I have a feeling it will do better in the European market, same way the vrod did.
Harley's new Sportster S
- Thread starter edgelett
- Start date
BillyZ1200
Member
Got a chance to demo this bike over this past weekend at the motorcycle show. This bike has a lot of power. Almost felt a little quicker than the FTR. The transmission seemed smoother than the Pan America and FTR. I could barely ever find neutral on the Pan America. At first I didn’t care for the big fat tire but riding it and seeing it in front of you I thought it looked good. Heat in stop and go traffic was better than a stock 2019 FTR. I thought that exhaust was gonna be way hotter being so high up. Had only one area with little S turns And handling was fine. Seating position with forward foot controls is just stupid. I felt hunched over and then with my feet forward. My one hip started aching halfway into the 15 minute ride. They did not have a mid control bike to test ride. They only had one to sit on. On that my hips were 90° and knees were at 90° so not quite mid control in my opinion. Did have to stop quite abruptly at one time when someone pulled out in front of the car in front of me and it stopped just fine with the single rotor on the front. Overall it was a fun bike to take a rip on but overall not for me. I was very impressed with the Triumph trident. Very quick and agile and ran so smooth.
Timps27
Active member
D
Deleted member 706
Guest
BillyZ1200
Member
Yeah if I didn’t have the FTR I think I would buy that Trident. It’s quick, it’s fun and it’s only $8000.Once you go triple, life becomes simple.
castcrankguy
Member
I really do not care for HD. HOWEVER- Their new Max 8 engine is something special. The Sportster S has a seat height and riding position than is not correct for some but is actually perfect for many. Where the FTR- even the second gen is a tall bike the Sportster S is not. The looks of the FTR are still unmatched. I will admit- If HD makes that Bronkx upright naked bike with the 150hp 1250cc V Twin I will be a little jealous. But I only paid $9000 for my bike used (Base) with 500 miles. I would like to know the scenario behind the scenes- the R&D of the Max 8 engine and the two bikes it comes in. The veteran Harley old school engineers were probably not allowed in the same building as the team designing the new high powered liquid cooled engine.
Max Kool
Well-known member
Revolution Max
That doesn't have much to do with a street 1250cc motorcycle, right?Are they going racing again? I think not. Since 2016 Indian has beaten Harley at their own game and they bowed out. Sad.
edgelett
Well-known member
This is a good review and sums up everything I thought about the Sportster S when I saw it - it's not actually a Sportster at all, it's a cruiser with a Sportster badge and is a Scout competitor, not a rival to the FTR. The FTR will absolutely FLY through corners. This thing kind of lumbers around.
Sure, in a straight line I'm sure it's fun. But not if you want to go anywhere actually interesting haha.
Sure, in a straight line I'm sure it's fun. But not if you want to go anywhere actually interesting haha.
mtberbob
Member
hahah gotcha, I still think they should have made a scrambler model out of the sportster.
edgelett
Well-known member
something that can corner a little at least.
the Sportster range of Harleys were lighter and had a better lean angle than their big brothers in the lineup.
My husband's Roadster has zero chicken strips on the rear tyre at all.
His front tyre is the same width as the front on my FTR so it corners pretty well.
While the ground clearance on the S may be similar, that huge front means it doesn't turn as well. So while you could take previous sporties for a quick blat through the hills or blast off from the lights, this one is more for straight roads. a sporty bike corners well, this one doesn't.
and people were comparing it to the FTR - it clearly is nothing like the FTR
mtberbob
Member
Have you ridden one? Because this idea it can only go in a straight line because the front tire is a little fat is pretty far off. I don’t think people are taking their 48’s or iron 883s through the hills as they had a pretty similar ground clearance.
edgelett
Well-known member
No I haven't ridden the Sporster S cause I'm not remotely interested in one. But I've seen MULTIPLE reviews now where people have said the width of the front tyre means it doesn't corner as well as the Sporsters that came before it.
You don't think people take their 48's or Iron's through the hills? LOL!
ok maybe where you live. But I see people out on those in the twisties all the time. My husband recently did a trip interstate to visit his brother and they rented him an Iron and he kept up with his brother on his Triumph Speed Triple in the twisties, he left him behind in the straights though. I have several mates with 48's and they corner really well.
And as I said, my hubby's Harley Roadster corners very well too, he does about 50% of his riding through the twisties and has no problem.
this is about the 8th review I've read that said the Sporster S is great in the straights, not good in corners, and it is NOT a ground clearance issue but a huge front tyre issue.