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Middleweight Standards Comparo

223404 Views 227 Replies 86 Participants Last post by  fazerdude
Nice article. As the owner of my fourth Sportster-a 1200R, I must agree that overall it is a radical improvement from its '03 and earlier versions. It can still be easily smoked by most of the other "small" bikes in the test, but the grin factor when riding this bike thru curves is astounding.

The saddle continues to be an ergonomic pain-in-the-arse, the headlight equals a weak batteried flashlight and the stock Showa suspension combines nicely with the dummlopp "rim protecturrzz" to compromise handling. That said vast improvements are only(!!) hundreds of dollars away: Race Tech up front, good shocks in rear, Bridgestone BT45Vs, an aftermarket saddle...watch out curves! IMO, of the 65 or so bikes I've had the 1200R ranks up there with the best for being lotsa fun to ride. My BMW R1150GS will easily show her saddlebags to the 1200R, but the 1200R is the usual choice for riding. DFO
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So which one won again? :p It was the Ninja 500R right?



You guys really have come a long way over the years and it's been a gas to watch and be a part of.



This comparo had it all for me. (Well almost all. Some fly-by videos would have been cool.) The best line was about Sean riding the balls off the Sportster and leaving everybody in his wake. I love that. It aint just the bike that makes you fast and that's a fact. The Dyno runs were nice because I like hearing the bikes. The walkarounds were interesting but I'd rather have the fly-by vids. And the best part was getting a couple members to join in the fun.



One question though: Why the huge difference in votes between Fonzie and everyone else? I love the looks of the FZ-6 but have been hearing reports similar to what the rest of the testers said but Fonzie picked it 1st. Other than the daily use of the bike are there any other reasons? I have been lusting after the Ninja 500 for some time now and was happy to hear such glowing remarks from the racers in this group but he picked it dead last. I'd like to know why he voted this way on these two bikes.



Thanks MO!
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So which one won again? :p It was the Ninja 500R right?



You guys really have come a long way over the years and it's been a gas to watch and be a part of.



This comparo had it all for me. (Well almost all. Some fly-by videos would have been cool.) The best line was about Sean riding the balls off the Sportster and leaving everybody in his wake. I love that. It aint just the bike that makes you fast and that's a fact. The Dyno runs were nice because I like hearing the bikes. The walkarounds were interesting but I'd rather have the fly-by vids. And the best part was getting a couple members to join in the fun.



One question though: Why the huge difference in votes between Fonzie and everyone else? I love the looks of the FZ-6 but have been hearing reports similar to what the rest of the testers said but Fonzie picked it 1st. Other than the daily use of the bike are there any other reasons? I have been lusting after the Ninja 500 for some time now and was happy to hear such glowing remarks from the racers in this group but he picked it dead last. I'd like to know why he voted this way on these two bikes.



Thanks MO!
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DELETE, DELETE, DELETE...

Damn [Delete] key doesn't work.
AHAhaha... Now that's one hellofanidea. I'd love see Sean leave everyone behind in THAT comparo! No! Even better! Use the Triumph Rocket III! Yeah, baby!



I thought the 1200 Sportster fit in pretty well with this crowd of "Middleweight Standards". The Sportster is a very small bike with a big engine. It feels downright tiny if you compare it to say the Yamaha V-Star 1100 or Honda Spirit 1100, which might be considered comparable.

mmm... Jeanine Garafalo... ggaaagaggaa

Yeah, baby.

OK... well maybe lusting was a bit strong here. I just want one. It looks like alot of fun for an around town bike when I just want to play in traffic and don't exactly want to pull out the big bikes. And they are so cheap too. Finding a nice used one for 2 - 3 grand is the norm.
You're not alone. At least I know it's not just me now.



Here's the real test though: The Multistrada is butt ugly, no?
Re: I don't wanna sound like a prima donna...

Video and hi-res photos to follow...

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.On second thought it might be besy to keep that midnight meet just between you guys.
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Damn. With you guys saying you like it I guess I'm back to being alone again. :-(



Well anyway, I'll give anything a shot. Where is that Duc dealer?
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