I think one of the main reasons people like sportsters so much is how modular they are,, with just a few bolt on parts you can basically change it to any type of bike you want . Scrambler, cafe racer,, bagger, chopper, tracker,etc... and they are super easy to work on

 

Rhino you nailed it! If one word defines the HD Sportster its AFTERMARKET. Which is why I sold my XB12r. No dealership will touch it, there are basically no spare parts except for those shared w/ the Sportster.

 

yeah its real nice.be aware that if the 32 tooth requires the aluminum spacer to clear the engine,do not get that.trust me on this.u can get the 31 tooth which requires no spacer,if its the one without the lip on the pulley and get the 66 rear tooth.

its still a 400 rpm drop and since i had to go back to the 31 about a month ago,i am glad i did.bike is just more fun.if in fact i wanted to spend a lot of time in the 80 plus area,i would build the engine for more power like 2 others have done here and go back to factory pulley gearing and change out the primary gearing to that of the 1200.i live in a country setting where i have my own fast fun hwys with hardly any traffic.

if i lived in the city and commuted on the big slab.primary gearing would be a must around here in TN.LOTS of idiots that dont belong behind any wheel of anything... i will say that even with the basic 1250 kit.32/66 was just too high a gearing.not power wise,gearing and engine wasnt in sync imo.31/66 ? Perfect.i can still ride the big slab with the 31 tooth
at 3661 rpms at 77 mph instead of 80 with more pep but would need more sustained speed than that to avoid the morons once i hit going through the city and beyond.better be prepared to do way past 80 to survive.rpms will be just too high for my liking for that kind of distance riding.thats about a hr and a half in a kamakazi set up lol..i would much rather carve the country hwys with the sportster.way more fun and less stress of being run over.especially in this day and time.i could get a bigger bike and really act like a idiot on the big slab,but i like my sportster way better.

also with the saddlemen step up, my little wind screen, mini boards with extensions, and apes,i can ride in pure comfort.the more u stretch out the legs,the less stress will be on your ***.i seen a guy on a sportster last week on one of my country rides.it was a stock peg setup and it looked uncomfortable as hell.his legs were positioned like he was sitting on a chair at a dining room table.no thx.

 

I think baker now makes a 6-speed for some sportsters? Add that to a 1275 and an older model sportster that's lighter it would be fun bike to build

 

Originally I bought my Buell because its basically a race version of the Sportster and I loved riding it....but I quickly discovered no HD dealership would touch it and there are NO spare parts. Luckily, I sold it for 2x what I paid for it (no exaggeration!) and even more luckily the next day I found an '05 883 in Midnight Black (my fave color) w/ 6k easy miles and had been extremely well taken care of.

 

Baker XL6 is for the 91-03 models which have the trapdoor. Yeup the rigid mount sportster are lighter by abt 40 lbs?


this with longer gearing..n you get the best of both worlds.

 

Yes, Sportster. Get the 1200.

 

Thanks. I suspected this as my '96 Sporster 1200 would pull wheelies w/ just a blip, my '05 883 will not.

 

As a sidenote I own both a HD Sporster and a VW Beetle and both are two of THE longest production motor vehicles in history. The Model T ended w/ 10 million and the Beetle ended (?) w/ 20 million ultimately being produced. The Sporster having been in constant production since of 1957. The Yamaha FJ1200 still in production is commonly the #1 selling motorcycle of all time.

https://www.hotcars.com/motorcycle-m...oduction-runs/

 

Sportsters in all reality are the deal especially used ones from mid 2000s can be had fairly affordably. A friend of mine is always himming and hawwing about a harley "somday'; i am like dude a 10-15 year old sportster will cost 3 grand at most.