I have owned two Sportsters one 1000 cc and one 1200 both were excellent bikes and a pleasure to ride both were purchased second hand .For posers this brand is the dogs B*****ks and will turn heads wherever you go especially from the old grimmits who cruise the high street on a Saturday ,I fitted both bikes with screaming Eagle carbs and straight through drap pipes ( for the MOT a pair of VW beetle baffles fit perfectly)to improve performance .(note on the standard pipes a good smack down the end with a steel bar bends the restrictive flap which makes the bike sound like a controlled fart)The sportster handles pretty well but the side stand scrapes too easily the clutch is like a bullworker and the indicators are a pain in the arse The brakes are pull and prey type and could do with a set of nissins as standard they really are crap Tyre changing can be a pain as the Sportster has no centre stand and a very narrow cradle frame - very hard to balance the bike and get the wheel off when your stuck on the motorway - I always carry some of that instant repair stuff you can get from halfords it has come in handy a few times . Sportsters are slow bikes if you want a pokier one go for the buell Engines are really simple to work on even the newr Evo models making home maintenance a piece of cake - one thing to watch out for is not to overtighten the oil drain plug as this can crack the crankcase as happened to me - had to strip the motor and get the case welded (the plug is a tapered steel type going into alloy ) Fuel consumption - who cares but if you want a great pose and a great fun bike with looks to die for the Sporty will do fine id recommend a Sporty to anyone ill add more info when i have more time
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