Project Sportster 1200
PROJECT SPORTSTER 1200
PROJECT
SMOOTHING THE ROAD TO HAWG HEAVEN
WHEN IT COMES TO PURITY OF PURpose, Harley’s Sportster takes no guff from any other motorcycle around. Sportsters are hard-nosed boulevard brawlers, with no apologies asked—or quarter given—for their relative lack of comfort. And to the Harley faithful, that same triple-distilled sense of purpose is what makes other cruisers seem like mere pretenders.
But for the less committed among us, a Sportster can be as accommodating as a beer bottle across the forehead. For instance, bumps get past the rear suspension almost undiminished, and the saddle’s lint-like padding offers little help. After a few gallons of gas run through the peanut-shaped tank, the tender-tushed will happily confess to anything, just to make the beating stop.
The challenge, then, was to make the Sportster more comfortable, without altering its basic character— and without having to re-engineer the bike. Bolt-ons were the rule. And the first items in line satisfied those criteria nicely: fork springs and entire rear-shock/spring units from Progressive Suspension (11129 G Ave., Hesperia, CA 92345; $55.95 for the fork springs, $169.95 for the shocks).
By the numbers, PS’ rear-suspension pieces promise big improvements. The shocks use 70/130-pound (meaning pounds per inch of spring compression) dual-rate springs with 1.3 inches of preload, compared to the stockers’ 55-pound springs with 2.6 inches of preload. This means the PS units have 36 percent less static spring pressure than the stockers, which translates into a much plusher ride over small pavement imperfections. And their higher secondary rate helps soak up most of the bigger bumps, with less bottoming. Moreover, the shocks provide increased compression and rebound damping, which contributes to better ride control and makes the Sportster feel far more poised and confidence-inspiring when charging down twisty roads.
Progressive Suspension’s fork springs also do their bit to aid the Harley’s composure over bumps, but to a lesser degree. They’re dual-rate, 35/50-pound items (the stockers are 33-pound rated), so the fork’s initial response remains much the same; but, as with the shock springs, the stiffer secondary rate reduces bottoming. In fact, the biggest improvement in fork action came simply by adding the correct amount of oil; as delivered, our Sportster had a little more than half the required 10 ounces of oil per leg. Filling to spec firmed up damping in both directions, with a corresponding increase in ride quality and control.
Unlike the suspension bits, the Gunfighter and Lady saddle we chose from Corbin ( 123-C Lee Road, Box 1562, Watsonville, CA 950771562; $169) had no benefits we could quantify with numbers. But even seat-of-the-pants testing shows the Corbin saddle is a far more hospitable place to drop your derrière than the stocker, with thicker, stiffer foam that takes some of the sting out of bumps that get past the shocks. Admittedly, the Corbin doesn’t turn the Sportster into an Interstate cruiser, but it provides aid and comfort where it’s needed most. Similarly, no one will mistake the Flyscreen (from National Cycle, 2200 Maywood Dr., Box 158, Maywood, IL 60153-0158; $39.95) for a full-on touring windshield, but it reduces windblast slightly, and keeps bugs off the rider’s belly.
Comfort also comes from peace of mind, and to that end we bolted on a pair of soft, 2453-compound FDB352 front brake pads from Ferodo ($20.95, at your dealer). These pads offer superior control feel while slightly reducing lever-effort during low-speed braking. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to effect any noticeable improvements in hard stops from higher speeds, but a change of pads can only do so much.
Indeed, bolt-on fixes, by their very nature, are somewhat limited in what they can accomplish. The suspension, for example, still doesn't respond well to square-edge bumps. The fork jabs at the rider’s hands through the handlebar, and the Harley’s rear end—with travel roughly equal to the length of a king-size cigarette-still hits the rider’s rear end a good lick, although without the rabbit-punch intensity allowed by the stock components.
To some riders, though, that rough-and-tumble feel is an essential part of the experience of riding a Sportster. And that's why our bolt-on mods are an unqualified success. They knock the roughest edges off Harley's Sportster, but without disturbing the bike’s underlying character. Because that’s something you can 7 bolt on.
