Lesson Learned.......
owned all makes, They all require work
over the past 48 yrs I've owned every make except Italian & BMW. All the others break, need repair, service etc. Harleys are no different except they're easier to repair, ( IMO). Just wait until the stator goes out on an older Honda Gold Wing & you've got to pull & split the engine cases to replace it, not fun or cheap. I've blown engines ,trans etc. on imports in my youth because I rode them HARD! I learned to repair them myself. It don't matter what you ride but how much & how hard before it'll brake
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,416
Likes: 1
From: North Jersey
You bought a used bike without having it gone over by a good mechanics...I see. The exhaust isn't a HD part, so chalk that off the list. Buy some lock tight, Get a dealer to test the charging system and your done. The suspension on almost all stock bike suck, Euro's and Japanese. Buy a good pair of shocks and that is done. Nothing really wrong with the forks...too hard, change to a lighter oil. Done. Now ride the crap out of your Sporty. That's what they are made for.
Banned
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,461
Likes: 4
From: MI
When I got my current bike it was sub 1K miles and when I got it home I did all the first service stuff myself. All kinds of loose bolts, clutch cable adjustment screws were so rusted from the boot holding in moisture it crumbled and broke. Original was loose at primary anyway and slowly dripping away. Changed it, adjusted clutch, tightened every bolt and I do nothing but the normal stuff now without any problems. The comment about Harleys being easy to work on is so true. With a few tools you can do anything right at home, and its easy to do. I give mine a good look over once a week, check engine mounts weekly with other critical fasteners and every year connections get silicone grease since it gets rained on every day it rains because I ride daily.
Spend some time to get to know that lemon and it will give hundreds of thousands of miles of pure Harley riding joy. Im not a Harley snob but other comments of nothing beats miles on the road on a real piece of American history could not be more true. Everything else is a copy in some way, even if it is "better".
Spend some time to get to know that lemon and it will give hundreds of thousands of miles of pure Harley riding joy. Im not a Harley snob but other comments of nothing beats miles on the road on a real piece of American history could not be more true. Everything else is a copy in some way, even if it is "better".
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: Shreveport, LA
Bought my first Harley two months ago! Wanted to make that clear up front. BUT, I've rented Harley's for a couple of years before buying and I've got 30+ years on metrics including Yamahas, Hondas, and one Kaw. Ya roll the dice ya take Ya chances! My Honda was a POS that needed constant attention. One Yami was great and one was so-so. Kaw was perfect. I'm a Jeep guy. Some are great! Some are crap! Life happens!
I'll take your sportster no questions. Get that Honda and have a great time. Life is far too short not to have a GREAT time. Scoots are all about enjoying life. Enjoy life, Brother!
IMHO
I'll take your sportster no questions. Get that Honda and have a great time. Life is far too short not to have a GREAT time. Scoots are all about enjoying life. Enjoy life, Brother!
IMHO
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
I have 10 HD's in my garage which include one or more of all the HD families of bikes.
The oldest is a 2000. I ride 30K a year and have covered most of the North American Continent. By the end of next season it should be all of it from Key West to the Arctic Circle. All on HD's which always got me home without issue.
The only warranty claim I ever had with any of them was on the 10 Ultra. It had spider cracking on the windshield where the mount hole was. They got one out of a box and went to the parking lot and replaced it.
I came to HD from metrics. I had about two dozen over the years of which half were Honda. They ranged from the CB160 to the VTX1800 and the much vaulted Rune. At age 65 I got my first HD. The fit, finish and ride were the best of any bike that I ever owned.
I have two Sportsters. A 09 XR1200 and a 11 XL1200L. Neither has had a single issue at all. I did a 2,000 mile round trip on the Low this year. The handling was great. It was a blast to take it on the Iron Mountain Highway and Needles Highway in Custer Park. All stock suspension. I am 6'3" and 220 lbs. I did the ride there and back of 681 miles in one day each direction.
But then I'm only 73 and when I get old maybe I will think they are not good bikes.
Maybe the OP just needs an attitude adjustment and not a bike change.
The perfect bike does not exist (although the XR comes close). Go ahead and get the Honda. It was just made for you.
One question about the nuts repeatedly coming loose. Did you clean the threads, apply the proper thread locker and torque to specs? I just can't see a nut coming loose that has had thread locker and properly torqued.
The oldest is a 2000. I ride 30K a year and have covered most of the North American Continent. By the end of next season it should be all of it from Key West to the Arctic Circle. All on HD's which always got me home without issue.
The only warranty claim I ever had with any of them was on the 10 Ultra. It had spider cracking on the windshield where the mount hole was. They got one out of a box and went to the parking lot and replaced it.
I came to HD from metrics. I had about two dozen over the years of which half were Honda. They ranged from the CB160 to the VTX1800 and the much vaulted Rune. At age 65 I got my first HD. The fit, finish and ride were the best of any bike that I ever owned.
I have two Sportsters. A 09 XR1200 and a 11 XL1200L. Neither has had a single issue at all. I did a 2,000 mile round trip on the Low this year. The handling was great. It was a blast to take it on the Iron Mountain Highway and Needles Highway in Custer Park. All stock suspension. I am 6'3" and 220 lbs. I did the ride there and back of 681 miles in one day each direction.
But then I'm only 73 and when I get old maybe I will think they are not good bikes.
Maybe the OP just needs an attitude adjustment and not a bike change.
The perfect bike does not exist (although the XR comes close). Go ahead and get the Honda. It was just made for you.
One question about the nuts repeatedly coming loose. Did you clean the threads, apply the proper thread locker and torque to specs? I just can't see a nut coming loose that has had thread locker and properly torqued.
Last edited by lh4x4; Sep 14, 2013 at 08:16 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 253
Likes: 0
From: PEI, Canada
I have 10 HD's in my garage which include one or more of all the HD families of bikes.
The oldest is a 2000. I ride 30K a year and have covered most of the North American Continent. By the end of next season it should be all of it from Key West to the Arctic Circle. All on HD's which always got me home without issue.
The only warranty claim I ever had with any of them was on the 10 Ultra. It had spider cracking on the windshield where the mount hole was. They got one out of a box and went to the parking lot and replaced it.
I came to HD from metrics. I had about two dozen over the years of which half were Honda. They ranged from the CB160 to the VTX1800 and the much vaulted Rune. At age 65 I got my first HD. The fit, finish and ride were the best of any bike that I ever owned.
I have two Sportsters. A 09 XR1200 and a 11 XL1200L. Neither has had a single issue at all. I did a 2,000 mile round trip on the Low this year. The handling was great. It was a blast to take it on the Iron Mountain Highway and Needles Highway in Custer Park. All stock suspension. I am 6'3" and 220 lbs. I did the ride there and back of 681 miles in one day each direction.
But then I'm only 73 and when I get old maybe I will think they are not good bikes.
Maybe the OP just needs an attitude adjustment and not a bike change.
The perfect bike does not exist (although the XR comes close). Go ahead and get the Honda. It was just made for you.
One question about the nuts repeatedly coming loose. Did you clean the threads, apply the proper thread locker and torque to specs? I just can't see a nut coming loose that has had thread locker and properly torqued.
The oldest is a 2000. I ride 30K a year and have covered most of the North American Continent. By the end of next season it should be all of it from Key West to the Arctic Circle. All on HD's which always got me home without issue.
The only warranty claim I ever had with any of them was on the 10 Ultra. It had spider cracking on the windshield where the mount hole was. They got one out of a box and went to the parking lot and replaced it.
I came to HD from metrics. I had about two dozen over the years of which half were Honda. They ranged from the CB160 to the VTX1800 and the much vaulted Rune. At age 65 I got my first HD. The fit, finish and ride were the best of any bike that I ever owned.
I have two Sportsters. A 09 XR1200 and a 11 XL1200L. Neither has had a single issue at all. I did a 2,000 mile round trip on the Low this year. The handling was great. It was a blast to take it on the Iron Mountain Highway and Needles Highway in Custer Park. All stock suspension. I am 6'3" and 220 lbs. I did the ride there and back of 681 miles in one day each direction.
But then I'm only 73 and when I get old maybe I will think they are not good bikes.
Maybe the OP just needs an attitude adjustment and not a bike change.
The perfect bike does not exist (although the XR comes close). Go ahead and get the Honda. It was just made for you.
One question about the nuts repeatedly coming loose. Did you clean the threads, apply the proper thread locker and torque to specs? I just can't see a nut coming loose that has had thread locker and properly torqued.
lh4x4 tons of respect for you!!! We can all take a lesson, or ten, from this man!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,337
Likes: 9
From: Phoenix, AZ
My advice to the OP is to get rid of the Harley and be Happy, knowing many people that have the Nightster and never ever having the problems your describing tells me either 1. You should have never worked on the bike yourself because it is obvious your doing something wrong or 2. Maybe your riding it too hard- winding the gears out why past when you should have shifted. A Harley is NOT a dirt bike and shouldn't be ridden like one and just because you have rode dirt bikes in the past and maybe were good at it doesn't mean you know how to ride a street bike..
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