HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPORTSTER XL1200R, XL1200C, XL883C, XL883
The Harley-Davidson company, apparently, is absolutely confident in any of its products - both before and after testing the newest Sportster, journalists were given the opportunity to ride the “old” ones, and there were seven models. Their series was extended by a series of four new ones. Common feature: the motors are mounted on rubber silent blocks. The features of each are as follows. The XL1200R Roadster has an uprated V-twin engine, a retro-style gas tank, slightly raised handlebars, alloy wheels and dual front brake discs. The custom XL1200C has the same engine, spoked front and disc rear wheels, pushed-back handlebars, a lower seat and a larger tank. The custom XL883C looks the same as the 1200, only it has a smaller engine size. The base model is XL883, it has cast wheels, one disk and no tachometer. And now - in more detail, based on fresh driving impressions.
XL1200R ROADSTER
I arrived at the testing site in a 2003 Sportster Sport, and then switched to the new XL1200R. It was enough to step on the gas once to make sure that Harley was not taking any risks by giving us, journalists, the opportunity to compare the old and new models. After revving the crankshaft to 4,000 rpm, the Sport's engine shook and rumbled like an iron box of nails. Meanwhile, the engine of the new bike smoothly gained speed up to the maximum 6 thousand. It was as if he himself liked to spin faster, so it was more pleasant for me to ride.
The new XL is similar in many ways to the old model. The styling is classic Sportster. The seat, however, is lower (at least, this is what the manufacturer claims, but I must admit, I didn’t feel the difference). There are a pair of black dials on the dashboard. The oil filler plug is hidden under the right leg. At idle, the engine (it has an air-cooling system) swayed in the frame, and thanks to the new exhaust system it was much quieter. It’s funny, but when the bike started moving, I was disappointed: at low speeds, the silent blocks prevent you from feeling the natural mechanical operation of the engine. But as soon as I got onto the highway and stepped on the gas, I felt like “I don’t want to!” - and the mood lifted.
The new bike proved to be so much more advanced, as if it had been produced on another planet. Power? No, it has not increased much, however, the engine has become noticeably more lively. These Harleys are still carbureted, so up to 2000 rpm the engine is a bit harsh. But there’s no denying that the new motorcycle is faster, if only because of the new opportunity to use the entire rev range.
At 4000 rpm, at which the previous model had already begun to vibrate, I was waiting for me to add more. It may be slow (and noisy), but with the help of a modified 5-speed gearbox I forced the tachometer needle to creep up to the 6000 rpm red line. Towards the end of the test, I went out onto the track and, bending over the gas tank, accelerated the bike to 180 km/h. The Sportster was running smoothly - all I could do was have fun. The bike would have been happy to rush just as fast, and I would have helped it, but the neck muscles, tired of keeping the head glued to the body, protested. But even through this painful fatigue, I noted: the Roadster does not vibrate even at speeds above 115 km/h, unlike its predecessor. Handling is stable, although the company's engineers did not install the new adjustable suspension from the Sportster Sport (I assume, mainly so as not to increase the cost of the motorcycle).
The non-adjustable fork and shock absorbers, adjustable only by spring preload, worked flawlessly for most of the trip, providing a comfortable ride. I thought the fat 150mm Dunlop D401 rear tire would have better grip than before, but I was wrong. And the low ground clearance limited the XL's lean in corners. Especially on the right: the lower part of the muffler was rubbing against the ground. But I'm sure that most XL drivers won't be bothered by this - few would think of driving it that fast. Still, Harley designers should think about how to avoid scraping the asphalt, since everything else about the Roadster is designed to go fast. Including dual Nissin front brake discs: they stopped the bike twice as well. Well, the rear brake helped.
Without reservation I will say: this bike is an order of magnitude better than all previous Sportsters. Mainly, of course, thanks to the engine. Previous 1200 models looked great, but on the highway they were so shaken that you get minimal pleasure from driving. The Sportster has become a fast and practical bike, it will not lag behind other “naked” devices.
Absolutely wonderful characters appeared in the comments to the previous post, I even screenshotted this brilliant comment. So, under the cut of the wonders of Photoshop, a short story about a small solo ride across Europe on a charged 2003 Ridged (remember, 1250 cc, the motor without balancers is rigidly fixed in the frame).
The purpose of the trip was simple and banal. Prague, July 5-8, 2021, 115 years of Harley Davidson, the next event will be only in five years - you have to go, be it a carcass or a scarecrow.
I sketched out a route (Russia - Finland - Sweden - Denmark - Germany - the Netherlands - Belgium - Luxembourg - France - Germany again - Czech Republic - Slovakia - Hungary - Slovakia again - Czech Republic again - Germany again - Finland again - hello, swamp St. Petersburg!) . I came to the personnel at work and said, “give me three weeks of vacation, please,” the personnel did not raise an eyebrow, they said, “Yes, please!”
Preparing the motorcycle did not take much time. Plywood for the trunk so that the central trunk does not fall off, change the oil and filter in Finland with friends - and you’re good to go.
I took a ferry to Stockholm, hung out there for a bit and headed to the southwest of Sweden, to Gothenburg. In the process, I visited Västerås and Örebro, looked at traditional Scandinavian architecture, and marveled at the price tags for everything.
Looking ahead, the price tag in the Scandinavian countries for everything is a continuation of the Viking traditions of robbing the peoples of Europe. It’s just more convenient and you don’t have to swim anywhere.
Somewhere on the road to Westeros.
Castle in Örebro. This is the only photo, since I couldn’t find parking for a moped, plus I was still extremely scrupulous with traffic rules back then.
Gothenburg canals. Peter is Peter, only dirtier and more expensive.
Yes, I didn’t like Gothenburg - motherfuckers. At 8 pm there are no people in the city center, just gypsies and Turks. They yell at each other, honk their horns, there is “Fuck the police” graffiti everywhere, it’s hellishly dirty and I’m such a snowflake in the middle of this crazy place. I bought a magnet and almost ran out of there, otherwise I felt just like Willis in the photo below.
In the morning I also stopped by the Haga quarter, which is also in Gothenburg. I wasn’t impressed, alas, I’m still more drawn to medieval Europe, Scandinavia is like Ikea. Everyone has been to Ikea and seen this style - clean, spacious, no frills - and so, their whole country is like this. Boring.
With these thoughts I went to Malmo/Copenhagen. The Swedes, just so you know, drive along highways at least +15 to signs, and absolutely everything. At first I didn’t understand this and thought “damn, how can this be, I’m following the signs, why are they all like that,” then I spat and came up with the main rule of the whole trip, “drive like local,” which I still found useful later.
Malmo is a strange little town, absolutely not remembered for anything, except that I met Drogan from Serbia there, who listened to my moped, said that everything was ok (Drogan works for the officials) and gave me an Authorized Service badge and sticker.
Me and Drogan.
Crooked photoshop against the background of the Oresund Bridge.
My mega-satisfied face in Newhavn, in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is awesome. The old town doesn’t let you go, plus the abundance of free motorcycle parking right there leads to addiction! I'll be back again.
One day route around Denmark. Denmark is small, you can drive through it really quickly, but the price tag there is fierce. To find at least something adequate to my budget, I had to go to some village and settle there.
The walls of Kronborg, the castle-with-Hamlet. It makes a very depressing impression, at a time when there was only this castle and the forest around, it was possible to go there like a cuckoo. Well, that’s exactly what happened.
In the evening, a message from a friend from Germany popped up on WhatsApp: “Come on, you forgot there with those junkies, schnapps, sausages and our hospitality are waiting for you.” Nuoc, in the morning, wandered across Denmark, took the ferry and by six in the evening was in Kiel, in Germany, visiting a couple more castles and chalk cliffs listed in UNESCO. A divine thing, a must visit.
Chalk cliffs.
Evening in Kiel.
In the morning at two o'clock we went to dump on local roads to Lübeck and Ratzeborg. Lübeck is a fairy tale frozen in time, the Queen of the Hansa. There are more than a hundred photos, so I’ll post one or two.
Entrance to the old city.
Lübeck Town Hall.
I spent the next day in Laboe, near Lubeck. Beach, yachts, kites, in general, sealing.
EVERYWHERE VRETINASPORTINISYA GO FAR FROM BLOKHIRSKOZAL Laboe embankment.
Yachts, palm trees somewhere, sun, +30, perfect.
The morning of the last day in Kiel began cheerfully.
Horley is a piece of shit. The drive belt broke, on which I only drove about 20 thousand miles; how many people drove it before me is unknown.
Highly artistic (not) photo showing the belt replacement process.
We spent three hours looking for a belt, and in the end Zhenya dismantled his sportster and gave me his belt. Truly, a horley player is not only a friend to a horley player, but also a spare part. Five hours late, I drove to Amsterdam along the autobahn; there was no time to spin around the regional races.
Night Amsterdam. The camera on the phone is not great, so I almost didn’t take pictures of the old city (oh my God, the red light district, who am I kidding). I was busy, you know.
By the way, about price tags. Given: Amsterdam, hostel 10 km from the center, room for 4 people, no parking, no breakfast. Find: Why the hell does this eatery cost 85 euros a night? And this was the cheapest option!
Having returned and slept (not), I went to the museum. We all go to Amsterdam for museums, oh. In general, the maritime museum is awesome, but don’t take a tour. A boring waste of time.
There is a museum and a ship nearby, on which you can climb, well, everywhere, and look into all the hard-to-reach places. Very cool.
Enough of the museum addiction, it's time to move on, Belgium is ahead.
Somewhere in Belgium.
What do we have in Belgium? French language, mercenaries in Africa, chocolate and finally the mountains with serpentines have begun! After the Scandinavian-German billiard table, the trip became much more fun, the price tag became MUCH lower (a hostel for one with parking and breakfast was 20 euros!), in general, my mood was lifted.
Somewhere near the border. It’s extremely conditional here, you understand.
Didn't notice Luxembourg passed by, lol. But here's a photo of some castle from there.
Hello, mirror France.
France is built up with churches like this according to a single project. I saw one, I saw everything.
Well, photoshop, of course, but on YouTube they said it was bad.
France, too, for some reason quickly ended, and again came to Germany, where he moved into an active convent, hell e.
A lot of greenery and no internet. But the breakfast is divine.
In Germany I drove through Stuttgart-Munich-Ingolstadt, to say that there was crazy traffic on the autobahns is an understatement. I felt like I was at the testing ground of factory teams. But that was in the next two days, and for now I was driving in the Baden-Baden area along gorgeous mountain roads.
Beauty once.
Beauty two.
Beauty three.
Munich, Biergarten, me and Danya, who went there five years ago.
The next morning I went to Dachau. There will be no photographs from there; the pain and horror of those who were imprisoned in this camp can still be felt there. Branch of hell on earth. Be that as it may, on the evening of July 4, on my birthday, I arrived in Prague.
This is where I got a parking ticket. When I arrive, there’s a coupon on the moped: “Come, dear, to the commissariat around the corner, we want to see you, but we can’t even eat.” Well, I washed myself, put on clean clothes, made my face simpler and went. He inspiredly performed three arias: “I’m not a local myself,” “it’s possible all over Europe, I thought it’s the same with you,” “wow, the locals do the same,” and the encore was the hit “Please understand and forgive me, newar egein!” , the officer was imbued with emotion, wiped away a tear and issued a fine of 4 euros. Parking there would be more expensive according to the rules, lol.
The 115th anniversary event was photographed in detail by Dee Troy, so I won’t post any photos from there and will generally skip these five days (from July 4 to July 8). It was good, overall.
I'll still post one though.
Another target was the dyno. It’s interesting how much is rushing!
Blue is cool, red is herd. 71 horses, almost 100 Nm of torque per 75 cubic inches. A good result, considering that we forgot to wash the air vents. There would be more.
After looking at the weather forecast in Brno, I realized that I had to go to Cesky Krumlov, where I headed. The whole city center is on the UNESCO list, I have to see it.
The road there. Of course, Leningrad region, gg.
The peaceful town of Krumlov. Great place, calm, fabulous and quiet.
Where to go? Well, of course, Austria, Vienna, that’s all. Said - drawn in paint, visited.
Yes, I rode in this half all these days, fortunately the weather allowed.
Vienna is an ideal city for a motorcycle tourist. Not only is parking free everywhere, but there is also plenty of free Wi-Fi. I parked three meters from Innerstadt and was crazy about the architecture. Graceful tall buildings, white marble everywhere, in general, one day is criminally not enough.
Not very white, not very marble, but impressive all the same.
Vienna-Bratislava. 50 km of traffic jams and sadness, because... the toad strangled the vignette.
The guy-at-work with whom everyone takes pictures.
Old town of Bratislava. The price tag is higher than in Vienna, omg.
After walking around Bratislava in the evening, I left my clothes at the hostel and started heading to Budapest in the morning. It’s a big mistake to budget half a day for this beautiful city; you need at least three days there.
No comments, just beautiful.
Hungarian Parliament. Gothic, everything up, hugeness, everything I love.
Returning to Bratislava in the rain, I lay in bed all night and went to Brno in the morning (big mistake, bwahaha - I should have gone somewhere else to meet friends). Brno is good, the price tag is the same as in Bratislava, but instead of a room without breakfast - a 4-star hotel. The Czech Republic is gorgeous.
There will be no photos from Brno, the artistic value there is negative.
And on the third week of riding, I arrived near Brno to a very beautiful place, the name of which I don’t remember and where I was supposed to be yesterday.
I sighed, took a photo, and drove on to the north of the Czech Republic. Traveled across the whole country in a day.
It’s already north, the border with Germany is not far.
The next day is coverage in Germany. Miloslavice - Hamburg - Lubeck - ferry to Finka.
Evening Lubeck - time.
Evening Lubeck - two.
Queue for the ferry.
Well, the rest is no longer interesting. Terrible Scandinavia, populated by deer who are glued to their phones, who can’t drive, who stall while driving - and I’m home.
It took 150k rubles, half a liter of oil, a rear tire, a drive belt, I need to change the oil again. Next year I want to ride around Africa.
XL1200C CUSTOM
All of the above is also true for the custom version of the bike, even to a greater extent. It doesn't look like a classic early '60s Sportster, because the Custom is prettier, with a narrow 21-inch spoked front wheel, a cast rear wheel, raised handlebars and a lowered tail.
The driver's position is completely different - this is because the steering wheel is raised on chrome brackets and the footpegs are moved forward. Both the handlebars and footpegs have been moved back by 38 mm compared to last year’s model, making it more comfortable for shorter bikers to sit here. The bike with a single speedometer and a round bright headlight - it is very reminiscent of the Big Twin.
The comparison continued naturally when I started the engine: excited by the capture, he immediately began to move on the rubber mounts, like a hedgehog in a basket. But as soon as I increased the speed, I began to work more softly - like a hedgehog that had calmed down slightly (unless I accidentally closed the air filter housing with my right foot). All that remains is to lean back like a cruiser and get ready for a measured ride.
The Custom was far less tempting for me to try out its newfound smoothness at high revs - it would have been more useful on long trips than on my short raid through the Austrian hills, time was short, and not fuel - the Custom's 17-liter gas tank is enough for a long trip. It was not particularly difficult to feel that the modified version of Harley did not lose its responsiveness at low speeds.
The XL1200C began to grind when cornering, with the muffler pipes touching the ground even earlier than the 1200R's. In addition, due to the strong tilt of the fork, he himself fell a little on his side. Nevertheless, its handling is not bad, the motorcycle “stands” in a vertical position and straightness quite stable.
About rubber. The designers honestly admitted that they installed a thick rear tire not at all in order to ensure the best grip of the wheel on the surface, but for aesthetic reasons. This is purely “Harley-style”: in the company’s custom series, style has always dominated over the technical component. Therefore, without a twinge of conscience or fear of offending, I would call the XL1200C the most impractical of the two new 1200s. That said, even if style is your top priority, know that the XL1200C Custom rides as good as it looks.
XL883 AND XL883C CUSTOM
At first glance, the new XL883C is almost no different from its more powerful brother. Elongated, beautifully detailed in detail, the “junior” is certainly a very interesting motorcycle (especially with a big name on the gas tank). And since the 883 cc engine remained unchanged and was also installed on silent blocks, this means that the low technical characteristics of the V-twin engine could be used more fully.
On the other hand, the 883 cc V-twin engine does not have strong “lower” revs at all, so to drive faster you need to “unscrew” the gas. Rejoice: the engine does not vibrate when the speed reaches its limit.
The 883 won't win the top speed competition, but it will definitely be the first to leave a traffic light. And if your previous bike was weaker, I guarantee you will like the XL883C: its maximum speed is 150 km/h. But even at 110 km/h the Custom is a pleasure: it goes very smoothly. And there is no need to go faster - since there is no windshield, the neck will not be able to “work” for long to keep the head on the shoulders.
For many bikers, and especially female bikers, the ergonomic changes in the model will seem very significant and significant: there is a regular sized handlebar handle, a fairly soft clutch lever, footrests pushed forward and a low seat - all this makes it easier to control the machine at low speeds. For some, all this will seem all the more important because the Harley is still heavy - 255 kg. Handling, as on the “large version”, I’ll call it that way - slow, ground clearance is low. Everything on the XL883C is designed so that you should ride it slowly, relax and enjoy the beauty that floats by.
The same words and assessments are true for the base model - XL883. Unlike the XL1200R, it has a single seat, one front brake disc, and a dial speedometer. The small fuel tank and visually “unloaded” rear end create excellent style. No frills! The bike comes in four colors (other Sportsters will come in one of 33 colors and with different sized gas tanks, with tanks compatible with all new XL models for the 2004 model year).
But the most important thing about the redesigned XL883 is that it's more fun on the road than its big brother. As for me personally, it exceeded all my expectations! The motorcycle combines the advantages of the 1200R chassis with the dynamics of the 883C. This is compared to expectations. But you won’t be able to over-praise him either. Even by the standards of other twins, the XL883 cannot be called particularly nimble or flexible to control; I won’t lie - this machine is not that convenient. And yet, it was fully endowed with what all Harleys should have: the breed. You look at this deity and your heart skips a beat. And its price is quite normal - only a little more expensive than similar devices last season (after all, the price now includes an immobilizer). If we continue about money, then beware of temptation: the XL883 will force you to fork out for all sorts of extra bells and whistles from Milwaukee.
To be honest, not long ago I would not have advised anyone to buy a Sportster HD. Well, unless someone really wanted to own a Harley and couldn’t afford anything better. I recommend the new models: they have absorbed all the best from their predecessors and got rid of significant shortcomings.
No more fever
conclusions
As for taking a ride “through the village for a beer” – no complaints. A real Harley, even unlike the younger model, not just a paint inscription on the tank, but a whole emblem. But from the point of view of serious driving somewhere a couple of hundred kilometers away, the pleasure is dubious. Except very slowly. After just under an hour of driving, my arms began to tingle. Not as bad as on the Ducati - my hands didn’t go numb, but it was still noticeable. In general, spending about 14 thousand (including pre-sale preparation) knowing that you will inevitably want to spend more on customizing “trinkets” is not particularly tempting. For this money you can get a much more versatile and “solid” motorcycle from other manufacturers.
Harley-Davidson XL1200C Power : 67 hp / 96 Nm Volume : 1202 cm3 Weight : 255 (265) kg Price : from 13,500 euros
After listening to my “complaints” about the motorcycle, the local manager made a thoughtful face and continued the conversation with the phrases “well, since you’re here, I would advise you...” :). And 10 minutes later I had a Dyna Street Bob keychain in my pocket.
Continue reading. Impressions of the Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob.
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