New member, which Sportster to get?
#21
Thanks, you have a good eye. I will check the tires out when I get the bike. If I get the '03 it's a 4hr ride home, I won't be doing that on 12 yr old rubber.
One more thing - Zooming in on the tires on those bikes, they both look like the older style Harley Dunlop tread. If it feels like either or both bikes seem to want to follow tar snakes and pavement irregularities, that's the tires. Mine did, and putting Avons on it completely cured the wandering/wiggle tendencies, very stable and good riding bike now.
Like I mentioned before, you should check the tire dates on the sidewalls, could have a 12 year old tire and tube on the '03. I bought one bike that had a 20 year old tire on the front. That got changed in a hurry...
Like I mentioned before, you should check the tire dates on the sidewalls, could have a 12 year old tire and tube on the '03. I bought one bike that had a 20 year old tire on the front. That got changed in a hurry...
#22
Hello and welcome,
I think you've see there are any number of responses to your question.
Do yourself a favor, ask to ride both, you should get a feel for which one you want.
Many different things to be done once you buy, never heard a Harley owner say he's finished his mods.
Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy, Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy, Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy . . . do you see a trend here?
Regards,
.
I think you've see there are any number of responses to your question.
Do yourself a favor, ask to ride both, you should get a feel for which one you want.
Many different things to be done once you buy, never heard a Harley owner say he's finished his mods.
Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy, Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy, Buy, ride, fix, adjust, enjoy . . . do you see a trend here?
Regards,
.
#23
As for retrofitting the mounts to an older bike, well, anything's possible if you have enough money. Realistically though, as others have said, it's not an option.
Take the bike out for a test ride (assuming the owner will allow it) and see how it feels. It's possible that you won't mind the older model's vibration. If you can't test ride that one, it's possible that your local Harley dealer might have a solid mount Sporty in their used inventory. If you've got your endorsement you can go there and pretend you're interested in the dealer's bike and test drive it to see how the solid mount models feel.
All that said, if you love the '03, buy it. Sometimes it's the things with more quirks that we love the most.
Oh, and tires... If the '03 does have ancient rubber on it, there are a lot of good options out there other than the OE Dunlops. A lot of people really like the Michelin Commander II tires, and they seem great. Personally I just put a set of Avon Cobras on my bike and I'm liking them a lot so far. The Avons are much better in the rain than the OE tires were even when the OE tires were new.
Last edited by Zenmervolt; 10-31-2014 at 02:38 AM.
#24
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Frozelandia, Minnysota
Posts: 27,066
Received 4,614 Likes
on
2,726 Posts
added edit: Just remembered, when I pulled the rubber off the sporty (that inner rub strip, too), the rim was cracking across the weld on the inside. Bummer, new wheel right away, more money. I doubt most shops would have caught that, had some light rust over it, saw the crack when I cleaned it up. Most shops would just have thrown a new tube and tire on it and gone no further. If/when you replace the front rubber, good idea to replace that inner strip (like a big rubber band, covers the spoke ends in the rim), too, it's cheap. I don't know if a cracked rim would give you any warning before it let go or not, mine's the only one I've heard of.
Changing tires can be a chore, but I'm lucky, got a guy to help out...
Last edited by Imold; 10-31-2014 at 09:46 AM.
#25
That's a good thing then. My buds 03 got knocked over in an enclosed trailer on the way to Sturgis a couple years ago. His tank has a dent in that spot form the handlebar of the bike that his was next to. Trust me, he had a freaking cow when he saw it. So in other words, he would kill for that tank. LOL
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post