Hey there! Thanks for hanging out while I shared a little bit of my personal story. What do you think I replaced the Sportster with? Drop a guess! ⌨️👇🏻

I am 66 years old, have been riding on the street since age 16, and off road before that. I have owned 37 different bikes (NO crotch rockets) and ridden over a million miles. The EVO Sportster is my favorite bike. I have owned three of them, all bought used, and all carbureted. Two of them were 1200s, one was an 883. All three of them were made well before the hideously ugly Iron models. They all had bright shiny paint, lots of unpainted aluminum, and lots of chrome. I added some chrome to all of them. All of the had cast wheels with tubeless tires. Stay far away from bikes with tube type tires. I learned that lesson the hard way.

The main things that attract me to the Sportster are its looks, sound, and feel. Having had a lot of Japanese cruisers, I loved the way they looked, but the sound and feel were missing. After buying my first Sportster, a 1997 883, I was hooked. While the 883 is not the best for long distance highway cruising, it is certainly capable of it. My first brand new bike was a 1980 Suzuki GS450L. The cruiser version of the Suzuki GS450. It looked great, and was very comfortable, and proved to be extremely reliable. I put over 40,000 miles on that bike, most of them on the highway. Long distance highway riding quickly became my favorite type of riding. And the little 450 had no problem keeping up with highway traffic. The Sportster 883 has almost twice the displacement, so it has plenty of power for long distance highway riding. But the 1200 is better, and if you plan on doing a lot of long distance highway riding, I definitely suggest getting the 1200.

My current Sportster is a 2006 1200C. I bought it in 2013, with 7200 miles on it. 2006 is the last year of the carbureted Sportsters. It is the third year for the rubber mount Sportster with the 4.5 gallon tank, which gives you over 200 miles of range. It's also big enough to use a magnetic tank bag on. This bike currently had just over 36,000 miles on it. It would have more, but I have a couple more bikes. The Sportster is my favorite though. I have not made many modifications to it. It still has it's stock seat and suspension, which work just fine. The 1200C came with a 21" wire spoke front wheel with a tube type tire. That was an absolute no go for me. I replaced it with a 19" cast front wheel and tubeless front tire. I replaced the grips. The 1200C comes with forward controls, and with a 34" inseam, they work fine for me. If you are shorter, mid controls might work better for you. I installed hard leather saddlebags with Easy Brackets, which required relocating the turn signals. The Easy Brackets lock the bags to the bike, but allow you to easily unlock and remove them. I installed a tall sissy bar, so I could attach a T Bag to it. I replaced the black side covers with chrome ones. I have added a few more chrome bits here and there. One of the first things I did was to replace the stock mufflers with aftermarket slip ons. Those made it sound great around town and on local rides. But out on the open highway, they were a bit loud. I wound up switching back to stock.

The 1200cc carbureted rubber mount Sportster is a nearly ideal long distance motorcycle. It tops out over 120 mph, and will easily handle highway speeds. It's as reliable as an anvil. It's very low maintenance. You can load a ton of stuff on it. I have done a couple of Iron Butt SS1000s on it with no problems. Even with the stock exhaust it sounds great. The low frequency vibration is wonderful. Let's you know there is a big internal combustion engine down there. The 1200 Sportster is only 140cc less than the 1340cc EVO big twin used in the big touring bikes, and it has amazing performance in the smaller, lighter Sportster.

I've been on Sportsters since 06. My first 05 1200 ran 130k miles before I sold it. I took my 883 on rides up to 4000 miles. It's now a hardtail chop with 90 hp and a 455 pound wet weight. My latest 1200 I picked up a couple years ago (I've been using it for dirt runs on the BDR-X) is preparing to become a trike for grocery runs, winter and my quickly approaching old age.
There is literally no other platform that can do all that.
Sportsters are awesome!!

I own a 2009 XR1200, I love riding it, always puts a huge grin on my face.

Well I just bought a 2014 1200T. I have a 2022 heritage. I’m getting up in years so I thought I would try this sportster. Thanks for the show. I’m feeling better about this smaller bike. Getting it Saturday. I’m sorry to hear about your Dad passing.❤ I’m facing Prostate cancer issues.  I hope anyone who might read this. Get your PSA tested after  age 40.  Take care.

Hi from New Zealand. Ever since a kid I've had Triumphs, and I love everything about them. A year ago, I hired a Harley Road Glide and road Route 66 with my wife just the 2 of us no tour group. I was never really interested in Harleys but during that trip things changed. When I got home, I started looking around and came across a 2009 Sportster C in very good condition with 62000 kilometers on the clock. I really love riding this bike so much that my other bikes haven't been run for the last 12 months.

Very good video that makes a lot of great points.

Sportsters are very practical single person transportation. I paid only $4k for a beautiful 1200 Roadster its been nothing but smiles for cheap. Great buy at todays prices.

I am a former Motorcycle Design Engineer. I worked for one the the major M/C companies for over two decades. At the time I retired there were very few things with two wheels and a motor I had not ridden both on road and off. There are two bikes I keep of the countless number of motorcycles I have owned: My purchased new 1996 Sportster and my purchased slightly used  "Japanese Bonneville" my 1972 Yamaha XS650. I own them because when all other things are consider, for me, they represent the essence of "motorcycling" that for me includes "wrenching on my rig". The Sportster started life as of course a completely stock '96. I upped it to 1250cc and ported the heads my self after lots of welding to a "raised D" port of the Harley Flat Trackers and raised the compression ratio, added slip ons and some re-jetting, best rear shocks available and a "screaming eagle" type air filter. It runs flawless and I love it with the blurred at 65 mirrors and all.  It's   "my" Sportster. "   "This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine."     Both bikes (the XS is completely stock other than jetting, substantially improved shocks and tires) can go anywhere in America and any distance as long as you keep a top max speed of 70-80 MPH which is plenty if you want to smell the roses and see the eagles fly. They are simple. They are true. They get great gas milage. They are primitive. They can be "fixed" with a screwdriver and paper clip. Everywhere I ride them and park them they attract admirers. Both bikes have either increased in value or maintained their value. Go find the bike you love, make it yours, keep it and love it without shame. I just happen to choose those two.

Nice vid. I love Sportsters, wire wheeled, peanut tank Sportsters are the best looking motorcycles ever IMO.

New rider at 57(outside of some dirt bikes and a 250 Yamaha trail bike)and the Sportster just speaks to me. I’ve looked at a number of cruisers but I think I’m going for an 883. Great channel

I traded in a moto Guzzi V7 and got a ‘09 1200C. Such a difference in the way the bike stays planted, with great torque. This is my second Harley, having owned a handful of different makes. and probably my last bike purchase. More fun than any other I owned. I still regret selling the first softail, but i don’t have the garage space for more than one. This ,new to me, 1200C rips!

104,000 miles and counting on my '09 Sporty. You hit the nail on the head when you said suspension mods first! I replaced my rubber engine mounts at 88,000 miles with the noticeably firmer Drag Specialties units and what a difference! Vibrations went way down. The biggest advantage to The Sportster is you can work on it yourself, it's basically a motorcycle from 1957 with FI scabbed onto it.

I had a 01 1200 and I constantly think about it and all I did on it.  Would love to get another.

I've owned my 96 XL since 96. Did the Hammer 1275 conversion along with several upgrades to improve reliability, safety and comfort. I have 90K on it now. I did everything with this bike I was told should not be done on a Sportster. Several 3 day 700 plus mile trips, lots of highway riding and once 15 miles through the desert when the only road home was blocked off due to a huge pileup. This bike has been a blast to ride and has surprised several bigger bike owners. I always look forward to swinging my leg over that seat!

Really enjoyed your honesty. And reflection. My dog is running around with yours for sure. 🐾 🌈

You hit the nail on the head. A Sportster is easy to learn how to wrench on. It laid down the foundation of working bikes that has served me well my whole life.

I'm still so sad you lost your pup.

Great clip mate ,I've owned a 1979 xlch ironhead for 41 years I'm still loving it ,gidday from Sydney Australia

Years of metric bikes, the Sportster 1200T is the sledge hammer. I did a 2026 HD demo ride. I’ll keep my Sportster.

Plenty of fast sportys out there, anything with a 1250-1275 kit pushing 90-110hp and 2-300lb less than big twins. I recently picked up an 04 with an S&S 1250 kit for $3500, runs hard af.  Can’t find a big twin in that price range that isn’t worn out and slow.