Reconsidering Harleys…
May 14th, 2010 by Leo
[Marissa Miller - before, like Harley, was mainly about posing... But now she's all about riding, and so is Harley]
Harley is hot these days. They figured out what they do best and have started to put their best stuff into it… Of course there were some casualties: Buell, for one… But in return we got the redesigned classics based on the Sportster line like the 2009 Nightsters, and new for 2010 1200cc “Sportster Forty Eight”, the “Fat Boy Lo” with beefy looking forks and cool exhaust…just to mention a few. They’ve managed to make them new and classic looking at the same time, along the lines of what Ducati did with its Sport Classic line.
Feet forward is still NOT the best way to ride, but if you like to touch your toes then you might as well do it on a Harley. If you’re buying an older cruiser, then you might still do better with one of the big four (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha) versions because of reliability and handling on older models. But if you’re planning on buying new, Harley seems to have worked out the reliability issue in the past several years…so if you want a feet forward cruiser, you better go for the real thing.
Are they good city bikes? I’m not sure… Feet forward isn’t just a problem for cornering, it’s a problem around potholes too not to mention slippery weather riding. But if you have to have one, then now is the time…they’re making some of the best bikes they’ve ever made right now.
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I ride an XL883N. It’s my first bike, so I can’t compare it to anything, but I’ve loved learning on it. It’s got mid controls, so it doesn’t have the cornering problems you allude to here. I get compliments on it all the time. I highly recommend it.
Yeah mid controls are the way to go for handling. And the 09 flat black sportster is probably one of the cooler looking bikes Harley ever made.
That’s exactly the bike I have! The Iron 883.