1) Bull. Gas light should come on with one gallon left. Never when full. It's not the most accurate thing in the world, so I go by the odometer anyway.
2) Get a shed, Home Depot has them, etc. Something like $600 can save you a large headache and you can lock it.
3) I ride an 883C, can do 25 without feathering. My dad's 1200R will do 26 or so without feathering.
4) Touring capable? Yes. Comfortable on long distances? Not really. My *** hurts just looking at the bike.

 

Gas light -- don't have one on my model so I cannot say for sure. But, I never listen to dealers (not just HD dealers, any type) that say something is normal when it just plain ain't doing what it was meant to do. Either way, use your odometer to keep track of fuel.

Shelter -- I do not have a garage either. At least invest in a good all weather cover for starters. If you can make a shed, all the better. But get an all-weather cover. Not some flimsy one. But one that is waterproof, UV etc. It will at least keep your bike dry and protected as well as "out of sight" a bit.

Clutch -- I do not need to feather my clutch unless I am going real slow, like under 5 mph. I think you have some sort of problem going on there if you can't go below 25mph without feathering it. Either 1st gear is not engaging or something else. That does not sound right.

Touring -- any bike can be made a tourer. Just slap on a windshield, highway pegs, saddle bag, roll bag etc and you can cross country. Granted you may not be as comfortable as a Touring model -- but don't let a big twinkie tell you it is not possible. People have been touring on Harley's as big as yours or smaller for decades.

 

I thought that I've read 74mph=4000rpm's, 70=3800, 66=3600, 62=3400, 58mph=3200rpm's. You never know about some info that you get. I know that at for my 883 with no tach, hitting 80mph, my bike is really screaming. Feels like the flux capacitor is really close to kicking in at 80mph. Banana peels and the spit from a beer can and your ready to fly.

 

If your talking 5th gear this is off a chart for 1200s not accounting for friction or drag, the numbers are close from comparisons on the road.


5th gear
45 mph= 2014 rpm
65 =2910
85=3806
95=4254
115 =5149
135=6045

 

I bought a 2008 1200 Low. I agree...1st gear is too tall. Need granny gearfor putzing in stalled rush hour traffic and for creeping up bike ramps ESPECIALLY if you get an enclosedtrailer and use it to"garage" your scoot as I do.

My hand keeps looking for the petcock...I think they should have one as final failsafe in case youjust forget to keep lookingat the speedo/odometer. Running out of gas in the middle of nowhere sucks. Yes, itcomes with warning light...what if light bulbburns out? Guess I better start watching the odometer real close...

Gotta gun it to get it into mytrailer; I don't like that.Watch out for steep ramps, kickstand mount will bottom out and tear up trailer floor. First attempt have some strongs bros on hand and push bike into trailer to discover any hangups before blasting up the ramp. Remember, if you ride the bike up the ramp, it will sit LOWER (more likely to hit ramp) than if you are just pushing it (no one on it).

I made a ramp out of a really long (and very thick) boardand it still rips up the top end of the ramp.Now I'm looking at buying a manufactured arched ramp, but they haveoccasional metal cross braces with much open space (like catwalks) for the tires to grip instead of solid track; they don't look very to safe to me! Riding the bike up that thing in the rain? Forget it!

Getting cheapo shed will avoid all them hassles...I got me a 10 x 16 wood frame shed for a workshop but didn't plan on keeping bikes in there. Me thinks I will change my mind.

The shed is less hassle if you can install it on level ground.

For what it's worth.

 

Nope......Thought so myself several months back....I learned to ride the clutch and keep it in the friction zone while maneuvering slow n tite.......It's a wet clutch and designed to slip with no damage done....Get into it and you will appreciate it.

Also thought the Sporty needed a 6th gear at first....But no longer.

Keep your bikes in the house. If you or the wife think bikes belong outside but you have a dog/cat inside, then rethink your priorities.

 

Warning Lights come with Fuel Injection.. Why no reserve tank.. Run your Injectors dry and will be a sorry camper and realise why no reserve tank is added with FI

 

Congrats on the new Sportster. I did have to agree with ZD though:


Enjoy & ride safe

 

Ditto, my bike is the same. The first gear is really geared high.

 

When we bought the wifes 2007 1200L she rode it home and right off the bat she said that something was not right, she said in first gear it felt like it wanted to die. I rode it, but you know I been riding for years and didn't have any problems, but I was/am more agressive as she is a new rider.and yes she took the rider's course. Wewould go to a vacant parking lot and she would practise her turns and I'll be dang it would almost die on her, she got pretty good at feathering the clutch, and it was only while she was in first gear. For a week she kept telling me that someithing was not right, so New bike, so she took it back to the dealer and told them about it.When I went with her to pick it up the service guy said they made some adjustments and that they discovered it was missing some code and that they fixed it, what ever it was she has had no more problems since. Now I didn't ask cause I wasn't sure what he was talking about and I was also having the King serviced and was talking to the mechanic.

The gas light only comes on when she down to the bottom of the tank. She usually sets the odometer and every 100 miles she just fill up, at least I don't worry about her running out this way.

Long trips, get a better than stock seat. Wife has done several 300 mile trips and the first one about killed her, she cussed the bike, me, the whole world. It tooks us a couple different seats to find the one comfortable for her.

Like I said I am not a wrench or an expert on the newer bikes, but anothe new Sportster rider/owner told us he had the same problem with his and he took it to the dealer and they made some adjustments and told him something about a missing code. He admited too, he didn't ask.