The Harley Davidson Sportster will be the featured marque at Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid Ohio Race Course, July 27-29, 2007. Every year one marque is selected and for next year, just one model, the Sportster, will be on display.
The Sportster takes a lot of criticism from many riders, it seems to get less than its full share of respect and yet it’s been around for 50 years. The bike is the basis for a great many customs and with a bit of racing heritage of its own it deserves to be taken seriously.
The newer models actually look pretty good to my eye, I never cared for the little peanut tank, though that was a trademark of the Sportster for a lot of years. It survived the AMF years at the Motor Company, was central to the Bronson TV series and still serves as the first Harley for many riders who can’t quite swing one of its bigger brothers.
The Sportster has the potential to bring more riders over to the Harley Davidson brand, especially if they bring out the XR1200 in the U.S. as well as Europe where it seems to be headed. It should be interesting to see the lineup next year at Vintage Days and might even boost its standing in the mind of a few.
Link: AMA
todd says
I can’t stand the pee-nut tank either, it doesn’t even fit and it exposes ugly bits of the frame.
I think the Sportster’s popularity is due to the fact that (like the Bonneville) it’s about the only “standard” motorcycle available. Either everything is over styled, over sport-minded, over fat, over dirt oriented, over powered, or such. Many riders just want a simple bike with no pretensions that represents the rider’s maturity.
I’m not a big fan of HD, mainly because of the image it represents (not very sophisticated) and the “I’m better than you, Jap lover” arrogance/ignorance. That may ring true for many people as the Sportster is attempting to address this underserved market segment.
The Bonneville is the non Harley lover’s Sportster (hey, wouldn’t an ISDT “Trophy-esque” Sportster be neat?), and while the Triumph is a great bike, the Sportster needs some more competition.
-todd
zipi dachimp says
it’s tolerable with rubber-mounted engine and fuel injection, but my first mod would be to revert back to chain-drive. belts belong on pants!
canadian prices have been cut to reflect a stronger dollar, but I would still be looking at a honda or suzuki. reliability is not a 4-letter word!
Steve says
Good points made, all of them.
I’ve always disliked that door-stop tank shape and it’s minimal capacity. A longer, lower shape with a bit more girth up front is more pleasing to my eye anyway.
Continuing with that theme the Sporty is too stumpy looking and could benefit, I believe, from other visual and structural alterations which would give it more flowing lines… longer fenders (but still ‘thin’) lower seating area, stretch it a few inches with a modern single shock rear suspension.
Get away from the dirt tracker based look, kudos to the XR as an alternative model excepted.
Today’s chains and their lubes are too good to bother with belt final drive, especially in light of the width and clearance issues involved.
The rubber mounting has done much to make it more user friendly for more than noisy show boating around town… And HD reliability has been much improved over the years since I first started riding with Fred and Barney! I have friends who hammer their Harleys as much as those astride Japanese machines with no excessive maintenance or breakage problems encountered.
As far as the attitude thing goes, that crowd is entirely unworthy of including in the discussion. They aren’t riders really, they’re superficial, label-conscious exhibitionists (Think: Members Only) hoping what they ‘wear’ somehow makes them superior in some way. Those issues belong on another page, maybe one for counselors or therapists!
Brunengo says
One of the many enduring qualities of the Sporty is that it is the Un-Harley. It isn’t so much about image as it’s fatter brothers. Even those within Harley rider groups snub it. Good. If it did reflect their image, it’d be less desirable. As far as the styling, as with any variable- you’ll love it or hate it. I love the Two-Wheels-Engine-and-a Seat styling, and if you want the better tank, go for the Custom. What sold me on the Sporty was the combination of pushrods(no cam chain or valve clearance adjustments), belt-drive (messing with chains still stinks in this day and age), and the fact that it’s a VERY under-stressed engine design. When you design a large, lazy-timed engine that doesn’t need to spin very fast, you end up with a very durable lump of metal that lasts. Leave the drag racing to the squids. This is my family-car with a bit of style, and if I really want to soup it up, there are plenty of parts available. Please bear in mind, I love all motorcycles in general, so I not saying the Sporty is the best or only. Who wouldn’t love to have a Triumph Speed Triple, a Honda Nighthawk 750, and a Sporty in their garage? Happy riding to all.