Video: The Sportster Isn’t Just For Beginners

A Sportster is the perfect way to ride into the world of Harley-Davidson.

It’s been a while since we’ve caught up with Yammie Noob. He’s a motorcycle YouTuber with a sport bike slant, but he’s had some good advice about riding that we’ve shared here before. In this video, his associate, Spite, rents a 2014 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight and gives his impressions.

It’s his first time on a Sportster, and right away, he sets out to dispel a pair of myths. Spite says, “A lot of people, I’m noticing, are thinking that a Sportster is not really a big-mile bike, and the Forty-Eight specifically is not a big mile bike.” He continues, “It’s down to that peanut tank right there. It’s good for about 50 to 70 miles, tops.”

Regardless of it range, Spite still plans on exploring the open road on the Forty-Eight. The other myth he wants to put to rest is that the Sportster is a “starter bike.” He thinks this one comes from the fact that it’s historically been the smallest Harley you can buy.

More Than Meets the Eye

The Sportster may be relatively easy to ride for beginners, but it’s by no means a bike that an experienced rider would get bored with quickly. It may be a small Harley, but in the motorcycle world in general, it’s a pretty big bike. Many folks don’t want anything bigger than the Sportster.

It doesn’t take long for Spite to be bitten by the Sportster bug. “It is an incredible motorcycle. Not an amazing motorcycle, not a great motorcycle, even, I just think it’s so unique.” That’s high praise from someone who usually rides machines fast enough to run circles around the latest supercars. He says that every motorcyclist owes it to themselves to try one out sometime.

Spite isn’t saying that the bike is perfect, though. He acknowledges the bike’s shortcomings, and is realistic about them. However, he also acknowledges the incredible aftermarket support that the Sportster has. “Any of the problems I have with this bike, I can fix.” With the right mix of parts, a Sportster can be anything you want it to be.

We weren’t expecting this review to go the way it did, but we’re glad. Hopefully, it will inspire some anti-Harley people to give the Sportster a try, and maybe they’ll understand what the fuss is all about.

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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