Lot of snobbery regarding sportsters being girly bikes etc....i have a 1200 custom and i dont care about snobbery....all bikes are nice as far as im concerned. Thing is i find the sportster engine runs worse than my lawnmower engine. Its quite normal im told. Its chugs lurches pops n farts and generally isnt at all civilised. now if you buy a bigger harley do you actually get something more civilised or is it just a bigger version with the same uncivilised characteristics?

 

I've owned a few Sportsters over the years, none with the conditions you described. Sounds like you need a tune.

 

Sounds like it's not tuned correctly. I have none of those issues.

Also, don't lug the motor and you won't have these problems. Learn what Sportsters like, which is more RPMs.

John

 

yes, unquestionably. More civilized, smoother, greater presence on the road, WAY MORE POWER... etc...

The Sportster diehards will sit here and defend sportsters till they are blue in the face. Fact is... yes, unquestionably you get more with some, bigger hd bikes. But they will not be as easy to play with/service as an xl. Not as flickable the sporty either.

I had a weird phase when I first went bigger. I didnt much like it but, then the wrenching started. I was addicted to the umph and the feel. Way more fun than my sporty ever was. But my sport is still here with me. I killed two bigger bikes. And the sporty outlived them both and is still alive... Ready to go anywhere. Little super trooper.

Geezer glides, nah..... unless they do it for you. Never for me. I hate those things. The big twins are no joke and the new m8s are fantastic. You totally get more.

Bigger:

vs

xl...:

my sporty was always a blast but never held a torch to the twin cams... they were ridiculous. Long hauls on them were legendary. Especially at higher speeds. They just floated, and the the engine feel was no joke. Folks will debate it... that's okay. I can live with that.

 

^^^^^^ This describes what I feel between my Super Glide vs Sportster. The Super Glide sometimes is just a beast, I can pull the front tire up shifting from 1st to 2nd, and it is just power on the highway, cruise at 90 effortlessly. the Sportster is fun, but not that much power being an 883. yes, it is nimble and you can throw it around(so to speak) but it is no compare to a big twin. I would say that you dont need a big twin unless you are going two up and hitting the hisghway and sustaining highway speeds for long times.

 

its tuned as good as its going to be....been back for remap many times but no better really....runs too weak basically. Had a go of another and it was just as bad. Some days i can bear it.....others i just swear at it call it a heap of junk and park it up until next weekend

 

You need one of each, but not until AFTER you have sorted out your Sporty, as suggested above! You can have exactly the same problems with a big twin......

Having owned Harleys since the 1970s, there have been bad running Harleys throughout that time, and to this day. Backyard tuning didn't work then and doesn't today, so if in doubt find a local expert - it's amazing what can be achieved!

 

Mine also does not do what you describe. It runs great. A bit of a lumpy idle, as you'd want and expect, but runs smooth when moving. I rode a 2018 114 Breakout recently. It's definitely smoother, much smoother, but I didn't like it. Not knocking M8s but it felt neutered in comparison.

 

Not if it's still popping and farting. Have you put your bike on a dyno (someone must have if you had it looked at) and looked at the air/fuel ratios? Your symptoms are a lean condition, above 13-14:1 air/fuel IIRC.

Since it's EFI, something can be done. You can richen up whatever parts of the RPM curve at your whim. So much more flexible than my old carburetor.

You may need an aftermarket tuner if you have the stock HD control unit. I don't have EFI, so someone else will have to recommend a good one. Dynojet Powervision seems the most adaptable, but you'll hopefully get some responses.

John

 

Reading through this post, all I know about the OP's bike is that it is a 1200 Custom....I believe the 1200 custom (XL1200C) was introduced in 1996 and EFI replaced carburetion in 2007. Big difference in tuning between carb and EFI. If the bike is EFI, an excellent tuner is the Powervision with autotune. I am sure many on here can vouch that it is one of the best tuners on the market today. Unless you are familiar with carb tuning, get a knowledgeable and profiicent technician.

I agree with others, the symptoms the OP is experiencing is a poorly tuned scoot and/or you have vaccum/exhaust leaks that need to be addressed.

With respect to bigger bikes being better, nah....they are just different bikes with different characteristics. The Big Twins have a lot more power but the Sportster is a lot more nimble and will smoke the Big Twin off the line....the BT is a lot smoother at higher RPMs so more suitable for cruising and long distance riding IMO.