Harley Davidson Sportster

Take a look at Lo Boy Bobber

2010-09-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Check out Steven Truss' Lo Boy Bobber build blog. Steven is based in the UK and is detailing his project step-by-step. Steven's blog shows how the passion for great motorcycles is worldwide. Steven says on his site,

This will be a complete Bobber Kit with a USA 100” 1600cc Motor. This will be everything I need to run the bike down the road. An unassembled bike kit with everything but fluids and paint....Im hoping to complete by early spring 2011…

Check it out!

Not Sold!

2010-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well, good news or bad, I'm still not sure, I was unable to sell my Sporti before my surgery. I had lowered the price past a point of being comfortable with selling and sure as heck wasn't going tom lower anymore. I'm not sure if it is the economy or just a general lack of interest in this kick ass Harley-Davidson. At the very least I take this as a sign to wait until I heal up and have a chance to ride again.

For now, I'm happy to see the Sporti in the garage and to listen to the sound of the motor and Screamin' Eagle pipes on occasion. I'm happy I didn't compromise and sell the Sportster for lessmthanitnis worth (to me). Even more, I look forward to getting out and riding.

Stay safe, -David

New Price $7250

2010-04-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

I really want to sell my Sportster before my upcoming surgery so I am reducing the price to $7250. This is a great price for a Harley-Davidson with low mileage, extended service plan, and some great upgrades. If there are upgrades you do not like I have most of the original parts so you can change this XL1200 Custom back to stock if you'd like.

A Different Type of V-Twin

2010-03-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

I found this video of my 2003 Suzuki while digging around in my picture archives and thought I'd post it for the Suzuki SV650S fans out there. This was shot right after I installed the LeoVince exhaust on my SV. It sounded even better after it had some miles on it.

Sportster FOR SALE

2010-03-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Do to a broken leg (not motorcycle related) I have decided to sell the Sportster. I can't stand another season of it sitting in the garage and not being out on the road. If you are interested in this 2008 Harledy-Davidson XL1200 Custom you should check out my FOR SALE blog. If you've any questions let me know and I'll update the Frequently Asked Questions on the FOR SALE blog.

Thanks, -David

Where do you like to ride?

2009-07-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of riding opportunities in So Cal including:

Mountains
Coast
Desert
Urban

Personally, I like riding in the mountains and desert to the East. From Julian to Borrego this is all really great riding that suits a variety of styles.

What is your favorite ride?

2009-06-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Twisties
Long straight roads
Stop light to stop light
Showing off at the side of the road?

Update on Tour Master saddlebags

2009-06-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

After about 6 months of riding with the Tour Master Cruiser II Slant Saddlebags I found the right side bag dangling from the safety straps. The zipper on the yoke had broken (which was odd because the bag was empty). I called Tonker.com the company that I bought the bags from and they provided me a direct contact at Tour Master. A quick call to Tour Master and a replacement yoke was sent out. All of this was very hassle-free. Based on this customer service I continue to recommend Tour Master products and the Cruiser II saddlebags.

Unfortunately, it looks like Tonker.com has gone out of business or at least the link to the site no longer works. This is too bad as they offered quality products at good prices. This is the second small online vendor that I've noticted drop off the radar recently. No doubt the economy is taking a major toll on these business owners as they try to compete with the larger discount stores.

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Loud pipes save Cop lives in Oakland

2009-06-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

I recently made a post asking if anyone was aware of evidence supporting the claim "loud pipes save lives". Nothing conclusive came back but I did find this article from the San Francisco Chronicle on the 93 decibel pipes the Oakland PD is installing on their Harleys. According to the article, "It seems the cops just didn't feel safe on toned-down bikes." The article refers to an inconclusive study the city did on the subject. Maybe the Oakland motorcycle cops just like to sound cool?
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What is the most technically advanced part of the Harley?

2009-06-09T19:00:00.001-07:00

Harleys are not known for being technically advanced compared to their German and Japanese competitors. Is this an accurate assessment, a bias that goes back to the earlier times or are Harleys just a throwback to a bygone time? My Sporster has a fuel injected, electronically controlled 1200 cc engine. Some of the bigger bikes have air suspension and other trick bits. So what's the deal, retro modern or dinosaur?

Do loud pipes really save lives?

2009-06-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Loud pipes are common on Harleys and most Harley riders are quick to say "loud pipes save lives" but is there any quantative proof to this claim? Police bikes are typically very quiet, you'd think with all the investment in training a motorcycle cop they'd put loud pipes on the bikes, if it made a difference. Are there any statistics to support this claim or is it just an excuse to make some noise?

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What makes a Harley a Harley?

2009-05-28T17:59:00.001-07:00

What makes a Harley a Harley? Is it the "chopper" look, the V-Twin sound, or something about the ride?

Where to ride in San Diego

2009-05-24T11:28:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of great places to ride in San Diego County from the Coastal roads to the desert out East with the mountains in between. I found a great map of roads that includes some helpful ratings on the BMW Owners Club of San Diego web site. Click the image on the bottome of the page to get the big picture. If you live in San Diego or are just coming out for a visit, print this out and cover as much road as possible.

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California Motorcycle Smog Testing Bill

2009-05-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Alert from the American Motorcycle Association (AMA), if you live and ride in California you need to take action on this Bill now!

Senate Bill 435 (Motorcycle Smog Testing Bill) Scheduled for Hearing on May 28th in Appropriations Committee!!

This bill, which would require all model year 2000 and newer motorcycles over 280 cc's to be smog tested every 2 years, has been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Finance committee on May 28th.

You can find the AMA’s “click to send” message in opposition to this bill at http://capwiz.com/amacycle//issues/alert/?alertID=12937506. Even if you have previously sent a message please consider doing so again. A phone call, letter or fax to your Senator's office would also be very helpful. Go to http://www.senate.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/senators.htp to find your representatives contact information.

Go to http://info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/pagequery?type=sen_bilinfo&site=sen&title=Bill+Information for the latest bill information.

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Working on the Sportster

2009-05-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

A big part of buying a Harley-Davidson is the heritage. The Motor Company goes way back and the Sportster line started in 1957. The heritage shows up in design and the classic V-Twin engines. Harley-Davidson has never been about cutting-edge, delivering on a fairly consistent motorcycling experience. This is not to say technologies have not changed and that the mechanics have not improved over time but the pace has been slow and steady.

This slow pace of change, or commitment to the past, is evident in much of the add-on parts available for the Sportster. I’ve worked on cars for a living, and worked on Suzuki and BMW motorcycles as a hobby more recently and I can tell you that the German and Japanese manufacturers take a very different approach to the mechanics of their accessories. This includes everything from the directions to the fit and finish. More importantly, it was obvious that the majority of accessories from Suzuki and BMW had been thought of at the time of bike design. The electrical harness has plugs available for accessories to plug into. Parts fit extremely well with no adjustments required.

The Sportie, however, is a different beast. Adding the Harley-Davidson tachometer and garage door opener kits requires splicing into the existing harness, adding ground wires, and a lot of work that you don’t encounter when working on other brands. I also found that the directions while not outright wrong do not necessarily provide the most practical guidance on how to install the factory items.

A lot of this probably has to do with the age of the design. When creating the add-on parts the engineers seemed to go for obvious choices, or maybe the only choices, when they were creating the instructions. The other issue is that many of the parts are multi-purpose, they work on several different Harley-Davidson models and you have to carefully follow the directions to get the right configuration for your bike.

Harley-Davidson would do their customers a service by:

Updating their specifications and instructions based on the current models
Designing with the idea of factory accessories in mind
Providing model specific kits

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Ariel Atom

2009-05-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

If you just have to be on four wheels than this is the car for you. The Ariel Atom is about as mimalist as it gets for a car, no roof, no doors, no windshield. Just a two-liter Honda i-VTEC engine putting out 245 BHP! Check out the Top Gear clip on YouTube that compares the Atom to a Yamaha R6. In this ride you don't need a helmet but you'd be mad not to wear one!
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Back on the road

2009-05-18T17:11:00.000-07:00

After the electrical problems I spent some time going over the Sporster checking all the work I had done. The installation of the tachometer, garage door opener, and performance management system did require modifications to the electrical system. Everything checked out okay, all the connections were solid.

I took the battery down to the Harley-Davidson dealership where they plugged it into their “deep cycle” charger and told me to come back the next day. The next day at the dealer they told me the battery took a charge and passed all the tests. I installed the freshly charged battery in the Sportster and bike fired right up – no sign of a problem.

Now this did not make me feel real comfortable with the reliability of the Sportster – I’d have preferred to have had a dead battery instead of a battery that had been fully drained while on a ride. I checked out the voltage going to the battery and this came in at 13 plus volts, so the charging system was working but maybe not creating enough amperage to charge the battery.

So the Sportster with its suspect charging system sat in the garage until I could coordinate getting it down to the dealer to have the electrical system checked out. Finally, after several months I fired up the Sporty, the battery held the charge, and rode down to the dealer. After a few days in the shop I got the call that the charging system checked out and that the problem had to do with the bolts that attach the battery cables to the battery, apparently my 2008 Sportster Custom had “the old bolts”. The dealer replaced the bolts, no charge, and everything is good.

Since then, I’ve been out on a short two hour ride, no problems encountered, but I have to say my confidence is about 80 percent.

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Break down on the Pacific Coast Highway

2009-05-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

It’s been way too long since my last post and I apologize for that. I’ve not had a chance to do much riding this year – been a combination of schedule and mechanical issues. I do have a backlog of updates that will hopefully be interesting. Let me know if there are any specific topics you want me to cover and I’ll do my best to pass along what I know (or don’t know). Topics in queue include:

Installation of Race Tech Caddies front-end kit
Installation of Progressive 440 Series rear shocks
Installation of the Harley-Davidson garage door opener kit
Installation of the Harley-Davidson tachometer kit
Installation of the Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Stage I intake kit
Installation of the Terry Components Terminal Velocity-3 fuel management system

But first the partial reason I’ve not been riding much these days (besides a very hectic work and family schedule). At the end of last year I had some time of work, the holidays had passed and I wanted to get a decent ride in. I planned to ride North along the coast to Monterey and then head back. About a thousand miles with the route I planned. I figured I could do this in two to three days depending on where how the ride went.
The route I planned was not direct and I started by going East and North up to Temecula so I could ride the Ortega Highway. That ride was pretty cool though I’m not sure it was worth going out of my way to hit that stretch of road. I started late morning and got to San Juan Capistrano a little after noon, headed for the coast and then North on the Coast Highway (Highway 1).
I’d never been up the Coast Highway and thought it would be cool to check out the beachside communities. Turns out that while the area is nice and the scenery pretty good overall, the traffic sucks. It took me far longer than I had planned but by late afternoon I was past LAX (the Los Angeles international airport) and into Malibu around sundown.
The Malibu stretch was right out of Entourage but the traffic was very heavy. I took the opportunity to pull over for fuel and switch up the playlist on the iPod. Tank full I went to start the Sportster and nothing happened, no crank, no click, nothing. I checked the to make sure everything was on, turned the key … nothing. The electrical system was full on dead, no headlight, indicator lights, nothing.
Now I learned an important fact about the Harley-Davidson extended warranty; the marketing materials state that the warranty includes towing costs but this is only partially true. The costs are reimbursed if the tow is related to an item that is covered under the warranty. A battery is not covered but the charging system is. And by the way, unlike Auto Club, Harley can’t help you get a tow – that is not part of the service so you’re on your own.
Harley-Davidson being absolutely no help I called Auto Club – I did not have motorcycle coverage because I thought the HD planned had my back. Even without coverage the Auto Club dispatcher sent a truck out to assist no questions asked. The driver arrived within 30 minutes, helped jump start the bike, again no questions asked.
Now the real fun began. It was dark, traffic in LA was bumper to bumper and I was hell-bent to get the Sportster home. I split lanes (legal in California) on the access roads and freeway until I got to the HOV lane (for cars with multiple passengers or motorcycles) which was clear. There it was throttle open headed South. About twenty minutes into the ride the XL1200 started acting strange, the engine momentarily cutting out, like a heavy engine misfire, then the indicator lights flickering on and off, then the headlight flickering on and off.
I’m thinking this is not an ideal situation as I’m doing 70 miles per hour in the far left lane, with a concrete divider on my left, a steady stream of cars and trucks to my right, and a car about 100 yards and closing behind me in the HOV lane. If the bike’s electrical system had a catastrophic failure not only would there be no where for me to go, there is no “break down” lane, I’d probably get hit by the car closing from behind. Saying a few “hail Mary’s” I managed to weave the Sportster through the surrounding traffic, all the time the electrical system cutting out, and get to the right-most lane. Here I would have room to pull over if needed. As long as I could keep a safe speed I was not going to pull over, especially on a dark stretch of freeway.
I found that at around 55 mph in 4th gear the Sportster would not cut out and the electrical system stabilized – the headlight stayed on and the instrument lights stopped flickering. I pulled into a well lit gas station, kept the bike running, pulled the battery cover and checked the connections – everything I could see appeared okay (you can’t see the negative terminal without disconnecting the positive and pulling the battery from the bike.
I got back on the Sportster and continued the ride home. It took me about 90 minutes to get back and as long as I kept the bike in 4th gear and didn’t go over 60 miles per hour it performed pretty well. Needless to say I was happy to have made it home.

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Windscreen for the Sportster

2008-10-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

I recently received a comment on a previous helmet post requesting information on my windscreen. I originally purchased the Harley-Davidson clip-on windscreen, with the light grey tint.

First, the mounting hardware and screen are quality products. I was and continue to be very impressed with the ease of installation. The windscreen is attached and removed using four clips. The clips are very nice chrome pieces and when the windscreen is removed there is nothing left on the bike. The clips attach to the top of the forks, between the triple trees. One point to note, there is really no room for adjustment on the Sportster as the space between the triple trees is about the distance between the windscreen clamps.

The windscreen itself is pretty large and tall. It does a good job of keeping the air off your torso. I did notice a lot of buffeting around my head. Wearing the full face helmet reduced the audible impact of the buffeting. Over the summer I decided to look into smaller windscreens. I pulled the Harley screen and road most of the summer in the open, something I found really enjoyable.

I did purchase a Memphis Shades Del Rey primarily because I wanted the smaller size and clearance for future lighting. A call to Memphis Shades confirmed this was the windscreen I was looking for. I purchased the black fade screen and attachment hardware from Somerset Motorsports, a shop where I've found some great deals and great customer service.

As mentioned I've gone all summer without a windscreen and finally got around to installing the Del Rey this afternoon. The Memphis Shades kit is high quality and well engineered. The clamps attach to the forks but, unlike the Harley kit, they require unbolting to remove. The windscreen clips onto the clamps so it can be easily removed.

I really like the look of the new windscreen and will get a test ride over the next couple of days to assess how it handles the wind and turbulance. I'll get some picture posted soon so you can see how it looks on the Sportster.

Both the Harley-Windscreen and the Memphis Shades Del Rey are quality kits. The Harley screen has more of a big bike feel to me - it appears less sporty - while the Del Rey is a great size for the look of the Sportster Custom.

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Harley to build smaller bikes

2008-08-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

A recent article from the Illinois State Journal-Register theorizes, with the help of local dealer Stan Hall, that Harley-Davidson will soon be building bikes smaller than the Sportster 883. These smaller Harleys (maybe modern interpretations of the “Hummers” of the Forties, Fifties and Sixties) will be designed for new markets in Asia and Europe.

The Motor Company has not confirmed the rumor but according to Timothy Hoelter, vice president of government affairs for Harley-Davidson, “… growing popularity overseas shows that Harley is an international language understood by people of all cultures, incomes and genders.”

You never know what companies are going to do but the increasing price of fuel has motivated an increasing number of people to consider riding versus driving – and this is good news for enthusiasts. As I’ve mentioned before, Harley has done a great job in marketing and selling to people looking for American v-twin power with a bad boy attitude. The thing is there is a market for other types of bikes, and Harley, like any good business, will be looking for ways to grow market-share. The acquisition of MV Agusta is one example and there will likely be many more to come.

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Commuting with the Sportster XL1200

2008-08-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

I typically work from home but had the need to go to the local office the other day and used this as an excuse to get a ride in on the Sportster. The ride is about 30 miles with the majority on secondary roads that make for pretty good riding (low traffic, some curves, and nice scenery). The last 10 miles are unfortunately on the multi-lane freeway which can make for interesting riding. When I left for the office it was midday so I did not encounter any major traffic. I did expect traffic on the way home so chose to wear my full face Arai helmet and Harley-Davidson Switchback jacket.

When I left the office I hit some major rush hour traffic, stop and go for miles and miles. It was a hot afternoon I didn’t like the idea of roasting the Sportsters engine by sitting at idle so did some lane splitting to get to my exit. Personally, I am not a fan of lane splitting (which is not illegal in California) but will use it as a ‘necessary evil’ at times. I always stay within 10 mph of the surrounding traffic so I can respond to any bonehead moves from the drivers around me.

This day was particularly bad. The heat and high fuel prices seemed to be getting to the drivers in their cars and trucks. At least a half dozen drivers threatened to move into my path as I wove between car doors, mirrors, and truck beds. I’ve never experienced so many people moving the vehicles into my path intentionally. To be fair, many drivers saw me coming and moved to give me more room – much appreciated, thank you!

Over the previous weekend I had removed the Sportster’s windscreen and saddlebags. The Harley-Davidson clip-on windscreen is literally a snap to remove, just pop the four clamps and off it comes. This is one of the nicer accessories for the Sportster that I’ve come across from Harley. Having the windscreen off was another reason for wearing the Arai, it helps avoid taking a bee to the face at speed. The Arai combined with my Panoptx riding glasses made the trip easy, doing a decent job of filtering the setting sun.

One thing I hadn’t considered was the significant temperature difference between my home on the coast and the office inland. It was a good 15 degrees and the Switchback jacket was warm with all panels attached. If I’d had the saddlebags on the Sporster I could’ve removed the panels and had a more comfortable ride but that was not the case. I did find that the Switchback’s vent system works well around the torso (no vents on the arms) and kept me pretty cool.

The curving roads on the way home made the trip worthwhile. Nothing like the view of a lake, the smell of citrus groves and the sound of Screamin Eagle pipes to put a smile on my face.

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Sportsters we need

2008-08-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Summer 2008 issue of Harley-Davidson Enthusiast magazine got me thinking about Sportsters we need. It started with a brief on the XR1200 which is only available in Europe. I had written on the XR1200 previously. The Enthusiast article provides details on the new Sportster’s specifications which include:
Downdraft fuel injection, massive 43mm inverted forks, and dual four-piston front brake calipers.

Harley claims the XR1200 is “dirt-track inspired” but I would say it appears more supermoto; this is not a bike designed for dirt but it does capture the look of dirt-bikes converted for track use. The Sportster XR1200 is definitely a bike we need in the States and hopefully Harley will make it available here soon.

The same issue includes another Sportster that we need, a modern version of the 1958 XLH. This bike was built for off-road racing and did not include bits like head- and tail-lights. The bobbed fenders, simple design, and single seat would make for an awesome modern Sportster. Harley is currently on a “dark-side” kick with models like the Nightster; these are great looking bikes but a look back at the history of the brand shows that great design can be colorful. Harley-Davidson seems to have forgotten its racing heritage with its commercial models. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to buy a Sportster that combined the racing spirit of the XLH with the capabilities of the modern machines? I certainly think so.

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Screamin Eagle slip-on mufflers

2008-08-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've cleaned the Sportster and temporarily stripped it down; removing the windscreen and saddlebags. I was feeling nostalgic for the more simple sporty appearance and riding of the bike. It's amazing how much the windscreen changes the look of the bike – not to mention the feel of wind-in-your-face riding. In the attached pictures you can see the Harley-Davidson XL with the Tour Master saddlebag center strap across the rear fender. Later, I loosened the seat and removed the center strap.

I've finally recorded the Sportster with the Screamin Eagle mufflers. The mufflers are very easy to install, only requiring the loosening of the clamps, the removal of the four mounting bolts, and the loosening of the lower bracket for the rear pipe. Removing the original mufflers required the application of a little force and some twisting. The Screamin Eagle mufflers provided the sound I was hoping for and based on seat-of-the-pants measurements improved the throttle response.

According to the Harley-Davidson dyno metrics the Screamin Eagle mufflers for the Sportster add about 5 or 6 horsepower and 10 foot pounds of torque. Pretty good price/performance results for bolt-on parts. With the slip-on mufflers the Sportster has great sound, not too loud in the lower RPM range, but with a twist of the wrist they provide a great result. I use the added sound to 'notify' drivers when I'm passing them, especially if I see them on the phone or not paying attention to what is going on around them.

BTW, after doing some research I decided not to add the Screamin Eagle intake. From what I've read on Sportster related forums the performance gains from the intake are minimal given the comparative costs. Upgrading the intake requires either taking the Sportster to the dealer for an update to the engine management computer or buying and tuning an aftermarket engine control unit. Given the cost and hassle of the two options I made the choice to take the less complex route. I may change my mind in future though I am more inclined to update the rear shocks and front springs with products from Progressive Suspension.

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Harley-Davidson to acquire MV Agusta

2008-08-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Harley-Davidson announced the acquisition of Italian motorcycle company MV Agusta a couple of day ago (not sure how I missed the announcement). That's a pretty amazing combination of capital and design. MV Agusta have some of the most amazing designs in the sportbike market, and prices to match. Here's an except from the press release posted on Autoblog:

"MV Agusta Group adds two lines of motorcycles to the Harley-Davidson, Inc. family: a line of exclusive, premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand; and a line of lightweight sport motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. MV Agusta's F4-R motorcycle, powered by a 1078cc in-line four-cylinder liquid cooled engine, is rated at 190 hp."

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Saddlebags and relocating the tail lights

2008-08-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

I’ve received a couple of questions regarding the “need” to relocate the rear light assemblies when installing saddlebags. There are a lot of bag options available and the smaller bags will fit with the stock rear light assembly. When selecting bags I recommend thinking about what it is you want to store in the bags and taking some measurements so you can make sure you buy the right size. I went with a larger size bag because I wanted to be able to carry my jacket which, with armor, is pretty big. I had hoped to be able to carry my notebook in the saddlebags but this would have required a monster-sized bag. I also preferred the look of the slant bags to the standard bags but would have had more usable room with the standard configuration.

I really like the setup with the Tour Master bags; they provide the space I need and enough ‘extra’ room for water bottles, etc. on longer rides.

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