Two (2) New Sportster Models.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,573
Likes: 210
From: Montana
Im hoping for a completely new one. Its the oldest bike in the lineup. Yeah, it got a new frame in 04 and injection in 07, but its basically the same Evo from 86.
If HD wants younger buyers it needs cool new products. Us old guys, and gals, that remember old Iron Sportys might like them, but our kids dont.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 9,228
Likes: 3,243
From: west Michigan
The Harley Davidson Sportster and the Triumph Bonneville are considered to be the original Sport bikes, built and sold purely for the sport of motorcycling and recreational riding. That's what I used my '78 XLCH for.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 749
Likes: 287
From: Detroit area
great. too bad it's 2018.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 94
From: SE Michigan
I'm definitely in agreement with you, I like the sportsers a lot. Unfortunately the kids that don't ride read... and they don't know that the sportsers don't need things like rain mode,ECT to be a good bike they just know they read the none usa made bikes have it and that's one more reason the USA bikes are not as good. Witch they have been told American made is junk already by... you guessed it! Every thang they read...
My future son in law just bought a Kawasaki Z900. It's a lot of motorcycle for $8500. He talks of a Harley in his future, when he's old like me and need to slow down and take it easy.
not to be a dick but, maybe try riding one for an extended period. they are great bikes. simple and easy to deal with. none of the bs involve with larger bikes. they just suck on the highway. some sadistic people like riding them on the highway though. i understand... did it for years.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,573
Likes: 210
From: Montana
not to be a dick but, maybe try riding one for an extended period. they are great bikes. simple and easy to deal with. none of the bs involve with larger bikes. they just suck on the highway. some sadistic people like riding them on the highway though. i understand... did it for years.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 12,986
Likes: 712
From: NE Philly
not to be a dick but, maybe try riding one for an extended period. they are great bikes. simple and easy to deal with. none of the bs involve with larger bikes. they just suck on the highway. some sadistic people like riding them on the highway though. i understand... did it for years.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
all it really takes is to ride one and appreciate it for what it is and what it is not. only real shortcomings are stock, output, gearing and old/lowlevel, technology.
hd needs to stop selling detuned, intentionally low spec'd bikes.... put out the best possible product. s*** brakes, 60hp, low connectivity/tech goodies... the 2016+ roadster should have only been sold as stage 4 or have and s model from day one. hd just likes trying to rob buyers with super size options.
my little red XL buddy gets the f*** up!, rides like a dream, corners like it's on rails, runs cool, stops like a sport bike and is reliable as a top, can't say that about 90% of harleys... but, i've dumped mega bucks into it. ~$20-23k.
that same money spent on something like a MV Augusta RVS would give me everything above and more but, the flexibility of the sportster, ease of maintenance, the aftermarket support , the dealer network... etc... would not be there.
it's easy to talk a bunch of bs without really getting what's going on or understanding the bikes. the sportster easily the one of best, high quality small cruiser/standard motorcycles on the market hd is having trouble largely because they are competing against themselves, lol. the glut of used high quality sportsters out there makes it hard to justify buying a new one that is basically the same as the bikes that have been around since 2007 in their present efi form. bs paint jobs and apes are a terrible reason to spend 10k+ on a bike.
I've been riding Sportsters for 20+ years. I've owned everything from Ironheads to Evo rigids to rubber mounted EFI Sportsters. All I've owned are Sportsters. I own one now.
Guess what? They're long in the tooth and are way overdue for a total update. They're falling behind the competition by a significant margin.
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roadster = better investment
why does that iron have mismatched wheels? why not just paint the stock one? super stupid "build" just for a dumb tank. would have made more sense to just put that tank on a roadster since people seem to think a new tank = a new model.... they would have thought the roadster with the stupid amf-ish tank was a new bike. cus stupid.
the roadster wheels are much lighter. they could have just switched the front to mid-glide and used the matching front roadster wheel.
what they did was lean on that lame *** iron bs for too long. they are crap and horrible for anything other than look cool to people that don't know what they are looking at. hd could have easily been putting out 100 hp sportsters with cool stuff. but, the rather rip folks off trying to sell upgrades. it's there own fault they are in the situation they are in. greed. Indian and others are just giving buyers the best possible product (with in reason and price point).
look at the tech in this tiger... outside of hd and other cruisers (excluding bmw), this sort of stuff is common place
ducati
mv agusta (from 2011)
and we are still buying tuners to map stuff... hd giving us the finger
Last edited by cvaria; Feb 24, 2018 at 05:18 PM.
