Hi guys,

Please excuse my poor knowledge of Harley's, Im new to them and am trying to learn as much as I can. Ive always loved the look and heritage but this is going to be my first purchase.

Ive spent the last few days and countless hours going through this forum gaining some knowledge of Harley's, specifically the sportsters

Im currently selling my Honda Fireblade and intend to get a 'Forty Eight' mainly as they look beautiful! But I am also considering an 1200 Custom CA.

The cons on the Forty Eight, from reading this forum and various reviews. The ride hide can be a problem? What suspension etc would you recommend me getting? Im hearing air?

Also, Im hearing the seat can leave your a$$ numb, any recommendations?

Lastly the speed thing, Im not really bothered about going fast, Im selling my Blade as a) its uncomfortable but mainly b) I need to keep my licence!... But are there any power upgrades you would recommend?

I still want to be able to shift and go round corners with out scraping, again this is where the suspension thing would come into play.

Thanks for any help guys!

 

I came off an rc-51 to my 48 and rode sport bikes for 20 years.. I have put 700 miles on her in 5 weeks.. Power is there if you know how to shift.. I'll be just adding an air cleaner and pipes with a tune to get the most out of her.. I scrape the pegs from time to time, I plan on swapping out the stock ones that have the nipples on them for some shorter ones that should solve the problem.. You'll miss the top end speed if you like to go fast but up to 70mph you're ok.. I run her pretty hard from time to time in the corners and am happy with the suspension but I'm not a big guy.. Hope this helps

 

Brilliant cheers brother, appreciate the feed back. I really dont think I will miss the top end tbh (well maybe a i little bit) here in England you cant really speed on the motorways etc anywhere these days, the most enjoyment I got was the acceleration on the country roads.

So will you change the whole exhaust system? If so what system would you recommend? Did change the the way the bike sits? I want to take my little nephew on the bike at some point to give him the bug :-) so I was wondering with him as pillion if it might be a problem.

 

I have ridden a 48 and personally did not like the stock seat. I felt like I was going to slide off of it under any acceleration. Didn't notice anything wrong with the suspension but I was only on a relatively short test ride.

 

Thanks bro, Im going to have to go have a rest ride. A few people have mentioned the seat thing.

 

i haven't installed the exhaust yet it's a Vance and Hines shirt shot full system... I have a passenger pillion and pegs already installed. It doesn't seem to look like it will interfere. You will slide a bit on the stock seat until you get use to it, unless you have a really big butt I suppose..lol I brace myself on the pegs to compensate and it doesn't bother me...

 

Haha no Im only 12st so I should be ok lol

 

If you buy a 48, recommend you ride it for a while before deciding what (if any) changes you want to accommodate your style of riding (and comfort). Everyone is different and you will have numerous opinions when it comes to seats, exhaust upgrades, tuners, etc.

I'm on my 5th Sportster (had other Harleys in my life also). My bike is stock performance (stock exhaust, stock A/C...well, but the Seventy Two round air cleaner on my 48 as I liked it better than the stock oval with a K&N filter for ease of maintenance...no tuner as it is not needed). It has plenty of power to ride all day at 65-75 Mph and enough get-up-and-go to pass anyone. I have saved probably over $1000 not upgrading to get a little more HP and Torque which I really don't feel it needs (or I need). I mean how fast do you want to get to 70 mph?

I added a fender rack so I can carry stuff. I added a Mustang Vintage Seat (as I weigh 245 lbs and the stock seat did not cut it). I added the Harley Sport Compact Windshield to keep the wind from trying to knock me off the bike at 70+ Mph. I added the "48" timing and matching derby cover and added the Maltese Cross on the oil and battery cover so that my bike is "different" than anyone's else.

This is the first Harley I have not spent thousands on upgrading (performance, chrome goodies, etc)....although a BIG part of owning a Harley IS spending money on it...as there are hundreds of options and things you can do to one...so, really, get the bike, ride it a while THEN decide what you want/need.

 

I'm not sure if everything you read on a predominately US forum applies, it has been said on another forum that international models aren't as low as US models.

Looks like the 16 model 48 has substantially upgraded suspension though...

 

I forgot to say thanks for the advice brother, it was very helpful. Being that its my first Harley I cant help but add things to the bike haha