advice for newbie !!

[billyboy 58]

Hi guys just a short intro for you all , i;ve been reading the forum for a couple of months now, trying to gleem as much info as possible from you guy;s and for this i thank you ! brilliant forum !! i currently ride a metric cruiser but soon i mean to upgrade to a harley and the one i have in mind is a new 1200 sporty custom ! what i need to know is will the bike be ok for 2 up riding with my wife we don;t do particularly long hauls max of 150 to 200 mls but will be mainly cruising round the lake district here in england on week ends , i know i will probably have to change the seat but i;m still not sure if i might not have to consider the dyna glide which i can;t really afford at present , plus will the power of the sporty be up for 2 up riding ?? any comments would be much appreciated, love the forum and BTW great bunch of guys on here !!!!!!!
BILLYBOY

[arby]

I ride 2 up with my wife and I only have an 883C. Not much of a hiway machine but ok on the back roads.

[doc]

I have no problems 2-up on my 883. The 1200 will have plenty of power for sure. Ride one and you'll see my point. BTW, Welcome to the forum!!!

[RedRider]

The bike you're looking at will work fine for you. Power is great; add an aftermarket seat (I recommend a Mustang) and you'll be comfortable.

Welcome aboard, and good luck to you.

[TenSixx]

First off I don't have many ride on the back with me, but have had a few. It all felt ok, and as far as the power goes there is no question about having more than enough power. I have an 04 Custom w/ V&H and it has plenty of power and will beat up my buddies night train and other BT's.

Really the only complaint the passengers I've had were the about the stock seat. Hope this helps ya :smoke

[bullittt]

04 custom 1200 and power two up is not an issue. We have ridden in the rockies at 1000ft and not had a problem. Lots of fun too!!! i did move the adjustment of the shocks up to the middle and for long trip might try it all the way up. Seems to give a better ride .less bottoming out.

[Broncodog]

Welcome to the forum Billy, I have a 1200 and ride all the time with the wife around the hills here. More than enough power and with a comfortable seat you can ride all day.

[GOTWA]

Billy,

Don't sweat it. How many years and in how many bikes did HD use the Shovelhead? That's a 74ci/1200cc engine and they used it to power everything from DG's to RK's. And how many of those bikes only had a four speed tranny?

The 04- 1200 models have freer flowing heads and enhanced cooling and I've heard produce a little more hp than previous years. If you fit well on the bike, get it and the only time you'll back is checking your mirrors.

[Rainman]

An 883 will work fine. (Change the seat and rear shocks) The 1200 will just give you more spunk. If you have the choice, go 1200..... Allot depends on the terrain you are going to be riding (mountains, flats etc.) You will love the Sportster.

[jwb47]

dont sweat it my wife is my constant companion on my bike. you will have power to spare with a 1200. when I traded bikes I test rode an 883 and it walked all over my honda shadow 750 and was leaning that way but the dealer had one hell of a deal on their demo bike so I bought the 1200 instead.

[mickes]

Two up isn't a problem on a 1200. With my wife on the back, we're pushing 375 pounds and we cruise at 75 with plenty of power to spare.

[NO COAST CHOPPER]

welcome billy, i have a 1200c and there is more then enough power, but the passenger doesnt have alot of room on the snatch pad. also i'm 6ft, even with the forward contorls i'm almost sitting on the tank to give the passenger enough room. if you plan on doing a lot of 2up riding a aftermarket sit is a most, if not a bigger bike.

[74FeHeadXLH]

I know you are asking about a new bike here, as my wife and I plan to buy a 1200c this spring, they have gobbs of power and with a mustang 2-up tour seat, stage 1, should be all we ever need out of the bike...incedently we now ride a 74xlh that has some perf upgrades, but nothing big, and a mustang tour type seat and the 74 (1000cc) has plenty of power, and we can ride all day on it

[Darhawk]

No problem....just ride safe, ride proud. :)

[Steve-B]

Welcome Billy.

I can only really back up what the other guys on here have said. I'm just down the road from you in derbyshire. I ride a 2004 1200c, and theres no problem 2 up. Only advice i'd add (which probl'y goes without saying, but i will anyway!) is to upgrade the seat, as the stock one isnt that comfy for the missus, and a sissy bar is a must. :)

Incidently, i had the wide glide before this sportster, and there really a great difference between the two. Pocket the difference, and spend it on accessories! :)

good luck!

[billyboy 58]

Thanks to all that replied to my question , seems much as i thought the bike should be cool for me and the wife if i upgrade the seat etc, should be in a position to get the bike in the middle of the summer ? i hope !! plenty o/time at my work !!!! meanwhile i;ll dream of all the mods i can do to it !!!! BTW does anyone know the power in hp of the 1200 in standard form and also after a stage 1 ? most info i have only quote the torque figures
Billyboy

[GOTWA]

Hey Billy,

Everything I have been told says the Stage 1 upgrade should result in an approximately 8-10hp gain over stock. I believe the 1200 puts out a little over 50hp stock (think I read somewhere it was a claimed 54hp). Not 100% on that though.

Here's a real good write-up on paying the tax, it's from 98 and the 04- 1200's have had mod's that reportedly gained them a handful more horses but the advice and info is still applicable: http://www.sportster.org/tech/basic-perf/harley-tax.txt

[billyboy 58]

Hi Gotwa figures that iv;e heard banded about seem to differ about the power of the 1200 and the stage 1 upgrade never the less i think i will still be doing the stage 1 as soon as i get the bike !!!!! I plan to go to the local HD dealership in newcastle on tyne which is 70 mls away from where i live in north west england on monday coming and hopefully get a test ride on the 1200 sporty !!!! BTW i;ve just been reading your review and experiences on your ride , bloody good reading mate !! and i;m even more encouraged by it all , we seem to have similar backgrounds i was brought up as a youngster in my fathers motorcycle shop surrounded by british bikes and i loved to be around them , i had trial bikes and motocross bikes as a youngster but was discouraged by my parents away from road bikes to cars !! even so i had a few bikes on the road in my early twenty;s but never took my bike test, i;m now 46 yrs old and last summer i went out on the pillion with my brother on his metric cruiser [ yammy dragstar ] and i was again bitten !! in the space of 2hrs i decided i was going to do the bike course and sit my test , i was most surprised my wife didn;t offer up any resistance , but i;m sure she realises by now when i make up my mind there;s no going back . in the next couple of months i passed the test with no problems so now i needed a bike ! Now i have always loved and longed for a harley even all the years i didn;t ride i;d look at them with envy !! but here in the uk the prices of harleys is nearly twice what you guy;s pay ! so i bought a metric cruiser [ suzuki marauder to be precise ] and it;s a lovely bike which i enjoy riding but a harley it ain;t !! so just before xmas i decided i was going to work some overtime and get my harley so here i am . i aim to get one hopefully mid summer probably the 1200 custom until then i;m enjoying reading all the info and experiences on this web site brilliant stuff it is too
you enjoy your ride and keep telling us your experiences , btw do you have a picture you can post ?? cu later BILLYBOY N/WEST ENGLAND

[GOTWA]

Thanks Billy. I'm really glad you enjoyed my rambles. I'm learning a lot along the way from all these fine folks! I tossed up a pic of me and the bike.

And hang in there man, getting that HD will be a dream come true when it finally happens!