Motorcycle used review: Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200
Through its various stages of modernization since its entry into the Harley range in 1957, the Sportster has retained its image of a simple motorcycle, stripped down, in a word: essential! Robust and fairly reliable, it benefits from excellent side-keeping.
Welcome to Harley !
The Sportster is often considered the “entry ticket” into the Harley-Davidson lineup. The majority of "harleyists" have tried it before moving on to bigger ones, resulting in 40% of sales volume in France. This explains why it is quite easy to find the used Sportster.
Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 |
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Simple and stripped-down motorcycle, the Sportster is more often than not a short-haul motorcycle. Used in town for daily commuting, its meanness, finesse and maneuverability allow it to get out of traffic traps as well as possible. Small walks are also on the program, but rare are those who make long journeys without modifications.
The Sportster’s uncluttered style defines its use oriented towards the pleasure of driving, even cruising. It is most often a solo motorcycle: pilot, small luggage and basta! This explains – without quite justifying it – the poor efficiency of the shock absorbers, which it will be welcome to replace for duos or long journeys … Because the fact of not seeking performance does not oblige to masochism !
A Sportster, like the rest of Harley-Davidsons, is rarely sold off. The only exception of the broken price at Harley concerns a member of its family, the XR 1200, which had "difficulty meeting its audience" at its initial price. With the consequence of a very unusual discount for the brand in general, and for the Sportster in particular..
A Sportster 1200 indeed requires a relatively large base investment (around 11,000 euros new), but retains excellent performance, to make all European and Japanese competition pale! The XR 1200 exception only confirms the usual rule for Sportsters, which discount the first two years and then see their price stabilize..
On the second hand, the reliability of the Sportster is good: with regular maintenance, there are few potential problems. Rugged, the Sportster is built to last !
J. ARSOUILLE
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