And I was... Underwhelmed. Granted it was an 883, and might have been running poorly (I don't really know, as I have no basis for comparison), but other than being pretty torquey, I found it too heavy and sluggish compared to my Savage. Also granted that my Savage is a lot lighter than stock, bored out, cam-ed and carb-ed, etc, so I might not have the best un-biased starting point.  

So, to all those who own or "traded up" to a sporty, what am I missing? I want to like them, and was seriously considering picking one up as another project, but as of now I think I'll just look for a vintage CB750 instead.

Well SmokeStack

Did you notice how quiet the motor was ?   The sportsters have Hydraulic lifters and pushrods to lift the valves up .  No more adjusting or noisy  valves  
 
There are a couple of other things that matter .
 
The Pre-2004 sportsters are not rubber mounted motors and you don't want on of them.   You really don't .  
 
The standard Sportsters are to high off the ground and are "Top Heavy" feeling,  the "Low" or lower shocks on the reg. model is what your after.

The basic sportster 883 has a well balanced motor and in 07 had a HP increase (fuel-injected) over the older model .  Weight/HP ratio very similar to a hoped-up S-40.

The 1200 model is exactly  a 883 with bigger piston (same stroke) , taller primary gear and is no longer a well balanced engine (I've had both).  The 1200 is quicker than a S-40  ever can be.   I'm talking 50+ in first , 75+ in second , and geared to top out about 145-150 ish.   It will go through 1st and 2nd just as fast as a standard geared savage/S-40 will but be going a lot faster when it does (High test gas required).

So to recap:
Lower the center of gravity enough to loose the "top heavy" feel
Get the Fuel-injected (07 or newer/50mpg) for the HP increase or go with the 04-06 model for best fuel millage .
Stay with the 883 for smooth  or if your "power hungry" get ya a 1200 model    and "Hang-On"  

I keep my S-40 , and plan on Keeping it ---but the Sportster does the Interstate trips very well (883 with the 1200 primary gearing) best of both Sportster wrapped  up in one  package (smooth and long legged).   .

I've had a few... the old models (Ironheads) were better bikes than the new ones. 1974 and older had right side foot shift and left side brake, just like older Brit bikes. Get a good generator and a good voltage regulator, upgrade the oil pump, get a King tank, and the XL900s were decent. The XL1000 was horrible. The Evo Sporties I've owned/ridden were straight up garbage, be they 883 or 1200, 4 speed or 5 speed models.

I'm buying a 2007 Sportster 1200 Low next week.
I test drove it last week and was intrigued enough to
want it as a companion to my 2007 S40.
Both bikes are mostly stock and I just ride for pleasure
on the beautiful country roads in this part of Ohio.
After a few months I'll be interested to see which bike
I tend to grab the keys for when I want to take a ride.

Hey MM,... where's a good place to get a 30 or 32 tooth front pulley?...
I've read about people getting them for $35, but all I find is $100+...

Todd James wrote on 08/11/14 at 23:17:13:


Todd:

The truth is.....we don't go much over the 30 mph on the Dragon.  There are corners that can't be taken at 30 mph, and on the straights we may go over 30 to pass someone in a hurry.  We all just get in a line and ride at or own pace.....some are quicker than others.  When we get to the end....we just stop, take in the view, and wait for the rest to show up.  We don't approach it like a group of squids taking on New York City!

Dave

Whoo !  

I've never taken my 883 past 90 mph, but it would cruise at 90 just fine .    The 883 ain't no sportbike wheelie machine .
I would guess it having power to do +- 115 or so ?   90 mph is about 1/3 throttle .

Truth be told , we don't really go that fast on those dragon type roads .   Heck ! My pegs drag a lot earlier than OldFellers.   Granted most of the time a little more throttle applied when the pegs first touch down will help get around the corner , but these are FUN-RUNS (most of the time) !  

Yea Greg

Back when I had my 2004 1200 sportster , sometimes I'd get my right knee against the breather , and get it tickled from the vibration.   Kinda reminiscent of a 200 china street-legal dirt bike I used to have (vibrate better than a Fat-Giggler machine  )      I rode with an old feller on a 02 1200 sportster for a while , and always had a hard time getting him to cruse above 70.  Then one day he says "How the He** do you stay on that thing above 65mph ?  Mine vibrates my A** off ! "  

From what I've read the other Harleys rubber mounted years ago but for some reason they held-off on the Sportsters till 04 .

Bot
Ebay ... Mabby the time of year makes a difference ?   I'll help ya watch .