Here is my 1999


Me personally have rode both , and prefer older 2003 and back ,easy to work on , also lighter weight then 04+ , can also be made fit the taste of just about anyone with the after market parts , the vibration makes it feel like a real bike to me , 2003 and back also still have the trap door trans.which make working on it a whole lot easier , i can prob keep list going for days but ill stop there

 

2002 XL1200. Ridged mount motor, 60 K and running strong, love the older Evo's. Cheap to maintain and run. Have had no major problems. Have replaced the ignition ( Dynatek) , clutch ( Energy One 15% over) a/c , rebuilt and rejeted carb, got rid of the baffling and added TTI's, plug wires , coil, hi performance oil filter , custom sissy bar , and seat. Slammed with front and rear with Burley suspension. Love the **** out of it! I'll take her to my grave. Mileage don't bother me, these motors run a long and healthy life ..... just keep up with fluid changes and maintenance.

 

Rubber mounted NEW. No question about it. The wife had a 76 Ironhead about 15 years ago. I took the bike on a 60 mile trip one way. By time I got to where I was going I was kicked in the ***. I wanted to call my old lady to come get me with and leave to bike were it sat. I tuffed it out and rode the bike home and parked it. I NEVER rode it again. Short trips the Ironhead was fine. Sold it to buy to a FXDXT.

I didn't like the Dyna sold it and bought an 883 Superlow. I liked it but wanted something more with more snot. Thought about doing a 1200 conversion but sold it instead. I am currently sharing with my wife a XL1200T that I'm planning to keep.

 

I've liked the looks and simplicity of the XLX 61 from when they were first introduced, I could never afford a new one in the early 1980's so I bought a new Triumph T140E Bonneville instead.

I now have a 2011 XL883N which I've owned from new, of course it's rubber mounted and fuel injected, I do prefer the vibrations and the slower tick over on the older Sportster models, but I didn't want to buy an older second hand machine that might develop problems soon after I bought it, so I went for the new option. Except for one warranty claim (ECU failed at 1500 miles), the Iron has been trouble free.

 

I like the new and old sportsters and all bikes, hears a couple pics of my 2019 48 and my old 76 kz 900 with my wifes 2019



iron 883.

 

Just go with your heart, I'm sure you'll choose the right Sportster for yourself.

Good luck with your quest.

 

When this thread was started, a new Sportster would now be an old Sportster.

 

I would only buy an older one for the look.