Sportsters are girls bikes? No wonder all the buttons are on the left instead of the right. With all the women who ride dressers now, does that make an Electraglide a womans bike as well? Ride what you want, when you want. I guess any guy who has a fairing and makes fun of Sportsters must be worried about his panty liner getting too dry from all the wind blowing around.

 

It's funny, because Sportsters are great custom platforms and there's some amazing looking ones out there. What's even better is that a Sportster 1200 is faster than most big twins, and yet, it's a girls bike. I don't ride one, but maybe one day I'll pick one up to make in to a chopper.

 

Well, ya go back a few years to the early 70s and beyond, the biggest twin Harley made was .....(hold yer breath) a 74 cu.in. So up until recent times, I guess all Harleys were girl's bikes........

I ride an XL1200CP (aprox. 74 cu.in) and I like it. Easy to handle and plenty of power to haul my small 145LB a$$ around. It is the biggest bike I have ever had and is plenty for me. At just shy of 60 years old, I really don't give a rats a$$ what anybody thinks of my ride!!!

I ride it as much as possible here in the great white north and now have over 10,000 miles on it in just over a year of owning it!

 

Ride what you want. Being on two wheels is better then being in four wheels. I think V Rod owners get a lot of crap too, which is just funny to me. I've owned 3 V Rod's in the past 12 years. "It's not a real Harley" Water hog" "Vacuum cleaner" etc.. It never bothered me. It's funny though, any time I'd ask some one if they want to line up the bikes or compare repair bills, I'd never get any takers.

 

How did this develop into a 8 page post (with the "F" bomb) over a comment that one guy said to another? Ride what you want and just be thankful you can afford to own a motorcycle. By the way, we have more woman who ride the big motor bikes than Sportsters in our club.

 

The only problem I see with Sportsters are the riders who take offense from what is usually good natured kidding of big twin riders who have either had, or at some point wanted a Sportster.

Grow some thicker skin or get thicker leather and full face helmets.

 

^^^this^^^

 

Only in North America where people are getting fatter and lazier by the day would a 883-1200cc bike be considered a ladies bike. Seriously the popularity of bikes like the Street Glide is a direct reflection on how effed up we are as a society. We seem to need 800+lb motorcycles with stereos. It's no different than all of the a-holes that bought Hummers to use as their city commuters. When I pass these people on the road with my Sportster they look at me like I'm walking on the moon. How on earth am I able to ride an unfaired motorcycle on the highway? This can't be right, you need a land yacht for that. These people don't seem to understand that if I didn't ride a Sportster I would not be riding a Harley Davidson. Like so many people that simply jump on the bandwagon they have no idea what the true essence of motorcycling can feel like. They need to be as disconnected from the road and the elements as much as possible. I'm amazed at how many first time riders buy bikes like Streetglides for their first motorcycle.

What's even funnier than the gals bike comment from dudes is when small woman walk in to the shop and tell me they've outgrown their Sportster. It's usually peer pressure from their fat friends that makes them believe that. I've been riding motorcycles for 45 years and have not outgrown a Sportster. I've noticed that a lot of these folks that outgrow their Sportster put far fewer miles on their big bike once they trade up, they are having less fun, their new bike feels heavy and awkward, no **** Sherlock. Sometimes the difference in weight between their Spotster and BT is as much as their own body weight. Only in the world of HD does a motorcycle need to weigh 700lbs before it's considered highway worthy. It's ridiculous. This much I know, people that make the girl's bike comment aren't riders, they are simply owners. HD is not a riders brand, it's about owning a HD not riding a HD for a lot of people. That's why you see them hanging around the HD shops on the most beautiful summer days wearing polo shirts, slacks and dress shoes making stupid comments instead of being out riding.

BTW I sell HD motorcycles for a living and have rode them all, the only other bike they build that I'm even remotely interested in is the V-Rod.

Sorry rant over.

 

+1 to this.

Had a guy call my Iron "cute" this spring. Told him I didn't need a 2 wheeled car to haul my fat wife and a place to put her purse. Good thing this was at a local bar where I went to buy some 9mm since he went red in the face.

 

Since demise of the Blast the Iron "is" the cutest
Harley.