Yeah, take a skills course, and have patience. all bikes are light once they're rolling

 

mountainmistress and others have good advice: take/retake the MSC/MFS class if you haven't done so. Retaking the class and help refine your skills.

And it would help if we knew what aspect of the bike's "heaviness" is causing you trouble... flatfoooting/moving the bike? just balancing the bike as you accelerate? Turning? Leaning?

Larger displacement bikes are going to be heavier than lighter ones with in a genre/type/make of bike. Also remember, there are small folks that ride a Sporster succesfully.

 

The sportster carries its weight a lot higher than other Harleys like the dyna. You may find that one with a lower center of gravity is more your style.

Definitely work on your low speed skills. Also, you may think about doing some small things to increase your leg muscles - like every day do 20 unweighted squats in the morning and the evening. That will build up some muscle over time as well which will help. But a lot of it is just you getting comfortable with the bike.

 

Chan Ho Park
Chan Ho Park




Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.


Debut April 8, 1994
vs. ATL 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 2 ER
Born June 30, 1973 in Kongju, South Korea With stats like this I fail to see why you would have any problems.

 

Congratulations on your bikes. I have the same pair in my garage. The Virago is a delight. The seat is good and operation is near perfect. People see the 1400cc on the case andare impressed by the displacement (that's thecrankcase displacement!). However, it is a light 250cc v-twin and the ride is relatively poor. I just ride it around town.

The Sporty carries a lot more weight and has a smooth ride as a result. The Sporty does carry weight up high. But, it sure does make a smooth trail down the road.

Very different bikes--enjoy the difference. I see folks down in Daytona who rode small bikes for quite a difference.Many I've talked to say they won't make that trip again on a light weight bike. The bike is fine, but the rider suffers.

 

You probably won't like lifting weights; they are heavy.

 

Practice, Practice, Practice! The more you ride it the more ride comfortable you will feel on it. If you still don't feel comfortable, you might want to consider a different bike. Remember, your life is riding on your safe handling of your bike of choice.

 

I don't know why, but a stock Sportster always seems topheavy to me. You'll get used to it, but your skills sound like they could use a little improvement. Keep up the riding and you'll soon be a pro.

 

I agree with everyone else...practice, practice, practice! And if the Sporty still feels really top heavy try lowering both ends with Progressive springs/shocks! Try an inch drop...this will change the cg and with the Progrssive's you won't lose too much ride qulaity!

 

Sportster's aren't that heavy in comparison to other bikes, but they have gotten a lot heavier over the years.

Are you trying to push walk the bike without using the clutch? You can do that on a light-weight 250cc bike, but it won't work on a sportster. If you want to move it slowly you will need to learn to feather the clutch.