Today, it was the day for my Maiden Ride. Having succesfully passed my motorbike exam two weeks ago, it was now time to put the skills to the test.
Spiny Norman, accompanied by his lovely passenger Shayna, and myself rented a couple of Harley Sportster 883’s, and headed out northwards over the Pacific Coast Highway. We then cruised through Malibu Canyon, Mulholland Highway, and another canyon that lead us back onto PCH again.
All nice and dandy, you say. Well, for us it was a bit of a first. My first time out on the road, and Spiny’s first time on a Harley. We wanted to know if all those stereotypes about Harleys are true: can’t knock’em 'till you’ve tried them, right?
So there you go, a review of the Sportster 883.
Power: disappointing. It has 56 BHP, admittedly not a lot, but your average rice bike will be much faster with an equal amount of power. In its defense, the V-Twin offers a lot of torque in the low rev area, so cruising 40 MPH in 4th is no problem whatsoever. Still, swift canyon riding required a lot of downshifts to keep the beast going.
Gear Shift: KLONK! That’s the sound it makes. Whether the engine is cold or warm, whether you’re shifting to first or to fifth, the sound is ENORMOUS. The controls are really heavy (both clutch and shift lever), and the bike is not a pleasant ride in stop-and-go traffic.
Brakes: I’ll say it like it is. Frightingly bad. Mine had about 14K miles on the clock, and the bike was well serviced, so that can’t be it. But this thing has just too little stopping power for a bike of this weight.
Suspension: WAY too soft for my taste. It even bottomed out a few times on a few dips and bumps, at surprisingly low speeds.
Cornering: Me: “Dear Harley Davidson. I hereby register my formal request to turn left at the next traffic light. I shall know commence steering to the left, and leaning you over ever so slightly.”
Bike: “sigh, oh what the hell, sure, I’ll bounce you through that corner alright. Just don’t expect any miracles. Hey, can you feel how long my wheelbase is compared to those wimpy Japanese bikes??”
Suffice it to say the Sportster is not a good bike for throwing around corners. 
Seating Position: Owww, my back hurts. The handle bars are too high (or the saddle too low, I forget ;)), my knees were way up, you almost automatically slouch when you sit on it for longer than 5 minutes.
Other Negative Points: [ul][li]No rev counter[/li][li]No fuel gauge[/li][li]No daytrip counter[/li][li]Weird indicators that are operated on either side of the handle bars (especially the right one is difficult to operate without messing up your throttle control)[/li][li]Indicators appear to turn off automatically after 5 seconds when the bike is in motion (no, I do NOT consider this a good thing)[/ul][/li]
Positive Points: [ul][li]Handy saddle bags that accomodate an extra helmet, a lot of locks, a map book, your hair dryer, an espresso machine…[/li][li]The sound! Especially Spiny’s one, with the aftermarket exhaust pipes. My goodness, what a roar.[/li][li]Yes, there is such a thing as the Harley Feeling.[/ul]Both Spiny and I agreed that there was something about the bikes that made them special, despite all our criticism. Hard to put into words, but yeah, I can understand why people love’em. Would I buy one for everyday use? Nah, it’s not for me. But it was a great experience nonetheless. The bikes are in the garage, waiting for another morning tour of the canyons before we return them to the rental agency.[/li]
I can’t wait to fire it up again in the morning. 
Oh, something weird though. NOBODY waves at you when you ride a Harley Sportster (and yes, I did wave at all of them!). The guys on the Japanese or Italian bikes pretend to ignore you, and a passing Harley Lowrider just looked at me with disdain before he downshifted and sped off. Too Harley for the other brands, too little Harley for the real hogs, I suppose. Oh well.
Good thing it wasn’t 30+ degrees C outside or you would know what it feels like to ride a blast furnace. The ones I’ve ridden seem to get way to hot for comfort.