Quote: Don't know much about the new Sportster but the old ones had over complicated transmissions and the cams (4 of them) ran in the outer case that tended to crack.That is the only reason I don't like them. They are fun to ride like many other bikes. I suspect the new ones hold together much better like most other modern bikes.
It was a bit of a gamble for me to buy a Triumph as well. We bought Shadows before because the off road Hondas I had when I was younger were tough as nails and able to take more punishment than me, literally. Predictably both Shadows have been absolutely reliable albeit a bit boring.
Just like Harley old Triumphs did not have a great reliability reputation. In 1977 Triumph even had a advertisement admitting their bikes were hard to keep running...with a marketing spin that tried to somehow make it desirable to have a bike that might not start.
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2011 Triumph America (10/2011 to 07/2014)
2012 Harley Davidson 1200C Sportster
2014 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
