Touring on a Sportster?

Either I'm getting old, or I've suffered some brain damage, because I'm thinking, just maybe I want to take a long motorcycle trip sometime in the next few years. Forget that I've only ever ridden small dual sports and motor scooters. For some reason, the idea of taking a trip where I have to be a minimalist is getting appealing.

I could easily pick up a maxi-scoot like a Burgman 400 or a Yamaha Majesty, but it just seems like I should add to the skill set, and get a motorcycle. I'd still prefer to ride something fairly small, nothing Goldwing-ish. I'm not wedded to the going with a sportster, but despite the "Harley lifestyle" not being anything I want to emulate, I think they look really good. It helps that there are a ton of dealers out there, so if I have a breakdown somewhere that I can't handle on the side of the road, it shouldn't take too long to get it towed and fixed.

I think I'd want to start with one that's new enough to be rubber mount and EFI, maybe raise it just a smidge to improve the suspension, and give me a bit more ground clearance, add some hard bags and a rack, and get going.

So, tell me why this is a stupid idea, and I should get a bigger scoot, or a CTX700, or an old PC800, or something, or enable me and give me some suggestions on making a modern sportster into a capable long distance bike.

Touring on a Sportster...it's been done before.

If you want rubber mount and EFI you're looking at 07 or newer. Lot's and lot's of people use them for just that purpose. Here is a pretty good over view of the suspension on them and the inherent problems with them. It's worth the read if your serious about getting one set up. Your going to have to spend some money though. The suspension from the factory is junk.

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=552795

Some inspiration.

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=247051

I have a 2007 fuel injected, rubber mounted Sportster. I could have bought whatever I wanted to, but I've wanted a Sportster ever since I had no hope of affording one, so that's what I got. I really like it. They are much better bikes than people give them credit for. I think it's very well built. I'm not sure that I'd want to cross the country on it, but I'd be able to tolerate a few long days on it.

I think they are beautiful bikes.

Depending on how far you want to take it you can get very adventure touringish with it.

I've got a little over $100 in my budget upgraded suspension.

A pair of Road king air shocks and adding schrader valves to the fork caps to adjust preload. This weekend I'll give it it's first real test.

Before

After

Thanks for the links. Another problem for me is I am 6 feet tall with a 32" inseam, so a taller seat will probably be a necessity, and it maybe mid controls, depending on if the forward controls don't feel right.

I may also wander over to a dealer soon just to sit on one. I sat on a bagger before, but wasn't comfortable sitting straight up. I think a little bit of forward lean would be best.

Harley wouldn't be my first choice. You already mentioned lots of better options in the original post. Nick knows what he's talking about.

I'm 6' with a 34" inseam. I love the mids but a taller seat would be nice. I'm thinking about putting some highway pegs on it. Being basically stuck in one position gets to me after three or four hours. Although I rode an xr1200x and the taller seat along with the rear sets felt very good to me, I may decide to try and emulate that.

Oh yeah, not really thinking of any off-roading, or even a significant amount of dirt/gravel, so no need to fully ADV-ize a sportster. If I was leaning in that direction, I'd probably start with a Weestrom or an NC700X.

I have sat on an XR1200, and while I think it's the best looking stock sportster, I decided it was way too heavy for how tall it was. I'm a bit of a weakling, and I'd be a little worried about dumping it at a stoplight if my foot slipped at all. At least with a lower bike, I'd have a bit more leverage.

There are definitely better choices for long distance riding, but there's just something about these bikes, not too mention service and parts availability. One of the reasons I'd be leery of doing this ride on a maxi scoot. There may be a lot of Suzuki and Yamaha dealers out there, but a lot of them treat scooters as an afterthought.

Buy the bike that fits and you're most comfortable on. Getting hung up on a brand or a certain 'look' is only fine if you ride it for an hour at a time. I mentally convinced myself that I wanted a Triumph Tiger a couple of years ago...specs, power, look, brand, bang-for-the-buck were all perfect...until I rode it. Not the right bike for me. Bought an ugly Suzuki instead that is a joy to ride.

That bike has been to Sturgis about 10 times. It has never been on a trailer. We did move closer a few years ago. It is now only 1000 miles one way. We bought it on the road and Dr.Linda put 6K miles on it before we got home.

If youre interested i am selling an 05 Sportster 1200 roadster. PM me

I would start looking for a roadster. They came with the best suspension of any rubbermount frame (still junk). But also you get two rotors up front. Other than that shop for condition and price.

Don't over pay for a low mileage bike, there are millions out there.

Don't be afraid of an 883, they have more than adequate power for riding on the road. Don't let the suicide jockeys tell you otherwise.

Any accessory that you could ever think about putting on a bike is available for a sporty. Racks, hard and soft bags you name it, it's out there. And can likely be found used. There are millions out there.

I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a very nice starting point for $3k

I love the bikes, I really do, I just bought the wrong one. But they are like legos, it really doesn't matter which one you start with, everything is interchangeable and you'll be swapping the suspension out anyway.

Nick_Comstock wrote: Don't be afraid of an 883, they have more than adequate power for riding on the road. Don't let the suicide jockeys tell you otherwise.

^Troof.

Instead of buying a Sporty, then having to modify it to suit, I have to agree w/ddavidv. Get what fits and your comfortable with. An old PC800 is an awesome touring bike, but you stated nothing goldwingish. The old CX500-650s are great riding, surprisingly quick when cranked on,pretty much maintenance free, and comfortable for a rider with longer legs. For longer trips, whatever you decide, get at least a big windshield if not a Vetter type fairing. Well worth the money. There is nothing wrong with touring on a scooter. I did a 2800 mile trip on my Majesty this past fall, adding only a set of used Nelson Rigg bags and a cheap e-bay trunk.Unless doing a lot of interstates even a Helix or Morphous are great tourers and bulletproof. I guarantee a lot of questions and positive comments when traveling on a scooter.

In reply to minimac:

I agree there are plenty of better bikes for similar or less money. But there is something about a sportster. It's not something you can see in the specs or the numbers. It's not something that you can measure in any tangible way. I don't like cruisers, I like standard bikes, and that is how I view a sportster. Excluding the ones with forward controls and ape hangers, those have no appeal to me. To me it's in the same class as a Triumph Bonneville. I'm not into the "Harley Davidson" thing. They don't have anything else that interests me. I've never wanted a Harley Davidson but I've always wanted a sportster. In other words I didn't buy it for the HD name.

I certainly understand they aren't for everyone, and hold no grudges if someone chooses to go with something else. But I also understand the draw of them. They are very good bikes and offer an experience that you just can't get anywhere else. The blank canvas aspect of them are part of the appeal to me. They can be anything you want them to be. I think a sporty would be a very good bike for what he wants. However, I know form my experience that it's going to take some work to make it really work for that.

Woody's bike would be the perfect starting point. It still has the standard height suspension. 08 was the last year that you could get an 883 with the standard suspension, after that they all had the low suspension. I believe 08 was the last year for the roadster as well but the standard height suspension carried on for the 1200c.

I think Nick said it right, there is just something about the bike. At least it is very configurable, so should be able to be set up to be comfortable.

If I wanted to go for the most logical solution, I'd probably grab a Honda Silverwing scooter, since prices on early ones have come way down, or a 2nd gen Burgman 400, since they've got the best cargo capacity of anything short of a PC800. I may still end up doing something like that. I'm also tall enough for a DR650 or KLR650, but the idea of climbing on and off one multiple times a day for 2-3 weeks doesn't sound good to me. I think the CX500 is a neat bike ( I like the engine configuration), but don't want something that old when I'm far from home. Heck, I also like the Moto Guzzi V7 and the new Indian Scout, but there's not as many places to get parts/repairs. Which pretty much leaves Harley and the big Japanese brands.

I've got some time to think about it, at least. This year, I'm planning on taking the Fiat on a cross country trip, next year my wife will be picking a vacation, so 2017 is the soonest I'd be likely to be doing this.

If you get one and decide that you don't like it, you'll never get stuck with it. There are a lot of them out there, but there's always somebody looking for one.

Carkid, looks like Gmail bounced my PM to you - I'm probably not going to go for it, since its too old to be EFI, but if you want to send details to me, please do, especially if you'd be open for a partial trade with my Buddy 125.

I have two buddy scoots so i am set there but i can still email you info

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get one and tour on it. All bikes are potential touring bikes in my book.

For long term comfort, I prefer to have the seat high enough that my thighs slope down 4" or so soward the knees, not the other way around. I also prefer the foot peg location to be not too far forward of my ass. Vertical calves means too far forward for me. Loud pipes are not a plus on the road, they are just more tiresome. Many Sportsters come with a pretty small fuel tank. They do get good mileage, which helps there. There are still places in the USA where you have to go more than 1 hundred miles between gas stations. A range of at least 150 miles without reserve is good.

I say buy it, take some trips on it, and figure out what changes you want to make. Its understood that a standard Sportster isn't ideal for touring, but it is far better than staying home and not touring.

So go to a dealership and test ride one. Or one of the other models if you wish. Then rent the one you like best for a day or weekend. That will tell you a whole lot.

I recomend an older Road King, but I am biased.

PC800 is a neat bike, but they are all getting long in the tooth, and many of the plastics are well brittled and damaged now.

You can tour easily on a Sportster. I second the suggestion of renting one from an Eagle Rider store near you. Take one for the weekend and see how many miles you can put on it. If you can run out the tank from full to empty..you may have a winner.

If you're looking for alternatives a friend swore by the old school Honda Magna's. Either the ones from the 80's or the newer style from the late 90's. He stated all of them were great touring bikes with soft bags and a corbin seat.