Have you ridden any BMW's? I'm not gonna try to steer you toward keeping the sporty because it will never be a BMW or vice versa. If you feel your HD doesn't fit you anymore then there's no reason to dump more money into it. You've probably put more miles on these bikes than most of us ever will. At 20+ years I think you deserve to be on whatever you'd like and I dont think BMW is a bad choice. If I was riding in Philly streets everyday I'd want something different too.. your streets are almost as bad as Delaware.

 

I had the 412's on my 2004 Sportster and hated them immediately. Switched to 444's and the improvement in ride is quite noticeable.

This is my first Sportster after 20+ years of Shovelheads. At 67 I wanted a lighter, more nimble machine. Trouble is I miss the weight of my shovels. I won't ride the Sporty on the freeway -- way too light for me, or I'm to old for it.

 

I put air shocks on my Iron and thought wow, hello suspension. But I think that is mainly because the stock shockers are, err, shocking but not in a good way.

I was told the air shocks are only good for heavier riders as they are designed for a much heavier bike and are sprung and valved accordingly? Also told as Langwilliams said that draining and refilling them with 5wt oil helps to get a more compliant ride? My front end has ricor intiminators, Hagon progressive wound springs and 5wt oil and that is much smoother over bumps than the air shocks, so I think i'll try the lighter oil in them. I suspect i'll eventually end up getting Hagon to build me some to suit my weight and riding style though.

I've had a couple of BMWs but they have been the most unreliable and costly bikes I've ever owned? I've just had real bad luck with them and have sworn never again but I cant help liking them, lol!

Out of the 1100 and 1150 GS I preferred the 1100? Always felt the 1150 was less agile? I had a Rockster too with the servo ABS which was pretty much hated by everyone but me! All three of these had the common bevel box problems and two had the rear crank shaft seal go and kill the clutch.

I also had a F800S which was a lovely bike to ride, smooth, punchy, good top end rush and amazing economy, really amazing economy. But it was always playing up, cutting out, running rough. Again all common and widely documented problems. Shame.

Trail style bikes are superb commuters for rough surfaced city streets with pot holes everywhere. Downside to them is the wide bars limits lane splitting in heavy traffic and the front end dive takes some getting used to, although that wont be something that concerns a BMW owner with its telelever front end.

 

Part of your problem was selecting the 12" 412 shocks instead of the 12.5" or longer.
Progressive 412's come with 2 different spring rates, a tighter/harsher rate for the shorter 12" or less shocks, and a less harsh rate for the 12.5" and longer.

Switched my 12" 412s for 12.5" 412s years ago. The difference is quite noticeable. If I were to do it again, I'd go with 13".

 

tbh, the sportster, bolt, vulcan s, street 750, duc scrampler, r nine t, etc are best suited for city/urbanized riding. a dual sport is nice too but, still not the best fit. baka1969 wants bags and such so some compromises need to be made in terms of "best" fit.

adjusting the suspension on the current bike might be better but, it's a personal preference thing. i have no issue with comfort on my standard (may just be stockholm syndrome) but, if it was an iron or some lowered pain generator.... i might sing a different story. as it stands my sporty is more comfy than my fxdwg... the rear suspension on that thing is brutal.

 

baka1969,

I totally get what you're saying. I love Sportsters, mostly because of their design and not the ride. I also ride in the Philly area and the stop and go of the traffic in this area is pretty suck ***--as are the conditions of the roads. Jokingly, I've started giving certain potholes names; it makes it easier to remember and avoid them. I was riding an '07 XL883 for years, but recently switched up to a '16 48. The ride is much better on the 48. I'm looking to replace the seat with something a little wider and with more cushion. I'll lose the cool factor of the stock seat, but my *** hurt last weekend on a round trip from Philly to Lancaster and back. I think the ride is probably better because of the new shocks on the 48. There is less than 2" of travel in the shock, but they are nitrogen-charged. I found the ride to be much better on my back and ***. I know this doesn't really help you much, but I commiserate with you about the ride.

Tony

 

Trading a Harley for a BMW you are basically telling the world you've given up on life.

 

Found these to work so will be ordering a pair in a few days if there are any left.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/122002953250...&sojTags=bu=bu

 

 

That's a bit harsh! I've owned both brands alongside each other for decades. The BMWs (one in a particular) has proved slightly more unreliable, but I have enjoyed them both, for their different characters. Both brands have benefitted from fitting better suspension.

It is probably cheaper to blow out on decent suspension for the Sporty, than to change bikes.