bethdavenport
New Member
I don't own a Sportster or a Harley yet. Never thought I would, but
after reading an article on a British site
realclassic.co.uk/harleysportster1200.html
a couple of weeks ago, the idea is appealing.
I don't look at the Sportster as a cruiser so
much as a basic motorcycle, basic in a pure
sense, like old British singles or twins. Of course, you could
argue that it is a cruiser and basic, but it is the basic part
that appeals to me. Anyway.....
I'm curious about a few general things. Maybe they have been
answered somewhere on the site already? I guess I am not a
gifted searcher as I usually hit more stuff I don't want to read
than I do want to read. Feel free to just point me to other
threads or even search tips.
So one hears that older Harleys (like older British bikes) were
unreliable. Is that all before the Evolution engine? (I only vaguely
know that the Evolution engine started in the 80's (I think) and I'm
guessing replaced at least some of the iron (heads?) with aluminum
and that it became a lot more oil tight. Is that about right?
So allow me to direct the rest of the questions toward Evolution or
newer Sportster engines.
Were there any model years with chronic starting issues? (I know
of some models of Japanese dirt singles in the 80's and 90's that
had starting issues, so large bore/stroke engines with two or
fewer cylinders concern me. As an example, both my girlfriend
and a male friend both bought used Suzuki DR250's. Hers was
fine about starting. His would start fine sometimes and then,
usually when warm, would not start no matter what. But just
sometimes. And everything was checked on it. Other DR250
owners complained about a similar problem. And I think one
or more years of the Honda 500 or 600 had a similar problem.)
So I mean chronic starting issue as something that can't be fixed.
Any other reliability issues or is virtually everything related to
owner neglect?
When did hydraulic lifters on Sportsters start?
How about the switch from chain drive to belt drive?
Sportsters have fairly beefy rear subframes or frames, right?
So I was wondering if there was a decent aftermarket support
for mounting hard saddlebags (not leather/vinyl) on Sportsters?
I read some brief history posting on here somewhere and it said
Sportsters made between 40 and 50 horsepower. That is plenty
for my purposes. I've had bikes with less and I like fairly quiet
bikes so am not really interested in performance mods. What
I am a bit concerned about is vibration. Is a Sportster fairly
tolerable going down the super slab at 65mph?
And finally, I have been browsing craigslist ads and was surprised
and pleased to see several Sportsters in the $3K range. Is this
just a recession thing or could they be found in that range prior to
the recession.
Thanks again for any enlightenment.
Sean
after reading an article on a British site
realclassic.co.uk/harleysportster1200.html
a couple of weeks ago, the idea is appealing.
I don't look at the Sportster as a cruiser so
much as a basic motorcycle, basic in a pure
sense, like old British singles or twins. Of course, you could
argue that it is a cruiser and basic, but it is the basic part
that appeals to me. Anyway.....
I'm curious about a few general things. Maybe they have been
answered somewhere on the site already? I guess I am not a
gifted searcher as I usually hit more stuff I don't want to read
than I do want to read. Feel free to just point me to other
threads or even search tips.
So one hears that older Harleys (like older British bikes) were
unreliable. Is that all before the Evolution engine? (I only vaguely
know that the Evolution engine started in the 80's (I think) and I'm
guessing replaced at least some of the iron (heads?) with aluminum
and that it became a lot more oil tight. Is that about right?
So allow me to direct the rest of the questions toward Evolution or
newer Sportster engines.
Were there any model years with chronic starting issues? (I know
of some models of Japanese dirt singles in the 80's and 90's that
had starting issues, so large bore/stroke engines with two or
fewer cylinders concern me. As an example, both my girlfriend
and a male friend both bought used Suzuki DR250's. Hers was
fine about starting. His would start fine sometimes and then,
usually when warm, would not start no matter what. But just
sometimes. And everything was checked on it. Other DR250
owners complained about a similar problem. And I think one
or more years of the Honda 500 or 600 had a similar problem.)
So I mean chronic starting issue as something that can't be fixed.
Any other reliability issues or is virtually everything related to
owner neglect?
When did hydraulic lifters on Sportsters start?
How about the switch from chain drive to belt drive?
Sportsters have fairly beefy rear subframes or frames, right?
So I was wondering if there was a decent aftermarket support
for mounting hard saddlebags (not leather/vinyl) on Sportsters?
I read some brief history posting on here somewhere and it said
Sportsters made between 40 and 50 horsepower. That is plenty
for my purposes. I've had bikes with less and I like fairly quiet
bikes so am not really interested in performance mods. What
I am a bit concerned about is vibration. Is a Sportster fairly
tolerable going down the super slab at 65mph?
And finally, I have been browsing craigslist ads and was surprised
and pleased to see several Sportsters in the $3K range. Is this
just a recession thing or could they be found in that range prior to
the recession.
Thanks again for any enlightenment.
Sean