I feel they should have made the XL-1200 physically bigger to better bridge the gap between the Sportster and the Dyna and just kept the 1200R on the smaller, lighter frame. Hot rodders would still have the option to convert the 883 to the 1200 on the smaller frame if they wished. I probably would have considered a 1200 if it gave me more room to boot. Just a thought.

I think they would rather just sell Dynas. ;)

Which gap the weight or the price?

The price difference between a 2008 1200C Sporty and a 2008 Dyna Superglide is $2100 according to the HD site. Now I'm definately not rich but that's less than a months take home pay. Not too bad
It's also about the same difference between a 2008 883C Sporty and the 2008 1200C ($1950)

As for the size I don't think they should change a thing. The Sporty should stay skinnier.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/500/avatar_3.jpg

Not to be picky but if you are comparing to the XLC you should use the FXDC. Now you are looking at $3100.00. That's around 30% more for a Dyna.

Which gap the weight or the price?

To be exact, the length of the frame, the weight, and the size of the engine (compared to an 883)

I feel they should have made the XL-1200 physically bigger to better bridge the gap between the Sportster and the Dyna and just kept the 1200R on the smaller, lighter frame. Hot rodders would still have the option to convert the 883 to the 1200 on the smaller frame if they wished. I probably would have considered a 1200 if it gave me more room to boot. Just a thought.


Not a huge gap to fill in my opinion, if the gap were much less than what it is now they wouldn't have two distinct model lines anymore .

The Superglide is pretty damn close already !

I'm not exaclty what gap you speak of. The difference between the 1200 engine and the BT is only a couple of hundred cc's. The difference between the weights of the 1200 and the Dyna is not even 100 lbs.

The price between the two isnt' that great either (low end Dyna, that is).

Then there is the V Rod to consider.

i think the 1200C should be renamed the 1200D (dyna) already. i dislike the trend in late model sportsters tword dyna styling. the one change i would make in the line up save all others would be discontinue buell and make a 1200R that truly kicked azz

If you want a dyna, buy a dyna, if you want a sportster, buy that. They are two distinct bikes. I bought a 1200C because I wanted a sporty with some bling. If I wanted a dyna with some bling, I would of bought a superglide custom.

wow! I'm really glad they made my 1200L just the size they did.
Super happy its not a different chassis.
:tour

Here I thought Dynas filled the gap between Sportsters and Geezer Glides.

I personaly wish they made a bike smaller than the 883.... can't please everyone I guess. The buell blast would be OK if it weren't plagued with so many problems.

I think the gaps are good as is.
What I think they need is a entry level 4995.95 baby Sportster, smaller & lighter maybe half an 883.
For performance you could make it half an 1200.
I'd buy one for the wife tommorrow if it existed.

Here I thought Dynas filled the gap between Sportsters and Geezer Glides.


I agree. There are plenty of models to go around. Buell even has a non-Harley model now.:frownthre

i think the 1200C should be renamed the 1200D (dyna) already. i dislike the trend in late model sportsters tword dyna styling. the one change i would make in the line up save all others would be discontinue buell and make a 1200R that truly kicked azz

I don't know where I could have bought my new 06 1200C for $8,771 plus tax,title,license,freight, and prep that would have put me in a Dyna. I will do it if the dif. is only 2k. Especially now w/the 96" motor and 6 speed. No, I guess I wouldn't even if it was. Love my sporty. It fits me.:tour

Keep the sizes the same on the customs, add a 6 speed tranny, and 2 inches of rake and wa la, perfection.:banadanc

Doesn't seem to be much of a gap anymore to me.

Yeah, the rubber mount ones are a bit heavier than the last ones. I hope they keep them the size they are. They're close enough to the Dyna. I find the trend to bigger and bigger bikes a bit disturbing.

Is the dyna suspension (much) better than the sporty? I always viewed the dyna as a sporty with the bt engine...but I'm probably way off the mark :)

Ride an Frame mount then ride a Rubber Mount. You'll discover that they made a giant leap in that direction !
However like the man said, They still want to sell Dyna's...
I think the Sporty should stay short and quik myself..

The Sportster is called a Sportster because it is sportier than the rest of the H-D line (Except maybe the V-rod). I think that if they were going to make any changes to the Sporty line, they should offer one with a stock 90" or 100" cid engine. Why not they offer the BT with larger engines as Screaming Eagle models.

i think the 1200C should be renamed the 1200D (dyna) already. i dislike the trend in late model sportsters tword dyna styling.

I agree completley. Personally, I think all Sportsters should have a peanut tank. I always liked the Sporty with the "Classic Look"

I dont think HD should try to "fill the Gap" between a Sporty and a Dyna, There both completly different bikes, and they both have there place...

I feel they should have made the XL-1200 physically bigger to better bridge the gap between the Sportster and the Dyna and just kept the 1200R on the smaller, lighter frame. Hot rodders would still have the option to convert the 883 to the 1200 on the smaller frame if they wished. I probably would have considered a 1200 if it gave me more room to boot. Just a thought.

Dude you're FREAKIN NUTZ...

only about 75 lbs and a couple of inches separate the two as it is.

If anything they made the new Sporty too heavy, and the size is fine.

Is the dyna suspension (much) better than the sporty? I always viewed the dyna as a sporty with the bt engine...but I'm probably way off the mark :)

It's a night and day difference between the two platforms. The Dyna suspension is so much better it's not funny.

Dude you're FREAKIN NUTZ...

only about 75 lbs and a couple of inches separate the two as it is.

If anything they made the new Sporty too heavy, and the size is fine.

Relax Kev:), I know the wheel base isn't much more on a Dyna but they must have put each and every one of those inches between the seat and triple tree.
Even with mids a Dyna feels much more roomy. Maybe part of it is subtle ergonomic differences? This post is kind of old now. Since posting, I've gotten a lot of good advice on here which has definitely made my bike feel much better(THANKS EVERYONE). I'm not concerned with displacement or weight since I mainly cruise around town and do a lot of long highway trips at about 70MPH. I don't need to race anyone or break 100MPH.
It just sucks that the base Dyna is almost double the price of a base Sporty with nothing in between(Physical size). It would have been nice to have something in the middle. I think the Sportster customs were trying to accomplish this but sort of missed the mark. If the idea of a bigger Sportster pisses off the Sportster purists then give it a different name and frame. A 1,000-1,200cc displacement would probably be just right for such a machine. Just my opinion.:rolleyes:

That would be stupid from an economical standpoint... add a
whole new frame to the lineup... and a new assembly line to
produce it because the tooling would need to change... and cut
the original product (assembly line) sales in half....

If you want to add a couple inches then extend your swingarm
and goose your neck, rake it while you're at it... but don't add to
the cost of everybody else's bike to do it.

Gazza

While you can argue the Sporty is the entry-level Harley, the Dyna is certainly the entry-level Big Twin. I consider the Dyna's an unnecessary gap filler between the Sporties and the Softails. Notwithstanding the Fat Bob (the only Dyna I find remotely interesting), I've never looked twice at a Dyna.

While you can argue the Sporty is the entry-level Harley, the Dyna is certainly the entry-level Big Twin. I consider the Dyna's an unnecessary gap filler between the Sporties and the Softails. Notwithstanding the Fat Bob (the only Dyna I find remotely interesting), I've never looked twice at a Dyna.

I would hardly call a Dyna a "Filler" leading to a Softail. They are side by side big twins of different style and suspension. Going from a Dyna to a Softail would be a lateral move. Going from a Dyna to a Road King would be a more logical comparison for your argument.

You want the sporty to be physically larger and have a bigger engine, and yet you purchased an 883? how strange...

While you can argue the Sporty is the entry-level Harley, the Dyna is certainly the entry-level Big Twin. I consider the Dyna's an unnecessary gap filler between the Sporties and the Softails. Notwithstanding the Fat Bob (the only Dyna I find remotely interesting), I've never looked twice at a Dyna.


...and why exactly would it have all this negative impact whereas the Rocker didn't? Partial answer to self- could be the price range that the Rocker resides in.
It doesn't have to be a TOTALLY new bike, Harley's almost never are anyway.
They already make more than one frame in a given family and I'm sure it hasn't ruined them in any way. The Wide Glide frame has a different rake than a regular Dyna for example. If existing parts are used, what's to retool except the frame and a tank? Is the REAL problem that it might be too accessible and pull sales from BT's as well as get in the way of Harley's "Lure em in with a Sportster then upsell them to a BT" campaign? In that case you're right, it would be stupid from an economical standpoint...for HD.

You want the sporty to be physically larger and have a bigger engine, and yet you purchased an 883? how strange...
Not strange at all...
1. It doen't have to be a "Sporty"
2. Bigger engine(compared to 883) ***IF*** it were on a bigger frame, to help with the added weight if there were much weight added at all.
It could be around 1,000cc or just use the existing 1200 engine.
Had the 1200 been on a different frame it would have been a lot more attractive to me.
The focus here is on ergonomics, not engine size.
Nice try

Relax Kev:), I know the wheel base isn't much more on a Dyna but they must have put each and every one of those inches between the seat and triple tree.
Even with mids a Dyna feels much more roomy. Maybe part of it is subtle ergonomic differences? This post is kind of old now. Since posting, I've gotten a lot of good advice on here which has definitely made my bike feel much better(THANKS EVERYONE). I'm not concerned with displacement or weight since I mainly cruise around town and do a lot of long highway trips at about 70MPH. I don't need to race anyone or break 100MPH.
It just sucks that the base Dyna is almost double the price of a base Sporty with nothing in between(Physical size). It would have been nice to have something in the middle. I think the Sportster customs were trying to accomplish this but sort of missed the mark. If the idea of a bigger Sportster pisses off the Sportster purists then give it a different name and frame. A 1,000-1,200cc displacement would probably be just right for such a machine. Just my opinion.:rolleyes:

You still don't get it do you?

The mid-ground between an 883 and an FXD is a 1200C... ERGONOMICALLY and PRICE POINT...

The FXD is't almost double a 1200C... and ergo wise they're closer together with the forwards vs. the mids.

It just doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint or marketing standpoint or just a plain NEED standpoint...

Lose about a 100lb of weight to start with, for a start!:tour

make a 1200R that truly kicked azz

How about a 600cc single Sporty Jr.

You still don't get it do you?

Get what? Your opinion?
Kev, I know you ride lots of different bikes and for that I respect your opinion. BUT I'm still going to say what I have to say if I disagree.

1. "The mid-ground between an 883 and an FXD is a 1200C... ERGONOMICALLY and PRICE POINT..."

I have forwards on my Sporty and changed handlebars.
If your comparing to stock mid pegs and short handlebars that's one thing but I rode my buddy's 1200C and other than the suspension on his there's no difference ERGONOMICALLY. Sure, his tank comes back a little farther but the seat and foot controls are in EXACTLY the same place. The handlebars are close to the same.

2. "The FXD is't almost double a 1200C... and ergo wise they're closer together with the forwards vs. the mids."

I never said an FXD was almost double a 1200C, I was clearly comparing the 883 Standard to FXD. The mids on an FXD are much farther forward than mids on a Sporty. I was only stating that the mids on an FXD are doable for me while mids on a Sporty are not.

3. "It just doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint or marketing standpoint or just a plain NEED standpoint...

Economics is directly related to sales and profit which is only 20/20 in hindsight.
The biggest problem I see is the general decline of motorcycle sales accross ALL Harley models. The time MAY be all wrong to start a new model right now, especially if the market is already saturated with Harleys
Need?-A bike like the one I suggested was recently introduced by Kawasaki (VN-900) so looking at how well it sells will give testimonial as to whether there actually is a "NEED" or not.

I'm usally not too concerned about the name on my tank as long as it's a brand I know and trust. This time, when I bought the Sporty, it was an experiment for me.
I may or may not get something different down the road. If I do it probably won't be a Harley. That's not a stab at H-D AT ALL, it's just realistically summing up the probability with all things considered and the models currently available.

Jimmy, you're missing the fact that just a seat change along can dramatically change ergonomics, that and/or a change in bars and/or a change from mids to forwards will make a Sportster fit people as short as 5' flat to as tall as 6' 6" (at least according to the varied owners in this website).

Ok, so the mids on the Sporty are closer than the mids on the Dyna and they're uncomfortable to you, but that doesn't mean the manufacturer should make a whole separate chassis instead of just selling some accessories like a seat or forwards to change the relationship between the rider and the controls.

And the answer for declining sales is not yet another narrowly focused model to hit the tiny space between the Sporty and Dyna.

You may be igorning the fact that the 1200C and 1200L is the middle ground between a base 883 and the FXD, but that doesn't mean it's not true.

Seriously at the end of the day what are the differences between the Dyna and Sporty.

The Dyna is a hair bigger, has a BT w/ 6-speed and has a much better suspension.

The distance between the Sporty and Dyna used to be a little bigger than it is now, but rubbermounting and adding heft to Sporty (plus a larger tank for extended range) has greaty closed that gap.

To sell a larger Sporty-priced model which offers the few advantages of the BT for pricing lower than the BT would likely result in nothing more than a certain amount of sales stolen from both BTs and Sportys.

I just don't see much of a gap between a sportster and a dyna. If they need to do anything I would think maybe a sportster built more towards a cafe racer. But then, I guess thats what they have the Buell for.

All points taken. Thank you