Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge My brother

My brother who lives in Oxnard, CA has the motorcycle bug for the first time in his (59 YO) life. He is physically fit and admired my Speedmaster the last time he was out to visit. The other night, he called to ask me what I thought of the HD Sportster as an alternative to the Triumph SM/AM. I told him that I'd never ridden a Sportster, but all that I'd heard was that it was a 'starter' bike for the rest of the HD line, but if he was considering one, he should look at the 1200 over the 883. I also told him that I had heard that anyone who bought a Sportster usually was looking to sell it within a few months of ownership, and that Triumph owners seemed to have a stronger loyalty to their bikes (as evidenced here). I didn't want to bash HD or the poseurs who ride them (there are certainly decent things to say about both HD and many who ride them as well), but the final decision is his, if he decides to get into riding. My primary concern is not with which bike he decides on, it's more that I'm not certain he knows the risks of riding these days.

Okay, in civil terms (no HD bashing, please) what are YOUR thoughts? (Duh!) Did I do good in my mild assessments?

Many people consider the Sporty to be a starter bike, but it isn't. Not the 1200 at least. The power to weight ratio for the 1200 is alot higher than the big twins. The 1200 is the fastest bike in the HD line up aside form the vrod. The 1200 is a little hot rod, not a beginner bike or a "girls" bike. It's the red headed step child of the Harly line and it doesn't get the respect it deserves. All that being said tell him to get the Speedy!

::cough::girl's bike::cough::

Having owned 2 evo sporties over the last 18 years, I'd have to say, the BA is definitely a better riding machine. Of course you don't get the Harley sound or vibration, but the center of gravity is much better, and the cornering makes that quite apparrent. You might also point out that even within the Harley crowd, he will get kidded about riding a 'girls bike', a 'snortster', 'shortster', or 'piglet'. I have never had any negative jests riding the Triuimph, so if he has sensitive feelings watch out! I must confess before this forum, that even I, made fun of a newbie rider coworkers 'piglet' last week. I'm so ashamed! There...I feel better now.

later, Tom.

Did you tell him it was a girl's bike?

And on that thought, I found this over at XLforum.net:



Seriously though, the Sportster has a fairly loyal following. And even though amongst the RUBs it is considered a girl's bike, the Sportster has a long and rich heritage. Have him check out XLforum.net to see how fanatical some of the owners can be.

Since he's interested in a Sportster, I'd suggest the Bonneville if he likes the upright riding position. It's also about 100 lbs lighter than a rubber mounted 1200.

If your brother choses to ride, he should ride what he choses.

Exactly...have him sit on EVERYTHING and go from there. Guide him and answer his questions truthfully...if he gets a Truimph, great, and if he gets a Harley or anything else, great too. It's always better having more bikes on the road regardless of the brand.

my good friend rides with me alot..he has a 1200 sportster a 2002 model..my America gets him in the 1/8 mile every-time..he seems to be a tick faster in the quarter mile..what he says to me all the time is this..i should of bought a triumph,just for the great talk at all the stops..so many more "great bike" comments..than the HD

Have your bro sit on both bikes. IF he likes top heavy and crunched up ergos, he'll buy the piglet.

A co-worker of mine bought a new 2006 Sportster 883 about 2 weeks before I bought my Speedmaster. Overall I think he's very happy with it, but it didn't take him long before he starting saying he wished he bought a "bigger" bike - not necessarly bigger in power, just bigger physically. He jokingly refers to his bike as a "sissy" bike - he recently put new pipes on it so at least it won't "sound wimpy." His words, not mine.

I haven't ridden the Sportster but it seems like a nice enough bike. One of the main complaints from my co-worker is that he doesn't feel it's very comfortable for long-rides and it apparently has a smallish fuel tank, so he has to stop more frequently for fuel on longer rides.

The first day I showed up with the Speedmaster we took a ride to lunch. The look on his face when he first saw it pretty much said it all. He wasn't familiar with the Triumph line before, but I think he was really interested after he saw mine.

Tell your brother to ride them all and pick the one he likes best.

Here is as accurate comparison as I can manage. The OL just got a bug in her bonnet and traded her old hotrod piglet 1200 in on a new one for an "around town" bike.
First, the 883 is best forgotten, that one really is a girly bike with no useful power at all and, to make up the difference it's geared too low, making it a bit on the buzzy side.
The 1200 has some potential. Like all HD's, it has a lot of rotating mass and a lot of torque. This means that it can be quicker than a Triumph twin for a few dozen feet. Then the Triumph will whoop arse quite handily up to around 80 - 90 MPH. after that, they are about equal.
The new piglet is noticably heavier than the Triumphs and the frame/steering geometry is more designed for stability than handling. On a crooked road, any Triumph twin will leave it. Also, the Triumphs ride is infinately more comfortable, the 1200 is a bit harsh on the bum.
The rubber engine mounting is well done as far as vibration reduction, but it adds a lot of complexity and weight. I can't help thinking that there could be a better way to deal with vibration. My America is just as smooth with a hard mounted engine.
Reliability is a mixed bag. Most of the mechanical bits are well made and they have had a long time to refine the design. Unfortunately, there are a lot of parts, especially the electrical sort, made in far east cuntries that have a reputation for turning out junk. Also, their latest crop of engineers don't seem to have as much talent as the older ones. Just look at the problems they had with the twin cam and 6 speed transmission early on. They seem to be fixed now, but they should have done that before they went into production. Triumphs seem to have an edge as far as reliability.
There are enough Sportster models with forward controls, center controls, small fuel tanks, large tanks, even a factory lowered version to suit a lot of tastes, but they all share the same handling characteristics and engine.
The 1200 has the potential to be a fast running bike, but it will cost a fortune to make it so. On the other hand, the Triumph can be just as fast for little more cost than the difference in the initial price, and there is nothing that can be done to make the piglet handle as well.
So, your brother should start by going for some test rides to see what feels right to him. Then, he should think it over and decide just what sort of riding he really wants to do. A 1200 is fine for riding around town and showing off, except that it's hard to show off when you are one of hundreds. The Triumph is more suited for all kinds of riding and showing off, but you won't have the problem of trying to figure out which one is yours.

One more thing, if he does decide to get a 1200, Rush makes decent sounding pipes for them, not too loud, not too quiet with a nice tone. I wish they made pipes for Triumph.

For anyones very first bike, perhaps he should start with a $3,000 or $4,000 something or other to see if this is something he wants to persue, then trade up from there.

For him to buy new and sell shortly after often means a thorough beating to the wallet.

Being a past girlie owner of a 2001 1200 XL (which really wasn't so girlie as folks have pointed out), I "saw the light" after my demo ride on the America. If he's looking for a comfortable ride, the SM/AM will have his vote in 2 shakes...folks have discussed the higher center of gravity on the Sporty, and for me I got tired of getting off a bike feeling like I'd been on a jackhammer for 6 hours, despite the nimble ride and excellent cornering. Not fun on long rides, frequent fuel stops which my numb hands needed to get their feeling back. The other differences were already mentioned.

I had 3 other HDs before the 2001- an 84 Sporty, a 92 Lowrider, a 79 shovelhead. Beautiful bikes all of them (my favorite was the shovel), but my Pretty Bonnie outshines them all. Comfort, handling, performance, heritage and style.

JB,

What our resident goddess here said made a lot o' sense.

Now, I've ridden my neighbors 1200 Sporty he used to own(a 2000, I think it was) and it wasn't a bad bike at all, except of that vibration thing, but I hear the new rubber-mounted-engined Sporties are supposed to be a lot better in that regard.

But here's the thing! If your bother ISN'T somewhat of an extrovert, then the 1200 Sporty would be fine, I suppose.
NOBODY'S gonna walk up to him and want to start a conversation about "what a great lookin' bike" he has there and start waxing-nostalgic about their old Sporty ownin' days.

But IF he wants something that'll STAND OUT from the crowd, with of course, all the insuing attention that owning a "you-know-what" garners....WELLLLLL, I THINK you know where I'm goin' here!!!

Cheers,
Dwight

It's a no brainer, go with the Triumph(This is coming from an ex-Harley[2] owner)......Angelis

If your brother is stuck on the V-twin thing tell him to check out the Yamaha roadstars. They are beautiful bikes and arn't much more then a sportster. I was thinking about test riding one when I want a bigger touring type bike.

I would base my choice on looks alone...seriously.

You mean that tank decal?

I was looking at the 1200 sportster when tried the BA. Tell him to test ride both, before making up his mind. I had no complaints about the 1200 - apart from going around roundabouts, but that is not as much a problem in the states!!!! but I knew the BA was for me with in 15min of riding. Had the sportster all day! It is a personal thing, but get him to try both. doesn't matter which he goes for, it is still two wheels. oh Also at 6'2" the BA was more comfortable.

When my wife decided she wanted to get rid of the giant vibrator she was riding ( 01 1200 sporty custom ) All she wanted to look at was another Sporty at first. Well, I talked her into looking at all available bikes with equal performance out there. After riding the America, she bought it the same day. She is a total convert. Hands and feet dont fall asleep. She is like 5'5" and she even said she felt kinda cramped on the sporty. In 2 years she put 5000 miles on the harley, Well, the America has been in the garage for 5 weeks and now has 1000 miles on it with no sign of slowing down. Fyi, other bikes she looked at were the Vstar, and Sabre. Both of which are nice bike in their own right. Just have him go sit on them, test ride them if able. etc. He will pick what he likes. One other selling point on the wifes bike was it was $3000 cheaper than a new 1200 sporty too.

JC also said... "has the motorcycle bug for the first time "

Then please do invite him to take your area's Motorcycle Safety Foundation course for new riders. Go here http://nm.msf-usa.org/msf/ridercourses.aspx?state=AR

to see a list of places in your state offering the course.

One piece of advice I would urge your brother to take. No matter what sought of bike he gets. Tell him to undergo some type of professional bike riding tuition. The number of newly rich wannabes who buy bikes to go with their new image then have killed themselves in Oz is horrendous. I did one after riding for 20years and I was stunned how much I learned. This course was run by the state and the instructors were volunteers. I have been recommending these courses to everyone I meet ever since. They weren't just for newbies either, we had people who had never seen a bike and others who had been riding for twenty years and knew everything(me)and all sorts in between all on the one course. It was brilliant. DO IT
Cheers

Thanks dmillikan,
That's it!!! I've tried to figure out what a Sportster reminded me of. I had a '76 Sporty and knew it reminded me of some animal. I wanted it to look like a majestic fierce hunter, but I never considered the hyena (probably no majesty). Today, when I hear someone talk about getting a Sportster, I suggest going to a hardware store and sitting on their 1 gallon paint can shaker for a few minutes.

JC, Your brother should get what feels good in his hands, like a camera or a firearm. They're all good these days, so he'll be getting a good bike.

i'd give hin the same advice I'd give anyone just starting out.....check the local papers buy somthing, anything used and cheap so long as its safe......ride it for a year then buy a real bike......

I see no problem with your brother having a Speedmaster or America as a first streetbike. But, I'm kind of old-school, I think a dirt bike is the only thing to learn on. Even if he just uses it for a month or two it provides a steeper learning curve, and less of a penalty for mistakes. Practicing in an open field is about as safe as you can get. Used 80-125 dirt bikes are 500-700 dollars. Is he the kind of guy that would put the streetbike off for a little bit?