Hello
Another new member here
Have been riding for years however, moving from the sports bike seen to a cruiser. Age is telling me to do so LOL, wrists and back need a rest.
Currently looking for a HD and I seem to be in liking of the sporty with a 1200 donk. Budget reasons I suppose and, I have to start somewhere.
I have looked at a few but will see in time what I end up with.
Interesting reading here with good info. I just need to decide whether I want EFI or Carby, again, I suppose money may be the difference.
User name ??? well, my kids like "CARS" the movie,
Welcome to the forum mate, there are a lot of cheap second hand low km bikes around at the moment.
Welcome aboard LJ enjoy the ride, hope you find something that suits you.
Welcome
Welcome , good luck with the bike hunting .
Welcome Lightning, You go past a 1200 sportster if you have come from sports bikes add a set of pipes tuner and air kit, ton of fun just wasn't the best for me on the long hauls
Cheers
Welcome Lightning
.....beat you by a day as a new member LOL
I chose a 1200 Sporty on purpose.
I am doing things in reverse, having always had the biggest of bikes (5 Goldwings to name a few).
We don't do big trips anymore - have become weekend warriors !! Having a rooted back and knees also contributed largely to wanting a lighter machine.
The Sportie gave me back what I had been missing for so many years - fast; great handling; fantastic looking, sounding, feeling machine.
With the help of the many HD forums and buying the workshop manual you can do many, many things yourself ( $$$ saved ). Absolutely one of the easiest bikes to do any work to.
Not the most comfortable - but a few inexpensive mods (ebay, gumtree etc) make the world of difference. ( e.g. I swapped the "shocking" short 11" progressive dampers for 13" units , heavier weight fork oil - completely transformed the bike ! No more back bashing over the bad roads., better control, sharper steering etc ). I'm a 120kg fat feller - so this may not be a serious issue for you.
I chose a carby model deliberately too. EFI is fantastic - but far more expensive to "tune" - tuning being necessary when you change pipes and air cleaner. $35 for two new jets - as opposed to many 100's for injected models. Don't get less than about 20 km/l either - no matter how hard I flog it. ($ is an issue for me too ! )
If you plan on carrying a pillion - count on replacing shocks and seat too. The standard one is bad enough (for the rider) , the pillion seat is barely a "token gesture".
Be wary of exhausts as well. Mine came with Short Shots (with "quiet" baffles). Sounds great for a little while - but after that. . . . well it's back to earplugs. Also the boys in blue are really cracking down everywhere on noise.
Sorry for raving on a bit - the enthusiasm I have for my Sportster carries me away hahahha
Good luck, whatever you end up buying
Ain't nothing makes you feel free like a Harley
cheers, George
