Ohh the pain! Sportster S

[bdalameda]

I went to the International Motorcycle Show last week at the Sonoma Raceway. Harley had the new Sportster S on display with the new 1250 Engine. A very compact sort of chubby little bike. I sat on the new bike - seems very small - probably good for the shorter riders. Nice to see something modern coming out of Harley. One very big problem though at least in my opinion. The new Sporster S only has 1 1/2 inches of rear wheel suspension travel!!! Maybe kidney belts are coming back into style.

 

[TourNut]

Another "new , State-of-the-Art" V-Twin ?

 

[kezug]

I am heading to IMS in Chicago next month. I have never been to one of these and I am going because I have a chance to sit and/or test ride many different styles of bikes. However, as I have stated, I have never been to one of these shows and I have no idea how crowded or how realistic it it will be to even test ride. Can someone shed some light on what to expect for test rides (the sites says its first come first serve, so I need to know if this requires careful planning and super early time to get in line...)

Thanks in advance.

 

[paulcb]

I’ve been to a few of their Dallas shows and haven’t ever seen test rides, just bikes in the booths. Maybe they were available and I just didn’t know about it, but never saw any ads/notices for test rides.

 

[Tedbrogden]

The upcoming show at the Texas Motor Speedway is advertising test rides on lots off bikes.

 

[kezug]

kezug : probably should get bullet-proof clothes for your Chicago trip ! : Tracking Chicago shooting victims: 2,021 so far this year, 164 more than in 2020. - Chicago Tribune

"Chicago" is a loose reference as the actual location for the "Chicago" IMS Outdoor event is actually quite far from the heart of Chicago (50 miles) and all the areas for all the shootings too (which is in a separate/small section of this map).

IMS Outdoors - Chicago
GOEBBERT'S FARM
AUGUST 20 - 22, 2021

 

[paulcb]

The upcoming show at the Texas Motor Speedway is advertising test rides on lots off bikes.

Oh, cool!

 

[dwalby]

One very big problem though at least in my opinion. The new Sporster S only has 1 1/2 inches of rear wheel suspension travel!!!

Add that to the 6" travel on the trailer, and it will be just fine.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

"Chicago" is a loose reference as the actual location for the "Chicago" IMS Outdoor event is actually quite far from the heart of Chicago (50 miles) and all the areas for all the shootings too (which is in a separate/small section of this map).

IMS Outdoors - Chicago
GOEBBERT'S FARM
AUGUST 20 - 22, 2021

This kinda puts our shooting gallery situation into perspective. Most shootings in Dallas are occurring within a single six block area. Mostly local street gangs and national/international drug gangs. Apparently local officialdom has taken the same corrective action most other afflicted cities have...catch 'n release, drop charges to make the miserable statistics look a bit better, accept gang activity as 'normal', blame it on 'gun violinz', and weep about it on tv.

 

[ReSTored]

2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S first ride review - RevZilla

A new era of Sportster starts here.

www.revzilla.com

Apparently a huge improvement over the current model

 

[bdalameda]

I guess I'm not the only one who noticed the 1 1/2 inches of wheel travel. I guess it is actually a whopping 2" of travel.

2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S Review - First Ride

I take back all the nasty things Ive said about Sportsters over the years. The 2021 Harley-Davidson Sportster S makes up for all of them.

www.motorcycle.com

 

[snowmoer]

The shows are normally over the winter and held in large convention halls so you can get your winter bike fix. Because of COVID restrictions, they are holding them outside during the summer again this year. I have gone to them for over 30 years. Last year is the first I missed. I plan on going to the So Cal show in Nov. They have not released the dates or location yet. They may be waiting to see if COVID restrictions are lifted and have it back in the Long Beach Convention Hall.

For demo rides, get there early so you can get your name on the list. Go to the manufacture trailers that you want to demo as soon as you get there. Do not wait! The lists fill up quick. They will give you a time to be back at the trailer. You should find them at the edge of the parking area. But, each venue is a little different that they have demo rides at.

 

[ST Gui]

Hm. It's got a longer wheel base and a slightly short seat height than a STock 1300 and 500lbs at the curb. And a 6-spd box. Makes the ST something like a ballerina out of Fantasia.

I'm not quite down with the bobber look but I could be persuaded maybe. Not at all liking the scrambler-style pipes or the lack of a rear fender. Proper rear fender IMNSHO. And to my eye the bike could use more color. If it had a traditional color matched front and rear fender it would look longer.

The headlight is better looking than the rectangular array on big H-Ds. Maybe add a bikini fairing to cover up the open space at the top of the forks. A 3gal tank makes for some potential range considerations. But then no one should be buying this as a primary tourer. I wouldn't mind getting a test ride on one.

 

[bdalameda]

Hm. It's got a longer wheel base and a slightly short seat height than a STock 1300 and 500lbs at the curb. And a 6-spd box. Makes the ST something like a ballerina out of Fantasia.

I'm not quite down with the bobber look but I could be persuaded maybe. Not at all liking the scrambler-style pipes or the lack of a rear fender. Proper rear fender IMNSHO. And to my eye the bike could use more color. If it had a traditional color matched front and rear fender it would look longer.

The headlight is better looking than the rectangular array on big H-Ds. Maybe add a bikini fairing to cover up the open space at the top of the forks. A 3gal tank makes for some potential range considerations. But then no one should be buying this as a primary tourer. I wouldn't mind getting a test ride on one.

The RH side is much better looking than the LH side. The LH side looks like a hardware store explosion.

 

[ST Gui]

The RH side is much better looking than the LH side. The LH side looks like a hardware store explosion.

+1 Probably H-D's take on Bobber meets Street fighter.

I still don't like the high pipes but some color on both sides of the bike would be a big plus for me. Talk about extremes. From the ST's See No Engine to the Sportster S' Engine's everywhere look... And H-D has the nerve to charge $350 for color. Still - if I won the lottery...

 

[Daboo]

Do you guys set up cameras to look at the bike while you're riding? I haven't figured out how to do more than look over my dash and windshield when on the move.

 

[Sparky1971]

I dig it, Looks like a transformer about to turn into a robot.