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Sportster Iron Butt Riders Speak Up

18K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  cpeck 
#1 ·
The Sportster "girl bike" thread got me thinking about how the guys I hear say Sportys are girl bikes are usually posers who own garage queens.


So tell me about your long Sportster rides. My XLH don't have alot of miles on it for being a 1991 but it sat for several years without being ridden. It has 30,000 on it and I have done the following trips:
SE South Dakota to Ft. Drum NY and back 2658 miles
SE South Dakota to Brainerd MN and back 900 miles
SE South Dakota to Sturgis SD and back 800 miles (I have done this 5 times and had a passenger on 2 of the trips)

There are a bunch of 200 and 300 miles trips as well.

My commute to work is 120 miles round trip and I have done this more times than I can remember. Just did it yesterday at 90-95mph the whole way:biggrin:
 
#3 ·
actually it has a sweet spot between 75 and 90

I don't think it vibrates bad at any speed though. I get a buzz in the right handgrip at 65-70 which used to bother me after an hour or so but I got one of those lever things for the throttle and I don't notice it any more.
 
#4 ·
You win!

My Sportie never gets that many miles in one trip. Did a 400 mile run down to Mt. St. Helens w/ family once. Had no problems during the ride. Bike did wonderful, heck of a lot better than me (I'd been riding less than 6 months at the time).

But other than that it's 20 ~ 100 mile trips.
 
#6 ·
Obviously, the concept of "distance" is hard to defend with the peanut tank on my 48. However, the overall idea of being an iron butt has another facet.

For example, I take my Sportster commuting to the gym. Two of my friends have geezer-glides, and I have seen each one use it just once. Yesterday I had the only bike there. I even go grocery shopping on mine.

More to the point, this week has been our longest spate of sunny weather all summer. That still doesn't add much mileage for these guys.

However, they sure like the idea of "the lifestyle." They always tell me about 'bike night' at Quaker Steak & Lube. That's a Wednesday night event where you sit in a parking lot and 'talk' about motorcycling.

Sometimes in Wisconsin we only get about five months of chances to ride. I stress the word 'chances.' Several weeks ago our evenings were cursed with mosquitos from the intense humidity. My wife couldn't even garden. Just because autumn might be viewed as cooler, here it might also be saddled with frost.

June, July and August are the core of our riding season where you really could pile up the miles if you wanted. But I'm not sure it's even a Sportster vs. Glide debate sometimes. I think many of these guys just like the idea of owning a Harley--any Harley. It would never get ridden, anyway.
 
#9 ·
That is the truth about the small fuel tank. The town I live in doesn't even have a gas station. There is a small town 5 miles down the road which sells gas (they didn't for years) so I don't have too far to go. I did upgrade to the 3.3 gallon tank and that helps. I am in rural South Dakota and can get into trouble running out of gas pretty easy if I don't plan ahead. Even on trips I have to keep an eye on it. And to tell you the truth it is a Sportster not an Electra Glide- I am ready to get off and stretch after 100 miles.


Our riding season is the middle of May until the first snow which is usually in the middle of October.
 
#8 ·
Most of it is commuting, I haven't really had the time for long trips.
For lots of people--me included--we have scaled back our vacation mileage, but ride more locally. I didn't even take a vacation this year. My wife went with her circle of co-workers and her sister.

But I'm riding the pants off my bike. I've found many 'loops' around home, some I hadn't ridden in years. I see nothing wrong with a 'stay-cation' for bike guys, it's still fun to ride.
 
#11 ·
My 1200 doesn't do much for long distance. Not because it can't, but because I simply do not have the time for it. I do take it on 200-300 weekend day trips on a regular basis though. There is something with the seat and handlebar orientation that does cause a sore upper back after a while though. I have worked out the rear suspension and the seat, next will be the bars.
 
#12 ·
I'm betting you can get them dialed in with a little trial and error.

The only issue I have had is a hip cramp during a longer ride. That's mostly due to age, I suspect. I have considered adding some highway bars to be able to change leg positions from time to time. That might help.
 
#21 ·
You guys should have rode the 1964 BSA I had. Now that thing vibrated and was not a road bike but people did it.

Heck my father in law rode a Cushman Eagle across country and a friend of mine rode a 1967 Yamaha 305 two stroke from South Dakota to Los Angeles and back.

Me thinks the metrosexation of society is well underway. We should all buy old solid mounted hard tails and go for a ride. The ride might be to the chiropracter but at least we would be in the wind and have stories to tell our kids about the old days riding barefoot to school in the snow.
 
#24 ·
I sell Harleys and I can't tell you how many times I've heard that sportys are a girl/starter bike. Which is completely untrue. I have customers that have ridden for 30+ years and they will only buy a sportster.

Also a stock XL1200C will beat any stock 96ci bike off the line. And now we have the XR1200 which will out run any stock 96ci
 
#26 ·
Rode my 75 ironhead sporty rigid from Phoenix, Az to Santa Fe, NM and back once. fun ride but seemed like i hit every pothole in the rode though.
the only sporty that i consider a "girlsw bike" is the stock 883. i understand if thats all you can afford at the time, but atleast save up and throw a big bore kit on it lol
 
#27 ·
I love my 883 all I could afford at the time. Ran into a guy that has been riding for 60 plus years. Had a sporty about 3 years ago thought he would trade up and got a road king. Road it on one long trip took it in and traded it for another 883 sportster.
 
#32 ·
Sweet Girl She Is

I put a bit of 6K miles over 28 days this past summer riding from the Northeast through out the South and Midwest on my girls bike an 04 XL1200C.... I am 62 and my bike is an awesome over the road bike, I think about the BT's and then remember how much fun the sporty is and how manly one must be to ride it over the road, and I grin and keep rolling.

I notice a lot of folks denigrate the sporty it seems mostly to build up their insecure egos and own lack of masculinity. The sporty is a man's bike, take one cross country and you will know for sure.

I broke my ankle in three places around Davenport, Iowa and rode that Sporty another 1121 miles homes with a broke ankle that I thought was only sprained. I love the Sporty platform as she can be anything you want her to be. Say, Customize!
 
#34 ·
A girls bike? I ride an XR1200 with just over 90HP at the rear wheel and It is just fun to ride. With the three and a half gallon tank it isn't great for long distances but on the road the ride is very comfortable and it handles decently for an almost six hundred pound pig. I mostly ride around my area in Southern Maryland using a backpack to go to the store or carry anything that I don't need my Truck to carry, get over 40mpg if I don't ride too hard, I would have no problem taking a long trip on it.
 
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