Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom reviews

This mean machine runs strong. No mechanical problems at all. Has beautiful liquid finish paint and deep solid chrome. My last years Honda doesn't come close. I should have bought this Sportster first.

The bike is great! I traded up to a Super Glide is the only reason you see her here. It's a great entry level bike for first time Harley owners. It's speedy and agile and there's the great feeling of knowing that you own a Harley. A lot of heads turn as you pass by. Who knows...maybe you will be trading up in a few months as well. Kudos to Russ and the whole staff for taking such good care of me.

I have owned this bike three full years, and purchased it new. I use it for commuting and transportation, riding about 3k-4k miles per year March - November. In Maine, that means I ride in temperatures ranging from 20 deg. F to 90 deg. F (20 deg. F is only bearable because my commute is 15-20 minutes). The Sportster is my third bike. It handles well for a cruiser/standard, and has good power for a 1200 cc V-twin. Gas mileage varies from the low 40s in mixed city/highway riding to nearly 50 mpg. on extended rides on secondary roads. Most maintenance is simple enough to do at home with basic tools and a repair manual. The main weaknesses of the bike are the suspension and seat. Personally, I would also prefer a cast 19 inch front wheel. My only issue so far has been a loose ground cable connection at the battery, which left me stranded beside the road a few weeks ago. My wife came with my truck and tools, and I fixed it in about 15 minutes. This is the price you pay for riding a non-counterbalanced V-twin.

Update on my Sporty. Added Samson Hellraiser Exhaust with Screaming Eagle Cone Siper filter and fuel pak and the difference is soooo much better. My bike finally looks, sounds and performs like a true Harley. Look up my review under exhaust. Now my bike is truly bad ass. Alsmost as if an additional gear was added. The sound is ever so sweet and the look makes my sporty look more chopperish. I love it!

Fast acceleration with Harley attitude. Very stable and a pleasure to ride. Excellent fit and finish along with attention to detail. 1200cc's make this bike a torque monster. Great in the city but screams for the highway.

It was love at first ride. The Victory Vegas Jackpot that I had been riding was poorly balanced and about as exciting to ride as a tree stump in a fast flowing river. It was time to change. I test drove the 2009 Harley Dyna Glide and the 2009 Harley XL Custom Sportster. There was no question, the Sportster put the love of riding back into my life. The Sportster is quick, agile, and effortless to ride. It corners like a dream and even with factory pipes, it has a sweet, warm, almost delicious rumble. I added a buddy seat for my wife and a pair of passing lights. Harley has made this rider a Harley enthusiast for a life time. I'll never go back.

For those of you that have read my reviews of my three previous bikes, this is my fourth bike in 15 months. Hopefully, I have finally found the right bike for me. I traded in a seven-month-old Honda VTX1300R for this one, and I still kept the 2007 Harley XL883Low for my girlfriend. This bike solves all of the painful bump problems of the little Harley, gets better fuel economy than my Honda did, rides almost as comfortable as the Honda did, but I now have no doubts that I am riding a real motorcycle instead of an easy chair on two wheels. It is also very nice to finally have some decent torque, which neither of my former Hondas had. It handles the twisties as if they were nothing. I actually found myself daydreaming around some hairpin curves, which used to be unthinkable on the Hondas. As for comfort level with a Sundowner seat, I just took her for a 220 mile trip this afternoon, only stopping for gas. I was not in any pain at all afterwards, just a bit tired from still refusing to have a windshield. Fuel economy has been running from 43-45 MPG on premium gas. Screaming Eagle slip-ons will improve this greatly (at a later date). The only quirk is one area of the gear ratios. If you get behind someone who insists on alternating their speed between 55-60 mph, then you will be constantly shifting back and forth between 4th and 5th gears. Just get her up to 62 mph in 5th and stay there, or higher. I will also replace the stock mirrors with long-stem rectangulars. This is the perfect bike for the no-frills rider, as in no floorboards, no windshield, no saddle bags, and certainly no fairing. Less is better.

The more miles I put on this bike the better it gets. I broke the bike in per recommondations and after that I have found the performance just keeps getting better. It will purr down the freeway at 80 all day long getting 52 miles per gallon. Handles well on curvy roads, with the rubber mounted engine and the fuel injection the 07 is a great bike. Only draw back is the stock seat, after about 2000 miles I had to get a better one and like all Sportsters, you will get some engine heat while at idle but none once you're rolling. Ride Safe!

When I got back into riding a couple of years back, I worked my way up the Suzuki food chain. From a little GZ250 to a Volusia and finally a Boulevard C90. But I never felt quite at home. By the time I'd realized it, I was on a bike that was too big, too heavy and too intimidating for me. A friend had purchased a Harley and raved about it. So, I took a look at the Sportsters. The XL883C was very nice, but the styling cues of the XL1200C pulled me in. The chrome on the engine. The badges instead of decals. Then I saw the White Gold paint. I put down a deposit before I even rode one. The handling is so much more nimble. I don't feel like I'm fighting the bike to get it around the corner. While I'm still getting used to a few things, I finally feel like I've found the right bike for me. Can't wait to get my Mustang seat on it for some long rides. The only real downside that I can see is the lack of a fuel gauge. It has a one-gallon warning light, but I'd prefer something to keep closer track of the fuel.

I have ownded 2 different Hondas that I enjoyed very much. But nothing can compare to the ground pounding power and sound of a Harley Davidson. I am so happy with my Sportster. I may not always own Sportsters for the rest of my life but I will own nothing but Harleys for the rest of my life. I have road my Sportster all over the state. It's perfect by myself but I will be upgrading the seat for my girlfriend who can only make it 75-100 miles on the stock seat. After puchasing my Sportster, all my friends sold their Jap bikes and followed suit by buying Harleys.