| Author | Message | ||
     Steveford |
Seeing that Smurf Blue SuperSlow made me realize that the ringing in my ears is actually Triumph calling me. I need to answer that phone soon and pick up a twin and a triple. | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
If you can't say something nice... It has the best looking OEM wheels I've ever seen on an H-D. That's all I have to say about that. | ||
| Jaimec |
Why should we act surprised? Take the same tired old engine and frame, slap on some different shocks, new paint and Voila! ANOTHER BRAND NEW HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE!! | ||
| Reg_kittrelle |
I can't seem to find where Harley claims it to be the new Rider's Edge bike. Yes, they're pumping it for new riders... but no mention of RE/MSF. The XR1200X would be the only Sportster derivative that I'd consider owning, but with the exception of, in particular, the Iron 883 & Nightster, the 1200 XL's are decent standard motorcycles. They handle well, have decent power, and the brakes are up to the power. They are also very easy to ride; a strong selling point. | ||
| Whatever |
Wow. What a surprise. A new Sportster.  | ||
| Swampy |
I thought Sportsters were for girls, not beginners, beginners belong on the back of a sOFttAIl cLASSIc | ||
| Wheelybueller |
I love the Blast for what it is/was. If the right one comes around Ill have it. A redone sporty is like beating a dead horse,with a dead horse. The biggest bitch I have with any XL chassis is they ride like SHIT! A good 2 into 1 pipe,high flow air cleaner and some tuning they are a fun bike to ride. Id buy another one,as a play bike(not new). But then again,I find something good in every bike.(jmho) Its H-D corporate that pisses me off!! | ||
| Hughlysses |
I can't seem to find where Harley claims it to be the new Rider's Edge bike. Yes, they're pumping it for new riders... but no mention of RE/MSF IIRC Harley announced a few weeks back that they were going to come out with a new RE/MSF bike to replace the Blast. I don't think this is it, but it is the closest thing to a "beginner bike" in their 2011 lineup. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
"for that matter it looks to me like they have taken away the regular plain jane sportster out of the line up all together." It's been gone for at least a year, maybe two. I don't think there are any "plain jane" versions of anything in the H-D line at the moment, everything is Low or Custom or Fat or Dark... This is the closest to a "standard" motorcycle they've got for now IMO. I just had a quick flick through the Cycle World article (Zinio is soooo cool  ) and I must admit H-D has managed to surprise me... Lighter wheels (even if the front is only 1lb) and more rear travel would have to help the ride feel a little closer to what we expect this century. Still the same brakes and no ground clearance, and still incredibly heavy for a bare bones bike, but at least the 17" rear tyre is now a more commonly available size. A 17" front would be nice, but thankfully there's no extra chrome, or extra black, or upside down mirrors. Hmmm... Throw some decent, long rear shocks on it and it sounds like a retro style standard motorcycle. I'd still prefer a Triumph Thruxton though. I always thought a Sportster was a good first bike for some people - not too slow but not too fast, not too small physically. Certainly a better choice than say a ZX6R. | ||
| Firebolt32 |
But you notice that the banner link on the bottom left? They are riding the Blast! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
HD has the capacity to continue to build the Blast if so desired. | ||
| No_rice |
i never did state this was the new riders edge bike. but i know its not the kind of thing id have my sisters/daughter have as a first bike. simply because the first time it hit the ground it would cost alot to get fixed more then likely. | ||
| Firebolt020283 |
when I was younger I thought sportsters were cool motorcycles but that was because the 2 I seen all the time were cool. My dad and grand father had two 1986 liberty edition 1100 evo sportsters that were both running a lot of nallin racing goodies on them and my dads had the xr750 tail section on it with a cool paint job on it. now days I hardly ever see a sportster I like other than the xr1200s because they all have ugly risers or ape hanger bars and that ugly new tank they have on them and some 1960s looking seat so they just look less and less sporty. I liked my dad and grandfathers bikes because they had a sporty look to them for a harley. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Sportsters are friggin' top heavy. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
Sportsters are friggin' top heavy. Got that right. Last time I rode one it amazed me how much I had to *lift* it off the sidestand to upright, you really felt every kg. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Aus and NZ press releases are out http://krnewsroom.blogspot.com/2010/07/harley-anno unces-2011-range.html | ||
| Danger_dave |
I've ridden all the sportsters. Got no beef with any of them. They are low powered, retro styled motorcycles and provide similar riding enjoyment to other yester-styled bikes - like the Bonneville and the Guzzi V7 - and in my market they enjoy a price advantage. Rowing them along through the gears and working the throttle is more fun than a supersports on the road for mine. | ||
| Doug_s |
from the aus/nz press release: super low: "...The new SuperLow leads the way combining revised front end geometry, new wheels and tyres, and reshaped seat and handlebars to achieve well- balanced handling and comfort that will inspire confidence in new riders and exhilarate those with experience..." huh? exhilarate?  makes me wonder if the english language has a different meaning in the southern hemisphere... doug s. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Not really - manufacturer hyperbole is universal. Crosses all brands and borders. Overall press kit presentation is very slick though. They actually hype the scribes the best of any of them. Victory are catching up in that dept though. Hond do some good stuff too but we usually have to 'find' it. | ||
| Danger_dave |
PS - don't you find huge showers of sparks exhilarating?? | ||
| Reg_kittrelle |
Yeah, Hugh, I read that ... just can't connect the dots between that and the XL. Might happen, but hope it doesn't. | ||
| Kaotikevo |
aside from a couple of the obvious haters, the only thing I wanted to comment on, is someone mentioned HD having a problem with sportsters in the marketplace??............HOW SO? the sportster is HD's cash cow and all time sales leader since hd was founded. I also wanted to say that my 95 lb. minichik wife learned just fine on an 01 hugger that weighed in at about 500#. I understand the MSF and their requirements for a smaller, lighter bike (insurance liability), but I would never recommend someone start off on a bike any smaller than what they intend to actually ride with.Learning how to pick up a 350 pound bike is of no benefit if you need to actually pick up a 500# bike in real life, and throttle control is best learned when its actually necessary. Just stay in the parking lot and practice till you can handle the streets. The MSF courses are great tools and I recommend for beginners whole heartedly, but even my ex wife said after taking the course on a lil suzuki boulevard 650(I think??)that it was like starting all over again when she tried to get on the sportster.She had no complaints at all while learning on her 883. | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
MSF does not teach riders to ride their bike, they teach riders the basics of safe motorcycle operation so they can ride any bike. As with all learning processes, it is better to start small and work your way up. Pilots don't learn on a jumbo jet, weight lifters don't start at maximum weight, drivers don't learn in an F1 car, etc... The basics apply to all motorcycles, and therefore in an educational environment the key is user-friendliness. I have no doubt that your ex wife had to "start over" when she got on a Sportster, but when she started over everything she learned on that "lil suzuki" was put into practice- all she had to do was adjust. I would wager that if the MSF course your ex wife took had Sportsters instead of "lil suzuki(s)", 80-90% of the women would either fail or drop out if it was their first time on a motorcycle. The last thing a beginner rider needs is to feel intimidated by the motorcycle- that's a fear that is very hard to overcome. MSF is designed around the least experienced in an average group of people- your ex is the exception, not the average. | ||
| Tiltcylinder |
I like sportsters. I bought my Buell because it's based on one... well at least the engine / tranny architecture is. The Buell is everything I thought a sporty should have become. I am sorry I traded in the '07 883r though. Tall, smooth, decent brakes (made much better with a good set of pads), plenty of corner clearance (once the pegs wore a bit), great mileage and I rode all over with just a factory quarter fairing, mustang seat and toss over saddle bags. My only big failing for it was the suspension... harsh and unadjustable; if it had had the kind of adjustability the Buell has I probably would still be riding it. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
the 1200X is by far the best Harley I've seen introduced in years but I was disappointed to find that they don't have any upgrade muffler system for the ugly-ass one that it comes with. All the rest of the new Harley line has absolutely no appeal to me what so ever! | ||
| Jaimec |
FWIW: NYS had their first EVER MSF Fatality the year they were trialing RidersEdge in Binghamton. A novice rider gave the 500cc Blast full throttle and panicked all the way across the range and into an immovable wall. He/she (not sure of the gender) just launched before either of the instructors could react. That probably explains why there were NO RidersEdge courses in NYS for years (I don't know if that's changed or not recently). There are still some of us who think the Blast may make a wonderful BEGINNER'S bike, but it is a LOUSY TRAINING bike. Harley's money to get the MSF to certify the Blast was just too irresistable to that cash-strapped organization, but you'll note it is ONLY used in Rider's Edge courses... I'm not aware of any other training facility that will touch them. | ||
| Froggy |
Interesting, I am trying to help a friend take a MSF course, he lives near Lake George, I checked on the Harley website last week and couldn't find any dealers within NY (Or at least within like a 200 mile radius) that offered Riders Edge. He plans on buying a Blast so I recommend the RE course. | ||
| Babired |
Jaimec there are lots of instructors who dislike the Blast as a training bike, that's interesting about NY. Last RE meeting we had, which was at the beginning of the year, I told the chief I felt the crashes with the Blasts are more severe, and more in number compared to the other class. That's my personal observation, more in number because once something goes wrong on the Blast its harder to recover. I alway thought the bike becomes a "rocket" when a student loses control. The Chief responded to me and all of the other RE instructors that the crashes on the Blasts are instructor induced! My respect for him went out the window when he said that. Maybe they are if the instructors rush though the first 3 exercises shame on them if they do. But if they didn't then whatever crash happens I feel is more likely on the student's part for having a Brain fart. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Smaller is better for RE. The goal of the course is not, as noted above, to teach people how to ride "their" bikes...but to teach people the *mechanics* of riding A motorcycle. Hand clutch. Front brake (hand). Rear brake (foot). Hand throttle. Foot shifter. Balance. Maneuvering. Get out from under it when it falls. Course instructors do NOT want to add: Weight for picking it back up after it falls Topheavy balance Low-hanging chassis bits/mufflers/controls that drag in turns Non-"ready" riding positions (i.e. forward controls and/or a slouched-back body position) Mountains of torque at idle (nemesis of bad clutchwork, especially with the inexperienced - better to just stall it out) Expensive "bounce-bits" to replace if/when it goes down The rider can learn how to deal with list B...once they master list A. No sense overloading all at once. My wife aced the rider course in Maryland. Only got yelled at (!) for dragging footpegs on the little Shadows/Rebels or whatever they use at the MVA. I got her a used XL, put low shocks on it and a reach seat. She hated it. Never rode it. Went down once making a u-turn, and that was it. Got her an M2L, she's more comfortable on it but nervous about the power. Got her a Blast. Her words: "It's like I don't have to think...I'm just at one with it". She can focus on the mechanics now, and not worry about other stuff yet. Get good at control, and once that becomes second nature...she can move up to something a little more challenging (like that poor M2L out in the barn). Sure. The XL may be HD's "cash cow"...that's price point, plain and simple. How many of them see a second anniversary with their original owners? Not many. Gateway drug, pure and simple. Harley has to have the "trade-up" programs (guaranteed MSRP trade value if traded within a year), to keep the used values out of the dumpster. If a dealer has to buy a used bike at a high price, guess what? They have to sell it at a high price. Keeps the "value" of the brand higher. And they have to do that on the XL because so damned many of them are traded in or sold in the first 2 years...they're worthless as far as the market is concerned. They're everywhere, so the value tanks. And I'm sorry. Every one I've been on since the (slightly higher suspension) R models - with the possible exception of the XR - rides like a freakin' skateboard. No compliance, no suspension travel, and little to no road feel. At least, IMO. Is it a solid motorcycle? Sure. Is it, as the HD website says, "confidence inspiring" with "easy handling"? Not in my book it's not. Sorry. | ||
| Rainman |
Day One of the MSF/RE range is harder on the Blast than the smaller bikes. I give much more time to the friction zone and tell students to not worry about stalling so much. Day Two has almost always been easier with fewer crashes in the box and other maneuvers and a lot less stalling. There have been fatalities on Rebels as well, including one this month in Florence, S.C. There are risks to motorcycling. The Blast is a great beginners bike. Harley would do well to take the engine, the golf-ball plastic body panels and design something they can sell under their name. (NOTE: The opinions of this poster are heavily influenced by the fact that he commutes daily on a retired RE Blast and loves the damn thing.) |
