bnc wrote:A motocross jersey works great for the MSF. A lot of them have perforations to stay cool and elbow padding.
The Sportster is my favorite HD (aside from Buell, now defunct), but Harleys have plenty of foreign parts, fyi. Not that the bike isn't good or anything, just don't be surprised when you take it apart for service and find "made in Taiwan" (or whatever) on some parts.
But what makes it great is I can take pretty much any part off, and find a replacement aftermarket, or Harley-made and put it on myself, I feel pretty comfortable (I have the service manual) working on anything but the electrical system and the engine/carb (mostly because I just plain haven't read up on those). I wouldn't have the dealer or a shop put anything on my bike (unless I was on a trip of course) when I can just do it myself.
I ride an 2006 883 and while some may say they grew out of it, or it's not big enough, I can cruise at 80 all day (of course I don't, I stay at or right above the speed limit) and have enough power for pretty much anything (given I'm only 140 lb, so I can see heavier people having a harder time because the bike only weighs something like 600 lb or so, so every pound you add is significant) plus I've generally got an easier time handling and slow speed maneuvers than those big bikes (I love seeing big v-twins at stop lights, boy that can be awkward for them). But also if it ever does tip, I can pick it up myself, and when I did run out of gas I can push it myself if I don't have my cowboy boots on
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I think Harleys are mostly American made, they're really proud of that, I'll have to go through my bike and see if there's any foreign parts, I don't think I've run into many if any, though I haven't been looking, I could care less where a part is made as long as it performs properly and is as cheap as it can be (price-wise).
I love my sportster, and I don't really see me getting a bigger bike, I've sat on some, and they're just too big to be a bike for me, they feel like cars except I have to balance them, and if I need more power I can always pump my engine up to a 1200 or 1250 cc, plus there are tons of upgrades to be had.
