Congrats! Looking good!

This thread is really pick'n up speed.

 

Love it that they went all out with the Rev-Max platform n still maintained the silhouette...sure we can nitpick all day, but its still a home run in my book. Express away with ur customization ppl.

also its not ur usual 60° V-twin...its firing at 90°cos of the off set crank pin, so more Ducati than V-Rod.

As for the exhuast..Well, jus stop by the hardware store n get a hole saw with a drill extension on ur way back after buying ur new Nightster. Ez pz lemon squeezeee

 

Better than the S but they still missed the mark IMHO. The bike has way too much plastic but yet they are at a premium price point for a 975. For a premium price you should get premium materials and workmanship. The left side looks like a complete afterthought and one they keep hidden in the press releases. One side of the engine is silver and one side is black…where is the symmetry? Yes, it has 90 hp but lets not pretend that is going to set land speed records…its still a cruiser.

 

I think either you or certainly someone has made the same comment before.

My Sportster's mudguards are rusty. The front one underneath where it was clearly not finished properly. The rear one has probably taken a few stone hits and chipped the paint off. There is nothing premium about that. Replace them with plastic that can be finished so you wouldn't tell the difference what they are made from and take about 20lbs of weight off the bike at the same time.

The top belt guard on loads of Sportsters has fractured by its mounting point a lug at the back the same as at the front would support a plastic one that would look just as good, probably won't break and reduce the weight further. The same story with the side covers.

 

sorry, i just don’t consider plastic a premium material and believe steel is superior. Yes, over time steel can rust. Regardless, I don’t want my motorcycle covered in plastic because I am afraid that it might rust years or decades later. If they wanted to save weight they could have used aluminum or carbon fiber. But we all know they chose injected molded plastic because its cheep. Other than a peanut shaped air box cover with a Harley sticker, this bike looks like every cheap metric cruiser ever sold. Why would I pay a premium?

i also wonder about the longevity of this high strung motor. When taken care of, the EVO is good for 100,000 miles before a top end rebuild. We’ll see what folks get out of this new motor.

 

Its not bad looking, but its obvious HD had try to make the bike look like a Harley. Harley being forced to water cool its lightweight streetfighter is just a sign of the times.

Its a very good performing bike it seems, and really at the end of the day taking that step to where this new Sportster is at is crucial to Harleys success going forward.

Ive got my forever Harley (knock on wood) and will probably not really be back in the market for a bigger or newer bike. But I hope that these new HDs makes as much of a splash as the TC 96, fuel injection and the 6 speed did for Harley in 2007.

 

I like everything about its looks other than that windscreen/fairing/whatever-it-is. If I couldn't remove it without looking at a bunch of junk that it may be hiding, it'd be a non-starter

 

I love my 975 but like other posters I’m eagerly awaiting a more aggressive exhaust

 

Yeeeup, there it is...the Nitpicking'

Well.. you've already concluded that this thing (except the penut style air box cover n HD sticker) looks like a "Very cheap metric cruiser". And it having Metal or CF parts would magically some how make it a "lesser cheap non-metric desirable cruiser??

I agree that metal parts have their place and charm. But as u know its a balance..maybe not very useful on this platform and its applications, driving up costs. If so, then the bagger's bags n fairings should also be made of metal right.!

Also what happened to the V-Rod again..Ooh my bad, keep forgetting that wasn't a 'real harley...but hey it had some nice aluminum parts on it though.. anywho

This exactly is why i love HD going ba££s to the wall with the Rev-Max platform. When the ADV concept was presented years ago almost everyone laughed their a$$ off, said Harley has lost it way and certainly huffing paint thinner. Look at what a knockout hit the Pan Am became, even the "pro reviewers" agreed its a great product for its first outing. Does it have teething issues, hell yea. It may not be for everybody but no one can disregard its success.

Even NASA extensively uses various thermoplastic composites. Plastic materials have played a vital role throughout the history of space flight. The gorgeous Ducati Panigale's are covered in plastic with premium cost, haven't heard anyone complaint abt that.

C'mon cut the MoCo some slack.
And respectfully sir.. If just the plastic stuff is keeping someone from buying this product, then they surely have bigger problems to adress first.

P.S.
The longevity of any IC engine Mostly depends on How' one is using it.

 

Opinions vary.