Sportster Dad
Sportster Dad
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Why does the Sportster have difficulty cornering?
I'm 5' 9 1/2", and I ride a Honda Rebel. That bike is a little cramped, but it handles the turns sharp, smooth and fast. My dad has a 1200 Sportster, and when I rode it, I was riding the road I usually ride. There is a corner that my Rebel will take smooth at about 27 mph. The Sportster felt dangerous at 22. I will admit, it was fun to ride it, with all the power it has, but why the difficulty in cornering?
I'm not sure about a variant... The rear suspension is aftermarket, it doesn't adjust and is very stiff. I don't really know much about the bike.
My Rebel is a 250.
What varient does your Dad have? I had a 1200 Sportster and for what it was, it handled extremely well. It was the Roadster version though, and with the lower ground clearance and the larger skinnier front tire, the Custom might not handle as well. It's also a much heavier machine than the Rebel. There are other factors too, like the tire pressure, tire choice, and suspension settings (I think both only adjust for rear preload though) that might make one handle better than the other. My Sportster handled well enough that ground clearance was the issue, not the actual capability of the tires and suspension. I have had several sport bikes too, so it isn't like I don't have anything to compare the handling with. It was a good solid performer for a 550 pound +/- standard with 75 or so horsepower.
(Once you start adding aftermarket parts, there is really no way to tell you why it handles poorly unless you actually see the bike and see where the problem lies. The fact that they don't adjust and that they are really stiff tells me they weren't a good choice if handling was your goal. )