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1968 XLH Sportster (1975, somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains)
There's something to be said for simplicity.
There's more wire under the gas tank of my 2004 Sportster than there was in that whole bike.
Last edited by ME B; Sep 29, 2021 at 09:30 AM.
Reason: the pic was probably too large. it didn't embed.
I'm sure that the Sportster S is a wonderful motorcycle and I genuinely hope it ensures the survival of the company . I don't even mind the looks of the thing apart from the gigantic exhaust . I am assured that it provides an exciting and satisfying ride provided that the roads are in good condition . But I will never accept that this motorcycle is the product of incremental changes , some big , some small , to the basic 1957 design . I therefore regret to say that I will never be able to regard it as the new Sportster any more than I can regard this as a Volkswagen Beetle .
I'm sure that the Sportster S is a wonderful motorcycle and I genuinely hope it ensures the survival of the company . I don't even mind the looks of the thing apart from the gigantic exhaust . I am assured that it provides an exciting and satisfying ride provided that the roads are in good condition . But I will never accept that this motorcycle is the product of incremental changes , some big , some small , to the basic 1957 design . I therefore regret to say that I will never be able to regard it as the new Sportster any more than I can regard this as a Volkswagen Beetle.
Well that's your opinion and you know what they say about those.
Personally, I'm glad the new Sportster has no ties back to the original model. Being so stuck in the past is why Harley Davidson is on the edge of financial disaster. The Sportster S isn't an "Evolution" of the Sportster it is a max revolution (Revolution Max) and I'm glad it's here. The Sportster was ancient and decades overdue for a clean sheet redesign.
Instead of the S, I sure wish HD had put the Rev Max in sport touring bike. Wind screen, hard pannier attachments, low seat, shaft drive, single sided swing arm, a couple riding modes, Brembos, etc. That would have built on the excitement form the PA. The S, meh.
Well that's your opinion and you know what they say about those.
Personally, I'm glad the new Sportster has no ties back to the original model. Being so stuck in the past is why Harley Davidson is on the edge of financial disaster. The Sportster S isn't an "Evolution" of the Sportster it is a max revolution (Revolution Max) and I'm glad it's here. The Sportster was ancient and decades overdue for a clean sheet redesign.
Well of course it's my opinion . What else would I be expressing on a discussion forum ? I think it's all a matter of perspective . In the UK , with the exception of Triumph , ALL bikes are foreign bikes . So we are not bound by any sense of patriotic duty to buy whatever Harley Davidson cares to throw at us . The guys who cut their teeth on original British bikes are moving into their 70's and 80's now and the rest of us in our 40's 50's and 60's all started out on Japanese bikes . When I was starting out , people would gather round a Harley in awe as if it had descended from another planet . After 20 to 40 years of riding bigger , faster and smoother Japanese bikes , many of us in the UK , because we are ready for a change of pace , have turned to Harley Davidson . We actually want to go slower , we want something we can easily work on , we want something that shakes and rattles and looks old fashioned . We love the iconic 45 degree V twin with its easy oil changes and accessible spark plugs . We love the way that a Sportster can be so easily customised and we love the enormous range of things we can buy to bolt on to it . There are thousands of Sportster riders in the UK who meet and ride in groups and who absolutely worship these bikes despite ( or even because of ) all of their shortcomings . So when I express my opinion , please bear in mind that many of us view things from a very different perspective . Hello gorgeous . ♥️
Well of course it's my opinion . What else would I be expressing on a discussion forum ? I think it's all a matter of perspective . In the UK , with the exception of Triumph , ALL bikes are foreign bikes . So we are not bound by any sense of patriotic duty to buy whatever Harley Davidson cares to throw at us . The guys who cut their teeth on original British bikes are moving into their 70's and 80's now and the rest of us in our 40's 50's and 60's all started out on Japanese bikes . When I was starting out , people would gather round a Harley in awe as if it had descended from another planet . After 20 to 40 years of riding bigger , faster and smoother Japanese bikes , many of us in the UK , because we are ready for a change of pace , have turned to Harley Davidson . We actually want to go slower , we want something we can easily work on , we want something that shakes and rattles and looks old fashioned . We love the iconic 45 degree V twin with its easy oil changes and accessible spark plugs . We love the way that a Sportster can be so easily customised and we love the enormous range of things we can buy to bolt on to it . There are thousands of Sportster riders in the UK who meet and ride in groups and who absolutely worship these bikes despite ( or even because of ) all of their shortcomings . So when I express my opinion , please bear in mind that many of us view things from a very different perspective .
I enjoyed reading this post and I appreciate your perspective because I only have my own eyes to look out of.
Harley being American had almost nothing to do with me buying a Harley. I'm a huge fan of Japanese bikes. I bought my Fat Bob because it looks awesome, is fun to ride, and it's the "muscle cruiser" that I've been looking for. I do understand that there are Harley fans that only buy Harley because they are an American company though. I just don't fall into that category. Not all Americans are blindly patriotic.
Personally, I wanted to slow down because I'm getting older and more responsible. I'm guessing your younger generation over there is still interested in the newer/faster/better bikes of which you speak.
I can surely appreciate the simplicity of an air cooled Sportster and that's exactly why I'm considering trading my 2007 Buell XB12Scg for a 2007 XL883L. I want a project bike that I can work on in my garage over the winter. It is perfect that it's an 883 because then I can tear into the engine and add a 1200cc kit myself. I'm an engineer not a professional motorcycle mechanic. And the vast aftermarket support for a Sportster is another good reason that it would make a great project bike.
With that being said, I realize companies can't remain stuck in the past forever. Harley could have long had a Sportster S with its modern, high power, liquid-cooled engine selling alongside of the air-cooled Sportster for years. I still don't think the bike would have been accepted by the Harley faithful though.
Harley is not on the brink of financial ruin because their products are stuck in the past. They are on the brink of financial ruin because their cost structure was stuck in the past, bloated and out of line with sales revenue. Gross margins are extremely high on the traditional bikes. Even the CEO made that statement many times as part of the new strategy called Hard Wire. Hard Wire acknowledged they need to focus on the profitable core US market while diversifying into new segments. Meanwhile, they slashed a big part of their bloated costs by ‘right sizing’ the company. You can’t make money when you are sized to deliver 300,000 bikes/year and selling 160,000 and trying to invest millions in new offerings. No reason they should be losing money except it was poorly run and has been for some time.
Growth is another matter. But come on guys…none of this is new. Harley has tried getting into new segments many times with moderate to no success. So here we go again. A revamped v-rod now called Sportster. I hope Harley can sell this bike but With the price tag, i am a skeptic. Conversely, I believe the Pan America will succeed.
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