39 Class of ’69 1

Sportster as Superbike.

44 XL Tech

Now with rubber baby buggy bumpers.

48 Resurrection and Glory

Keeping the candles lit for 100 years.

-by Peter Egan

58 Project 100

Sec ya in Milwaukee!

62 Moto Guzzi MGS-01

Fly, eagle, fly!

-by Brian Catterson

66 What’s Up Doc?

Checking in with Dr. John Wittner.

68 Triumph Rocket III

Cruise missile.

-by Matthew Miles

36 2004 Harley-Davidson

XLR1200

Twenty-first-century Sportster.

-by /Ulan Girdler

76 Long-Term Wrap-Up

r Yamaha FJR1300,__________

60 Miller 100th Anniversary Commemorative Beer Are you ready for the party of the century?

78 Supermoto! Backin’ it in big time. -by Kevin Cameron

10 UP FRONT The lost Harleys. -by David Edwards

14 LEANINGS Revenge of the Soccer Dads. -by Peter Egan

18 TDC Clutch players. -by Kevin Cameron

20 Hotshots

26 New Ideas

28 Roundup

104 Service

111 CW Showcase

122 Slipstream

ONE OF CARTOONING’S MORE CONSTANT SUBJECTS HAS BEEN Uli

wild-eyed prophet, the robed fanatic carrying a sign emblazoned.

"The World Is Going To End!!!" We’ve laughed at this for getter-

ations, but in plain fact, the prediction is scientifically accurate: The world r

gonna end. Someday. All that’s left are the details.

On a similar note, ever since the arrival of Harley-Davidson’s rubber-

mount chassis, the FLT of-gosh. was it that long ago'.’! 1980. it’s been com

mon knowledge that someday the XL-series Sportsters would get the same

treatment. It’s just that we didn’t know the details.

Here, for H-D’s only really new model of 2004. they are.

The plural is used here because there are two models of Sportster 1200 lor

’04; one is clearly a direct descendant of the model line, and is named

Roadster, while the other is more of a junior Dyna-Glidc. designated the

Custom. The engineering facts, theories and features are delivered in an adja

cent article, but what counts here is that this long-expected news is a clear

and precise illustration of The Motor Company ’s practice and principles.

The lesson begins in 1952. when Harley’s middleweights entered the

modem era. except that the so-called K-models kept the sidevalve engines

produced since 1929, though they got rear suspension, tele-

scopic forks and unit construction. In 1957, when the suspen-

sion and other improvements were sorted out, the Sportster

XLH appeared, with a new overhead-valve engine that looked

a lot more like the earlier engine than it actually was. The

engine was enlarged in 1972, given an improved frame and

disc front brake in 1973. The frame was upgraded again in

1979, then replaced with an all-steel version (no cast-iron

junctions) in 1982.

Then, with all the other parts up to date, the ironhead

XL engine was replaced with the Evolution version, which

went back to the 883cc displacement of the original Sportster,

and later was joined by a 1200cc version, gained a fifth speed

in the gearbox and switched to belt final drive, all step by

step. Again, the Evo XL engine and drivetrain were heaps

different than they appeared to be at first glance.

It’s a clear pattern, going back at least 50 years, so what

we have for Model Year ’04 is exactly what we expected.

In any case, the isolation-mount Sportster fits the basic

pattern: 883 or 1200cc displacement, 45-degree Vee angle,

two-valves-per-cylinder, air-cooling, five speeds, chain pn-

mary, belt final drive on the right. Under the engine’s skin are

differences: Cases, heads, cylinders and valvetrain are new

for the XL, but based on the current Buell XB engine.

Of course, the frame was severely re-engineered, first to

allow the rubber mounting, second to lower seat height. L

engine mounting has elements of Buell, Dyna-Glide. r. .

FLT and maybe even Norton, but in sum it's its own system,

done for this engine in this frame.

H-D Engineering spent a lot of hours on this. The systen

works, as we’ll see, but it does not rewrite the rules ot

physics. The engine still vibrates mightily, but is isolate

from the frame in which it’s suspended, sparing the rider

from the worst of the shakes. Among other things, this m

the exhaust system has to be hung off the engine, not the

frame, which means a stout and concealed mounting s*2"’

hire runs from the engine below the mufflers, which me‘'

the linkage for the rear brake makes a 90-degree mm to

master cylinder sited sideways below the swingarm- “ n

the project must have gone, detail on detail. . t|iat

As a happy note, the exhaust system no longer carm->^

ugly tube linking the two headpipes and spoiling the'1

The pipes are now connected out of sight, below the m

tiers, thank goodness...