

While my eyes liked to XL883 and XL1200R's the most, I was wise enough to know that cosmetics were only a part of the overall experience so it wasn't a neccessity. I wanted to try them all and consider each one.

Being a taller (and all legs) rider, the L and C models just didn't fit me quite right. It wasn't a bad fit or anything, but just not as nice as the fit on the XL and R models. I did like the handle bars on the C models though. And while the forward controls at first intrigued me, the more I put my feet up, the less I liked them. Again, it wasn't bad just not quite what I liked. Completely a personal preference and likely attributed to my long background on dirt bikes and ATV's. Guess I'm just conditioned to having my knees at 90 degrees.

So I had it narrowed down to the XL883 and XL1200R. Gee, the two bikes I originally liked. Now I don't know if circumstances just worked out that way or if my subconcious just found things "wrong" with the others to push me that way, but that is where I was.

So basically, it all came down to one thing. Price vs. Power. I weighed the two sides and for MY circumstances, price won out.

So it was the XL883. And yeah, it had to be black.

yeah Alley I get what you are saying. The more I visualize it the more I see your way of describing it is better. Guess what I'm really saying is I was much more accustomed to flinging my weight around to maintain (or override) the machine. I found myself going into corners on the bike and I guess my but was leaning into the corners but like my upper-body was going the other way. Make sense? I just wasn't leaning with the bike and letting it do what it is designed to...turn. Hope you get what I mean. Like I said, it wasn't a huge issue just something that I noticed.

At The Dealer
I won't go into too much detail on the actual buying experience. I posted my praise in the appropriate forum.

But, there were a couple things I knew I wanted from my dealer. The performance upgrade (pipes, a/c, jets) and passenger footpegs and a two-up seat. My sales guy gave me the straight dope on both what he thought about them and what they would cost. He strongly agreed with the performance up grade and said they do them on probably 8 out of 10 new bikes sold. He was also straight up about the fact that having it done at time of purchase was cheaper than later on down the road. Yeah they get you coming and going but what are you going to do?

He was also cool about my seat choice. I was thinking cheap, and he was thinking about the saftey of my head after my wife rode around on the cheap seat! He didn't push anything fancy just for price, and in the end I settled on the mid-range (price and function) seat he recommended.

We haggled and got the deal worked out. I got my bike with the upgrades, a four year warranty, and a helmet at exactly $1.62 over my monthly payment limit.

They had to order the parts (namely the seat) so they gave me the option of taking the bike right away and bringing it back, or just leaving it until the work was done. I took it. There's a huge bike show up here this weekend so while they said my stuff should be in by Friday, I don't expect to hear from them until next week.

I wanted to store the bike in my brother in law's shop for a while. Mainly because I have to get my storage shed out back cleaned up but also because he is going to be my riding mentor. So it just made sense to have it there. Also, I did not at the time of purchase (2/11) have my instruction permit and I didn't want to risk riding all the way back out to his house illegal. Not to mention my complete lack of road experience. So he came along and road it home.

He was impressed. Mostly at how much they had negated vibration. But he also liked the feel of the bike. That made me smile, even if he did keep throwing in "for a Sportster" on the end of each compliment. He was just ribbing me and not willing to admit he may have been just a touch wrong about the vibration.

As a side note, he would not ride the bike home until he saw me ride it around the parking lot of the dealer. Despite my telling him I had already been on it, he wanted to see for himself that I was indeed the very first person to ride my new bike and not him. So I obliged him and we got her home.

So back in familiar territory, I felt comfortable taking her for a quick spin. Time was a factor as darkness was setting in and I had to get to work. Just side roads and such, nothing too much and mostly just corners. I was as excited as a spit on hen and nervous as hell. And after dragging my feet through the gravel for a little ways, my brother in law pulled up next to me on his SG and said, "Hey, stop trying so damned hard and just ride the thing." And so we were off. It was awkward at first and a bit ugly to watch I'm sure, but to me it just felt awesome! I was finally riding my Harley and I was doing it with my long-time friend and mentor. Awesome!

I did note that it was real quiet with those stock pipes. But the upgrade will cure that. Other than that, not too much stood out as I was just concentrating on riding and revelling in the experience.

Looking back I guess I did notice the tall center of gravity but I didn't realize it at the time.

Okay, I have to head to work. I'll come back later and fix all the typos and continue my rambles. That's all they really are. Not gospels, just rambles.

Great so far. I look forward to the continuing saga... :D

First Impressions
So it has been one week since I bought her. Between weather and work it has been hard to log much seat time. She sits right now with ~30 miles on her. And obviously with so few miles I haven't put any juice to her so can only say what I have noticed from the very mild and very limited amount of riding I've done so far.

Visually, I obviously think it is a beautiful motorcycle. In fact I think all the Sporty variations are but my personal tastes just lean to that "roadster" look. One thing that does stand out to me and that has to go are the blazing side reflectors on the rear fender and forks. I'm all about being seen but personally I think those are just plain silly. I mean either the car is already too close to my broadside to see them and therefore doing me no good, or it is far enough away that I'll pass it's path of travel before it gets to me anyway. Leastwise that's how I see it.

Other than that, it is what it is: a basic XL883, no frills. After the intial "holy crap that really is my bike" thing ebbs a little, it does become apperant just how much chrome they don't put on the bike. Now I reckon it could be said that that keeps the price down but I also reckon that helps HD's add on sales. For me, this isn't really much of an issue because I'm not a huge chrome guy. Never have been with cars, trucks, bikes, or refridgerator handles. For me, chrome has to be done just right or not at all. In fact, I can see me eagerly seaking out black parts from the new 883R when they start becoming available. But I bring this up just to highlight the point for new buyers that may be chrome nuts. If you want a lot of chrome, budget/plan for the add ons. HD (like any major sales company) does a great job of presenting their product in pictures to highlight it's strengths and diminish it's "weaknesses." And if you're like me, once you actually get next to the product, your ten year old comes screaming out and you don't even notice those things until you're home.

Okay so...the ride.

She wants to go. That is my first impression. Having to keep her at the low RPM's/speeds for break-in, she reminds me of a pouting child. Just about the time I start getting into her and she starts to let loose I throttle back and she literally seems to pout. The bike just feels like it wants to ride. It's like it is saying go ahead, go, I can take it.

Obviously my seat time on a street bike and especially with this bike are extremely limited so my basis of comparison is pretty dry. But that is just the feeling I get.

I'm still getting my groove with cornering but the feedback from the bike is the same as the feedback from my brother in law, stop trying so damn hard and just ride. I went out for 10 miles the other day and most of that I spent going around blocks and such and working on cornering in general from speeds of zero to 30mph (actual cornering, not bends in the road but hard corners). And by the end I was much more relaxed and letting the bike work.

It does have a high center of gravity but I found it only really noticeable at the lower speeds and even then it wasn't much of an issue.

The ride is comfortable and so far at speeds up to a mere 50mph, vibration has been nothing. I will say that even with my monkey arms the handle bars are out there a ways. It was by no means uncomfortable or a distraction just things I was paying attention too. And it would definately be a stretch for a shorter armed person. Yet another reason I believe in being well armed...lol.

I hear a lot of negative feedback about the stock seat but so far in my little bit of riding, I didn't notice my butt sending any disagreeable signals. That of course could change with time, longer rides, and my general comfort level with riding increasing.

I do think the mirrors suck. They look good but I don't find them as functional as I would like. The right mirror for whatever reason seems alright but with the left I see mostly my own shoulder. Now I may have a vain streak but I don't especially like my shoulder and it certainly isn't whipping up on me at 70mph in a 50mph zone and making a short quick pass. My brother in law who is much bigger than me had the same observation. So two different body styles yet the same experience.

Other than that, I don't much care for the oil dipstick. I mean the pop-up feature makes for a smooth line and all but it pops up into the bottom of the seat. And it is kind of a pain to unscrew with gloves on (I know bad habit for scratching paint and all, but hey the warmest it has been on my rides is 37F). And it is even more of a pain if you are sitting on the bike to make it level and trying coax the dipstick out with your right hand at an awkward angle. And it don't just drop right back in. Maybe I'm old fashioned and just like things that are supposed to screw in to just have threads. And it could be that with a different seat it isn't even an issue. And it isn't much of an issue, just an observation.

Okay, worked all night so I have to get some rack time. Shorting myself some sleep time today to log some seat time. My brother in law took the day off so we can go out together. I'll try to be more in touch with my observations today as I ride and report back.

Very good. Give us another report after the break-in period and you feel comfortible standing on it a bit.

I think all the Sporty variations are but my personal tastes just lean to that "roadster" look.

It's funny that you make this remark, and it's not just you. The "Roadster" has come to be known as the standard, classic look of the Sportster complete with peanut tank. The Roadster, however, began as the Sportster with the bigger tank, and more "Custom" look. It's actually odd that what we know as "Customs" today should more accurately have been called "Roadsters". Just an observation.

1982 Roadster XLS
http://www.hdbikers.com/bikes/82xls1000aniv.jpg

Great write-up. Can't wait for you to give your observaiotns after she's broken in with the Stage 1 upgade installed.
BTW, your problem with the mirrors are pretty much universal with a lot of motorcycles. Very few have great mirrors.

First Impressions

And it is even more of a pain if you are sitting on the bike to make it level and trying coax the dipstick out with your right hand at an awkward angle.

You might want to check your owners manual on checking the oil. I have a 2004 1200r and the owners manual states to check the oil with the bike on the jiffy stand.

Great review. Keep up the good work.

You might want to check your owners manual on checking the oil. I have a 2004 1200r and the owners manual states to check the oil with the bike on the jiffy stand.


Thanks SC. You are correct. The manual says to position the bike on it's jiffy stand on level ground. Reckon that whole "level" part just stuck in my head and I was remembering it as keeping the bike level.

See there, you and Alley have already taught me something. Which was one of hopes for this write-up to begin with!

Thanks all for the feedback. Good to know I'm not just talking into the wind. Heading out to ride now.

:tour

First Impressions Continued
Just got back in. We logged about 30 miles today. So I'm past the initial 50 mile break-in.

Man it felt good. Was a bit chilly at 40F degrees but not too bad and a gorgeous sunny day. And just being out there cruising along was so cool. Having other bikers wave at me (like I'd always seen them do to each other through my 6' wide windshield) was so cool. And I cannot describe how great it was to look in my mirror (shoulder tucked in to see...lol) and see my brother in law cruising along behind me. The man who taught me how to shoot guns and drive a car. Now I teach him how to shoot guns better and he's teaching me how to ride a motorcycle. We left his house and I set the path so I cruised us to the dealership. After we parked he got off and walked up to me and said, "Whoda thunk all those years ago we'd be out riding Harley's together?" Man that was cool.

Anyways, got side tracked from the "review" part.

Pretty much what I said earlier is still what I noticed today. She wants to go. At no time did I ever feel I lacked power, especially on city streets. I can see (or predict) how some say they lack a little at freeway speeds over 70mph, but on our ride today at speeds up to 55mph, I had no troubles. In fact I'd say that torquey set-up wanted me to get into her more.

She handles very well despite my ignorance and stupidity. I knew I wanted to rise to the dealership since last night. On the route we would take I knew there was a fairly tight S-curve on a 35mph rode that usually carries mild to heavy traffic. I stewed on that curve all night at work last night. It is the same route I drive hoime from work and as I was passing through the curve I was thinking about doing it with my bike. So all the way from his house to the curve, I'm thinking about it. Big mistake! It is a four lane road seperated by a median. I was on the inside lane, with the first bend curving left. I needed to be on the inside lane because not far past this curve is the turn we had to make and traffic can make it a bear to get over in time. I had myself WAY over concerned about this curve and it bit me.

I started into the curve and I don't really know what went wrong but I just didn't feel comfortable letting the bike lean as much as physics demanded. I was careful to time my entrance so that no cars were beside me thank God as I just sort of kept going straight and all the time trying to slow down. I motored out into the outside lane and finally got her around the corner. On the right twist of the S I had no trouble swinging her back over and cornered just fine.

I had a mild repeat on the return trip but no where near as blatant, just a bit of hesitation with the left twist and none on the right.

I bring this up as part of a "review" because at first I thought it was the tall center of gravity that was keeping me from making that turn comfortably. But as I rode and thought it over I realized how obsured that notion was. Yes the bike has a taller center of gravity compared to say a Softtail but so what? It wasn't the bike's design that caused that problem it was me. Obviously, a bike that gets slung around dirt tracks and city streets for fifty years is functionally sound. And certainly the dirt bikes I slammed around the sand hills as a kid had high center of gravity. So that left me and me was the problem.

As I said before, my earlier shakiness with cornering was weighing on me and I got myself FAR too concerned about making that bend. So I was all tensed up and when I actually started into the corner I was busy looking at my front tire and not where I wanted to go. So she did just exactly what I was telling her to do despite what my concious mind was saying. She went where I steered her. Reminds me of the old adage they pounding into me in the military; "Bullets only go where they're aimed." No matter how you think or hope you are aiming, that bullet is only going to go the actual place you are aiming.

It's also bizarre that I only felt that sensation when curving to my left. Another nail in the coffin the fact it was me and not the bike.

I just wanted to highlight that experience not so much as a story but as an account of real-time road experience that someone else may encounter and make it clear that it was NOT the bike's fault. It was NOT the tall center of gravity that I feel that kept it from cornering, it was me. So if you haven't decided on a Sportster and hear about this, or you have bought a Sportster and encountered this, look to yourself and not the design. That bike is capable of cornering much tighter and faster than I will likely ever be.

All in all it was a comfortable ride. Lots of shifting and I didn't noticed an ounce of trouble with clutch actuation. Very smooth and my fingers never tired. She's a little "clunky" shifting into first gear on the downshift. No big deal but just something I notice because I was trying hard to notice things. But as I recall, so were every dirt bike I ever road.

The front brake definately grabs and stopping should not be an issue for anyone under normal circumstances.

Again, the stock seat gave no negative feedback. Granted we didn't do a 200 mile straight ride but I was in the seat for a lot of clock ticks and it never bothered me a bit.

Nor did the air cleaner that I read so much about. In fact if I hadn't read about folks being unhappy about not being able to get their right leg into the tank I don't think I would have ever noticed it. But since I did read about it, I experimented and tried bringing both my knees into the tank, both on straight-aways and in curves. For me, that felt awkward as hell anyway. I mean my "unobstructed" left leg didn't want to pinch tight into the tank any more than my "obstructed" right leg. Now that could be my long legs and the mid-mount controls just don't make it a natural feel. And I suppose I can see how in a more "racer" type position that would be more natural. But just out cruising around I found it to be a non-issue. For me to really pinch the tank I think I would six inch foot pegs to get my feet out wide enough.

So anyways...While at the dealer, I checked on my parts and they are in. I'm taking the bike Thursday so we'll see what I observe from the changes. I'm glad I am getting the seat time before them so I can really notice the difference.

And as a side note, while at the dealer, I popped into Sandy the finance rep's office to say. When she turned around and saw me, she called me by my name, her face lit up and she gave me a hug. Like I said in the Dealers forum, you just don't fake that stuff.

Speaking of upgrades, Sportsterific made me think of something. Is having SE pipes, K&N air filter, and re-jetted carb considered a Stage 1? I saw on Sportster.org, that they consider that a Stage 0.5 and that Stage 1 involves a 1200 conversion and/or SE ignition module. But a lot of what I read makes me think that what I am having done is Stage 1. So I'm a little confused. I just want to be sure that if I say I have a Stage 1 I really do.

So, that's where I'm at right now. She's an awesome machine and far more capable than the long-haired redneck that's riding her is at the moment.

GOTWA,

AFAIK Stage I means freer flowing exhaust which could be slip-on mufflers on the stock headpipes or a full aftermarket exhaust, and a less restrictive air cleaner which could be either the factory Screamin Beagle or an aftermarket filter. Stage I mods are mild, bolt-on stuff. A carb rejet should also be performed at Stage I.

Stage II usually entails headwork, cams and possibly at this point a new ignition module to raise the redline. Stage III is a more radical iteration of Stage II. After Stage I, the delineations get kind of blurred.

My Sportster has a Screamin Eagle filter and Cycle Shack slash cut slip-ons with "Crim's Top-Secret Baffle Mod" on stock headpipes with the crossover protrusion removed. I guess that's a Stage I, I dunno.

Gotwa,

Enjoy your new bike and your new hobby!

Nice writing!

Put some miles (in the thousands) before you make up your mind about what it is you want to do with your new bike. Just my .02! ;)

Logged another 50 or 60 miles this weekend. We're starting to get much more comfortable together.

Sure wish our low temps would come up a few more clicks. Still getting down to around 25F at night and since I would be riding home before dawn, that's just a bit too cold.

Anyway, my parts are in so I will be taking her in to the dealer for the upgrades this week. Will be picking her up Thrusday afternoon so will hopefully have some good things to report back.

Take care. Ride Safe.

Gotwa-nice first person tome on your new riding 'buddy'. Congratulations on your new bike! You know we all want pics, right?

Kim

Nice report, and it made me wish I was out ridding mine but have to work to support the habit. :clap :clap :clap

Stage 1 Upgrade
WOW! What a difference. I really do have a Harley now!!!

Just got back from picking her up after the Stage 1 upgrade. She sounds sooooooo much better now.

They installed SEII slip-ons, K&N a/c filter (with SE a/c filter cover insert) and rejetted the carb. I forgot to grab my service slip but I think he said the put in a 170 main and a 45 pilot. But not certain of that. I'll stop out there and grab a copy of the service record next time I'm going by there.

They also installed passenger footpegs and gave me my two-up seat. The seat is really nice. Wide for both rider and passenger and along the "pillow" style. They didn't put in the rear mounting peg like I wanted but oh well. My fault for not making sure it was on the service agreement. The mechanic had no idea because the salesman didn't put it on the service order. No biggy, they cost about five bucks and look to be pretty straight forward to install. I want the additional plug because I intend to leave the solo on most of the time. So having that mounting plug for the two-up will make it a quick change process.

Not too sure about the horsepower increase. I'm sure it is there. They told me to expect roughly 8-10hp increase. I can definately say she is really snappy. But with her just getting over the initial break-in miles and my comfort level increasing a bunch, I was far more comfortable getting into her. So while I'm certain there was a gain in horsepower, I don't have much to compare it too since I was being so mild with her before.

But the sound alone was worth every penny!!! And not just from a "man she sounds better" point of view. It really is a safety feature. As I was motoring up say between the outside (right) lane and the turn lane coming to a stop light light, I used the pipes to let everyone know I was coming up. That was a good feeling.

Oh and as a side note, I got every piece of my stock equipment back as well as all the unused parts from the dynojet kit. There's even a couple drill bits rattling around in the box. I like that idea. I want to keep all my stock parts so if ever there comes a day when I decide to trade her for another, I can send all her OEM stuff with her.

Hey SC Compact, going back to our oil thing, the dealer did say to check her when she is level. They said to sit on the seat and bring her up level to get an accurate reading. They acknowledged what the manual said but said that will give you a reading in the "okay" range on the dipstick but not an accurate one. I have to concur with them. I checked the oil before I went out there, with the bike on it's kick stand and it showed a little low. I held the bike up straight and it was right on the mark. So when I dropped it off I asked them to check it as well. They said it was fine and that's when the conversation ensued about the right way to check it.

Other than that, I want to get the kick stand extension for her. Seems the stand disappears way up in there. No big deal but I would like it to be a little easier to catch.

I still cuss sometimes trying to get her into neutral at a dead stop. The salesman advised me when I bought her that they are much easier to find neautral while rolling than stopped. He was right. But I'm getting the feel for it now but it is a finesse thing.

I'm still not over the amount of torque this bike has. I don't know how quick she goes from zero to 40mph but it is damned fast. When I'm behind a car at a stop light and we get the green, I kind of lag just a bit and let the car get out there first and make sure no jerk is running the red. But once I enter the intersection, I want out of it quick. And in just about the space of a four lane road with a turn lane, I was hitting 35-40mph. I like that. Not just for performance but for safety. All that torque is nice when you're trying to get out of blind spots or away from frequent lane changers too. I haven't had her out on the freeway yet but in traffic, when you hit the throttle she barks and jumps.

I know there is stuff I wanted to mention but I can't remember right now. Between being excited over the upgrade and this damned cold I'm fighting my brain is kind of mushy. But all in all, for the applications that I laid out earlier, and for the price, this motorcycle can't be beat. Maybe some metric bikes do better in some areas and worse in others. I don't know and frankly I don't care. They aren't Harley's and like the saying goes, "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand."

Hey SC Compact, going back to our oil thing, the dealer did say to check her when she is level. They said to sit on the seat and bring her up level to get an accurate reading.

Thanks but I think I will go by what is in the Owners manual versus the dealer advice. I rarely fill the bike to the top anyway. I am happy if the oil is between the two marks. My bike tends to use a little oil. It seems to use more oil when it is full to the top line and it seems to use less oil when I leave the oil filled between the tow marks.

Thanks anyway. :smoke

According to the '04 Owners Manual:

Oil Level COLD Check
1. Position motorcycle so that it is leaning on jiffy stand on level ground.

2. Remove filler cap. See Removing and Replacing Oil Cap. Wipe attached dipstick clean. Reinstall oil filler cap in tank.

3. Remove oil filler cap again and check oil level on dipstick...


Oil Level HOT Check
1. Run engine until oil is at a normal operating temperature. Turn engine off.

2. Position motorcycle so that it is leaning on jiffy stand on level ground.

3. Remove oil filler cap...


If you stand the bike upright, you will end up with less oil in the tank, and I believe anyone can tell you, this is not a good thing. I'd go with the manual, and not what some mortal at a Harley dealer will assume is correct.

SC Compact I saw you are from Dutchess County. I am from Peekskill. Is the weather there still screwed up. I finally got to take the bike out for a test run after installing the Hypercharger and rejetting the carb. Plugs looked good no fouling. I still got some carb farts but I think it's the weather. Ride safe and hope everyones weather gets better. :tour

I agree with you fellas on the oil thing. Reckon the manufacturer knows what is best. I hate getting mixed advice like that.

Well the cold I was fighting has turned nto the full blown flu. So between and working all weekend I probably won't get much time on the bike. But the weather is definately getting better and there's lots of ride time ahead.

:tour

Congrats on the bike

I am really enjoying reading about your experiences. I will be getting my 2005 883 in about a month. I have to finish my garage first so i have a home for her. I am getting a little stir crazy waiting for the Nebraska weather to warm a little and get on the road. Keep up the reports

:tour

SC Compact I saw you are from Dutchess County. I am from Peekskill. Is the weather there still screwed up. I finally got to take the bike out for a test run after installing the Hypercharger and rejetting the carb. Plugs looked good no fouling. I still got some carb farts but I think it's the weather. Ride safe and hope everyones weather gets better. :tour

Yeah it a typical February. Snow a couple of days ago. Snow and or rain (maybe a NorEaster) for Mon, Tues, Wed.

Everyone can't wait for spring. I say the hell with spring I am ready to go right into summer.

[QUOTE=SC_Compact]Thanks but I think I will go by what is in the Owners manual versus the dealer advice.



On the other hand:
The owners manual says to use 87 octane in the '04 883.
Do not.
You should use 92.

Congrats on the bike

I am really enjoying reading about your experiences. I will be getting my 2005 883 in about a month. I have to finish my garage first so i have a home for her. I am getting a little stir crazy waiting for the Nebraska weather to warm a little and get on the road. Keep up the reports

:tour

That's great Barney. See you're doing your's in the proper order and not bassakwards like me. I bought the bike and now need to think about the garage...lol. Have you already ordered your bike or will you just be going in a month? If you have ordered it, whatcha get? If you haven't whatcha looking at getting? Glad you're getting something out of my rambles. That and it generating feedback/conversation with the seasoned owners makes it very worthwhile.

Toothygrin,

You're right about that. I caught that on day one. Salesman told me to run premium (91) fuel and when I got home I noticed it said 87 for the 883 and 91 for the 1200. I called him and he said I could do what I want but he runs only 91 in all his motorcycles. Like I said before, I'm not new to engines so I didn't see any issues with running the higher octane but I wanted the reassurance of another human being before I started feeding her something.

Funny, cause when I bought my Bronco that cost twice as much I never worried about any of these details. In fact, I'm not even sure I know where the owner's manual is any more. :laugh

Been getting asked a few things on other threads and in PM's so wanted to point out a couple things about the bike purchase itself:

1) I had absolutely no intention of buying an extended warranty. Two years was plenty for me. I don't like warranties any more than I like stuffinf my greenbacks into a slot machine. That said, I bought the four year warranty. No not because the finance lady was flirting with me or anything. Because it took another 1% off the finance rate. They took $200 off the warranty and it dropped my interest to boot. So based on that it was worth it to me to do.

2) I financed the Stage 1 upgrade. That is why the dealer did it for me. Parts and labor it was a little over $500, $550 I think it was. I'm about as enthused about paying them $60-70 an hour to do simple work as I am about slot machines. But since I was financing it, I said what the hell. Taking $200 off for labor over the life of the loan was like a $.50/mo difference. But, if you're being asked an unreasonable sum, really hate the idea of them doing it, or have already bought your bike, I wouldn't hesitate to do it yourself. Carberators are very straight forward (okay maybe not Carter four bbls and such but these ones). In fact we just rebuilt my best friend's S&S on his Springer and there's nothing to it. Even when those two tiny unexpected check balls dropped out. It was obvious where they went. But if you're still concerned about it, do the pipes and a/c filter yourself (simple unscrew/screw work) and then take it to the dealer for the carb work.

3) The two-up seat I got is not the stock one sold on the Customs. The one I got is much larger. So if you want a two-up seat but want to retainf the slick look, this seat is not for you. But, if you plan to go for the touring look, or to take long rides, or do a lot of two-up riding, this seat looks like it would fit the bille very well. As I said earlier, they didn't give me the rear mounting bracket so I haven't tried the seat out on the bike, but it damn sure looks comfortable. I'll see if this link works http://www.harley-davidson.com/gma/gma_product.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444184347 1&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374309043233&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374309043233&bmUID=1109450401726&bmLocale=en_US. If not it is the "Pillow-Look Touring Seat For Sportster Models" and can be found on the HD website.

So anyway, between being a self-contained bio-hazard and mother nature, no riding this weekend so nothing to new to report on that front.

Have a good one all and keep the inputs coming, me and all the other "new guys" are reading and learning.

:tour

You're right about that. I caught that on day one. Salesman told me to run premium (91) fuel and when I got home I noticed it said 87 for the 883 and 91 for the 1200.

Funny, cause when I bought my Bronco that cost twice as much I never worried about any of these details.


I used 91 octane in my 02 Chev 2500HD Silverado untill I read the OM and it said use any grade.

Right-o, 87 it is! :smackh

I used 91 octane in my 02 Chev 2500HD Silverado untill I read the OM and it said use any grade.

Right-o, 87 it is! :smackh

HA! Yeah I don't run premium in my Bronco either. Will put in some from time to time to help keep things clean but fairly lazy about that even.

But with the Sportster, it's premium all the way. Of course that is far less offensive when filling a three gallon tank as opposed to a 25 gallon tank. If I did that every time with the Bronco I'd have to put my kids into slave labor at the station washing windshields or something! :eek:

Will put in some from time to time to help keep things clean but fairly lazy about that even.


I bought the 6 year warranty from GM and I say -Bring it on. Carbon build-up, clogged fuel injectors, any fuel related issues- Bring it on.

I've allready gotten a new trans under warranty. It may or may not have needed it. It weren't my call.

I ordered it in last August. I did not have to wait that long but I figured I could save up a little more for my down payment, plus I wouldn't have to find a place to store it over the winter. Phase IV ships April-May-June. I figured that was better than having it arrive in January and have to sit around looking at it for a couple of months.

I got a Chopper Blue 883 with the cast wheels. I am adding the leather Badlander 2up seat. Chrome and rubber handgrips, footpegs, and shifter peg. I am also going to get a short rail sissybar and pad.

I am getting it from the dealer in Cheyenne Wyoming because they charge the MSRP while the local dealer wasnts about $1300 more for the same bike. The told me they were more because they had an "assembly fee". So I am looking forward to the 175 mile ride home anyhow.

The told me they would get 30 notice of delivery and will let me know. So from about now on I will be diapointed every time the phone rings and it isn't them. My wife is sure sick of hearing me talk about it.

I've been following this thread for some time and you have to love GOTWA's enthusiasm and well written thoughts. I too am new to riding and just purchased an '03 100th anniversary 1200 Custom, with only 100 miles on it! The weather's been so cold here in Nebraska (attn: Barney Rubble), but it has allowed me time to begin to personalize it, some. And I think I'm about done with that. I too will be taking the Motorcycle Safety Course here sometime in April (the schedule comes out in March) and hope to be logging some miles soon after that.
I'm sure I will be as excited as GOTWA has been while logging in his riding time and keeping us posted with his diary.

Thanks GOTWA - I CAN'T WAIT!!

That's awesome Barney! It's a tough wait man, but it's worth every second. Hell I waited 35yrs. Hang in there, the rewards will be great.

Thanks a lot for that MidWest. The feedback is very much appreciated. Reckon I am just a wee bit excited. Okay, so I feel like I just won a lifetime pass to the Mustang Ranch and my wife is happy for me. Well, maybe not that excited but close. :D

You two will have to share pics of what you have done and of course give us all a report on what you think. Post in this thread if you want to.

Well this butt-kicking cold seems to finally be fading. So, I think my wife will let me ride again. Been wanting to ride to work each night this weekend but with lows around 30 she said no way. Bad ass biker that I am, I sunk my head and left the bike in the shed. She's right of course. Between being sick, not sleeping well, working 12hr graveyards, the cold temp's, and my inexperience it was reading like a news article about my crash. I may look gruff on the outside but at heart I'm just a boy with his toys and thank God I have a woman like her to keep me straight. Damn, there I go shattering that bad ass biker image again...

Anyway, I'm feeling better and am hoping to log some miles the next couple days. My intention is to get some more seat time, settle in with the bike, and let the "newness" factor ebb a little and see what things I notice. I really am trying to make this a useful thread and not just me sharing my excitement...lol.

I do have a private riding lesson set up with the MSF Instructor for this coming Sunday. My brother in law ran into him at the recent bike show and got me his card. The guy seems really cool. He gives private lessons on the side. When I explained my work schedule combined with the difficulty in getting into the class he completely understood and said he's all about just helping make people better riders. So he's twisting his schedule around just so he can go out with me. It won't obviously be the full blown MSF course. I told him I'd like to concentrate on cornering and specifically counter-steering and he's all for it. He said since I already know clutch/throttle control and the basics of riding that he agreed this would be a good thing to focus on. He grilled me with a ton of questions from my riding experience to my personality. Basically, he wanted to be sure I wasn't completely green to bikes and that I wasn't a daredevil or an idiot. I actually appreciated that and it made me respect him. I won't say what he is charging me cuz' it ain't what he charges most folks I'm certain but suffice to say if I bought his gas and lunch at Mickey D's it'd probably be about even.

So I'll pop back in and let you all know how that goes. My brain can't wrap around the idea of steering left to turn right so hopefully I'll get it.

Second Impressions
WOW, what a weekend! Logged a lot of miles this weekend and went and got my private riding lesson. Lest you think I have money falling out of my pockets, this guy is the local MSF instructor and offers private lessons at a price less than I paid for my Chinese food and movie rentals the other night (and I was alone).

Took a nice long ride Saturday with my brother in law and best friend. Started on city streets with heavy traffic, transitioned into pretty consistent cruising, and back into city streets. Then made the reverse trip.

We made a ride out across the border to Post Falls, ID. As I'm still under 500 miles I didn't want to run the bike consistently at speeds of 70-75mph on the freeway. They were completely cool and understanding and my brother in law knows a back way in that would run us around 50-60mph max. So we took that route.

In keeping with good practice, I took point as far as I knew the route and then my brother in law moved up and I settled into the middle. This was my first time of really having her "up to speed" and just cruising for a good ways. Up till then, it was all city traffic with the exception of a couple routes to work that allow me to get to 45-50mph for maybe four or five miles. So I was interested to see how she just cruised along.

She did not dissapoint! I was very comfortable and she was just as responsive as in the city. The bike just handles so well. It can flow or it can turn. It is intensely obvious that this bike was designed to perform and at a much higher level than my current skills allow.

I was thinking that cruising along would really highlight the "benefits" of the C models with forward controls, but it didn't. If anything, it reinforced my love of the mid-mounts. Now that is MY personal preference and as I've said earlier in this log, just what I'm used to, but with my feet up close and tight, I just really gain a sense of control. Swerving around pot holes and dead cats just felt natural.

That said, I played around with putting my feet out where highway pegs would be mounted and while it felt a little weird, I can see where it would be a nice option on long rides. Just a place to change up while cruising to reduce leg fatigue. In fact, my best friend on his Springer (he's made some serious rides, like New Mexico to Washington) said even with forward controls, he wished he had just another place to put his feet just to change positions. So it isn't a "mid-mount" thing, it's a "change up" thing.

So anyway, we went to the Easy Rider Road House (basically a parts/accessory) in Post Falls, Idaho. Great people there who really work with you and are a blast to be around. The staff is just plain awesome, the prices are extremely competitive (among Indy's, blows HD away), and the customers are just as nice as the staff.

We stopped by the Shumate dealer earlier and then out to Easy Rider and then to a "biker's" watering hole nearby. Being a sunny Saturday, there were bikes EVVERYWHERE! I saw a ton of of Sportsters. Not as many as Softtails thank goodness...lol, but a ton. From stock to custom, 883's to 1200's, Evo's to Irons. Oh and as a side note, the overwhelming majority were ridden by men. This isn't a hang up for me, but I know it is for some. There was one really trick "sorta bobber" Iron that I glimpsed as we pulled into Shumate. I wanted a close up look at that bike but just as I was taking off my helmet, the guy climbed on and rode away.

I also want to point out something I just found intersting about cruising. My brother in law, who was initally concerned about me having a lack of power, rides a '75 Super Glide (yeah I know I've mentioned that few times...lol) and that Shovel is only 74ci folks. In talking with him and absorbing his knowledge and seeing a lot of old bikes, I see that the Shovel was HD's power plant for all the "big" bikes during it's years to include RK's and such. I reckon if 1200cc's was good enough to get a massive headlighted pig down the road it's plenty good enough for a tiny little Sportster! And so too is the 883. Also, his SG only has a four speed tranny, so he told me that even on the freeway, he prefers to cruise around 60-65mph. No doubt in my mind that my XL could hang with him even on our hilly roads. Not sure about two-up as I haven't tried it, but I know she has a lot of room to spare with just me so I'm guessing at those speeds she'll do just fine.

Still no real issues with the stock solo seat. If I let myself slip back on the seat too far, the up-swing would kind of numb my upper ass (which is something as I suffer from terminal Noassatall) but nothing big. Just had to ease slightly forward. But I never got uncomfortable. We only went around 30-35 miles in one leg, so not sure what a full on drain the tank ride would bring. But, honestly I don't think it would be an issue or I think I would have started feeling the first signs of discomfort toward the end of the ride.

I want to say something about the clutch here too (seat, clutch, air cleaner cover seem to be among the chief complaints I read). I noticed a while back my fingers were getting fatigued in city traffic. However, I did not attribute that to the clutch pull, but rather my gloves. It's still pretty darned chilly up here so I have been wearing two sets of gloves. One wool-knit for warmer temps, and one heavy ski-style for cold temps. The wool ones didn't seem to allow my pinky finger enough stretch. The inner liner seemed to restrict the movement. And the bulky ski gloves where, well bulky. Just their design made them hard to move my fingers in. So on our ride I bought a pair of leather gauntlets. Man, what a difference. They're half the bulk of the ski gloves and twice as warm (largely do to the leather's wind resistence). With these gloves my fingers do not tire at all. Confirming my notion that it wasn't the clutch pull that was wearing on my fingers, it was the gloves.

As for the a/c cover and not being able to get your knees into the tank, as I said before, and reaffirm now, for me this is completely a non-issue. Even during my cornering lessons today, where he had making tight turns, I never once felt incumbered by the cover. I suppose it is a personal preference thing but I think that gets far more attention than it should.

A note on handle bars, if you're going to do a lot of highway cruising, and you're not monkey-armed like me, really give this some thought. At my height (5' 11") the stock XL bars sit me up pretty straight but they are still a bit of a stretch and don't leave much flex room. Just something to consider.

Oh and so far, my only real dig on the bike is it can be a bitch to put into neutral! The dealer told me about this and said it is a lot easier to do while she's moving and he was right. She slips from first into second so easily at a stop that it can be a pain. In fact, I find it easier to let her go into second and then ease the pedal down slightly into neutral. I know it's a feel thing that I will get used to but it is a pain in the ass sometimes. Like when you're in a crowd of bikes and backing yours into a spot and it takes you way longer to shut yours down because your screwing around finding neutral...lol.

Okay, if you're still with me, I want to break this up so later on I will talk about my experience with the bike during my "cornering" lessons. I know I've said this a lot, but today just proved how nimble this motorcycle is and how far I have to go as a rider to take advantage of what she is capable of.

I am thoroughly enjoying this ongoing saga....I'm gonna send your updates on to all the people who helped you here at Shumate Harley-Davidson...so we can all live and learn vicariously through you! Lol...it is so cool to read how one of our favorite customers is doing after the sale! We get most of our customers back in the shop on Saturdays for our free hotdogs and they have turned it into a social hour (or hours if the weather is cold to ride) eating in our "Biker lounge" as we call it! Hope to see you in soon! I'll pass on the mirror problems..see if headquarters can find a cure... Seeing a left shoulder coming up behind me at 70 mph really freaks me out! Take care and I look forward to reading more...
Lil_bit_hd...your friendly Shumate HD receptionist!

GOTWA,

It's kinda funny...except for the location and the names, my experiences/observations have be a fairly "carbon" copy of your's.

I was right there with you when you didn't make that curve! :eek:

Hi Gotwa,

Great reading your ongoing tales :)

I will be picking up my 883C from the dealers within 2 weeks, and reading your story is a really good warm-up.

Liked the bit about the Stage conversions, where I obviously am as confused as the next guy (see me signature..lol).


Anyway, keep up the good work.

Hey lil bit, you're going to have me blushing every time I walk in there. Came in on Saturday and everyone was thanking me for my comments. Okay, I felt a little bit like star. :) I just missed you I guess, Peggy said you'd just gone to lunch. But I need to come pick up a part hopefully this week so maybe I'll be able to say howdy then. As for the mirror thing, I'm getting them tweaked so that they aren't bothering me near as bad. I still think the mirrors should be flipped over 180 degrees so that the large circle is on the outside.

DM, brakes and corners go together like airplanes and mountain tops! I came in to the curve to hard, felt the need to brake in the turn and when I did, she just stood straight up. ANd more straight I went, the more paniced I got and the more paniced I got, the more brake I applied and the straighter she went. That's why I wanted my lesson to focus on cornering and man I really think it made a difference. I have a couple days off coming up so will hopefully have time to write up what I learned and how the bike performed.

garman, glad you're enjoying! And even more glad that you're scoot is on the way! "Paying taxes" is just a slang term for paying the MoCo to make the bike the way it would/should be if it weren't required to restrict it so much due to enviornmental laws. A "Stage 1" conversion means putting on new freer flowing pipes, new freer flowing air cleaner filter, and rejetting the carb to compensate for the better air flow. So, if you get (or do it yourself) a Stage 1 upgrade then you have "paid the Harley tax." On the main forum page, scroll down until you find the forum titled "Paying Taxes" (it's down there with "Custom Finishing", "Motor and Electrical", etc.) Entire threads in there dedicated to the topic. http://xlforum.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38

Miscellaneaous

Just some random stuff I've been meaning to get to but keep forgetting.

But first a quick story about my day. If you don't want to read it, scroll down, I'll highlight the return to my review afterward.

Worked a 12hr graveyard last night so got up about 1 p.m. Weather called for rain and when I parted the curtains it was cloudy and dark but I was betting it was more show than go. So had me some coffee, hung out at the XL Forum, and when the kids got home called Shumate to see if my parts were in that I ordered.

Well, low and behold, Tricia (lil_bit_hd) the lady who discovered my write-up about the dealership answered. It was great to finally talk to her and thank her! Anyway, she connected me to Tom in parts who said my stuff was in so jumped on the Sportster and off I went.

Not more than a third of a mile from my house is a fairly major intersection and that my bike will not trip the light. So I'm sitting in the turn lane and surprisingly no one is coming in behind me. This is the same route I take to work everyday and when I'm in the cage, there's always traffic there, but no...everyone wanted to go straight today. So I'm waiting, and as I'm waiting, the city bus stops katty-corner from me in the intersection and a kid gets off wearing desert cami's, carrying a duffle bag, back pack and some spanking white new tennis shoes.

He stepped over to the tiny little taco place there on the corner, dropped his stuff on a picnic table outside and went inside. While I'm watching him, a car finally pulled up behind me and I eased forward enough to let it trip the light. Sprinkles were hitting my face and the clouds were growing darker but when that green arrow flashed, I just whipped into that taco joint. Parked my bike and ran inside just in time to pay for that trooper's grub. He was just coming home and was waiting for his brother to pick him up. I'm a Gulf War 1 vet and it was my privilege and honor to shake his hand and tell him thank you. The look on his face to have this Harley riding, pony-tailed, bearded, guy buying his lunch and shaking his hand was worth all the gold in the world.

I don't give a rat's ass what your politics are (I avoid the topic here stringently) but never, ever pass up the chance to thank a kid that's doing what he's been paid to do. As good as he felt, I felt better.

So then I ride out to Shumate and actually meet Tricia. Who for the record, is a genuine hottie. But so are all the girls out there. Peggy, Sandy, Stephanie, the dark-kinky-haired girl in motor clothes, the redhead sweeping the floor in parts, they're all gorgeous in their own way. Different ladies, but all wonderful. Um, I mean not that I notice...

Tricia insisted I meet the GM, Dave. I'd met him briefly at bike purchase but was surprised that he remembered me or at least was able to put my name/face with the write-up Tricia had shared with them all. Dave was sincere, gracious, and had a firm hand shake. I admire all three.

I just can't say enough about all the folks at Shumate from my first encounter with Kurt my salesman to this latest experience with Tricia and Dave the GM. I read a lot of negative stuff about dealers and am thankful that I have one that is just plain awesome.

I tell that story not just to share my happiness but to point out, that if I wasn't riding that Sportster, none of this would have happened.

Okay, so...

Misc. Actual Motorcycle Stuff

Rear turn lights. They don't act as running lights. The fronts do but the rears don't. I don't get that. There's just as much danger from behind as in front so why not light up the bike? Seems to be trend for HD as my brother in law's 75 SG is the same, didn't think about it to check on my best friend's 97 Springer but my guess is they don't light up either. I know they sell the rear turn signal/tail/brake light conversions but I like the idea of having different colored lights back there. Same colored are easy to zone out on. So I'd like to be able to make the rear turn signals running lights without making them red or brake lights. I think the MoCo should really consider this.

Motor noise. Woosh this engine makes noise. It ain't bad but it is definately different for us new guys. You're all freaking out trying to make sure you do everything by the book, and then it starts clacking. Sorta the sound a bad lifter makes on a V8. I heard it and I don't know how many times I leaned over the bike while riding to get a better listen or how many times I checked the oil. My brother in law laughed at me and the dealer reassured me and then on here you guys relaxed me. It's normal, just trippy if yo ain't used to it and trying real hard to do eerything right to protect your machine. With the advice, and now that I've gotten used to it, I like it. An engine should give feedback.

The Enrichener Knob. Way too much emphasis placed on this by the manual/dealer. First, lets do away with "enrighener knob" and call it what it is, the choke. Open it up to dump more fuel into the carberatuer when the engine is cold to compensate for "poor" air, thick oil, and tough iron. Basic concept of the combustible engine. Fuel injection is another story. The choke is useful and is beneficial and is necessary but can easily be over used. Our main man Stevo, rightfully chastised me on another post for speaking out against the choke. In that post I was just being vague and said stay off the choke. What I should have said was be judicious with the choke. It does not require what the manual/dealer says. I fire mine up at half choke (in 26F weather so far), let it run a couple minutes then push the choke in and use the throttle lock nut to hold it at a steady idle while I dress. It's a feel thing that you'll have to develop. But the point is, too much choke (as the manuals suggest) isn't required and will just dump a ton of fuel into your plugs.

Kickstand. Why does Harley refer to this as a "jiffy stand?" I mean it isn't one of those stand up kind and the whole term is kind of I don't know, weak. Anyway, I had issues with it before when i first got the bike. Seeemed tucked in too far. But that was just newness. Now it is perfectly natural and I have tossed away my thoughts of an extension.

Handling.Um...well...It frickin' turns! Was reading another forum about bikes in general the other night and our poor HD guys were so outnumbered by the rice burners. From Cruisers to Sports, they just bashed HD and Sportsters in particular. HA! Those jap bike SOB's kept going on about how people just buy Sportsters because they are Harleys. Point being, they were the ones actually denfending their bikes, not the HD guys. They were the ones getting all huffy and pissed off. The HD guys, even the BT guys were chiming in to "correct" them. But the point being, this is not a crotch rocket. It ain't. But it ain't meant to be and there ain't no reason on God's green Earth to need a freakin' crotch rocket on streets. The Sportster is what it is. A sporty bike that will cruise but will shine in the twisties. I mention this because my contiued experience with the bike and my private lesson I had make me feel so comfortable with this bike that I find any negative comments about it's handling laughable. I leaned her over today, as an experiement of my riding, not the bike's abilty, was far from scraping pegs and felt like I was way over. These bikes can handle. Period. No doubt in my mind.

Have a couple more things on my list I want to cover but it's late. Hope you all are getting something from this and if anyone has any questions for a new guy, ask.

Oh and read every post Stevo puts up.

GOTWA,

The reason that H-D doesn't call the enrichener a choke, is because it isn't a choke.

A choke works by restricting the airflow into the motor, thereby richening the mixture.

H-D uses an enrichener, which dumps more fuel into the circuit without affecting the amount of air. IMHO, a much better cold-starting system.

GOTWA,

The reason that H-D doesn't call the enrichener a choke, is because it isn't a choke.

A choke works by restricting the airflow into the motor, thereby richening the mixture.

H-D uses an enrichener, which dumps more fuel into the circuit without affecting the amount of air. IMHO, a much better cold-starting system.

Yep, yep good point.

Was asked if I could post a pic, had this on here before but didn't want to scare everyone off. I'll try it again.

Was asked if I could post a pic, had this on here before but didn't want to scare everyone off. I'll try it again.
Scare? Here? We ain't skeered....

Scare? Here? We ain't skeered....

HA! Well that mug ain't for the weak. Maybe I should just get some better pictures of the bike without me in them. She's far easier on the eyes! :laugh

Took the bike downtown the other day to visit the wife at work. Man, I don't know how the Sofa-Tail and Load King guys do it. The Sporty's torque and manueverablity definately shine in heavy erratic traffic and quick changing lights. I gotta think being on a bagger would feel like trying to get around with the USS Saratoga in a fleet of power boats. Okay maybe not that bad but really, the ability to move the bike around and get on the throttle the way the Sportster allows gives a lot of piece of mind in those conditions.

This bike is just such an all around performer and joy to ride. Granted, I haven't done full freeway speeds yet, gone cross country (which was never a desire anyway), or rode two-up but I have done a lot of diverse riding. From inner-city traffic, to winding back roads, to a 35 mile straight shot at ~60mph. Where the BT guys might think that the more you ride the more you would realize you should have gotten a "big" bike, the exact opposite is true. The more I ride, the more impressed I am and the more satisified I am with my decision.

And the Sportster is so versatile both in terms of performance and accessorizing that it is really a great bang for the buck. As I said before, I'd also been eyeing the Super Glide Sport and man am I glad I decided on the Sportster. The SG may do a little better with two-up riding off the floor, but with the right set-up I see no reason the Sporty can't do at least as well. Which is why the Sportster is so cool, you can "upgrade" the bike to suit your needs but still have all that torque and handling. With a BT, you can't really do a lot to achieve that same performance. Sure you can boost power, alter gears, change out shocks, whatever, but it will always be a bigger, heavier, less manueverable bike. With the Sportster you can have the best of all the worlds.

If you're going to spend a lot of time doing two-up and/or long hauls, maybe a BT is better suited for you. But if you want a true work horse that will keep a smile on your face no matter what the road ahead brings, then you can't go wrong with a Sportster.

I agree 100%! The more I ride my 883, the more I'm thinking I did a GOOD thing not waiting a year to get the Super Glide.

Oh, I'll probably end up getting a SG sometime in the future...BUT, I can't see myself giving up my Sporty for it ( "From my cold, dead hands..." :laugh ). The SG will have to get along with it's little, much beloved brother! :tour

I agree 100%! The more I ride my 883, the more I'm thinking I did a GOOD thing not waiting a year to get the Super Glide.

Oh, I'll probably end up getting a SG sometime in the future...BUT, I can't see myself giving up my Sporty for it ( "From my cold, dead hands..." :laugh ). The SG will have to get along with it's little, much beloved brother! :tour

I'll tell you this DM, I think if I ever get a "big" bike, it will have to be an old Shovel. I just love 'em. I think it is a cool looking engine and I just like the whole idea of them. I like Pan's too but there's something about those Shovels I like. Now the frame it rests in would be up for consideration. But the point being, if I ever went up in size, it would have to back in years. Not only because I just think they are cool bikes, but because I want a bike I can strip down and know every inch of. Yeah, yeah, I know I can do that on a new one, but not like on an old one. Like how my '95 Bronco can get to be too much for me but my '70 F250 is straight forward. Sure she can be a pain in the ass but hey I like that in a weird sort of way. She's my old truck. If I go "up" I want that same sensation in the bike.

Of course that's after I build my Sportster bobber, erect my three stall pole garage, get the kids through college, fix that crumbling chunk on the house foundation, and maybe have this broken tooth looked at. Or wait, maybe all that stuff is after...lol.

Quick Tip On Being Cool
I wanted to share this vital information for my fellow new Sportster owners. Afterall, being cool is part of the gig.

So say your wife and kids take off for the weekend and you have the entire weekend to yourself to just do man stuff. And it is a gorgeous sunny day, unusually warm for coming out of winter, and you take off and ride like crazy. And on your way back home you stop into the local video store and rent, oh I don't know, maybe a couple UFC videos and anything with guns. Of course you're in your chaps, brown leather bomber jacket, bandana, hair pulled back in a pony tail (insert your own usual look here, not that this is about me or anything, just saying if was about me that is what I would be wearing). And you're attracting a little bit of attention on your shiny Harley and "biker garb."

So you stroll out to your waiting beauty and as you stuff the DVD's into your coat and throw your leg over that saddle you look up and see two nubile young girls eyeballing you with sly smiles. One blonde (not by birth but who's counting?) and one raven haired beauty with hip-huggers and flashes of light bouncing off the studs ever so suggestively placed in their firm bare bellies, eyes demure but fiesty. I mean they are looking at you, you and your bike, the older rough around the edges bad boy and his shiny Harley. No way are they looking at the sale signs at the huge mall directly behind you, no sir, they are looking at you.

So you smile to yourself, enjoying that feeling of...well...well you just know. You cinch down your helmet, slip on the shades, and boom, fire up that throaty engine. You glance back at those girls one last time and yeah, they are definately checking you out. You pull the bike up, a nimble flick of your foot tosses the stand out of the way and it's time to roll on the throttle and as you pull away "see" with the eyes in the back of your head the looks of awe and yearning on those cute young faces.

Only at this point you realize, you haven't unlocked your forks. Yep, front wheel's locked up to the left tighter than your grandpa's wallet. And the only way to release those forks is to turn off the bike, unlock the forks, and then quickly restart it. You don't panic and you do it, as cool as an Eskimo's ass in January and as you look up you're just in time to see the fat bald guy in flip flops holding the door open for those girls as they disappear inside the store.

So, the lesson here is, not that having a Harley will make you see things that aren't necessarily so, but unlock your forks before starting the bike.

Not that this happened to me or anything. Just something I was thinking about. You know... :p :shhhh

Oh, that's just too funny! I did the same thing...just it was at the gas station AND, most importantly...there wasn't anyone (much less nice young ladies) there to see me! :p

Oh, that's just too funny! I did the same thing...just it was at the gas station AND, most importantly...there wasn't anyone (much less nice young ladies) there to see me! :p

Hey I said that didn't happen to me! :laugh

A couple more things that didn't happen to me but that would be good to know...

If you're outside your favorite tat guy's shop and your wife is inside getting her latest tat finished up and everyone takes a break and comes out to look at your new bike and you jump on it to go get some stuff done, well if you're ever doing that, be sure to take your sunglasses off the top of your head before you put your helmet on.

Oh and alwas turn your petcock back to the on position after you and your riding buddies stop to fill up. I wouldn't know first hand of course but I heard that you can go about a quarter of a mile with it off though.

Just a couple things I, you know, heard about. :o

A couple little things my brother in law did teach me though were to always put your helmet on your mirror, sissy bar, etc. the same way you wear it, open side down. Don't hang it off the bars and such. This way if it starts raining while you're off doing whatever, the inside of your helmet will stay dry.

And if you ever ride with a passenger, make it a habbit to be sure the rear footpegs are put back to the up position every time you stop. This is a courtesy thing for any other riders that may park next to you. Avoids bruised calves while manuevering between bikes.

You've got to stop it...your killing me over here! :lolsign

Oh, and not that I'd know either...but, I don't think you can make it a quarter mile with the petcock turned off... ;)

You've got to stop it...your killing me over here! :lolsign

Oh, and not that I'd know either...but, I don't think you can make it a quarter mile with the petcock turned off... ;)

Sure you can DM, it all depends on the speed limit of the road on which the station lies. If it is say on a 45mph road and you are doing say 50mph you should get better than an 1/8th of a mile before the bike coughs and then dies. You will coast about another 1/8th of a mile while you swallow down the panic and remind your fingers how to work. Easy quarter of a mile. :D

You know DM, you seem to have a lot of bad luck and I want to help you so I went ahead and started a thread on this topic over on the "General/Off-Topic" board. I do hope you keep up with it. :p

Yeah...well...I do learn quickly and rarely make the same mistake twice...in a row! :D

Lucky for us both that we learn quick I reckon!

Well I went to my dealer this weekend to order some parts so that they will be i nwhen the bike is delivered and also got my delivery date. It will be shipped from Kansas City on May 6. A little later than I had hoped but still not too far off.

Well I went to my dealer this weekend to order some parts so that they will be i nwhen the bike is delivered and also got my delivery date. It will be shipped from Kansas City on May 6. A little later than I had hoped but still not too far off.

That's awesome Barney. It might be a little later than you'd hoped but look at this way: 1) You're getting the bike you want and the stuff you want, might be a wait now but will be worth it in the long run. 2) By the time you get it the weather will be good for riding so you want to leave it parked.

You are tooooo funny! You make our day here at Shumate reading your latest reports....lookin forward to your next visit both online and in person....lil bit

GOTWA

You need to take your show on the road, man. It is some funny doo-doo. Maybe headline at some of the upcoming bike rallys. Maybe write a book, even. You've got to get your stuff down on paper...

You guys cut it out! If you keep talking him up, his head is going to swell and he'll need to add a 1200 kit to his 883 to compenstate for the extra wind resistance. Not to mention, IF he wears a helmet, he'll be forced to buy a bigger one! :laugh

Hey lil_bit, welcome back and it was great seeing you today. Of course it's always great seeing you. Maybe I should take a picture of you and Peggy and Sandy and Stephanie with my bike. It would look much better than my mug and the fellas here would appreciate it much more! Much, much more. :p

MidWest, the sad thing is, the truth is always more funny than fiction. Leave it to me, to make an ass out of myself and then share it with the world. Oh well, a very wise old lady used to tell me when I was little that everything goes better with a mouthful of humble pie. As for me writing a book, the only people who would be interested are you freaks and I'd end up broke. You all spend all your money on your bikes so you'd never buy my book...lol.

Now DM, no matter what my wife says, I do not have a big ego. Hell, as skinny as I am, how much ego could I fit into this body? I mean the only reason I look at my reflection in the speedo meter is to make sure nothing is stuck to my glasses, you know for safety. I am not checking to see if I look cool. And yes I do wear a helmet (and would even if not required, but am against the law) but I did have to rip the chrome "Harley Davidson" off the side. Not because my vanity refused to let me look yuppie or anything but again for safety. I mean those logos could cause wind drag and rip me off the bike!

Are you trying to tell us that's YOU on your bike in your avitar? It looks like there are other features there that would catch the wind.

Ya' I know that's not you. Keep fillin' us in on your impressions. It's just verifiying my choice in future purchase. This summer I hope. In the mean time I'll keep riding my ricer and saving my dollars.

Are you trying to tell us that's YOU on your bike in your avitar? It looks like there are other features there that would catch the wind.

Ya' I know that's not you. Keep fillin' us in on your impressions. It's just verifiying my choice in future purchase. This summer I hope. In the mean time I'll keep riding my ricer and saving my dollars.

Dude, no way is that me in my avatar, I mean that bike is red for crying out loud! :D

Stick with the saving LL, these are great bikes. I know I have said this a thousand times, but they really are truly quality motorcycles. Right down to the welds. Even a lot of the rice burning guys admit that HD makes a high quality bike that is like a rolling piece of art.

There are so many styles to choose from and so much you can do with them that I can't imagine being disappointed. I went out for a nice ride today after my running around. Just cruised out over the praire and wheat fields. All alone and just cruisin'. Was in fourth gear crowning a hill at around 40mph and as the road flattened out I just cranked on the throttle. The bike came alive and zipped me right up to 60. I wanted to go faster but I ain't over 500 miles yet. But man it feels good.

I know this might sound odd, but these bikes have character. They talk to you. They're not all about going fast, taking 90 degree turns at 60mph, or doing 170mph down the freeway. Don't get me wrong, they do perform, but it ain't about all that. It's about something else. And when you get one, and you ride it for a little bit, and it starts to talk to you, your bike, you'll know that waiting and saving was well worth it.

I know this might sound odd, but these bikes have character. They talk to you. They're not all about going fast, taking 90 degree turns at 60mph, or doing 170mph down the freeway. Don't get me wrong, they do perform, but it ain't about all that. It's about something else. And when you get one, and you ride it for a little bit, and it starts to talk to you, your bike, you'll know that waiting and saving was well worth it.


Ah...what sweet nothings they have have to say, too! :D

Morning all...cold and windy here in Spokane this morning...Gotwa..you probably wont be ridng today..so type us something funny to pass the day quicker please! I'm bored here..no customers in the Harley shop today..too cold I guess.
Lil bit

Here is one for you I used to ride a Honda 750 Spirit and compared to my Sportster XL1200 04 it had all the personality of a rock. Sure it was smooth and had no vibrations but it lacked something and as stated above it just did not talk to me. It just plain has soul that the Honda did not.

God I love that bike almost as much as my wife.

Morning all...cold and windy here in Spokane this morning...Gotwa..you probably wont be ridng today..so type us something funny to pass the day quicker please! I'm bored here..no customers in the Harley shop today..too cold I guess.
Lil bit

Nope, no riding today. It's nasty out there! Glad I got in some good seat time yesterday.

After lunch downtown with the wife, my bike just naturally gravitated out to Shumate. I was worried they were going to put a restraining order on me for stalking (I's be the first guy history to be wanted for stalking a building!) but then I found out a lot of us nuts just hang out there. So that made me feel better. Of course I had to visit with Tricia and Peggy and Stephanie. All legitmate Harley business I assure you. :p

I did get together with Kurt (salesman) and we talked over the possibility of swapping my bars for the ones on the 883L. They swoop bike farther than the standard bars. They feel quite a bit different for a fairly minor difference. Not sure yet. Not sure I want to give up my bars. But if I do, likely those will be the ones I go with. Just checking out different things. I like the feel of the "drag" bars on the standard for cornering just not sure how I'll like them for just cruising.

The cool thing about going out to the dealer (aside from the pretty girls and cool bikes) is just getting ideas. You can look, check things out, then leave and give it some thought. Then when you go back in you might see something different or your original idea may have changed.

As I was leaving Shumate, I saw a sweet 883R. Think it might have been one of the employees cuz he came from the backside of the building. It even had the #1 racing plaques hanging off the sides of the rear fender. Don't know if that was a stock feature at some time or an add on but it was cool!!!

Also followed a V-Rod out of the lot. I'm sorry, I know those bike fly and all, but aside from not being a very nice looking bike, they just don't have any sound. I know that is likely an exhaust thing but even so, the sound is different. Not thumpy and real quiet. To each their own I guess I just don't get it. I did notice the guy had his helmet hanging off his handle bar by the chin strap. Bad habit. See "lessons learned" stuff above. And I would never want to say the guy just screamed "yuppie Harley owner" or anything. :rolleyes:

Anyway, once I got back on the road I took off out over the praire for a nice ride. Windy roads to long straights. It was so nice. Windy but nice. I'm getting so comfortable with the bike that turning is now something to look forward too. She just dips and glides through curves.

Had an old lady all over my ass. No matter what I did she just wouldn't back off. I didn't have any place to pull over (not that I likely would have anyway) and if I sped up or slowed down she just adjusted her speed and stayed on my ass. I'd get away from her but then the curves would come and she'd catch back up. That all changed when we hit a nice straight stretch and I rolled on the throttle. 45mph to 60mph in no time. Man that is nice.

So all in all, yesterday was an awesome day. To top it off, in the afternoon my niece's husband was bragging to me about is cool day. He went and got some full-auto bb gun. He went on and on about going out shooting and stuff and we he got done I said, "Yeah, I had an okay day too. Rode my Harley downtown and the wife bought me lunch. Then I rode out to Shumate and got hugs from pretty girls and sat on cool bikes. Then I stopped at the store and a very heavy chested hispanic girl was all gaga over my motorcycle. Then I hit the road and just cruised along the wheat fields. Not a thought in my mind other than life is good. But hey, a bb gun is cool too."

Yeah, maybe it was kinda mean of me but I couldn't help it. :D

Thanks for the laugh Gotwa... your reviews give me a sideache! It's been so slow here today at the shop..looking outside and thinking we're in for a hurricane the way the wind is blowin! No riders out today except one poor salesman here that rode his to work this morning...he's been whining about his ride home tonight all day....lol..looking forward to your next visit to your second home (Shumate)....lol..and no, we won't turn you in for stalking us..you are welcome anytime...we love your visits!
lil bit...

Been trying to get over the 500 mile mark so I can open her up and take a few long rides and then report back. But the weather is not cooperating at all!!!!

So, in the meantime, I made some links to various parts of this thread in the very first post so folks can just jump to areas that may be of interest to them.

Hope to get some seat time in soon and share the feedback.

So, in the meantime, I made some links to various parts of this thread in the very first post so folks can just jump to areas that may be of interest to them.

Man, that's a certain sign of WTMT (way too much time)! :D

Not to brag but, I've ridden close to 650 miles in last the 19 days since I bought the bike! :tour

Man, that's a certain sign of WTMT (way too much time)! :D

Not to brag but, I've ridden close to 650 miles in last the 19 days since I bought the bike! :tour

Yeah well...it was between chores or hanging out here. And yes I did get scolded for the lack of chores. :rolleyes: :D Besides, I really do want this to be of some use to folks, not just my mad ramblings. And I learned a ton yesterday reading all the "technical" posts by Stevo, Shu, Crim, etc.

I got it right at 400 miles but man the weather has gotten nasty. 25mph winds with rain/snow. And the forecast doesn't look any better for thext week. :frownone

Yeah well...it was between chores or hanging out here. And yes I did get scolded for the lack of chores. :rolleyes: :D

Yeah, I get into trouble a lot due to hanging out on the net. It's either the net or TV that gets me mostly... :(

Well, been meaning to get back to this and report on my post-break in observations. So...

I'm now over 1000 miles and have had the first service completed. I am a DIY advocate but took her into the dealer for the first service for a few reasons.

1. They have been really good to me and I wanted to give them a little more business. I don't owe them anything beyond my bike purchase, and I didn't do it out of a sense of obligation. However, I do believe in rewarding awesome service, especially in this day and age. My dealer is great and I just thought I'd toss a couple bucks their way.

2. I like that they go through pretty much the whole bike and check/tighten everything up. Still being new to HD's I wanted to be sure all those things were checked.

3. I had an oil leak and wanted them to check/fix it.

Everything checked out great on the bike and no problems were discovered. The plugs looked good and that was nice to know. Confirmation of my starting/riding habits. There is so much talked about this subject that it was nice to hear the mech say everything was fine. No signs of fouling or being too lean. Just a little piece of mind.

As for the oil leak, I discovered around 700 miles (after a hard ~150 mile poker run) that she would drip just a couple drops of oil every now and then. Had me head scratchin' for a few days trying to decide if I was being paranoid and just seeing old oil spots on the pavement and thinking it was the bike, or if it was indeed coming from the bike. Finally spotted some after a ride and dropped down to have a look. Definately from the bike. A tiny little bit, bottom of the primary and just behind the left mid-mount peg.

When I dropped her off I told them about it and they said they'd check it out. Now spring has more or less finally sprung up here and every RUB within 200 miles is dragging their bikes into the dealer to have it serviced before their three rides a year, so they are slammed. When I picked the bike up, they said they re-torqued all the primary bolts, ran her for a while and no signs of leaks. Said to keep an eye on her and bring her back if it leaked again. I had little faith in that idea. But I understood, they are slammed and going to go the quickest route and hope for the best just to keep bikes moving through the shop. The leak was right at a bolt but I was thinking it was more likely a knicked gasket from the factory that showed up as things wore in. Even pm'd our resident expert Stevo who to my surprise, said what they said, see what it does. Well, ~150 miles later, I haven't noticed a drop. So as it stands now, I was wrong. Hopefully that is all it was and and at this point I have no reason to doubt it.

Only other thing that stood out from the service was my question about what seemed like front brake noise. I could occassionally hear a slight rub (no not the kind decked head to toe in HD leather) from the front brake. So when the service tech went to push my bike inside, I said, "Now before you start, listen and see if you can hear a rubbing noise from the front wheel." God must have been with me beacuse it made the sound. Normally with my luck when I do that, nothing happens and I get the yeah-okay-look. He laughed and I got a little bristled, like he was mocking me for being paranoid. He must of recognized the look cuz he was like no, no, it's good that you heard that and asked. He said the only reason I laughed Erik, is it shows you are really paying attention to your bike. He said that brake noise is very common and they hear it all the time but that few customers actually ask them about it. He went on to explain the single point mounting system and how it will generate brake noise and it made sense.

So, now that the "newness glow" as slightly waned and I am a little more objective, here's my post 1k observations:

1. Front Suspension: SUCKS!!!!!!!! Absolutely sucks. This is the single most important mechanical factor that I think the MoCo failed on and needs to correct. I don't really have issue with the rear suspension but I haven't been doing any two-up riding. But the front "springs" are terrible. I swear when I pull them out I'm going to find little more than egg wisps in there. If you doubt this, stand beside your bike and just push it. Nothing fast, just move it like you wanted to push it up into the garage or something. Then grab that front brake fast and hard. Your front end will bottom out. That is just far too sloppy. I damn near had them put in heavier weight SE oil at the service but decided just to wait and upgrade to Progessive front springs and then play around with oils until I find what I like. I don't want it overly stiff but I absolutely want more resistance. I think this single upgrade will dramatically improve handling and performance. Remember, performance upgrades don't always mean horsepower. Often they mean getting the most from what you got.

2. Power, Stability, Vibration: Plenty of power to hang with the BT's, at least with just me aboard. No trouble at all on the highway/freeway cruising at 75mph. Even at that speed I can juice her up to 85 pretty damn quick. Beyond that she takes a little while but hell, who frickin cares when you're talking about an essentially stock (Stage 1 done) 883? And around town and in the twisties, they can barely touch me, especially as my comfort level rises and the bike and I are melding together. The only bike that gives me any grief is my brother in law's '75 Super Glide Shovel. Now that bike ain't all that much bigger in size or weight (where do you think they got the "X" in FX?) than ours, came stock with a 74", and he's rebuilt it himself. He's a mechanical guy, not a numbers guy, so asking him what his displacement is or guesstimated HP is like pissing into the wind. He douldn't give a rat's ass as long as it does what he wants it to do. But when I pinned him down and he thought it over, he figured he's at about 78ci. And his bike moves off the line. His biggest downfall is his 4spd tranny. But, with my XL gearing, my 5spd doesn't make up for much. But, when we do (and we will, just cause I wanna) the 1200 conversion, I will own him. Now as for my best friend's '97 Springer, think ski boat compared to the QE II. We're not speed freaks (well maybe I am a little :D ) and you have to put these bikes into context. My bike is quick and crazes hard riding. My brother in law's bike is quick but takes to the open road without much issue. My best friend's bike is a cruiser and will take you cross country like a Cadillac.

Stability is excellent. This bike handles wonderfully well despite the crap front end. I can't wait to see how she does when I improve that pitfall! Now that said, I do run her out over a favorite strecth of old road that is on suspension and she jumps like a whore in church. But, for the most part, she chews up the road. As I am learning this machine and gradually pushing myself to take advantage of her ability, I am continually impressed. Cornering is excellent, especially if you have learned counter-sterring. I think the wide mag likely contributes to this over the optional narrower spoke wheel/tire and am glad for my decision to leave them as is at time of purchase. At speeds of 65-85mph she is still very smooth and very responsive. As I said, she can be a bit tempermental on rough rouds at speed, but I am conviced that suspension upgrades will drastically reduce this despite her lighter weight. On the freeway, she just glides. No issues at all. Give her her head on a smooth road, roll on the throttle and suddenly 60mph seems slow.

Vibration: Some but nothing major. Did a recent poker run where a guy on a '00 or '01 ( I forget) tagged along with us. We stopped at an intersection while my brother in law and best friend up front consulted the map/directions and he and I were behind them, side-by-side. As we sat there, I moved my arms around in circles and dropped them to my side and such, just moving and stretching. He says, "Wow, your mirrors are barely shaking!" He could see into my mirrors and couldn't believe how when I took my hands off the bars how steady they were. My brother in law says his Shovel vibrates like a SOB, and given it's year, size, and power, I bet it does. When he road my bike his exact and first comment when he got off was, "Well, she's stiffer than a honeymoon c :censor k." For me, vibration is not an issue.

3. Seat: Still hasn't been an issue for me. Maybe I'm one of those freaks that doesn't mind it but honestly I think my ass goes numb faster in my cage. And trust me, I suffer from terminal Noassatall so there ain't much natural cushion there. Maybe I just haven't experienced a truly nice seat but on our 150 mile run (granted with stops at least every 60 miles) it just didn't bothered me. I had far more issues with my own self tensing up. I've found myself subconciously getting tense in different riding scenarios (stress) and that causing back tension, sore jaw, arm fatigue, etc. I'm aware of it now and make an effort to recognize it and relax. I will at some point upgrade the solo (have a nice two-up) but for now, the stock is doing me justice.

4. Mid Controls: What can I say? I like 'em. Like I've said, my years on dirt bikes and ATV's is likely why but I just flat ass don't feel comfortable with forwards. I feel like I am losing contact with the bike, like I'm not in synch with the machine when I ride a forward control bike. Now I will say that I need to eat more bananas because I do get the occassional hip cramp when pulling away from a red light. Something about my foot placement on the ground and the angle of the rise of my leg to the peg. My brother in law (who road mids for years) pointed out to me that it was the pegs when I mentioned it to him. And truth be told, I think he is right. But hell, I don't eat enough fruit anyway. :D I also want an alternate place to put my feet. Be it highway pegs or a mustache bar, I haven't decided, but I just want to be able to change up when I am riding. But I'd want that no matter what controls I have. But the mids make me feel like I have more control over the bike. As I prep for what I know to be a tight twisty, I realize my feet are bouncing on the pegs and my ass is shifting, and just as I get there, bam, it all falls into place and I'm hugging the bike and we're turning. Or more accurately, drifting.

5. Brakes: If there was any single reason to make me shell out the extra cash at purchase for the 1200R over the standard 883XL, it would be dual front discs. I think the 883R has them too but that wasn't an option when I bought my bike. I'm not sold on forking over the extra cash for the extra displacement, but it would be damned nice to have that extra rotor up front for hard riding. Now, under normal circumstances and for most riders, I don't think this would be much of an issue. The single disc provides adequate braking although it seemed to get a bit squishy in a heavy down pour. But I seem to like to ride harder than most folks. Not crazy (well not usually) but harder. I feel best in any machine, when I feel it starting to push itself. That's when I feel like we're starting to connect. And pushing hard down mountain roads, that extra disc would damn sure be nice to have. Not sure what this upgrade would cost but it is something I look into. Maybe even before a 1200 conversion. Like I said, power hasn't been much of an issue for me and I'd rather ride a "slow" bike fast, than a "fast" bike slow.

6. General Mechanical Operation: Everything is smoothing out. Me and the bike that is. The engne seems to have "mellowed" or maybe better said, found it's stride. True of any engine I believe. Lots of individual metal parts working themsleves into one cohesive unit. I mean hell, look at what we start out from as infants and how long it takes us to "gel." And everything else on the bike seems to be falling into place. Shifting, braking, suspension, etc. Much smoother. Engine noise has now become a welcome friend that is sending me feedback rather than making me nervous. I'm starting to discern tranny noise, primary noise, suspension noise, etc. In short, the bike is settling in, and I am settling in with the bike.

So, there ya have it. I have a few minor miscellaneaous issues that I might come back to but, overall, this bike kicks ass. It's a Harley, but it's a sport bike in it's own definition. It's something that can't quite be explained and to those who don't "get it" even in the HD community, you will never be able to.

No regrets and the future and my wallet are the limits of this love affair.

Gotwa... Very, very cool write up!!!! :smoke


Ps. Your gonna' love the conversion!!!!! :)

Gotwa-much enjoyed. Thank you.

Kim

yep, very nice "synopsis." i sure agree about the suspension, i think both front and rear are pretty bad, HOWEVER, i ride a low.

ace57

Thanks for the laugh!!!!

I just went over 500 miles on my 05 1200C. I learned many of the same lessons you spelled out here. I am surprised to hear that you haven't ridden two-up yet. Your wife must be a very patient person to have waited this long! I'll ive you a new lesson, or two. First, a sissy bar is a must for your passenger! My wife rode four or five times (first time she's ever ridden) without the sissy, and it was like having a monkey on my back! She thought she was falling off, and was squirming like crazy. She kept hitting me in the back of the helmet, and her ass would get sore in about ten minutes. The reason for the sorness was because she kept scooting up to the hard part of the seat, instead of the cushy part in back. I got the sissy in yesterday from Zanottis, and threw it on the bike. We rode today, and my wife was so comfortable! Maybe too comfortable. She put her foot on the swingarm instead of the peg, and the tire burned the rubber off her Justin Boots! Second lesson learned :(

As far as the petcock theory, I can tell you that if you don't turn the petcock from reserve back to on, you can get exactly 13 miles from your house before you run out of gas. Luckily that guy that you met at the Harley shop on a Big Twin, who asked if he could ride with you (Hey, I'm in Korea, It happens!) can run to the gas station, and stick a gallon or two in his hardbags.

I have not had any problems with the front suspension. It has never bottomed on me, and Korea has the largest speed bumps in the world! The rear suspension, however, will hit in a second, with a passenger.

You will love the upgrade. I have had the 1200 over 100mph, and it was still climbing before I hit my comfort zone. I have hit the rev limiter a couple of times now, as I am starting to push it harder. But when my wife is on the back, I never have to worry about outrunning the bike.

I love your stories, and wouldn't want you to quit now. I hope to return to the states in June 06, and my son lives in Vancouver, Wa. I fully plan on riding through your part of the woods. Maybe we can meet up.

CJ

Hey Saint.

My reason for not yet riding two-up is two fold.

1) I want to be damn comfortable with me and this machine before I put any one else in my hands. I like mobile machines. ALways have. May not be the best mechanic around, but I like things that go and move. Love heavy equipment. Man, give me a DC9 on a ranch and look out! Point being, I like to "meld" with the machine I am operating. An until I feel like I am confident enough with myself and my limitations, I won't take on that responsibility.

2) Insurance. Sadly, I am still bouncing around on my learners permit. My work schedule has all but eliminated any chance of the MSF course that would get me certified and it has forced my testing date out to the end of June. Although the test is absolutely stupid as it simply focuses on parking lot manuevers and not actual riding. Where was the evaluator when I nearly skipped the front wheel from a peg scrape the other day? Anyway, I don't want to give the insurance leeches any reason to weasel out of paying me should the unfortunate happen. And in my state, with a permit, you are not allowed to ride two-up.

As for the front suspension, I'm not going to dispute you, but I would say keep a close eye on it. You don't feel it the same way you do the rear but those front springs travel. I never in a million years thought my fork bag would hit the fender as high as I had it mounted (right under the headlight) until a rainy day ride left an undeniable clean spot on the top of my fender when things dried out. Give that walking and hitting the front brake thing a try and see what you get.

The sissy bar is almost a done deal. Last weekend I fabbed one for myself. Couldn't find one that was exactly what I wanted and I also wanted to just make something for my bike. But, it sits a little too far back, so on my next day off I'm going to cut the mounting tabs, make new ones, weld 'em on, and mount it up. The hard part is over so hopefully the re-work won't be too bad. Looks real good right now so I'm excited for how it turns out when it is all said and done. I'm also going to sew my own removable pad for the bar. My sister is an ace seamstress and is going to help me along.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words and the input to the thread with your own observations. That's what this is all about. My brother lives in Vancouver. Works for HP. And if you ever get this side of the mountains, give me a shout. I work a lot so can't promise a ride or a cold beer, but I'll sure give you my number so that if you have any trouble or anything you can get a hold of me.

And thanks to Kim, Tech, and Ace as well.

And welcome to the forum Wind!