Hi Mark,
Mark is right, dead on and hit the nail on the head with the 883 Sporty. The 1200XL is rubber mounted and not much better than the 883. Mark was referring to the 883. They are rough, bouncy, beat you to death but could handle well if you could see. But your eyeballs bounce in their sockets and blurr your vision to a dangerous level.
A friend bought his wife a '96 883 sportster with 1200cc jugs and pistons. It is her first bike, and I could not believe it. I told him, "You're trying to get that lady killed". It is a beautiful bike with the small tank. She told me she wanted a larger tank - I said, "Lisa, don't waste your money - you can't ride that bike far enough to burn more gas". She recently confessed that her 2.2 gallon tank was planty. I swear it will beat you to death.
Hers is the fastest Harley I've ever ridden (i've ridden a lot of them). My friend and his bride suffer from milwaukee madness and can't see the negative side of HD.
She rides good enough now that I will let her ride my America one day soon. I can't wait to see the smile on her face when she gets used to it.
Ride Safe,
Dennis
