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New (maybe) Harley owner

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OverKnight

New Member
Hi, All.

I'm strictly a touring rider, and I have never owned a Harley before. My previous bikes have been Honda's (CB-500 and CX-500), and my current ride is a 1983 BMW R80RT. I had the opportunity to rent a Harley for a day a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. I have my eyes on a low-mileage 2009 XL1200 Sportster. I've only seen pictures at this point, but should be able to inspect and ride it this week. I'll be asking the same on some other forums: how are these bikes? Are there any known problems I should look for?

Thanks very much.
 
If your strictly a touring rider the Sportster may be a little on the small side, but many do tour on them. I don't know which model you rented or if you ride two up or solo. Welcome to the forum and happy hunting.
 
Welcome to The Forum, As long as you are comfortable a Sporster is a good machine:s
:rider:wce
You can rent bikes at a lot of dealers to see what fits your needs before you buy, Good Luck and let us know:s
 
If you wouldn't mind tell us how much do you weigh and how tall are you?
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Welcome to this great forum.
I have a XL1200R Roadster which is a pleasure to ride and quite a bit taller than the Custom Low or the Forty Eight which are quite small and very low down (the ones I tried here in the UK have been anyway). Overall I have personally found it to be a great bike.
 
Glad to have you aboard! :ws:rider
From Central Florida.
 
If it gets you into the HD family good for you. But remember, for the long haul you may need a heavy HD......:s
 
Thanks, everyone. I don't remember what model bike I rented; it was in 2009 in Las Vegas. I had a great day riding around Lake Mead. Also, I'm not sure what was meant by "on the small size". Frame-wise, I'll have to ride it to see how it feels (I'm 5'11", 195 lbs.). Engine-wise, I'm sure 1200 cc is more than enough. I rode my fully-loaded Honda CX-500 (full Windjammer fairing, BagMan saddle bags, and carrying a tent, sleeping bag, tools, etc.) from New York to Denver, then to North Carolina and then back to New York in 1982, and never felt like I needed anything more. My 800 cc BMW would be an even better bike for such a trip. My recollection of the Harley I rented was that after I got used to it, it was quite comfortable and it had far more power than my BMW could ever dream of.

Hopefully I'll be able to check this bike out tomorrow...
 
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