This Is The Most ICONIC American Motorcycle Ever Made

[@spitescorner]

Thanks to AG1 for sponsoring the video. Click drinkag1.com/spitescorner to get $20 off your first subscription

[@johnsaporta4633]

Huge congrats on dropping 50 lbs. You look great.

[@adamlannerd1408]

Previous owner bought every skull accessory he could on the HD website. lol

[@nonsononessunooko4066]

hell yeah🗣‼️💥💥💥

[@mr.b3168]

I was a dyno bro for a good amount of years. Then due to unique circumstances, I had to sell my Dyna and "buy" the sportster off my girl who didn't ride like she thought she would. The sportster is a dream for backroads and in town riding. The dyna was heavy and I could definitely notice the difference. Only thing I miss is the 6th gear sluggish cruising at 80mph. But I got lucky that my style of riding changed to backroads.

[@squidmissiletv]

Congratulations on dropping the weight. That's no small feat and should be celebrated!

[@jamessouthworth1699]

The Evo Sportster is the only Harley I would buy again.

[@d33b33]

The side view wide angle 360 footage makes it look like a circus bear is riding a comedy miniature bicycle.

[@spitescorner]

Yeah the fish eye perspective isn't doing the bike any favors, but it's not too different from most naked bikes for me.

[@whimsicalstray]

One of the few Harleys I'd consider. And, in Harley tradition, I'd customize the hell out of it. Maybe make it into something more standard like an XR.

[@martincvitkovich724]

Cycle World 1968 "The Sportster will grow hair on your chest, then part it down the middle"..The only difference today is the Sportster has gotten better

[@jerm1027]

I upgraded from a 2016 Dyna Fat Bob to a 2019 Roadster myself and I agree with every point made, but there are two points I especially wanted to echo. First, the seating positions is pretty cramped. Even at 5’4”, the footpegs feel unnecessary wide and high, the seat a bit too forward ; I feel like I’m perched on top of the bike with my knees in the breeze. The other thing is, despite being an extremely flawed bike, it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade. I miss the Dyna, but the Sporty is an exhilarating bike: I smell gas, it’s deafeningly loud, if you grip the handle bar too tight, the vibrations will cause your teeth to chatter and your vision to blur, and hearing that lazy potato launcher wake up from a lazy 2000 RPM pulling and roaring at 4500-5000RPM - it feels like the bike wants to kill you, but it makes life worth living. I keep saying, “if I want to get there alive, I’ll take the Yamaha. If I want to *feel* alive, I’ll take the Sporty”

[@BigAl53750]

Hey there! Greetings from Downunder! (Australia in other words) I'm 67 years old and I've been riding motorcycles since 1974. I grew up on Triumphs. I owned one Norton 850 Commando in amongst a bunch of Triumphs and that was a nice bike, but Triumphs were my favourite. In 2009, I was about to go and put some money down on a brand new Triumph Bonneville. The prices here in Australia are insane, so you'll have a heart attack when I tell you that with all the on road costs, that amounted to just over $15k back then. I had sold my 1973 Triumph Tiger 750 a few years ago and I wanted to get into one of the replica range Triumph had put out. Anyway, a friend of mine whose 1997 883 Sportster I'd ridden a few times came over and told me he was trading it in on a 1998 Lowrider. I asked him how much the dealer was gonna give him for the Sporty and when he said; "Seven thousand." it took me less than a second to do the math. SO I bought this 12 year old Sportster 883 and began my first ownership of a Harley Davidson. like I said, I was familiar with the Sporty and what I liked about it was that the power characteristics were very much more like the old Triumphs that I was used to. The new ones are not like the old ones AT ALL. They don't FEEL right to me. far too 'buzzy'. The long stroke of the Sportster engine and low down torque were much better for what I want in a bike. I also began learning about Sportsters. My first purchase was a workshop manual (always is for every vehicle I own) and then it was a matter of finding out what (if anything) needed fixing (it was a 2nd hand bike after all) and how various things worked. I live in the Yarra Valley, on the northeastern outskirts of Melbourne. We have some of the most awesome roads in the world, for those who like carving up the 'twisties' right outside my door, so I spent every waking moment of free time, exploring the limits of the bike's cornering ability. It came with a 2-1 exhaust already on it and that was MUCH better than the usual story with Sportsters in that regard. I was used to scraping the footpeg rubbers on my Triumphs (which is a long way over, believe me) and so I worked my way up to doing that on the Sportster, gradually feeling out how stable the bike would be under certain conditions (panic stops in corners, hitting a pothole when at the limit in a corner, etc) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bike had NO nasty surprises in the handling dept, but the rear shocks were the factory ones, so they had to go. I bought some 14" Performance shocks (the factory ones on the 97 were 13") and they made a HUGE difference. Over the next few years, I replaced the final drive belt sprocket with a 29 tooth one, which gave me a better cruising experience and with only a minor loss at take off. I toured all over Eastern Australia for the next 8 years and the bike never let me down. NOT ONCE. The 883's had lighter pistons than the 1200's, so they never had a rev limiter and the vibration never bothered me, having ridden 100's of thousands of miles on 1970's British parallel twins, that really DO vibrate. Anyway, I found myself wanting just a little but MORE from the engine, so I began researching big bore options. After 12-14 months of intensive researching, I got a basic 1275 kit from Hammer Performance. I wasn't looking for the absolute, just a bit more, so after talking with the Hammer guys, I decided on their basic kit; Pistions and barrels, an upgraded clutch and so Electronic Ignition, etc. While I was waiting for that to arrive, I decided that a complete strip down, from the ground up, was in order. I pulled the whole bike to pieces and completed some things I'd wanted to do for a while, such as an extensive rewire, where I moved the ignition switch from above the front cylinder head, to beneath the battery box and the coil from the same area as the ignition switch, to between the heads on the LHS. New paint and some serious polishing of the beautiful alloy engine cases was done. I should point out that I did everything myself. I'm not a mechanic, but I learned how to strip and rebuild bikes as a Triumph owner and how to make them more reliable and leak-free into the bargain, so the Sportster was easy. I checked every bearing and bush and replaced the wheel and steering head bearings, along with any others that required it. The bottom end was checked by an engineer friend and found to be in fine shape, while the transmission was also untouched. I put in a 2007 oil pump which is much better than the old 97 one. I replaced the front fork springs with a Progressive kit that vastly improves the front end DIVE you mention and the Progressive rear shocks also got replaced by some YSS ones, as they needed retiring. An LED headlight and various other electrical improvements, like a wire-tuck were completed as well. The standard wiring loom had so many extraneous wires, I was confused at first, until I learned that they were a 'one size fits all' type of deal, where they could be fitted on any one of a number of Harleys and the unneeded wires just sat there, taking up space. After trimming down that part of the loom to less than half the wires it original had (yes Virginia, I triple checked everything) I found that I could run the whole lot in two separate bundles, under the tank, without having to jack the damn thing up in the air, like so many people do. Back before I did all this work, I'd had the bike dyno-tuned to get the most out of the 2-1 systems and they put an S&S air filter on it and did some carb tuning. After getting the bike back together, I did the engine run-in exactly following the Hammer Performance instructions, before getting a friend who's a far better carburettor man than I am do some serious retuning. I had set the carbs up with the jest supplied by HP in the kit and it went just fine, but I wanted to get make sure it was all as good as possible. No dyne tuning, just some plug reading and that was it. SO. How does the bike go now? Hammer Performance get Carillo to produce their pistons and barrels and the forged pistons are the ideal weight for the engine, which means that it doesn't vibrate as much as it a standard 883 and FAR less than a standard 1200. It produces huge amounts of torque. It also produces more horsepower, but until I get urge to take it to a dyno tuner to find out HOW much, I'll just say that if I'm not careful, the front wheel will leave the ground when the light turns green. I learned that by accident sometime after running it in and it surprised me, because all I wanted to do was get moving a bit more quickly than usual. It also gets significantly more mpg. I used to get around 120 miles per tank on the 883 engine and now I get a bit over 160. More power and a better burn from the squish band created by having the original 883 heads on top of 1275 barrels, means that I don't have to twist the throttle near as much, to get the same speed, which means less fuel per mile. The power characteristics are much better than they were and that was already pretty good. I have no intention of ever getting rid of this bike until I literally can't ride anymore! Sorry for the long post, but I get out on my Sporty nowadays and scare a lot of sportsbike riders who think Harleys can't corner. The engine braking is so serious on this bike that I hardly ever use the brakes when going hard through the curvy bits. Second gear is where I sit most of the time on those winding roads and just roll the throttle on and off as needed. gear changing is not required and a little bit of trail-braking occasionally to keep it all trim. One thing I do have to watch its that nobody is too close to me when I back off the throttle hard, because without a brake light, they don't notice how quickly the bike is slowing down. Long distance trips are much more relaxing, but as our speed limit is 70 mph and Highway Patrol Officers are a particularly humourless bunch, I dare not try cruising at 90mph. The fines for that would be on the far side of $600, plus a 3 month suspension of my licence. (But I CAN tell you that it's damn smooth at 110!)(Just don't tell the Aussie cops!)

[@peter88554]

The XR1200X was the Sportster pinnacle.

[@SirOsisofLiver]

The two Harleys that I really liked were the FatBoy and the XR. I tried to buy one, but the dealer was originally asking over MSRP, then finally MSRP, but by that time it was a year old leftover and I was tired of dealing with him.

[@Naymond]

amen

[@billsheppard2433]

Anything with an Ironhead in it is the pinnacle.

[@At.Aversa]

Driving a Sportster is a unique experience the way they drive the sound they make the torque and the way everything shakes there really is nothing like it. And while you can complain about all the negatives of a Sportster all i can say is you don't buy a Sportster because you want the perfect bike you buy a Sportster because you want something special.

[@jvillain9946]

Sounds like torture to me

[@t.michaelburch8200]

Had a stock 2008 XL1200r that I toured coast to coast on, I added a mustang seat, back rack and removable wind screen, and put a lot of miles on it before I traded it in for an ultra classic. Bike was bone stock and apart from the touring accessories never modified from stock. Missed it so much I spent two years finding a never modified 2008 XL1200r with only 5k on it. Still have it and will never let it go. Twin front discs and taller suspension with a comfy Mustang seat make it my favorite ride for clearing my mind. When touring I did 500 mile days easily cruising at 85 mph. I look forward to your mods. I followed you over from YN, dumped him, and have enjoyed your content. Keep up the great work!

[@rolandschleicher7458]

Spite, you nailed the Sportster experience, it is a no frills elemental ride. With respect to the front end dive, you are spot on. I could bottom my forks with a hard brake in my driveway. Spring changes can help but Traxxion's AR25 kit transformed mine. There is no machining, you literally replace every internal fork component with theirs. I look forward to watching you work.

[@blakew5672]

I’m not a Harley guy in the slightest, but the sportster was an everyman bike that normal working class people could afford, and there’s something to be said for that.

[@jvillain9946]

Try buying one now. See how affordable they are.

[@blakew5672]

@ Private seller markups now that the model line has been discontinued have nothing to do with how Harley priced them. My point still stands. If you’re talking about the Sportster S that’s an entirely different bike with that kept the nameplate.

[@TheEagle12901]

I have a 07 nighster. I went with buell top end, hammer .570 cams, race tech in the forks, suspention technology shocks, danny grey seat, small saddle bags. I live in the Adirondacks and its my favorite bike for ripping up the mountains. Also have 03 road king. Rode my sportster to and from laconia last year, it ate it up like a champ. Its the one bike i refuse to get rid of and the one i ride the most. Had a 13 dyna street bob but sportster ran circles around it.

[@Jeffy2n]

Rode a sporty or years, I would like to suggest a few things, if I may. 1) Vance and Hines pro pipe, better flow, and saves your ears. 2) You might want to change the fork oil to the next weight up to get less dive. Yes, a set of progressive springs is better, but a oil swap is far cheaper and completely reversible. 3) A set of highway bars to stretch our on longer rides. 4) A flyscreen or small headlight fairing. This keeps the air off your chest, again making longer rides more pleasant. 5) Dunlop Ameriways (or American Elites). They're duel compound tires that grip far better for the twisties. 6) There are too many to name seat options out there that can change your seating height and location, Saddleman would be a good one to look at, and a great company to deal with. 7) look on e-bay for a good used 4.5 gallon stock Harley fuel tank, it will fit right one inplace of that small tank. I hope all this helps you out, and one last thing for you to consider. after riding a Sporty for years, I bought my first touring bike (A Electra glide) and you want to know something, they handle in the turns almost the same. There both top heavy bike to give quicker steering, the E Glide is just heavier but the adjustment to it is very easy.

[@TJ-oi5qe]

I think you must be the only Harley rider I’ve ever heard say they feel like an ass because their bike is so loud! It’s nice to know you’re not a sadist.

[@electricvoid3828]

I sold my Sporty to get a 114 Heritage and I honestly miss it a lot. The softail is so much more comfortable, better for two up, and better for highway, but a straight piped sportster is so fun

[@LooxJJ]

I currently own 2016 Roadster in my garage - barebone without keyless/ABS etc. Turning her into a Cafe Racer - easy to work with, easy to mod, very reliable, and she can carve canyon good…most of all, sounds good with TBR and looks sick. A great bar hopper and weekend hangout with friends.

[@HikerDave57]

I've seen an old guy riding a Dyna Wide Glide with Short Shots that was pretty quiet; his neighbors complained so he added baffles. Those would probably fix some of the low-end torque loss too. Because the bike already looks pretty good with those pipes.

[@lynnlittle8671]

My 2021 Sportster Forty-Eight, with the stage one and 13” Legend Revo shocks I put on it, handles well enough, is reasonably comfortable, and she makes me smile almost as much as my 2023 Miata RF Club, and that’s saying a LOT.

[@thelonestone1808]

yall are missing out on the xl1200s its a rare HD to find but its ahead of its time. They only made it from 98 to 03 it has to 10:0:1, dual disc and carbed TRUE HD

[@John_Ridley]

Good to see you losing weight. Gotta get Dork on that stuff; I worry about him.

[@spitescorner]

Ben's working on it. It's tough though

[@John_Ridley]

@@spitescorner Good to hear. He seems like a great guy.

[@TheManoy66]

Very well said. The Evo Sportster is the only Harley i would consider owning long term. I like the mods the previous owner did on that btw. Also, Congratulations on losing 50 lbs brother. Probably one of the best things you have done so far.

[@josephfoster5593]

Congrats on dropping the weight its hard but so worth it

[@recklessrt]

So you got yourself an XL1200CX Roadster - good for you. My first Harley is a 2017 Roadster. I put a stage four on mine, a two to one Bassani exhaust, beefed up clutch, and a non-Harley tune. The speed governor is gone. The suspension has been upgraded. Those five gears are pretty tall so I take it on the highway all the time. And I put a small windshield on. I collect Harleys and this is the quintessential Harley.

[@badbruise]

A black thunderheader would look tough on that bike.

[@MaaZeus]

I dunno, I think those mini-apes look great and are probably comfortable too for a big guy like you. Speaking of which, since you are a big tall dude I cannot imagine how uncomfortable those mid controls are. At least for me, being 192cm tall (6 feet 3 or so) mids on a cruiser is a big no no. It has to be forwards and mini apes or my back and hips scream bloody murder. Regarding those V&H short shots, they look and sound glorious but yeah, maybe they are a bit too loud for a daily driver.

[@theodavies8754]

My first Harley was a new 883 hugger in 1988. 4 gears is plenty. Chain drive and all metal. The tank range didn't work out Went with a 1995 evo FXDL that I had for 8 years. I'm now lucky enough to have a 1999 FXDL, terrible image quality short of it on my channel. Stay lucky and good luck with your channel.

[@ChrisVanMiddelkoop]

I like the v&h short shots.

[@spitescorner]

They look good, but sap performance

[@ironzombi]

​@@spitescornermay be able to slightly improve them with the quiet baffles.. although yeah they are style over performance

[@spitescorner]

Where I plan to take this bike I need a 2-1 with a nice long muffler. Just needs to be upswept to avoid losing ground clearance.

[@desmodysseus1974]

The Sportster Roadster is the only Harley that’s on my Need In My Garage for life list.

[@Naymond]

I *JUST* traded in my Roadster and you're making me want another Sportster. They're such great bikes. You'd have loved mine because it was so much closer to stock so you'd have had less work to do to get it in golden shape. I couldn't get the bike comfortable for the long trips I like to take without seriously chopping on it and when I eventually do that I'm going to do it on a cheaper bike. I had a hard time selling mine because I actually rode it, so it looked like it had a ton of miles in comparison to the garage queens you see for sale all the time. One of these days I'm going to buy one from someone who should have just bought a t-shirt and turn it a wonderful monstrosity I'll never be able to sell for more than just above scrap metal price. It'll be amazing.

[@Naymond]

By the way, Spite. if you'd like a LaPera Daddy Long Legs seat and/or a Harley Tall Boy seat, I'd make you a hell of a deal ...

[@michaelconran5252]

Due to nerve damage, I don't last on a Sporty. I love the looks,but I got rid of mine and bought a new (when I bought it) 2020 Street Bob, I needed the smoothness of the M8.. I can and have put down a 1,000 miles in a day on that with my Mustang touring seat. At 5'1" I have never owned a bike I can flat foot, so watching you ride that, makes me cramp up. Before I got into riding Harleys in 2017, I owned all dual sports, KTM and Honda. Still have 2 dual sports and a little C70.

[@maguslascivious4980]

That opening is the absolute best!

[@jameshill8498]

I always go to high pipes because I would grind the bottom right off the lower version. That leaves the kickstand as the first impact point. You can make a big improvement on the fork by simply using a heavier fork oil. If you want really good handling there are plenty of upgraded springs and cartridges available. There are plenty of options for bigger gas tanks too but people like the look of a little tank. Pick whether the range or look is more important. Love my Sportsters since '06. I have commuted, toured and ridden BDR's on Sportsters. Currently building a hopped up 1250 hardtail chopper and a grocery getter Sportster trike.

[@ahoneyman]

Had a Sportster. It looks great in the parking lot. As a transportation device my CB750 was worlds better despite being 30 years older.

[@BigAl53750]

Good for you. Stick to your CB750. More Sportsters for the rest of us. I've owned or ridden a lot of bikes in my 50 years on two wheels and at some stages, a bike was my ONLY transport. My bikes were all 1970's Triumphs (and a Norton) and they never let me down. I've owned my Sportster for 15 years and it's taken me all over Eastern Australia, which is no small thing, since Australia's the same size as the USA, and its' never let me down either. I have virtually NEVER put any of my bikes into any workshop, having learned how to fix and maintain them myself. Maintenance is not hard, nor is it something that only Harley or old British bike owners need to do. I can't tell you how many Japanese bikes I've seen with RUSTY DRIVE CHAINS! Jap bikes are awesome in many ways, but they DO require maintenance and the also DO breakdown from time to time. In my 100's of thousands of miles travelled over the last half century, I've stopped to help many a fellow bike rider and I can tell you that the there's been a fair representation of Honda CB750's and other Japanese brands among the bikes I've encountered in those instances. I really get tired of hearing the usual BS about how they're so much more reliable, because in my own hands on experience, it just isn't necessarily so. I have also met MANY Harley owners who are their bike's own worst enemies because of the abuse they dish out on them, but that's their own business. I don't bag anyone for what bike they ride, but guys who make comments like yours seem to be unable to help yourself. If you're too soft to be able to handle a bike that doesn't resemble a refrigerator on two wheels, just keep it to yourself mate. As a Triumph rider, I found my friend's 73 CB750 a frightening thing to try and ride through a corner and as boring as batshit in a lot of respects, but I didn't tell him that, because he loved it and he was a mate of mine. REAL bikers don't trash other people's bikes, not even if they ride a Vespa scooter! If you didn't like your Sportster, that's fine, but it says alot that you felt the need to make a sweeping generalisation about Sportsters, based on your experience. I'd rather have a Sporty or a 1970's Triumph than a CB750 that cost me nothing to buy. Not because they're a bad bike, they're not, but because I don't want a bike like that. It's just a personal choice. But stop with the 'Sportsters are unreliable' crap, because I know from personal experience that it's simply not the case. A bike, any bike, is what you make of it, but the old; CB750's never needed any improvement line is rubbish. The frames were hideously flexible and they most certainly weren't 'worlds better' than anything I can think of. They DO have engines that last a long time, but so do refrigerators. Try fixing one that does need some engine work, without a whole shop full of very expensive jigs and other specialised tools and equipment. 'Better' is a subjective thing in this case, because it's a matter of taste. I rode a 1973 Triumph 650 twin for TWO YEARS as my daily transport and on very long trips. It was very reliable and my only vehicle at the time. My Sportster filled the same function for me from 2009 to 2014 without any troubles.

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Hearing that you're getting rid of the handlebars and exhaust, is best part of your review. I'd like to see you do a performance build of your bike. That would be interesting.

[@ESBA2023]

I had an 81 back in the day, great bike. Last year I bought my wife a Sportster 72. I ride it as much as my deuce when she is not. I agree, on value, I could get more for that than my 07 Deuce.

[@andypants1000]

Someone murdered this roadster. Also the XR had inverted shocks too. Original roadster had dual discs but no inverted suspension.

[@spitescorner]

It's like a rescue dog, but it's got a new home now.

[@Sirloincloth1st]

I totally agree with you about the futility of trying to make a Sportster go fast - such a waste of money. And if you feel the need to masively mod your bike, you've gotta ask 'Did I get the right bike?' Modern motorbikes are carefully designed and tested following years of development. You change one thing on a bike, and I guarantee you'll be forced to change other things down the line. Keep it stock, but if you want something faster, go buy something faster that's already perfectly setup by the design engineers. They know their job better than anyone else, and have done all the testing that's beyond the scope of 'Fred in the Shed'. There are people out there that have the skills and commitment to properly modify motorcycles, but it isn't something we can all do. So many bikes are totally Bolaxed by enthusiastic owners dickering about with their bike.

[@mistawhipe]

As a roadster owner, I shall watch over your career with great interest

[@spitescorner]

Hello there

[@MostlyInteresting]

the most iconic American motorcycle of 60 years ago. And sadly it never got better.

[@spitescorner]

So, like, you skipped the whole history lesson then? OFC it's gotten better in 60 years.

[@MostlyInteresting]

@@spitescorner I am quite aware of HD's history, and it shows stagnation from post WW2 forward. Even requiring a tariff of protection from the US government to keep the "evil" Japanese from killing them. Of course that went into the officers and shareholders pockets. What could have been disappoints me.

[@BigAl53750]

You have NO idea what you're talking about. Obviously. go bother someone else's comment section.

[@bansheerider3337]

I absolutely love my Scout 60 and won't trade it for anything at the moment, but I did test ride a 2000 Iron 883 Sportster and I am not afraid to admit that the feal of that is unmatched.

[@spitescorner]

It's weird. Sportys are dog slow, but when you ride them they feel nice. They're well built bikes.

[@randyholcombe4234]

The rubber mounted Sportys are actually pretty smooth going down the road. The 2004 and older 1200s did vibrate a good bit, but 883 was more civilized.

[@BigAl53750]

Factory 1200s had pistons that were WAY too heavy, which is why they vibrate more. 883's had lighter (too light?) pistons, which is why the 1200's had rev limiters fitted by the factory and 883's didn't. I don't understand all the talk about vibration, I really don't. I grew up riding Triumph Bonnevilles in the 1970's and they vibrated, but so what? You're riding a two wheeled machine, exposed to the elements, what's a little vibration here and there? The way modern bikers talk, I really wonder what happened to make them all into wimps? Take a spoonful of cement powder in your coffee and HARDEN UP FFS!

[@Sirsethtaggart3505]

I love my 48. It's my first Harley and everything I thought it would be.

[@Nastydude08]

HD oh dear 🤦‍♂️

[@edwardkeeter762]

I rented an 883 Iron while on vacation in Florida last fall, and I had a blast on it. Would I take it over my Shadow 750 Aero or my SV650S as my daily rider? Nope. Would I want it for 200+ mile rides? Nope. But it was definitely a ton of fun to play with; they don't make bikes with any more character than the Sportster. IMHO, it would make a fantastic 2nd bike for going to bike nights where you're not piling miles on it.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

That intro is brilliant. I subbed.

[@RadicalLinguisticDescriptivism]

It will be fun to see how you personalize this bike. I agree about the slash cut pipes being too much sound. Love the intro! Murica!

[@chrislaws4785]

My 2021 1200 Sportster forty eight also has the upside down forks, but it has the same 16 inch wheel on the front and the back instead of the skinny front wheel. And i LOVE IT, i drag the pegs on it on the backroads. I also have a 2006 1200 custom that belonged to my dad, i believe that was the LAST year they made a carbureted sportster.

[@spitescorner]

Yup, they switched to EFI in 07

[@girthquake9655]

Yuusssssss.... I love love love the team america theme song. Thank you for adding it! Also, I absolutely have a soft spot for the sportster. It's just an honest, low tech small motorcycle. Has just enough power to enjoy on the back roads.

[@BigAl53750]

'Small motorcycle'??? When I started riding, a 750cc was a large motorcycle. A 1000cc Sportster was huge! A 1200 Electraglide was MASSIVE! Okay, so bikes have gotten bigger, but spare me the; 'Has just enough power to enjoin the back roads' line, because I've personally ridden my 883 on several trips of 500 miles in a day and never felt like it was underpowered. Modern bike riders are strange. If it'll gin fast enough to get you a speeding ticket, it's powerful enough. I know Hyabusas can break the sound barrier, but honestly, where are you gonna need all that power? Or use it?

[@Vtwinjustin]

Love these things so much I’ve got like 3 of them right now. So many different things you can do with them! Currently documenting the process of turning one into a flat tracker Also you need more Willie G skulls dog

[@kingarty]

I helped my brother get his 2002 Iron as his first bike. I was modifying it for his build and was amazed on the number of parts that are other there. Wish my ‘22 Nightster had the same love but it’s slowly getting there with Krusei, Bung King, and hopefully Thrashin soon!

[@dodgedaytona7435]

You should really look into the old buells. The Buell ulysses did the harley motor adv bike almost 15 years before the pan america, at a sub 450 lbs wet weight. Also, the sports bikes are pretty unique.

[@motoguy1]

As I watched this video all I could think of was "I bet he's love a Ulysses!" I know I do!

[@Jetlifeual]

It is the perfect representation of what America COULD make and what they ultimately settled on. Iconic because everyone has sucked it hard for decades but deep down it is such an "okay" bike, especially as the years went on and makers like Indian, Honda and Suzuki created better cruisers but H-D just rode their name and nothing else.

[@charlesbolin7249]

I love my 2022 XL883N, the most basic bare bones Harley you could buy. It has the speedo not the tach and being I'm 50 I like it that way, my ears tell me when to shift. I only reference the speedo when the 5 O is around. The charm in it is how raw and simple and far from perfect it is. It's easy to stay out of trouble with and learn to ride on. Very forgiving due to the limited rpm band and torque, really hard to whiskey throttle it and you'd have to put effort into letting it get away from you. Tons of aftermarket support. I don't ride it on the highway or long distance, small gas tank, no windscreen, and no 6th gear. It's great for in town commuting which is all I have time for these days.

[@Flo_rian_A]

Congratulations on getting fitter! And thanks for the great content

[@Me6rimlock]

Here I am finishing my Dyna rebuild and been looking at sportster as the next project then you drop this. Thanks bud there goes my money, Austin isn't cheap and I have the worst addiction....2 wheels

[@spitescorner]

I know the feeling

[@remasthebogtrotter]

@@spitescorner I have a sportster and I live in Austin brotha

[@robertbermudez4458]

Congrats spite on your new bike. Love it

[@kevinmacwatters1519]

I think my bike is the best, and your bike is great for you. I'm looking forward to seeing the future vids with this bike. Have fun and a great year.

[@Gunga-ct9nz]

1999 HD FXDWG is the most iconic motorcycle ever made. Everyone knows this.

[@mick_1976]

I wouldn't put a year on it but yes.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

What do the letters FXDWG stand for?

[@johnsaporta4633]

Love the Americana bits and the Bender riff at the start. Funny!

[@MikiedarkensvtSmith]

I own a iron 883 and I love it. Yea it’s not the most ideal bike for long touring or fast riding but it will do it and keep doing it.

[@3wheelmannc860]

Not a bad choice for many reasons... I had '93 1200 years ago... good, but not great bike. When the motor was rubber mounted, that was a major plus imo. If I had to choose one bike, I would consider the Heritage Classic. I have never owned one of these, but now that they have been smoothed out (some years back) it is a consideration for a future purchase.

[@1998lemuel]

It's kind of funny that a sporty setup in cars is lowered but a sporty setup in bikes is more ground clearance. It makes total sense when you think about it but at face value when you're into both it's just weird to think that hey I wanna lower my car but I wanna put more ground clearance on my bikes

[@viperq]

My coworker had a modified XR1200 and loved it a lot, but he had to sell it after having two kids. Sportsters are so/so in stock form, but make cool project bikes.

[@adamlanglois563]

Congratulations on the new ride! Thats a nice sporty

[@Bugside]

I've never ridden a Harley, I imagine it feels like a farm tractor. I get immediately bored riding my mt09 slowly, but Harleys look like they can be enjoyed just chilling. They're just too expensive here in Europe, else I'd consider one as a second bike

[@RandomParrot]

The side shot from the 360, The Harley Grom

[@bennyj.8085]

I've owned all the big twins, and 3 sportsters. Big twins are cool, but the sportsters were a blast to ride fast. Sportsters are definitely high on fun factor. Might have to pick up another one.

[@RVAMotorsports]

I like that tactical purse! Seriously, though, congrats on losing the weight, I know firsthand it's tough...

[@legolwa]

My problem with MY sportster is.... can't see out the mirrors!

[@spitescorner]

Yeah, flipping the mirrors helps but only so much

[@BigAl53750]

What on earth do you need mirrors for? To see what you just passed?

[@WideLoad405]

You said you were gonna let Bender say it and I thought you were gonna tell us to bite the Sportster's shiny metal ass.

[@udxpierre]

Just check your 15" rise, i have found that anything past 13.5" tail rise really alter the head angle to the point where i do not feel safe at high speeds(straight line 180 - 200kph), even through the twisties at 80 -120 the bike felt really twitchy with 15" rear rise. My bike is currently at 13.5" and i feel it needs a steering damper. My 2 cents. I love my 1200 stage 2 pimped Sporty, it goes like stink off a stick. Ps. Fit a 2-1 V&H upsweep. It really performs well and sounds even better.

[@EvendimataE]

i find all harleys beautiful, but most of them are heavy. the sportster 1200 is the only harley i want to ride

[@tristendupuis9941]

Im so happy you got a sporty. Ive been building mine for a little over a year now and im finally putting some progressive shocks on it today when i get home. Cant wait to see what you do with it.

[@martinsmith9054]

I had 4 Sportsters 3 of them were twin front disc. A good all round bike when you can stop properly. I put 4 piston calipers on one it stopped pretty good.

[@greatbigeye2506]

My stage 1 ‘04 1200R felt pretty fast to me 20 years ago but it would make my hands numb at higher speeds. The bone stock ‘09 883L I briefly owned about 7 years ago was turtle slow but nice on 55 mph highways. It’s bizarre that these are ‘girl’ ‘beginner’ bikes in the HD scene despite being almost the size and weight of the old ‘70/80s FX and FXR Superglides. The pre-rubber mount Sportsters are a lot lighter and I kinda want one as a second smaller bike for shorter rides.

[@MyCoolFish]

@3:29 What’s wrong with V&H Short Shots? I was thinking getting those, or some Bassani Sweepers.

[@kennethjarrett158]

I'm here for the new sporster build Playlist!

[@elrumcajs777]

I know those exact V&H. I went on a trip behind a friend that had them on a Sportster too and I hadn’t said more than 3 sentences at the 1st stop we had when people told me I was yelling. I was half deaf for like 30 min 😂

[@I-Libertine]

100% agreed. The ultimate Harley, and the quintessential "motorcycle". Dont believe me, close your eyes and say motorcycle. What shape forms in thought? Res ipsa loquitur.

[@kevincrockett5155]

Interesting. When I think motorcycle, I imagine an old school British twin.

[@Rickmac22]

Next review: Super Cub!

[@andyaptc2907]

could never understand why people slam the sportster; its so good looking and no frills.

[@donaldcameron8909]

I agree on the bars they belong on the bigger bikes , the pipes are cool ' yeah two into one setup looks and run super good

[@girthquake9655]

You need to ride a ironhead sportster. It's such a cheap nostalgic bike. Amazing torque for what it is. The part i love about sportsters is that heritage. You feel something when you are on them.

[@fabiors10]

I do miss my Sportster and would like it to accompany my Road Glide, but then again I miss my scooter so much that I would be torn and ending up buying an Xmax for town riding.

[@hughmac7423]

I love the V&H short shot pipes on my 1988 Lowrider, they are not too loud, then I've been riding it for 35 years and I had a louder pipe for 20 years, and my hearing on the right is a bit affected 🤣. Love the Sportster, great choice.

[@exc911ence_channel]

R.I.P. Griso.... 😭

[@sjoukedijkstra7110]

As a Guzzi rider i will never understand this switch.

[@cristianaguilera4529]

Just got my first bike this year, an 07 sporster and man I don't regret my decision one bit. Yeah, I wish had a 6th gear but I enjoy riding it. I live an hour away from austin, but if you ever want to ride I'm down

[@bwxmoto]

I just had to come in and leave a comment and thumbs up real quick for the thumbnail alone.

[@fuujinmugen]

Good work on dropping the pounds! Recently sold my ‘17 883 Iron to buy a ‘75 FLH Shovelhead Will pick up another Sportster soon, will go 1200, either XL, 72 or a 48 as soon as I can find one that ‘speaks to me’ Dig my Sportys, they great light fun Bikes!

[@hvymax]

Wow makes the KLR look powerful!!!

[@gatorkea]

Never rode a sportster but I owned an Intruder 800 and it was one hell of a fun bike. I miss it and been contemplating getting a sportster 1200 to fill that longing.

[@BobbyMiller3]

Hell yeah Sportster 😂! Fit a 4.5 gal tank from the custom if you dislike fuel shenanigans

[@theKongW]

Best intro ever!

[@BUGBYTE_]

Murica. 🦅

[@brushcreek]

I prefer the Triumph Bobber and the Indian FTR to a sportster all day any day.