Jockey Journal Forum banner

Ok Sportster guys, stand up...

66479 Views 250 Replies 144 Participants Last post by  Spade115
Ok so I've been going to rallies all my life. It started in the early 70's for me and the difference between a rally today and a rally in the days of yore are profound. And one of the biggest differences that bugs me the most is the way the Sportster gets treated at runs/rallies now.

They get tagged as a "bitch-bike" or a "little" bike, and in terms of status, well let's just say I have to look up a lot of noses before I can look a fellow rider in the eyes....

The way I have always seen it is quite different. The Sportster is the Hot Rod of the brand. It is smaller, lighter, and tighter - it always reminds me of a little Duece roadster, cut-down and purpose built for racing. It is the best performer out of the box and it is built to handle and perform quite well thank you very much. In fact back when my dad was young he told me that the Sporty was the bike to have. It was the bike of choice for most younger guys and the larger bikes were left for the old men. When his friends and he were out chopping & stretching a bike it was usually a Sporty. And the whole time I was growing up my father always had a hopped Sportster around. Maybe that's why I love them.

When the time came for me to get a bike of my own there was no question - it had to be a Sporty. I could have bought a Super Glide or a Softtail. Cost was never the issue. I actually WANTED a Sportster!!

So why should I feel like I am getting sand kicked in my face at a rally? The answer is - I shouldn't. When we get rolliing on the road and the big bike riders get throttle happy or start fooling around, I can take solice in the knowledge that my "little" bike will stomp a big fucking mud-hole in their ass at the drop of a hat.......

So they might have a more flashy or a prettier bike than I do, so what. I put all my dough into the "GO".....Chrome can't bring it home as they say.


So there it is. Anyone else feel the way I do? Post up some pics of your "little" bike and tell me how you feel. This is our place, and we should stand up and be counted, together.....that plus I want to know how many other guys dig Sporties. :)
See less See more
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 1 of 251 Posts
You hit the nail right on the head, Bro!

I was kind of shocked to discover the same ugly snobbery as you're describing when I merely MENTIONED wanting a Sporty recently. Seems that they're not GOOD enough for the Modern Yuppie Biker ****, but when you talk to TRUE bikers...ones that have been around longer than AMERICAN CHOPPER has been on the air, you'll find that they are far more receptive!

Still, there IS an almost unspoken disdain for Sportys, and I don't get it, either...

When I was little, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend time with a local motorcycle club, and Sportsters were the favored scoot among these riders. We're talking the mid to late 70s here, and these guys rode souped Sportys with trick paint and custom bars. Their reasoning was the same as yours and mine...the Sportster models were cheap, widely available, light, and easy to coax performance out of. They truly were/are the HOT ROD bike of the Harley persuasion!

Last Summer, I met a guy at a party with a hopped up Sporty, and we got to talking about them. I told him how I dug those bikes, but had owned the big Kawasakis as muscle bikes myself. Talk naturally came to performance, and when I asked him how a warmed-over Sport RAN, I was kinda shocked when he said "Take it for a spin and find out!".

That quick ride reaffirmed what I had learned from the guys back in the 70s! Sportsters flat KICK ASS! True, my old KZ-1000 would probably have run away from this Sporty at the top end of the track...but the way that lumpity Sport jumped off the line was unbelievable! Around town, that rumbling monster of a Sportster really put a grin on my face...I have to own one someday!

Screw the masses and their trendy, stuffy assed opinions...twist the grip and they'll be too far behind to fuck with you anyway!!!

:cool:
See less See more
1 - 1 of 251 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top