trading nightster for..something else?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,275
Likes: 669
From: The Rust Belt!
Im going to say this with out any intentions of offending anybody and there bike! I dont know if this is true or not but im starting to think the sporty's are being built with inferior parts.. I hear folks complaining about them all the time. My best friend bought a Nightster and has major paint and rust problems since only after 4 months of owning it. And his bike is garage kept and he is very **** about keeping it clean! Then is forks started leaking oil big time.. This is his first Harley and it totally turned him off! Ive only myself only owned one sport and it was a 1996 1200 xl model! All my other bikes have been 1 dyna and the rest Softails and i never ever had any problems with any of them ever!!! So it really makes me think the bigger and more expensive bikes are on another level of quality then the NEW sportsters! Like i said i could be wrong but its my observation! You asked about getting another bike? There are Harley's that you will be extremely happy with compaired to your sporty! My Fatboy Lo feels like im riding on a Sofa! And the quality is unbelievable!! When i had my sporty i hated it! Ride for a couple hours and my body felt like i ran a marathon and was punched in the kiddney's buy a boxer at the same time! Give Harley another chance just get something besides a sportster!!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,541
Likes: 11
From: Elyria, OH
As far as riding on the mountain roads, I think my nightster does pretty good at keeping up with the ZX14 and Ducatti that I ride with alot. Good luck on your next bike it really doesn't matter what brand you buy. Everyone has their own taste and riding style that is why they make different types of bikes.
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 37
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maybe it's something to do with the nightsters then???
One other major thing that i had a problem with was when i put my sideshots on i broke a header bolt.... torqued to harleys specs and it broke!...
I called up harley and spoke with a "tech" guy and he said well i always felt 8lbs wasn't enough..i usually go 10-12 lbs... that bothered me that I supposedly went under his specs and still broke it. Like i said i want to love the bike, but it's making it really hard for me to do so with so much of this going on ya know?
One other major thing that i had a problem with was when i put my sideshots on i broke a header bolt.... torqued to harleys specs and it broke!...
I called up harley and spoke with a "tech" guy and he said well i always felt 8lbs wasn't enough..i usually go 10-12 lbs... that bothered me that I supposedly went under his specs and still broke it. Like i said i want to love the bike, but it's making it really hard for me to do so with so much of this going on ya know?
your gonna love this....
just after i posted on here i went for a ride to the dealers, just as i was turning into the dealers yard my bike broke down and would not start again..
Turned out to be a faulty side stand sensor
Fixed now but could have been worse if i was stranded..
just after i posted on here i went for a ride to the dealers, just as i was turning into the dealers yard my bike broke down and would not start again..
Turned out to be a faulty side stand sensor
Fixed now but could have been worse if i was stranded..
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 37
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well this was a total failure haha. i went to the victory dealer..they had on judge on the floor and wouldn't be getting anymore the rest of the year...they also had yammis there but you need to schedule a test ride??? didn't know that was part of the program. so i ended up going to a kawi dealer and they wouldn't let you test ride until you were pre approved for the bike...seems kind of backwards to me. i suppose the good news is they all agreed it would be around a 7grand trade in on mine.
finally I ended up at harley. my buddy wanted to test ride the backline and I took the 72 and backline for a ride. I took the 72 out to see how i liked apes being as I never rode with them before..and I gotta say i liked the way they felt. I didn't like the seat because i would slide towards the back when i dug into it.
The girl on the floor did agree that the rust problem was total bullshit but there was nothing she could do for me because my warranty is up. appeared to be bad paint to her. She did say there was a few other nightsters that came in with rust problems too so I'm beginning to think harley effed some of us good.
Anyhow I guess I'm stuck with this one for the time being so I suppose I need to dump some more money into it that I dont have haha.
...which brings me back to what seats are there out there that keep the sleek line of the bike but improve comfort. I think I'm going to try and get my hands on some road king shocks, get a new seat that is two up optional and I suppose throw some new bars on it :/...
Now with the front suspension, is progressive the only maker of something up there??? what would be my options to rake the front out without spending oodles of cash??? just a thought on something I always wanted to do.
and hogdiver, sorry to hear about that haha, what are the odds right?
finally I ended up at harley. my buddy wanted to test ride the backline and I took the 72 and backline for a ride. I took the 72 out to see how i liked apes being as I never rode with them before..and I gotta say i liked the way they felt. I didn't like the seat because i would slide towards the back when i dug into it.
The girl on the floor did agree that the rust problem was total bullshit but there was nothing she could do for me because my warranty is up. appeared to be bad paint to her. She did say there was a few other nightsters that came in with rust problems too so I'm beginning to think harley effed some of us good.
Anyhow I guess I'm stuck with this one for the time being so I suppose I need to dump some more money into it that I dont have haha.
...which brings me back to what seats are there out there that keep the sleek line of the bike but improve comfort. I think I'm going to try and get my hands on some road king shocks, get a new seat that is two up optional and I suppose throw some new bars on it :/...
Now with the front suspension, is progressive the only maker of something up there??? what would be my options to rake the front out without spending oodles of cash??? just a thought on something I always wanted to do.
and hogdiver, sorry to hear about that haha, what are the odds right?
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,342
Likes: 8
From: Milwaukee, WI
well it's an 09... I mean don't get me wrong...it is a sweet looking bike and it sounds mean as hell with the sideshots...but I'm just having a hard time justifying dumping a bunch more money into it to make it a "better" ride when for the money i have into the bike and the extra parts I'd have to get I could get a hell of a nice ride from another brand of scoot. I just don't know...I mean i bought the bike to ride, and I have a hard to convincing myself that I'm gonna have a blast on it when i get 15 miles down the road and am already not enjoying it. And let's face it...when you have mountain roads at your disposal who wants to ride on an interstate right???
I'm actually surprised by the positive comments so far, thank you guys for that. I weigh 160 and that's not nearly enough to make the suspension work...plus i read its travel is only 1.6"...
what did anyone do to make this actually tolerable to ride for long distances..while still keeping it sleek and a nice line and keep 2 up an option(no springer seats)
I'm actually surprised by the positive comments so far, thank you guys for that. I weigh 160 and that's not nearly enough to make the suspension work...plus i read its travel is only 1.6"...
what did anyone do to make this actually tolerable to ride for long distances..while still keeping it sleek and a nice line and keep 2 up an option(no springer seats)
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,342
Likes: 8
From: Milwaukee, WI
well this was a total failure haha. i went to the victory dealer..they had on judge on the floor and wouldn't be getting anymore the rest of the year...they also had yammis there but you need to schedule a test ride??? didn't know that was part of the program. so i ended up going to a kawi dealer and they wouldn't let you test ride until you were pre approved for the bike...seems kind of backwards to me. i suppose the good news is they all agreed it would be around a 7grand trade in on mine.
finally I ended up at harley. my buddy wanted to test ride the backline and I took the 72 and backline for a ride. I took the 72 out to see how i liked apes being as I never rode with them before..and I gotta say i liked the way they felt. I didn't like the seat because i would slide towards the back when i dug into it.
The girl on the floor did agree that the rust problem was total bullshit but there was nothing she could do for me because my warranty is up. appeared to be bad paint to her. She did say there was a few other nightsters that came in with rust problems too so I'm beginning to think harley effed some of us good.
Anyhow I guess I'm stuck with this one for the time being so I suppose I need to dump some more money into it that I dont have haha.
...which brings me back to what seats are there out there that keep the sleek line of the bike but improve comfort. I think I'm going to try and get my hands on some road king shocks, get a new seat that is two up optional and I suppose throw some new bars on it :/...
Now with the front suspension, is progressive the only maker of something up there??? what would be my options to rake the front out without spending oodles of cash??? just a thought on something I always wanted to do.
and hogdiver, sorry to hear about that haha, what are the odds right?
finally I ended up at harley. my buddy wanted to test ride the backline and I took the 72 and backline for a ride. I took the 72 out to see how i liked apes being as I never rode with them before..and I gotta say i liked the way they felt. I didn't like the seat because i would slide towards the back when i dug into it.
The girl on the floor did agree that the rust problem was total bullshit but there was nothing she could do for me because my warranty is up. appeared to be bad paint to her. She did say there was a few other nightsters that came in with rust problems too so I'm beginning to think harley effed some of us good.
Anyhow I guess I'm stuck with this one for the time being so I suppose I need to dump some more money into it that I dont have haha.
...which brings me back to what seats are there out there that keep the sleek line of the bike but improve comfort. I think I'm going to try and get my hands on some road king shocks, get a new seat that is two up optional and I suppose throw some new bars on it :/...
Now with the front suspension, is progressive the only maker of something up there??? what would be my options to rake the front out without spending oodles of cash??? just a thought on something I always wanted to do.
and hogdiver, sorry to hear about that haha, what are the odds right?
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 557
Likes: 0
From: Colorado
your gonna love this....
just after i posted on here i went for a ride to the dealers, just as i was turning into the dealers yard my bike broke down and would not start again..
Turned out to be a faulty side stand sensor
Fixed now but could have been worse if i was stranded..
just after i posted on here i went for a ride to the dealers, just as i was turning into the dealers yard my bike broke down and would not start again..
Turned out to be a faulty side stand sensor
Fixed now but could have been worse if i was stranded..
I had trouble on my Kawi with the side stand switch. It was intermittent to the point it only happened under hard excelleration or in the dirt. Anyway, my 08 doesn't have one, which I like. I'm a simpleton. The less there is the less can go wrong.
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Hey Hogdriver, what year is your bike?
I had trouble on my Kawi with the side stand switch. It was intermittent to the point it only happened under hard excelleration or in the dirt. Anyway, my 08 doesn't have one, which I like. I'm a simpleton. The less there is the less can go wrong.
I had trouble on my Kawi with the side stand switch. It was intermittent to the point it only happened under hard excelleration or in the dirt. Anyway, my 08 doesn't have one, which I like. I'm a simpleton. The less there is the less can go wrong.
brand new with 400 miles on the clock
less is most certainly more i never even knew the side stand had a bloody switch on it !!!
Last edited by hogdiver96; May 26, 2012 at 03:59 PM.
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2010
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well I'm thinking of going with the mustang solo or vintage solo....honestly at this point as long as it doesn't look like total garbage I'm willing to accept it for comfort. anyone have or seen anything else positive... I really don't want to look through every single thread on this as almost all of them have about 5% useful information in them.