So I rode a Harley today... | GTAMotorcycle.com

So I rode a Harley today...

rorider

rorider

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Went to check out some Harleys today for the first time in my life and got to demo the Iron 883 and the 48. Never thought I'd be a Harley guy, but I freaking loved it. That 48 man, was super fun, so much character. I felt like one of the dudes in the Mad Max movie :)
I might be getting a Harley soon for cruising around. Ha, who would've thought.
 
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I like Harley's, if I was going to buy a cruiser it would be without a doubt a Harley. Nice bikes, they sound great and the days of them leaking oil and needing a support van is long gone. I ride a big ADV bike but pretty much all my friends that I ride with and everyone in my family (father, uncles, aunt) all ride Harley. I definitely prefer to lead as those pipes are loud when riding behind.
 
wonderings said:
I like Harley's, if I was going to buy a cruiser it would be without a doubt a Harley. Nice bikes, they sound great and the days of them leaking oil and needing a support van is long gone. I ride a big ADV bike but pretty much all my friends that I ride with and everyone in my family (father, uncles, aunt) all ride Harley. I definitely prefer to lead as those pipes are loud when riding behind.
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Yeah, I agree, that's one thing I can't stand on Harleys either, super loud pipes. If I get one, I'll make sure to install the quietest baffles I can find.
 
wonderings said:
I like Harley's, if I was going to buy a cruiser it would be without a doubt a Harley. Nice bikes, they sound great and the days of them leaking oil and needing a support van is long gone. I ride a big ADV bike but pretty much all my friends that I ride with and everyone in my family (father, uncles, aunt) all ride Harley. I definitely prefer to lead as those pipes are loud when riding behind.
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But they're saving lives

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rorider said:
Yeah, I agree, that's one thing I can't stand on Harleys either, super loud pipes. If I get one, I'll make sure to install the quietest baffles I can find.
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When you are on the bike and riding you do not notice the loud pipes, everyone else does, but not you. My dad has some very old pipes, not by choice they just came with the bike when he bought it used. He made a friends goldwing alarm go off beside him when he revved it up. When I have ridden it I have no issue with noice as everything is behind.

I certainly would not be adding new pipes myself if I bought a Harley, the stock rumble is good enough for me.
 
Stock pipes on HD are pretty tame imo.

The 48 is a nice bike but the limited range for style over function puts me off. I had a Custom Sporty with a 3.3 gallon tank and got 200 kms before reserve. The 48? Not sure if you could get 150 kms or not?

Check kijiji. Plenty of used "like new" Sportsters that have been modded with lots of expensive accessories.

What you can do is, get the 48 and pick up a second fuel tank if you plan any weekend get aways. And it takes only a few minutes to swap the tanks.

Great bikes. Love my Sporty. Plenty of after market support. And they are very easy to work on and very reliable. Easy to work on meaning, I do my own oil changes and other maintenance.

Good luck if you take the plunge.


Ps. I have stock baffles that I'll never use but they are chrome. Not sure if the 48 has black or chrome?

Depending on the year, they might fit?


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They are fun

Haven't ridden the new lineup, but i really liked the low rider S
 
I badly want a Street Bob with the new Milwaukee Eight. The rubber-mounted 103 Twin Cam sucked and vibrated like crazy, but the new one looks perfect on paper.
 
I looked up the 48 and thought: "Wow. That's a nice bike."

But as I went through the pics and the specs I started to lose interest. Single front brake and a tiny 7.9L Fuel tank. 7.9?! That's a thimble.

Seems like you're paying just for the name.

Looks nice though.
 
rorider said:
I might be getting a Harley soon for cruising around. Ha, who would've thought.
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You want a fun cruiser? Try the Ducati Diavel. No comparison to the HD. It actually turns, handles and accelerates. An absolute riot to ride.
 
BigEvilDoer said:
You want a fun cruiser? Try the Ducati Diavel. No comparison to the HD. It actually turns, handles and accelerates. An absolute riot to ride.
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But what is the insurance like? I was asking a rhetorical question but upon further thought they may not be too far apart.
 
rorider said:
I def. wouldn't be your typical Harley rider, that's for damn sure. I might not be allowed in the brotherhood :)
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I'm one of the few as well. The only reason a HD came into my stable was simply because a triumph was more costly. Wanted a standard Bonnie to bop around on. New/used and old in decent shape were above my budget at the time. A Low mileage Sportster? Not a problem.

I was reluctant and first. The seller tossed me the keys and told me to take it for a rip. And I was sold.

I'll ride with anybody. But not everybody wants to ride with me. Lol.

I've been snubbed at the dealer for not looking the part. And that is ok. I don't wear over priced Name brand shirts to fit in.

And I do make a trip across the river for cheaper parts and accessories. I don't mind supporting local business. But my lord! Even the clearance rack is ridiculous!

Ride what what you want and don't worry about the image. It's still a great machine to ride. I'm on my third Sportster powered bike.




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Only thing about the 48 i didnt like, the rear shock(or lack of?) Destroyed my spine on the demo ride....

Roadster is a different matter though
 
wonderings said:
I like Harley's, if I was going to buy a cruiser it would be without a doubt a Harley. Nice bikes, they sound great and the days of them leaking oil and needing a support van is long gone. I ride a big ADV bike but pretty much all my friends that I ride with and everyone in my family (father, uncles, aunt) all ride Harley. I definitely prefer to lead as those pipes are loud when riding behind.
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i disagree, every year when my friends and i do our annual cottage bike weekend we allow a chase truck to come with ramps, and every year a harley sportster gets towed for one reason or another.
the 3 sportsters i ride with are a 03 883/1200 that breaks down every other ride but has made it both there and back the last 2 years, 2012 48 which was bought new and has been towed home 2 years in a row and a 06 which was a "new" purchase over last winter and has yet to been towed but we will see what next season brings lol


ok in all honesty the 48 just keeps blowing tires because he is crazy hard on it and rides it like a dirt bike and the 03 is a wiring nightmare, if it had a new harness and plug wires it would be fine. if it rains he shorts out his starter button and has to hotwire it...no signals...well they are there but dont really work.

as for the fuel range, the tank on the 48 is really small, if you want to keep the same look but gain a little more fuel loo at the tanks off the xl883, i had a 07 and it was a very similar shape. my buddy with the 48 has been running a steel fuel tank on his sissybar with a pump to feed the primary tank, awesome looking setup but this year he actually bought a aftermarket tank off lowbrow customs. not overly sure how happy he is with the looks of the tanks shape but he doees a lot of long hauls to the states and needs the extra fuel.

im going to be getting back on a harly one day, i miss owning one but will be getting something bigger for 2 up ridding....2 up on the 600rr just sucks..
 
I demoed a bunch of different Harleys this summer and also a Honda Fury cruiser and I don't understand the difference. The Fury felt the same as the Harleys. Sounds the same, vibrates the same, handles the same, accelerates the same...
 
bigpoppa said:
Only thing about the 48 i didnt like, the rear shock(or lack of?) Destroyed my spine on the demo ride....

Roadster is a different matter though
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Actually, for some reason for me, the rear shock was ok, but I would def. upgrade the suspension and raise the whole bike a bit with that. I'm looking to get a used Nightster now, which is pretty much the same thing as the 48 with a bigger tank. One thing I really like about the Harleys from my research is that you can upgrade everything on it, which I find awesome.
 
rorider said:
Actually, for some reason for me, the rear shock was ok, but I would def. upgrade the suspension and raise the whole bike a bit with that. I'm looking to get a used Nightster now, which is pretty much the same thing as the 48 with a bigger tank. One thing I really like about the Harleys from my research is that you can upgrade everything on it, which I find awesome.
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Haha, they are master marketers. If they set it in the showroom with a $95,000 price tag, they wouldn't move many. Sell it for a reasonable price, sell $80 HD bolts here and $1000 chrome heat shield there and people don't even realize how much they have flushed down the drain. I know one guy that has three Harleys with over six figures into each. They aren't much different than the original bike, just more logos and more chrome.

I used to live in a rooming house with the parts guy for a GTA HD dealer. Even he was sickened by the amount of money people would drop yearly on bobbles. He rode a basically stock bike with all of the chrome painted black. He couldn't stand chrome anymore.
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