r/sportster

Hey so about after 50+ miles I stopped at a rest stop and started my bike back up and it sounded a little rough to me?

Havent been getting much ride time on my sporty since i bought it in June. Had been sitting in dudes garage for at least a year and had a few minor issues getting it home.

Broke a footpeg, found out battery was toast and had to be boosted twice, and had an oil leak behind rear cylinder that i just couldnt pinpoint.

Found front exhaust stud broken a week later and had nothing but a bad time trying to get it out so i stripped the head and brought it to a shop to fix.

Took a while to get the gaskets and find the time to get it all back together. After bolting everything back up i decide to check the primary chain tension for shits and giggles and find the primary fluid is milky. Planned on doing a fluid change anyways but found that odd.

Dad wants to take his shadow for a ride so i figure to hell with it, short ride wont do any harm. Bike rattles like crazy over 2000rpm so i pull it into my dads shop and take a stethescope to it and luckily i just hadnt bolted down the tank properly.

In my rather meticulous inspection trying to find the rattle though i also notice the starter has come loose. Can move it about 1/16th of an inch either way. Well that explains the milky oil and mystery leak at highways speeds. So now waiting on primary and starter gaskets.

Hopefully ill get some real miles in her before the snow starts flying next month 🤦‍♂️

I recently unfortunately got into an accident because roundabouts are hard to understand for drivers apparently, and bent my taillight and can't get it back on.

i figured that if I take the bolt out I can buy a new one and replace it, however even with the nut behind it removed and nothing I can see attached to it, it will not come out.

any help is majorly appreciated, thank you!!!

My bike having difficulty shifting, going into neutral, and was walking while in gear. I adjusted the cable plenty of times but after riding a short bit, seemed to start walking again. I pulled the derby to do a full adjustment and noticed the adjuster screw had way too much play. I had a Barnett clutch kit I was going to put in anyway so I pulled it all out. Any insight on what the issue could be and what I should specifically replace? The screw looks fine and bearing doesn’t seem shot.

Bonjour, j’ai récemment acheté une forty eight, au démarrage tout va bien, mais après une dizaine de minute et après que je sois monté dans les tours le moteur se met à faire un bruit très métallique et ça reste le temps que le moteur est chaud.
Merci
Ça vous dit quelque chose ?

I have a 2022 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight (XL1200X). The bike fell over on the right side and damaged a few things:
Right/front brake lever broke
Right grip was damaged
Rear brake/forward-control assembly came loose because the mounting screws broke
The rear brake assembly itself looked okay, so I removed the broken screws and replaced them with new screws I got from Advance Auto Parts.
Since putting everything back together, though, my rear brake is noticeably weaker than it was before the fall.
The pedal itself feels fairly normal. There’s a little free travel at first, and then it becomes firm when I press it. The brake does work, but the stopping power is definitely weaker than it used to be.
One thing that doesn’t look right to me is the rear brake linkage/pushrod area in the pictures. The silver part at the connection looks like it’s sitting partly out of its joint/seat rather than being firmly seated. I’m wondering if the fall knocked something out of position and that’s causing the reduced braking.
Does this linkage look normal in the pictures, or does something look damaged/out of position? What should I check before assuming the brake needs to be bled?
I’m also planning to replace the broken right/front brake lever and damaged right grip. How difficult are those jobs on a 2014–2022 Sportster, and what tools would I need?
I should also mention that I have basically no experience working on or repairing motorcycles. I’m willing to learn and DIY simple things, but since this involves the brakes, I’m not sure where I should draw the line. Based on what you see in the pictures, is this something a beginner can realistically diagnose/fix, or would you recommend taking it to a mechanic?
I’ll attach all the pictures showing the damage and rear brake assembly.

Thank youuuu🙏🙏🙏

I just picked this bad boy up off marketplace. I’m hoping to make some tasteful upgrades. I really like the Frisco “Chopper” look, any recommendations on where to start? I may want to try chop the frame some time down the road, but would like to start with some smaller upgrades first.
Thanks!

Every damn time a code pops up, this time it's code b2132, high beam might be shorted out or something. Everything was fine before I decided to take her to the car wash and hose her down! Btw, I've had this code pop up before, and I've had all the switches replaced in the past year or two. Other than this little annoyance she is running great, even spent all day in the canyons and Malibu yesterday(which is why I decided to hose her down, because she was FILTHY!)

Anyone else have this issue? I can't say this has ever happened while riding in the rain, probably because I'm in SoCal and it doesn't rain that often, and when it does I stay off the roads.

Only 5 degrees wish it was a bit more. Didn't change much visually but definitely took a minute to adjust to the turns. Shoulda got better side pic

Biker babe

Looking for bars similar to these but I’m having troubles finding any. I’ve been looking at tracker style bars but the way they bend and rise doesn’t quite look the same. I like the more gentle slope. Any help is appreciated! (Photo from instagram)

Picked up this sportster couple months ago and can’t seem to find what model exhaust it came with online. It’s stamped with Vance and Hines but the ones I find online are oriented differently…

I’m about to buy a 1991 Harley Sportster (XLH883, chain drive, all original) and want to understand the electrical switch functions before I commit.

From videos I’ve seen of this specific bike being ridden, I noticed three different states for the turn signals:

**1.**	Both front and rear signals **blinking together** (looked like hazard flashers)  
**2.**	Both front and rear signals **on constantly, steady, not blinking** (like running/position lights)  
**3.**	Both **completely off**

A few questions for anyone familiar with early 90s Sportsters:

**1.**	Does the 1991 model have a factory hazard light function (both signals flashing simultaneously)?  
**2.**	Is there a way to keep both turn signals on constantly as steady running lights, separate from actual turn signaling or hazards?  
**3.**	Can they be switched off entirely?  
**4.**	Is this all stock 1991 wiring/switchgear behavior, or does having all three states (hazard blink / steady on / off) suggest aftermarket signals or modified wiring were added?

Yes, the white walls sold me. Rode my first bike for the first time this past weekend. I got a snapshot before I ran her ragged.

Got a 2009 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 XL custom. Recently my throttles been getting stuck bad ! It doesn’t snap back at all. Any idea what it could be ? I also want to know if it’s an easy fix before I take it to a mechanic