Dan Karleen’s Blog

The 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 pictured below was my first bike when I returned to riding in my 30s. It was a nice cruising bike for relatively short distances but got a little uncomfortable on extended trips. The 1200 is small for a Harley but mid size for most other manufacturers.

I enjoyed it for quite a few years riding the back roads of Berks and Montgomery Counties, and once or twice up to my brother-in-law Eric’s cabin along Pine Creek in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.  It was a nice bike for low-speed cruising on twisty roads in the farmland near our home in Exeter Township.  Adding a passenger wasn’t impossible, but the bike did feel pretty sluggish.  It wasn’t a speed demon in the first place.

Here’s the Sportster 1200 side by side with Eric’s Victory 8-ball.

It had some great add-ons, including a detachable windshield, leather saddlebags, padded sissy bar, and more.  It also had some nice chrome work, including the air cleaner cover pictured below.