Issue 132 : December 2003 - January 2004

NEC Bike Show
KTM Adventure
Harley's V-Rod
Tigger Tribute
Harley Sportsters

They're Sportsters Jim but not as we knew them...

Harley-Davidson have finally rubber mounted the Sportsters - Roland Brown enjoys

It's an unwritten rule of bike launches that manufacturers don't bring along the previous year's model for comparison. While the chance to compare old and new might sound like the perfect way for the firms to highlight improvements, the risk that some journalists will prefer last year's bike to its replacement is always enough to ensure that the previous models are kept well out of the way. So it's a measure of Harley-Davidson's confidence that as well as spending most of the day in the Austrian hills aboard the latest Sportsters, we started and finished with a blat on the bikes that they are replacing. Cynics would suggest that it was the fact that the old models were mediocre bikes that prompted Harley's decision. It's certainly true that, while the firm has updated the rest of its range to good effect in recent years, the Sportsters have been almost ignored. All that changes now, with a major revival that sees an all-new four-bike Sportster range (down from the previous seven models), all featuring rubber-mounted motors. The XL1200R Roadster combines a hotted-up, 70bhp V-twin with shapely retro gas tank, slightly raised bars, cast wheels, twin front discs, and twin instruments. The XL1200C Custom has the same motor with wire-spoked front wheel and disc rear, pulled-back bars, lower seat, and bigger tank. The XL883C Custom combines that same look with a rubber-mounted version of the smaller motor. And the XL883 is the base model, with cast wheels, single disc and no tacho.

XL1200R Roadster
Having chosen a 2003-model Sportster Sport for the short trip to pick up the new bikes, it made sense to climb straight aboard its replacement, the XL1200R Roadster. And once under way it only took one brief burst of acceleration to confirm that Harley's decision to let us test the two bikes back-to-back wasn't much of a risk. Where the Sportster Sport motor had felt like a bag of nails from 4000rpm, the new bike surged to 6000rpm with a smooth, pleasantly rev-happy feel that made it faster and a whole lot more enjoyable to ride. In some respects the new XL is much like the old. The style is classical Sportster, the view from the slightly lower seat (can't say I noticed the difference) is still of a simple pair of black-faced clocks. But the oil filler cap was better tucked away beneath my right leg. The aircooled motor jiggled about in the frame at tickover, inevitably quiet with its legal pipes. Ironically my initial feel after pulling away was of slight disappointment, because at very low revs the rubber mounting removes some of the solid-mounted motor's engagingly direct, mechanical feel. But as soon as I reached the open road and wound back the throttle, that initial feeling was dramatically reversed. The new bike felt so much better it could have been from a different planet. The power increase is not massive, though there's a bit more urge, and the still carburetted Harley remains crisp below 2000rpm. The new model feels much faster, though, because you can make use of its complete rev range. At 4000rpm, where the old model had started shaking painfully, the Roadster was still encouraging me to give it more; even to take it to the 6000rpm redline through the uprated but still rather slow and occasionally noisy five-speed gearbox.

I ended up on the motorway, rumbling along at a flat-out indicated 110mph with chin on the tank as the Sportster stayed smooth enough to make the experience fun rather than a pain. More to the point, the bike was happy to cruise as fast as my neck muscles allowed, without the vibration-induced limit of about 70mph that its predecessor had suffered with. Its stability and handling were pretty good, too, although Harley has abandoned the uprated, adjustable suspension of the Sportster Sport, mainly for cost reasons. The non-adjustable forks and preload-tunable shocks worked reasonably well most of the time, giving a fairly comfortable ride. But the shocks bottomed out on me once in a high-speed dip in the road, and could use more travel, a more progressive action or both. Even so, the XL's cornering ability was limited mainly by its poor ground clearance. Trying to make use of the fatter, 150-section rear Dunlop D401's grip was hopeless, especially in right-handers where the lower silencer's brackets dragged early. Most XL riders won't ride hard enough to worry but it's something Harley should improve, because the rest of the Roadster is well up to more enthusiastic riding. Its double helping of Nissin front brake caliper gave decent stopping power, too, preferably aided by a dab with the controllable rear. What it adds up to is a bike that's far better than any Sportster before it, mainly because the motor is so much more useable. Previous 1200 models looked great but simply shook too much to be fun out of town. All of a sudden, the Sportster has become a reasonably quick and practical bike that would be happy keeping up with plenty of other naked machines.

XL1200C Custom
Most of the same comments apply to the Custom version of the bigger model, arguably even more so. Although it doesn't have the classical early-Sixties Sportster look of the Roadster, the Custom is perhaps even prettier, with its narrow, wire-spoked 21-inch front wheel, solid rear wheel, higher bars and lower rear end. The engine is identical to the Roadster's but the riding position is very different, thanks to the higher handlebars on their chromed riser, and the forward-set foot controls. Both bars and pegs are set 38mm further back than on last year's model, so are more within reach for shorter riders. This and the view of a single speedo and round shiny headlamp give a view reminiscent of some of Harley's Big Twins. And that feeling was reinforced when the rubber-mounted motor fired up, its smooth and relaxed feel immediately adding to the laid-back cruiser image. On the Custom I was less tempted to use the new-found smoothness at higher revs, but there was still no doubt that this would have been very welcome on a longer ride than our bike-swapping day in the Austrian hills.

The Harley certainly didn't seem to have lost any low-rev response in the conversion. You could put in plenty of miles before stopping, too, due to the Custom's large, 17-litre gas tank. And a bit of extra acceleration never did any harm, particularly when accompanied by a reasonably efficient single disc brake at each end.

In bends the lower-slung Custom grounded its pipes even earlier than the Roadster. With its slightly more kicked-out front forks it tended to fall into turns slightly, too, though handling was by no means bad and stability was fine. After all, Harley did say that the fatter back tyre was for looks, not grip. The Sportster Custom has always put style before performance, and it's still the less practical of the two new 1200s. But if its more laid-back image appeals, the XL1200C Custom is now as good to ride as it is to look at.

XL883 and XL883C Custom
At a glance there's barely any difference between the new XL883C Custom and its larger-engined sibling. No doubt about it, this stretched-out, nicely detailed and beautifully finished smaller Custom is a seriously attractive motorbike, with that all-important name on its gas tank. And although its 883cc engine is essentially unchanged, the rubber mounting means that the V-twin's modest performance is now more accessible. The smaller motor didn't shake quite as viciously as the 1200cc unit when solidly mounted, so the difference is less pronounced. On the other hand, because the 883cc V-twin doesn't have as much low-rev grunt, you have to use more revs for worthwhile performance. Either way, the welcome lack of a sudden juddering as engine speed hits a certain point means you can just get on with enjoying the ride.

The 883 won't win many burn-ups but it'll certainly beat the traffic away from the lights. And it will feel mighty good doing it, especially if your last bike was something smaller. Top speed is about 95mph, and even this Custom will sit smoothly and happily at 70mph, which is as fast as your neck muscles will tolerate for long anyway. For many riders the ergonomic improvements will be just as important. The normal-size bar grips, reasonably light clutch pull, closer (but still very forward-set) foot controls and low seat make for easier control at low speed - and importantly so, for some, because at 255kg the Harley is a heavy bike. Handling, like that of the bigger version, is slow verging on ponderous, and there's not much ground clearance. Best to slow down, relax and enjoy the view. Same goes for the basic XL883 model, which truly is a built-to-a-price machine with - unlike the XL1200R - single seat, single front disc and single instrument dial. So what? The peanut tank and bare rear end give a wonderfully clean look, in a choice of four single colours. (The Sportsters have 33 paint and tank size options between them; tanks can be fitted to all 2004 XLs but not previous models.)

More importantly the XL883, although less dramatically improved than the bigger model, is also a much nicer bike. It works much as you might expect, combining the chassis performance of the 1200R with the power delivery of the 883C Custom. Even by the standards of other entry-level twins, it's not particularly quick, doesn't handle especially well, and isn't outstandingly comfortable, versatile or well equipped. What it is, is a gen-u-ine Harley-Davidson that looks heart-stoppingly cute, goes pretty well provided you bear in mind that it's essentially a cruiser, and is priced very competitively at a little above last year's figure. (Especially as an immobiliser is now included in the price.) The XL883 is also, of course, an invitation from Milwaukee to spend more cash on Genuine Motor Accessories...

The bottom line is that last year, I wouldn't have recommended a new Sportster to anyone, unless they were desperate to own a Harley and couldn't afford anything better. In contrast these new models retain the good points of their predecessors, and have eliminated the most important drawbacks. If you always rather fancied a Harley, your reasons not to get one might just have run out.

Harley's three main aims with the new Sportsters were to reduce vibration, increase performance and improve ergonomics. Their development team began work five years ago and investigated using engine counter-balancers before opting to rubber-mount the engines in a new frame. In developing both chassis and powerplant they worked closely with engineers from Buell, whose bikes have long used tuned and rubber-mounted, Sportster-based motors. The new twin-cradle frame uses two large rubber mounts, located low down at the front and rear. Each mount incorporates two rubber pucks. Three Buell-style metal tie-rods limit the engine's vibration to a rotational movement along the line of the bike (similar to the travel of a bicycle pedal). Because the engine is no longer a stressed member of the chassis the frame is 26 per cent stiffer, due to a thicker main spine. The other main chassis changes are a wider, 150-section (from 130-) rear tyre on all four models, more for style than performance, and new twin-piston Nissin brake calipers. While the 883 motor is relatively unchanged, the 1200 unit is comprehensively uprated, starting with improved cooling due to increased fin area on cylinder heads and barrels. The pistons are cooled by oil jets in Buell fashion, and use new rings also borrowed from Buell, who also provide the valves and high-flow cylinder heads. Lighter pistons and conrods allow the rev limit to be increased from 5500 to 6000rpm. There's also a new ignition system, revised gearshift mechanism, and an uprated crankcase breather designed to reduce oil blowback into the airbox. The Sportsters remain the only bikes in Harley's range to use carburettors, but they get new exhaust systems, with a hidden link between the front and rear pipes. The 1200's peak power output is increased by 15 per cent to 70bhp at 6000rpm, with 93N.m of torque at 3300rpm. The 883's figure remain 53bhp at 6000rpm, and 69N.m at 4200rpm. Ergonomic changes centre on making the bikes more comfortable and easier to ride, especially as a relatively large percentage of Sportster riders are female. Seat height is lowered on all models, and handlebar grips are narrower. The effort needed to operate the clutch is reduced, by 25 per cent on the 883s, 8 per cent on the 1200s. A new pop-up oil dipstick sits flush with the top of the tank, rather than sticking into the rider's inner thigh as before.

Roland Brown

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