I ride a Buell M2 with some breathing work done on it, and I love it. It doesn't mean I can't be objective about it, but it is worth mentioning it, because it useful to realise that I no longer consider them to be ugly, and I've never considered them to be anything other than a European style sportster.

I've never owned a Sportster, because with two notable exceptions, I've not found one that I'd want to use as an every day bike. The exceptions? A 1974 Ironhead 1000cc model and the Big Rock XL1200SS. I've ridden plenty but have always fallen out with the vibration, and the limitations it puts on the bike's performance.

So where does that leave us? It leaves me at Wayside Harley-Davidson on a gloriously sunny day - two days early for the switch from Deuce to Buell and not giving them enough time to give a stock blue M2 Cyclone its 1000 mile service. Rich was due down a couple of days later to pick up the 1200S but the forecast for then was too wet for fun, so I took my opportunity.

I really needed to ride the stock bike. My M2 came to me with all the Stage One work already done and it's been a while since I've ridden any but my own. And I really needed to check out the tacho on another bike running UK gearing, seeing as mine was the year before they saw fit to provide it as standard.

It rattled round from the workshop to the apron and despite my protestations, they were happy to let it go. It had been caned around the continental roads round the site of the European HOG rally for the first thousand miles by people determined to do it harm, so anything that such nice responsible chaps like ourselves were going to do with it would pale into insignificance. I still cosseted it for the first dozen or so miles before seeing how well the stifled stocker fared.

It is a testament to the knowledge and skills of Buell that a bike so constrained by emission and noise legislation should go so well. That huge airbox, and immodest silencer might be unsightly to many but they sure as hell work. Emitting little more than a kitten's purr, what noise it did make was always in your left ear due to the proximity of the silencers turned-out exit, and I was blissfully unaware of an induction roar over the sounds of wind past my helmet and car tyres on the tarmac. I've never been aware of induction noise on mine either, but the Yoshi can might have something to do with it.

I can honestly say that lack of extra performance at the rear wheel was not immediately obvious, but then I hadn't had the chance to ride my own bike for a couple of months previously, and while it is often said that loud bikes sound faster, I've found that quieter bikes sometimes just get on with the job surprisingly well, and so it was with this one. I know from experience that the magic ton is available in third without stretching the motor, and with nary a hint of bouncing off the rev limiter but exactly what that meant in real terms I wasn't sure. Not so with this 'un. The red line in third coincides with an additional ten miles per hour beyond the three digits - yes, that's right 110mph in third! Didn't try to redline it in fourth. Why bother? Second will easily see out eighty, and if you're in a hurry you can nudge fifty in first. Bleedin' 'ell!

Coupled to a frame that was born of race track experience, and puts many common sense theories into practice - notably mass centralisation and low unsprung weight - the reworked Sportster motor is given ample opportunity to stretch its legs on anything from a bland stretch of motorway to the tightest and trickiest of country lanes.

There have been many column inches dedicated to explaining that a Buell engine, being based on a Sportster engine, is somehow inferior to jus about anything else on the planet, because it has an unfashionable long-stroke and is air-cooled. I would spin that around and say that the potential in a Sportster engine is significantly greater than it has ever been given credit for, on the basis that Erik and his team have dragged such a useful amount of power from it. And it isn't just a modest increase. It is phenomenal. A lighter crank, bigger valves and some detail changes bring the torque measurement on the Buell to 113Nm compared to the XL1200S Sportster's 96Nm - which isn't massive, and is achieved at a significantly higher engine speed, but the biggie is that is ups the power from 69hp @ 5500 to a creditable 93hp @ 6100. Stock. Unmolested, unmodified, straight out of the box.

So let's switch to the Sportster. Wouldn't really fancy that torque increase on the Sporty because, let's be brutal, you're not going to see 5600rpm on the rev counter of a stock 1200S unless you've got a lucky, balanced by the grace of God example from the line. It isn't that they don't balance them properly off the production line: they don't balance them at all. And that goes for the Buell too but the Buell's Uniplanar engine mounts keep the vibes in check. Fault tolerance on a modern production line is such that balancing shouldn't strictly be necessary, but I'd love to see a return to a hand-balanced line even for a limited edition "craftsman" special - just to see the difference.

The Sportster gets its 96Nm at a leisurely 3000rpm, and that is right on the button as far as that chassis / engine combination is concerned. I've never ridden a 1200S that doesn't get worse as the revs rise, and 5k is my personal ceiling because much above that my eyeballs can't cope with processing the blurred data. This means I'm unlikely to realise the full awesome potential of the peak output, but then unfortunately 69hp isn't much to be getting on with on a 1200cc motorcycle at the beginning of the 21st century. I'm not being cruel: bear in mind that the 61ci, 1000cc XLH of 1973 was generating 61hp: that was nearly thirty years ago, in an iron Sportster engine, with a single plug head and 200cc less. Against that, the Buell is on track and the XL is sadly trailing. Okay, so there've been emissions to consider, but it's not insurmountable. Just ask Erik.

We had this out testing the 883R, and pointing to the achievements of the XR750 development team, and it is something that isn't going to go away. We also hear almost continually now that there will be a new Sportster out soon - an all-new Sportster worthy of the name. Nothing official, purely speculation but I wouldn't be massively surprised if there weren't some truth in the rumours because something needs to be done. That something, for my money, would be to continue the Thunderstorm production line and stick a carburetted M2 plant into a Sportster-style chassis that accommodates the Uniplanar engine mounts. Be creative with the exhaust and airbox to retain a classic shape and you've got a new bike with a clear lineage back to 1957, but the benefits of modern thinking.

"Worthy of the name" is a phrase that crops up repeatedly when talking Sportsters, and this is perhaps my biggest bugbear.

In 1957, a Sportster was a sportster. In 1974 it was still none-too-shabby. In 2002 it is all wrong. Somewhere down the line, the Sportster turned into a Streetster but no-one dared drop the traditional moniker for fear up upsetting a reasonably healthy market. If it was sold as a Streetster, it would be more honest and might find its way into its natural stamping ground, between the traffic lights and roundabouts of our congested cities where it's bottom end stomp, anorexic frontal area and astonishing ground clearance belies its litre-plus capacity and flexibility. I have to say, if I lived in a city, I'd look closer at the XL1200S, and possibly even take it over the M2 if I never had to leave the urban sprawl. But it would be a close run thing because while an M2 could keep up with an XL1200S through the city and suburbs, the Sportster would be a distant memory in the mirrors as soon as the roads opened up, and before the Cyclone hit fourth gear.

A hundred miles further down the road, on entering the next city the Cyclone rider would be preparing to take their upper bodyweight on their wrists again as the speed dropped, while the Sportster rider would be looking forward to less strain on their arms, holding onto the high, wide bars, and maybe even thinking about putting their feet back on the normal footpegs rather than the pillion's. They'd also be doing that about ten or fifteen minutes later … if they hadn't stopped en-route to massage some life into their butt-cheeks. On the bright side, at least the Sportster's 12 litre trademark King Sportster receptacle would actually make that distance in one hit nowadays, although the Buell would be halfway back again before needing to pour another 19 litres into its deceptively large tank.

Riding these machines back-to-back brings home the differences in technology over the last thirty years. The Sportster may have evolved into a rigid and predictable , extremely capable within its limitations machine, but it is heavy and unwieldy by comparison. Weighing in at a portly 240kg to the Buell's 193kg its neutral rake is on a par with most roadtsters, but nowhere near as quick as the Buells sub-twenty-five degrees. The twin disks that we were so pleased to see when the Sport first arrived, and happier still when the 4-spot callipers were added later, pale into insignifance when compared to the single big disk and 6-pot calliper of the Cyclone. The stylish fastback, Badlander seat looks the part but is a poor compromise for a pillion, while the Cyclone's shapely contours which - in contrast with its forbear - makes a major contribution to the Buell's ability to eat miles two-up without protest. The sticky compound tyres on the 1200S are an improvement over those fitted to regular cooking Sportsters, but are a world away from the Cyclone's radials.

But you're not interested in the likes of that: how does it look?

Ahhh. Now there's a question.

The Sportster looks like what it is: a Hot Rod. Beautiful of curve, economic of line and as traditional as maternal apple pie. It was a real looker when it was young and it has kept its good looks, even if it is a little saggy round the edges now.

The Cyclone, too, looks like what it is, but it is a very different thing. It is a masterpiece of engineering in the metal. The sort of thing you might find doodled on the folder of an engineering graduate who knows everything about what to do, but cares little for the foibles of fashion. If that was everything, it wouldn't make so much of an impression but the engineering purity creates a beauty all its own. It's just that it isn't a Harley-Davidson beauty. If it was, it would have sold in significantly higher numbers, but the question would always be as to whether it had been compromised on the way.

Looks are, unfortunately, a major buying trigger in the motorcycle market, and there is an awful lot of fashion buried deep within its conservative heart. It is a conservatism that determined that the Firebolt was stunning, and the Lightning / Cyclone was awkward within the Sportsbike markets, and it is conservatism that moves Harley riders towards that which they know, but motorbikes shouldn't be that way.

Sit on a Buell for two hours and 120 miles on any road in the country, then do the same on a Sportster. Do it that way round and you'll be appalled by the Sportster's demeanour. Do it the other way round, and you'll be amazed at the Buell's responsiveness. Either way, take a closer look at the powerplant at the end of the experiment and try to come to terms with the relative power outputs, characteristics and sensations. One feels like a tractor, the other like a missile.

Thejoy is that the missile can be ridden like a tractor, but the strength of the Harley-Davidson brand is that the tractor can be made into a missile if you have the time and money to spend - in which case, like the Big Rock 1200SS, it will be a thing of wonder in itself. But even with the motor work done, and the balanced engine spinning up nicely, there's still a world of difference in the chassis … and the looks.

I can forgive the Cyclone its looks. In fact I've come to prefer it, but I fear I'm the exception rather than the rule. Sure, I like the Sportster, and with an infinite amount of space and money, I'd have one, but without such a luxury, I'd have a Cyclone and I'm only saddened that the choice is no longer there, because even if the American dealers dump their unsold stock on the UK market, there are only so many to go round.

Second Opinion
Words: Rich King

I like Sportsters, no doubt about that. I've always admired their basic bones stance, their lack of frippery if you like and, because they are a relatively cheap way of getting a foot on the H-D ladder, I put my money where my mouth was as soon as I possibly could.

I was very happy with the most involving, delightful motorcycle I'd ever owned until it got Volvo'd in '95: I lived, the flat tracker styled bored out 1200 XLH didn't.

Nowadays, in 2002, in my view there are only two new Sportsters to seriously consider if you're in the market for one. The first I'd suggest would be your basic 883, at just under £5000, you get a hell of a lot of H-D for your money - standard, it's a lean and very handsome motorcycle: a proper bike. And as a platform to express your own personal custom and performance tastes the XLH883 is totally unrivalled. Why? Because the choice of options are so broad. If you fancy a 1200 Custom for instance, buy the 883, bore it out, and customise to your hearts content and voila, a true 1200 custom. A faster and more personal Sportster Custom you've designed yourself, and probably at a fraction of the cost of the 'real' one.

But there is one exception - and that is why I was careful to say at the start that there are two Sportsters to consider - and that model is the 1200 Sportster Sport. But it is so much more expensive at another good £2,500 on top of the basic XLH 883, so why?

It's worth the money.

The Sportster Sport, to sound insufferably glib, puts the Sport back into Sportster. The package is so much more impressive than, well, any other standard Sportster. The 1200 Sportster Sport boasts truly serious suspension, front and rear, excellent brakes and the lovely twin plug per head set-up that together, would truly cost you a good wedge of your hard-earned money. The bike looks right, turning heads, even if they're attached to bodies riding plastic rockets. I was looking forward to picking it up as soon as I knew we were getting one to test.

But oh, it could have been a catastrophe, when I turned the ignition key and checked the mileage, it'd only travelled 10 miles in its entire life. I was pretty much gutted, no way could I abuse it; it was just a baby. So, sulking a tad, I set off from Wayside Harley-Davidson in Northants to the BMF Rally in Peterborough a few score miles away.

The roads were wide and being an extremely nice man, I let the 1200 Sportster Sport roll unhurriedly up to 60mph and kept it there. Blimey, it could have been excruciatingly boring had it not been for roundabouts. These glorious interruptions in otherwise tedious A-Road rides must have been invented by a biker. Luckily, I didn't need to coddle the suspension, frame or brakes. Making the most of a great standard set-up, I was able to keep doing 60mph for as long as possible, until at the very last moment, sling-shotting us through this wonderful traffic feature. The trick was losing as little momentum as possible and usually overtaking a couple of trucks, a load of cars and even a few other motorcyclists in the process. An absolute hoot this and I arrived at the Royal Peterborough Show-ground in good time and even better spirits. The 1200 Sportster Sport even had more than 50 miles on the clock - result!

The next day, after my stint at the BMF, it was time to take the 1200 Sportster Sport across country. A longer ride over to Manchester, which could prove to be a bit of a trial, for both mind and body, if not handled properly; by which I mean, as little A1 and Motorway as I felt I could confidently get away with.

For some bizarre reason though, which confuses me still, even as I write this, I chose to ignore the A47 to Leicester, which could have landed me nicely onto the fabled A6 and a glorious ride up to Stockport. No, I went up the A1 - on the lookout for guaranteed petrol I'll be bound - but nevertheless, one of Britain's most tedious roads. This was good for neither me nor the Sporty, as the speed naturally rises, Motorway-like, on the fairly empty 4 lane blacktop and I had to keep a constant eye on the speedo.

Finally tanked up - earlier petrol stations had, rather naturally, considering the proximity of the UK's biggest bike event, more motorcycles in them than fleas in a tramp's beard - I sought refuge on a more stimulating road.

Again bizarrely, I chose a road I'd never ridden before - I decided to head straight for Nottingham. Mostly 2 lane though, with quite a bit of traffic, this actually proved more fun. The running-in 1200 Sportster Sport didn't need to be wound up hard, but its nimbleness allowed me to dart and dodge, overtake, and pull-up late. I prayed that unpcoming traffic lights were red, because that way I could easily bimble through the waiting Sunday traffic to the front and pull cleanly away into open road, and naturally start winding in the next bunch of assorted vehicles. Good fun, but following a road to Nottingham had one rather tedious disadvantage - you end up in Nottingham. At least the speed cameras gave me time to think and keep an eye on the road signs.

I spotted a sign all right - the sign of all signs - 'Matlock (A6)', you beauty! Matlock, biker's paradise: pretty fair fish and chips aside, only the best bits of the A6 either side of this rather odd riverside 'seaside' town. I turned at the very next city-centre roundabout and picked up, like angry hornets, two GSXRs. Tinted visors, after-market end cans, matching leathers, tinted headlights … AKA 'the works'. Obviously, like it says you have to, they howled past me at stupid speed only to have to lock up at the next roundabout because of the traffic. The 1200 Sportster Sport just went through it like butter. That REALLY annoyed them, so screaming through the traffic again, they howled past me again.

This time the roundabout was empty, but because I'd such a good head start, I was only just behind them and a taut set-up on the 1200 Sportster Sport and rudimentary physics were to play their part. Both Suzuki riders put far too much power down after braking far too hard, their motorcycles were out of shape and ran wide. I almost shouted in triumph, because to their amazement and to my total joy the blessed 1200 Sportster Sport took the pair of them on the inside.

Of course, they totally annihilated me on the flyover, shrieking past at well over 130mph before turning off at the end of it, but fukkit, hah, bet they never told their mates about that particular episode of their Sunday ride out!

The terrific thing is though that even though the 1200 Sportster Sport wasn't run in and even despite the awesome power of a modern Japanese Super Sports bike, it hadn't been outclassed. Those super sports machines are not really road bikes, they are to all intents and purposes track bikes and on a track the Sportster would have definitely looked desperately sad. But on real roads, in real conditions the 1200 Sportster Sport just about holds its own because it is suited to those conditions. Well, against your average Sunday sports pilots it does. If those guys know what they are doing with their sports machines, the Harley struggles.

The 1200 Sportster Sport is not a sports machine in the race rep sense of the word, but it does, truly, deserve its sports moniker. Taut, tight, responsive and - run in - fast enough to be fun, slow enough not to get you in too much trouble, it is a delight to push your own limits with … isn't that what 'Sport' means?

But this is a head to head with the Buell M2 Cyclone.

Reality Check!

The Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster Sport, is a true sports motorcycle, in the old-fashioned sense of the word, you will have immense fun riding one.

But.

The Buell M2 Cyclone is in an entirely different league. So much so, and bearing it's near bargain price tag, it's amazing that:

A. Every biker hasn't got one. And …
B. That the Buell/Harley-Davidson Motor Company have seen to pull it and the X1 off production this year in favour of the Firebolt.

Yeah the M2 does look a bit funny, not just to Harley riders but to everyone interested in bikes. Let's just say the M2 carves it's own stylistic path … to be kind. Strange enough, in fact, that I'm willing to believe that many bikers have not even thrown their leg over a static, showroom model. That's a shame, because they would immediately find that the bike is stunningly well worked out for the riders, it fits around you, the ergonomics are not much short of perfect. And that really does include the pillion.

This was to be the first M2 Cyclone I'd had ever ridden and so I quickly took the bike over the Snake Pass in Derbyshire - what better place to start a test ride? Starting it up, still well-warm, it shook and rattled alarmingly, but nothing to worry about - apparently - they all do that to some extent. A blip of the throttle smoothed the rumbling engine out enough to allay any first night jitters, snicked into first and gently fed out the clutch heading for Macclesfield. Ooer, full lock came on much sooner than expected, never mind eh, lean it and power up - ooh, ooh, blimey, yes - this bog standard Buell is bloody quick and so responsive.

Less than thirty seconds and I already knew that the M2 Buell was in a totally different league than the Sportster Sport I'd just got off. Pointing and squirting the Buell over the open hill-top switchbacks I really did not need any more than three of the five gears, and to be honest, 3rd on it's own would have been adequate. Tons of low down grunt and an ability to accelerate, seemingly endlessly, higher into the rev range, made other gears other than 3rd here virtually redundant and I could devote my concentration to the next bend, the utterly superb brakes and confidence inspiring handling.

Quicker than expected, Macclesfield arrived as did its dual-carriageway, oodles of roundabouts and a great excuse to wind the Buell up, if only to 70mph-ish. Leant over, power on, I joined the road turning right and boy did the M2 accelerate fast, virtually leaping out of the roundabout and snorting up the road to the next one. Taken a little aback, I'm not absolutely sure I made 3rd gear, but I certainly saw 70mph before backing off. Staying in 2nd, I flipped neatly through the next roundabout and powered out again, backing off while going up through the gears but still accelerating briskly. This was certainly fun, these Dunlop tyres were so sticky I was not worried at all about leaning the machine right over and feeding in the useable, perfectly sited power. The M2 was certainly extremely quick, but the power came in steadily, surging ever faster but never taking the rider completely by surprise.

Perhaps a complete wuss, I never once in a week or two explored the very upper reaches of the rev range in top, never once exceeded 100mph to be truthful. This was much more to do with the law than the capability of the machine, which could certainly see the ton in 4th, if not 3rd gear and hinted at 130 to 140 mph capability in top. Neither was the high speed comfort an issue, the admittedly minuscule nose fairing/headlamp hat or whatever it is actually does a fantastic job of keeping the worst of the wind blast off of the rider, getting better at it in fact, the faster the machine travelled. True too, was that sub 90mph cruising on the motorway was an absolute delight, the motor seemingly smoother and smoother the faster the M2 travelled, so between 80 and 90mph was favourite. Not fast enough to annoy the law, but with bags of poke to propel you out of troublesome situations, I rode relaxed, seemingly upon a lush magic carpet both comfortable and confident the Cyclone could handle anything that got thrown at it.

What was a surprise was that comfort. The M2 is without doubt one of the most comfortable motorcycles I've been lucky enough to ride. Long rides up and down the country were never going to be a problem and collecting my girlfriend from work 25 miles away every night; she was amazed by the pillion comfort too. A set of throw-overs, or fitted hard luggage and the M2 would make an ideal companion to tour long distances. A true sports tourer in fact - it both 'sports' and 'tours' with ease and if you want, exactly at the same time.

What did catch me out with annoying regularity was the lock on the steering and well yes, the steering lock too. Admittedly, it is a jolly good idea to unlock the steering before attempting to ride off - especially if one wishes to turn right at some point during the journey - but I forgot a lot with the M2. Don't know why, it's certainly not Buell's fault, but I (hardly) ever forget with any other bikes. The other 'issue' was the lack of lock on the steering, which meant you had to really think about your parking and low speed manoeuvring. U-turning a Road King in narrow roads is not a problem, but the M2 couldn't do it without a three-point-turn - or an extremely confident rider who could lean and power it around … no, too scary to contemplate. This lack of lock meant if you didn't line up right squeezing through traffic, then you'd have to stop and reverse it back a bit: irritating yes, but not terminally so. Big deal on the M2 issues front then. One very minor point about the steering's lock, which in fact helps the machine to be one of the most stable and secure platforms at speed I've ever experienced and one issue that was entirely down to my own air-headedness and nothing to do with the machine at all. Pretty cool then.

Like so many other riders, I was fairly dismissive of the Buell M2 Cyclone, because I thought it to be 'quirky'. It didn't really hang right, looked a bit - strange. But that was before I'd ridden one, and believe me, the looks of the bike grow on you fast once you've done that. What perhaps is so annoying is that Buell have now stopped production of the machine and American showrooms are reportedly full of unsold examples. What a massive shame, people - people exactly like me - practically ignored them: left them untried and so have more or less consigned them to history apart from the converted few faithful. I'm saddened that I left it so long to try one, but if there is one in a dealer near you, it might be going cheap: get it out on a test and give yourself a real treat. And if you can afford it, buy it, it's going to be a cherished classic.

Specifications        

Make and Model:	Buell M2 Cyclone	Harley-Davidson XLH1200 Sportster
Engine:	OHV V2 Thunderstorm	OHV V2 Evolution Sportster
Displacement:	1203cc	1203cc
Compression Ratio:	10:1	10:1
Bore & Stroke:	88.8 x 96.8mm	88.8 x 96.8mm
Torque:	113NM @ 5,500rpm	96NM @ 3,000rpm
Power:	93.5hp @ 6,100rpm	69hp @ 5,500rpm
Fuel System:	Single Keihin 40mm CV Carburettor	Single Keihin 40mm CV Carburettor
Exhaust System:	Free-breathing 2-into-1 collector	Staggered shorty duals with balance pipe
Oil Capacity:	1.89 litres	2.8 litres
Fuel Capacity:	19l	12.5l
Primary Drive:	Triple-row (triplex) chain	Triple-row (triplex) chain
Final Drive:	Kevlar belt	Kevlar belt
Front Suspension	Showa forks with adjustable rebound damping and preload	Showa forks with adjustable rebound damping and preload
Seat Height:	749mm	740mm
Ground clearance:	132mm	170mm
Rake/Trail:	24.5 degrees/97mm	29.6 degrees/116.7mm
Wheelbase:	1410mm	1527.9mm
Dry Weight:	197.3kg	240kg
Instruments:	Electronic speedo with odometer and resettable trip meter. Electronic Tacho. Oil pressure light.	Electronic speedo with odometer and resettable trip meter. Electronic Tacho. Oil pressure light.
Colour:	Carbon Black, Blue Streak, Volcano Grey.	Vivid black, diamond ice pearl, jade sunglo pearl, white pearl, luxury rich red pearl, chrome yellow pearl.
Price:	£6,645 (Black/Black frame, Blue/Black frame, silver wheels) £6,845 (Grey/Orange frame and wheels) £7,145 (Black/Black frame, Blue/Black frame, PM wheels) Prices include usual otr inc. PDI, full tank of fuel, 12-months tax, first service	£7,295 Prices include usual otr inc. PDI, full tank of fuel, 12-months tax, first service, 12 months membership of Harley Owners Group (HOG) including their European roadside recovery
Test bike kindly supplied by:	Harley-Davidson UK. Oxford Business Park, 6000 Garsington Road, Oxford, England OX4 2DQ Tel: 0870 850 1903 (UK)