1200C or 1200S : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

RoRsChAcH · 06-28-2003, 09:13 AM

Well...in about 3 1/2 hours ill be going back to the dealership to either pickup or order my new sporty. When i went in there yesterday looking for a 1200s...the sales mgr said he could have one here in 2 weeks...so i said great...lets start talking numbers...well he comes back and sits down...he tells me the 1200s is not a popular bike and brings me over to a custom and shows me the forward controls on it compaired to the standard ones...and also the extra chrome the custom has. Now ive rode on a 1200xlh with standard controls and really didnt cramp up at all...and i kinda like "huggin" the tank when i go through corners and my "spirited" riding....i really want the extra "get up and go" that the s has to offer as well as i personally like the different rims...on top of that i know 3 others with a custom so i kinda wanted a little variation of it. I guess my question is...what do you guys think caues the dealer is really trying to change my mind?

xxxflhrci · 06-28-2003, 10:08 AM

I think that he was being fairly honest with you about the Sport not being as popular and showing you a model that he thought might be more appealing. Either is a good bike. The extra "get up and go" from the Sport is not enough to make a fuss about. Just get which ever one suits your tastes. If it were my buck, I'd get a plain Jane black 883 for 6 grand, then paint it to suit me, add Buell heads, cams, ignition, pipes, and a few other goodies. That way, I'd have a bike suited to my tastes that would eat that 1200S for probably less money.

VincentH · 06-28-2003, 11:07 AM

That is exactly the route I took with my 883R. I have the race bike color, cheaper entry price, and it now has Buell Thunderstorm Heads, 1200 Buell pistons, and Buell high performance cams.

This thing absolutely rips now!!!

HD1200R · 06-28-2003, 12:23 PM

I say go with the 1200s. It might not be a popular bike but it does have the better suspension. It also has the better ignition and should be a smoother running motor compared to all the other sportsters since it has the single-fire ignition. The ignition and suspension for that bike will run you about $2000+ for when you want to add it to another sporty. Any other suspension that might even campare to it will cost a LOT more. It does also have the better heads on it and a higher compression. If you want some more off-the-line fun, purchase the transmission sprocket that is for the 883 and have that installed.

James · 06-28-2003, 12:39 PM

The dealer wants you to buy today, that is why he is pushing you. What dealer is this? Wildfire in Villa Park has several Sportsters on the floor. They sell them for MSRP.

RoRsChAcH · 06-28-2003, 09:42 PM

Well guys...im a harley owner!!

Ended up going with a 1200s with an s.e. a/c kit, s.e. slip ons, and it rejetted....should be here in 2 weeks! Hey smokey...yeah it was wildfire...only 2 dealers would sell at msrp..them and elgin. Have to say though...the people at wildfire (ozzie, jim) were the BEST people i have ever dealt with in buying something...would recommend.

trooper113 · 06-28-2003, 09:43 PM

I bought my '03 1200S late last summer. I figured it was big/smooth enough, but was wrong. I traded it for a new FXD in November. I paid MSRP and got new MSRP for it when I traded it in. It was a great bike after I put a Mustang seat and highway pegs on it. The only reason I traded it was I wanted a bit more smoothness for the longer rides I ended up taking and just a little extra length. I had a choice between a C and an S......glad I took the S. Then again, choices are why they make different bikes.

James · 06-28-2003, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RoRsChAcH
Well guys...im a harley owner!! Ended up going with a 1200s with an s.e. a/c kit, s.e. slip ons, and it rejetted....should be here in 2 weeks! Hey smokey...yeah it was wildfire...only 2 dealers would sell at msrp..them and elgin. Have to say though...the people at wildfire (ozzie, jim) were the BEST people i have ever dealt with in buying something...would recommend.

The buying experience is pleasant from Wildfire but wait until you have to get service done. Ozzie is one of the owners. He does seem like a cool guy. The guy in the service department is an ass. I think his name is Brian.

Last year I purchased a new 883. It had about 400 miles on it and I noticed a small bolt was missing that held on the left mirror bracket. I was out riding when I noticed it. I just happened to be riding past the dealer when I noticed it so I stopped to get a new bolt. I figured when they assembled the bike they must not have tightened it enough. I went to the service department and he got the bolt I needed and told me it cost 45 cents.

I told him I didn't have any money on me and I thought it was their fault the bolt was missing. Maybe I expect too much, but for a measley 45 cent bolt which cost them maybe 10 cents I just figured they would give me one. Nope. So I asked him if he was going to make me drive home to get 45 cents after I just spent almost 7 grand on this new bike and I thought it was their fault for doing a poor assembly. Anyway, he refused to give me the bolt.

Since then I have sold my 883 and now I have a 1200c. When you get yours broke in we should ride together sometime. I'd like to see how well that 1200s performs compared to a regular 1200. I do have the stage 1 done.

RoRsChAcH · 06-28-2003, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Smokey

The buying experience is pleasant from Wildfire but wait until you have to get service done. Ozzie is one of the owners. He does seem like a cool guy. The guy in the service department is an ass. I think his name is Brian.

Last year I purchased a new 883. It had about 400 miles on it and I noticed a small bolt was missing that held on the left mirror bracket. I was out riding when I noticed it. I just happened to be riding past the dealer when I noticed it so I stopped to get a new bolt. I figured when they assembled the bike they must not have tightened it enough. I went to the service department and he got the bolt I needed and told me it cost 45 cents.

I told him I didn't have any money on me and I thought it was their fault the bolt was missing. Maybe I expect too much, but for a measley 45 cent bolt which cost them maybe 10 cents I just figured they would give me one. Nope. So I asked him if he was going to make me drive home to get 45 cents after I just spent almost 7 grand on this new bike and I thought it was their fault for doing a poor assembly. Anyway, he refused to give me the bolt.

Since then I have sold my 883 and now I have a 1200c. When you get yours broke in we should ride together sometime. I'd like to see how well that 1200s performs compared to a regular 1200. I do have the stage 1 done.

OMG! Are you serious?

Yeah he sounds like an ass alright...lol. I would think since it was missing that it was missed in the prep of the bike...but oh well. I should get my bike in 2 weeks if all goes well. Do you know of any ignition i can get for my bike...i looked online for a module for the 1200s to raise the rev limiter to at least 65-6800 but i couldnt find one...would like to throw that on at the same time as my other mods...just wondering if i missed it in the catalogue? Yeah we should def get together when i get my bike and meet up somewhere and go for a ride!

Shoot me your email addy to s_crandall@comcast.net

HD1200R · 06-29-2003, 03:34 AM

I forgot but is the 1200S fuel injected or carb? If it's carb, I would suggest the ignition system that I am looking to install on my bike. It's made by Comp Cams and is called the VThunder HypreFyre Covert Ignition. It goes right where the pickup is in the camgear cover. You would also have to switch to either a different coil or modify the wiring harness so that you can splice the ignition system in. The coil that has been suggested is the Crane Cam's Single Fire Coil.

Here's a link of what I posted about the ignition system. So far it has impressed the ducati dealer that I am working with to purchase parts.

http://www.harleydavidsonforum.com/f...threadid=17379

That and the pulley swap that I mentioned earlier would make a good amount of difference. Can't forget about cams and carb though!

crawdaddy · 07-01-2003, 10:21 AM

He tried to put you on a Custom for only one reason-to sell a bike out of stock rather than order one. Bikes, cars, boats- it doesn't matter. A dealer will always try to sell from what's in stock first.

In my unbiased

opinion, you made a great choice. The 1200S is really the sum of it's parts. It is less popular than the 1200C, mainly because of all the chrome that comes on a Custom. I think the 1200C is the best looking Harley...pure eye candy. But the Sport will handle and ride noticeably better than a Custom.

jockeyshift · 07-01-2003, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HD1200R
I forgot but is the 1200S fuel injected or carb? If it's carb, ...

Carb only.

ksims1868 · 07-01-2003, 01:56 PM

I though ALL XL models were carb...did I miss something?

jockeyshift · 07-01-2003, 02:02 PM

Yep, they are all carbs. Some Buells have EFI.

c2clifton · 07-01-2003, 05:07 PM

if you don't care about chrome, the money is better spent with the 1200s. factory specs say not much difference, but once the harley tax is paid, you'll not believe the difference. Plus, with an addition of bolt-in cams, you will have the same power as the early buell's