Hi from Sydney
I have a Triumph bonneville T100 and will be looking at trading it in/selling it for a HD.
I have my heart set on an Iron or the Superlow. I think it will come down to the choice of which will be able to carry a 65kg passenger with ease?
I'm an 1.87 90kg fool, so combined weight will be around 155kgs. I've seen threads that the iron's rear suspension will need a change for a passenger and I already know that I'll have to get a passenger seat addon since "biting onto the wheel" didn't go off too well with my wife.
Any thoughts?
-Update on the post-
I'm actually now considering spending a bit more and getting the Custom 1200. Cost more, but bigger so no worrying about carrying extra baggage (I think my wife would slap me if she ever read this).
BTW. convinced two of my friends to get their a$$es in gear and get their licenses as well. Both getting Irons.
Welcome
To save writing it all over again, here is what I wrote on another thread:
Haven't you got some fun on the way! A good choice and sound advice from the other Forum members but being such a huge fan of the Iron myself I can't resist jumping in.
The stock pipes still sound pretty good but SE slip ons are great and won't offend anyone. That's the single best upgrade but you'll be able to live with stock for quite a while ifyou want to.
Contrary to what the specs say, the Iron is sightly lighter than other sporties so has a bit more zip. Don't forget too that the engine is going to keep loosening up for ages. If you reckon it's good new, wait until you get 10 or 20 thous ks on it.
Yes to the cover. Expect some rust around the foot pegs immediately but it's nothing to worry about. I guess a smear of silicon or grease would prevent that happening. The alloy wheels on the Iron are great, and pretty well zero maintenance (plus, unlike wire spokes you can do a temporary repair if you have a puncture).
The denim will definitely fade because it is meant to. I had black everything on mine and was disappointed that it didn't fade straight away - it is IMHO a very cool look. Sort of the anti-Harley. I saw one in the street a while ago that was stock, weathered and had clearly never been washed - it had dirt and dust all over it and looked great. This is a bike that looks just as good dirty as it does clean. Wash with dishwasher detergent (not too much) in water, so you don't put a shine on it as you will if you use a car cleaning product. To touch up (you get finger marks easily on the denim) just use Windex.
The one problem with the Iron is the footpegs have a lip on the end which catches your pants. Apart from fraying the heck out of your duds I've heard of people dropping their Iron because when they put their foot down they got hooked on the peg. I'd be asking the dealer to fit straight pegs.
The lowered rear means very little suspension travel so you'be be getting a good boot up the bum over every decent bump (one good reason to keep the mid pegs so you can brace for it). The new sporty low overcomes this a bit by fitting a low profile tyre on the back which I think allows about an extra half inch of suspension travel. If you intend carrying a passenger you'll definitely need to upgrade the rear suspension.
Yes, they raise sparks easily but you get used to moving off the seat a bit to stop it scraping on the bends. I have exactly the same problem with my lowered fat boy. All part of the fun.
Durability? You Iron will still be going strong 30 years after your mate's plastic Japanese bike has gone through the crusher.
Thanks for that. Had a bit of a role play conversation in my head to try and fill the gaps where the other person probably asked other questions.
Right, so that confirms my fears regarding the rear suspension. So I'll way up the look and feel of an Iron with tighter suspension and a pillion seat against the cost and comfort of a Custom 1200 which I'm now thinking of getting. completely different bikes and rides. I'll have to choose carefully.
welcome
Hey Tvz.
You didnt mention if you were using the bike for longer rides, banging around city traffic or both.... I would say iron for traffic, 1200 for more highway.
I will be getting new low shocks, and a removable pillion for the Iron in the next couple of months if you wanna see and havent already picked one up.
SJ
Welcome TVZ hope you enjoy the forums and congrats on geting the Harley.
