That's what I've been preaching forever. Find what you like and ride. What bike suits you is all that matters. Personally I ride a Buell Cyclone. 1200cc Harley motor , really short wheel base that handles the twisties with ease. A lot of my friends despise my bike. I don't care. It's mine and I love it.
Yeah yeah, enjoy the ride, it's about riding... that's poor people excuse. Do japanese ride yamahas? No, they're riding and modding Harleys. Everyone is like "umm metric bikes are better than HD" untill he gets himself a nice Harley Davidson.
Hey Dan, it’s great to see how your content has changed over the course of the past few years. These types videos are some of the greatest things you’ve put up. It’s interesting, it’s full or info, and it’s fun. Keep it up.
Can't tell you how much I enjoy you doing these review videos, it is so amazing to see how far you've come when you first started this channel, keep it up Dan!
I've had a Bolt for 3 years now, and it was my first bike. I've ridden many different bikes since, and I will never get rid of my Bolt. It has its downfalls like any bike would, but at the end of the day it is amazing.
I ride a POS Harley and a triumph,Honda , Yamaha They are POS because they are all old. 76 Fx, 07 scrambler, 76 cb550/4, xs650 chop I’ll keep mine you buy a new one
@Bunnyshooter 223 dude when you consider what you get with that 883, its still horribly expensive.... I could go out right now buy a brand new vulcan 650, looks good sounds good with pipes, way more power than the 883, more comfortable because of ergo fit, and a more reliable engine.....for less than the 883. And the 1200 is more like 12k brand new. Yes there are "cheaper" harleys. But you get almost nothing for that money, jus a logo and 50hp
Daaaaaan. I just finished watching a first impressions video by a certain other motovlogger (we'll call him, Follow), and while Follow's video was 20+ minutes of him trying to figure out how a motorcycle's dashboard worked (wish I was kidding, it was painful, dude needs help), yours was succinct, kept my attention, and I could tell you had really thought this whole thing through before putting it together. Nicely done!
Lance M if I wanna show support to someone I like I don’t see why that’s a big deal it’s my money I work hard to make it and I can do whatever with it 🤷🏽♂️ doesn’t matter if he gives a shit or not
WOW has a great inventory of commonly owned 2nd hand bikes. Honestly probably one of the best used motorcycle dealerships in the southeast, anytime im in Marietta i go there and just browse their selection to see any deals, and sometimes you’ll be surprised at what bikes can be had for a low price. Now that’s not to say alot of their bikes aren’t overpriced but my buddy has bought boths bikes he’s owned from WOW and he’s had absolutely zero issues at all with them.
These videos are so interesting and entertaining. Keep them coming Danny boy EDIT: I remember the video when a guy on a 883 told you he rode a REAL BIKE
I’ve owned every bikes from every Japanese manufacturer and switched to Harley in 2017. I just bought another this year a 2002 sportster 1200 and it far exceeds any Harley big twin and any other bike I’ve ever ridden. It’s all up to the individual as to what’s the better ride or what they can afford.
Bolt riders: the Koso TNT-B meter replaces the stock speedometer and should be easier to see and also adds a tachometer. Dan, thank you for making this video! I have a 2015 bolt and I really appreciate your opinion because you presented it as very non biased. You have more than enough experience with various types and brands of bikes, so this isn't just some Yamaha sales pitch or a Harley 'Murica brainwash.
Totally respect your reviews bro! I've owned Kawasaki and Honda cruisers, and enjoyed them all. But, I do love my 2013 883 iron! It's something about the visual line going from the top to the back. Really smooth, and slammed look! Yes, rough ride especially on bumps, but totally enjoyable around town. Mad respect to ya bro!
I can see your point on the Bolt regarding the general smoothness of the engine, the compliant ride and easier gearbox. I still got a Sportie though as I intend to keep it as a permanent project bike. I think there are many more customization options out there to make it "my" bike, I prefer its looks and spare parts will never be an issue. Both are fun bikes imho and you can't go wrong with either.
to be fair this is genuinely a really good review lol part of me wishes you would upload them on a other channel so people dont expect your normal kind of content, but i'd watch both.
I literally went and bought THIS exact bike at WOW shortly after seeing this vlog. Great job comparing it to both the 883 and 1200 as they were on my list as bikes of interest as well. I just uploaded a “first impressions” video on the bike and mentioned how I came across this video 🤘🏼😬
Bunnyshooter 223 You should bro. I've been seriously considering adding the new '18 iron 1200 to my collection. My Bolt R-Spec is getting lonely in my garage lol.
POC Skellington you're obviously not true lover of motorcycles... and might I ask what do what you ride? Let me guess Some piece of shit sportbike? Maybe a Vespa? No, I bet you're a slow thinking, muscle shirt wearing Hyabusa guy huh. I can tell just by how you are trying to put everyone down that you're one of those Beta fuck boys. You think I give a fuck if you think that a 1200 is a bitch's bike? Dude you're opinion is soooo irrelevant, that's probably how everyone you know makes you feel huh and that's why you're on here trying to make others feel like shit cause of what THEY like?
I commute about 50 miles each day on the bolt c spec I’m transitioning from tracking my old R1! I love the c spec it’s handle bars feel like clip ons the foot pegs are sporty positioning yet comfortable enough to cruiser for those 50 miles plus the luxury of cars hearing you and moving out the way is so nice also gunna track this bad boy soon after I tweak it out
I ride a Buell cyclone with the 1200cc Harley engine. Ya, it vibrates bad. It's basically like riding the paint mixer at home depot with a couple of wheels attached. Now mind you it handles amazing the way the suspension is set up. I've owned many different Harley's throughout the years. Now that I've owned a couple of Buells, I like where I'm at.
My only complaint about the bolt was the dash. But i loved how much smoother it was than the harley. so much less vibration and chatter under heavy braking. oh yeah much better brakes lol. Just needs an aftermarket exhaust and it sounds great!
I kinda like how quiet it is though, i typically work til 12am on certain nights and i like to be able to not wake my family up, but the only downside is that its a huge ass canister. Im gonna get the bassani pipes though, which are quite the opposite of quiet
I have the 2015 Bolt, the only time I have had problems reading the dash is when the sun hits the crome ring and blinds me if I look at it at a certain angle, but I have never EVER had problems actually reading it.
I have to be honest and say looks are really important to me when it comes to buying a cruiser. The yam is a better bike dynamically by a whisker. The styling of the yam is just dull IMHO. Harley gets my money especially with its' build quality.
I think the Bolts style is awesome. It is like a ultra modern, almost futuristic take on a sportster. All the little design elements and angles look great. The 883 is a classic look, but effectively unchanged aside from paint and a great new seat. The only thing I don't like about the Bolt are the two frame bars that kind of call attention to themselves between the engine and the forks. On the 883 they are closer to the engine and more integrated. Both are amazing bikes in the end.
@rockn roll I think you are right. But to me, choosing a cruiser isn't necessarily a logical thing. Therefore, despite its' obvious shortcomings, the Harley is still the bike I'd rather own. Superior though the Yam maybe, I still ride half with my heart and only the rest with my brain! I also owm a fair few old brit classics so that confirms my madness.
Love the vid but just want to offer a slight correction @10:40. The only Sportsters that have a 4.5 gal tank are the Custom and Superlow. A few others such as the Roadster and Iron have a 3.3. The 48 and all others have the iconic 2.1gal peanut tank. Also, the older 1200’s may have only gotten 36mpg, but published figures for the new 1200s and 883s are 48 and 51mpg respectively.
Turns out a guy watched your video and wanted the exact bolt you test drove so he went and got it well 2 years later when I bought it he told me and now I own it. Small world love all your videos man!!
The Forty Eight is probably my favorite Harley. You’re right, with a decent seat and handlebars it’s a great bike. And the Bolt’s even better?? Now I gotta try one...
I have both. A sportster is 2x the bike in performance and quality. I’d say the bolt might be the best starter bike available though. It’s akin to riding a Vespa. Like it feels like you are riding a scooter IMO.
Shane Miller no thats just your harley pride, its only 2x as powerful if u have a stage 3 screaming eagle setup, power to weight ratio my friend, the harley may have 200 extra ccs but its also much heavier, so that makes a stock 1200 sporty run 13.6-14 sec 1/4 miles which is almost identical to the bolt. Look at the vulcan 650s, 650cc inline twin and itll knock the socks off both the sportster and the bolt
Nice comparison although the bigger bore on the 1200 is actually LIGHTER than the 883 because they litterally bore out more metal, I had a 1200 and 883 weighed and confirmed this, however it's not much of a diffrence, the way to go is get the 883 for cheap and order/install the hammer 1275 kit, save on insurance and cost of the bike plus it's all bolt on for $800. And btw I do motovlogs on my channel as well (still newish to the game) but wanted to say I appreciate the work and dedication I've seen on your channel/videos, take care and ride safe bro!!!
A lot of stuff he claimed was pretty lacking. I couldn't handle it when he said that the extra displacement air was weighing the bike down and goes on to come up with the most obscene description of vibration he could come up with for a bike with the same rubber engine mounts. He tries his best to make 30 lbs sound as heavy as possible and somehow claims a 51 mpg to 36 mpg drop from the 883 to 1200 which is nonsense for anyone to even think the 883 has 42% improved fuel economy over the 1200. His torque numbers were nonsense as well to make the 48 sound as underpowered as he could. He then claims there is no engine difference between the 883 and the 1200 besides the displacement, which is wrong since the 1200 has a pretty decent upgrade in heads. He was also looking directly at the 2 gal tank with the camera and said that it had a 4.5 gal tank. Then he goes on to claim the Sportster loses because of worse reliability than the Yamaha without any evidence of it. It's bullshit that no one should listen to. He obviously doesn't know very detailed info about what he was making a video about.
You are a gullible fool. It wasn't many years ago when all the sheep thought all the Japanese bikes were cheap shit that broke all the time. Don't be a gullible fool. Don't make sweeping generalizations without actual reasons to back it up. Please explain to me how an Evo engine is less reliable than a Bolt engine or shut the hell up. I don't listen to fools.
NATA the only gullible fool here is you. I bet you still think Harley is American made, LMAO. While Harleys have gotten better their major failure rate as 2017 is still a whopping 26%. That's 1 in 4 dumbass. What makes this number even more significant is that a lot af Hardley Ablesons riders only rider on weekends. I USED to own a sporster 1200 and at 20k I had to rebuild the top end. I ride year round, and put 16k a year on my motorcycles. The Harley lasted me less than a year and a half. Overpriced pos. Rebuilt it and sold it. For you to try and compare Yamaha reliability with Harley has got to be the dumbest thing I ever heard and only a fool would say they are in the same level. You want proof, Google that shit yourself, any motorcycle magazine, user reviews, RU-vid videos they all have the same thing in common and all say the same thing for a reason, Harley is not reliable. Harley riders are nothing but posers playing dress up with their bullshit bandanas, and assless chaps. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-izzlN2zC8PU.html
Almost everything you said is bullshit and proves you are a fool. 1. I've never said anything about HD being or not being American made. I'd call this a strawman, but it has to appear to be logical to be a strawman which it isn't... 2. Their failure rate is 26%? What exactly are you even talking about? Failure of what? The Evo? The big twins? The Revolution engines? The spokes loosened on a wheel? GTFO of here with those bullshit made up stats. 3. HD owners only ride on weekends? Is this whole comment of yours a fucking fantasy you invent in your head to feel good about yourself?" 4. You owned a Sportster and had to rebuild the top end at 20K miles. This doesn't prove reliability since there are individual cases from every mass produced motorcycle that can claim the same. Also, the Evo heads are one of the best parts of that motor. It is a quad cam OHV with perfectly parallel rods that allow for extra high lift and airflow compared to the big twins and their off-angled rod-to-rocker contact. How is this worse than the faux-OHV heads on the Bolt? You failed to ID what even failed on your bike. 5. You put 16K miles on your bike before? I don't care and didn't ask. And you wanting to over-exaggerate shit on the internet is irrelevant and makes you look like a child. 6. I didn't compare Yamaha reliability to HD, do you fail at reading comprehension? I clearly could though, since ALL motorcycles on the road are comparable. 7. I don't want proof. I want you to list an actual factual point on what is inferior between the two engines instead of bullshit generalizations and fantasies that are for fools. If you don't want to do that, then why are you even commenting to me? 8. HD riders all dress up and wear assless chaps? Do you know anything that isn't a bullshit made-up fantasy in your head?
Holy shit the ad in the middle of this couldn’t have been better 😂 “the bolt features” and then the rock comes on “a gigantic crocodile, a genetically modified grey wolf and an albino gorilla” holy shit that Bike is cool 😂😂
Rabble rabble rabble! I ride a Sporty and I tie that fact directly to my self worth. Since you prefer another bike over mine, I am deeply offended and will become increasingly defensive over your dissenting opinion. Rabble rabble rabble! Jokes aside, I do love my Sporty 48 though. 😂
So far after looking at just about every bike out there in the sportster category, and the Bolt fits me the best. I do like the 1200 kit for the 883. I would really like a kit like that for the Bolt! There are tons of aftermarket parts and accessories for the Bolt, so you can make it your own. Now I'm a month away from getting my motorcycle endorsement, which is the equivalent to a license in other states. After that I'm test riding everything I can get my hands on!
just give it time to wear in some more years, my first ride was a 1998 sportster 1200 ( yes i know it has more cc ) but it was a vibrating SOB. Now i ride a 2014 Night rod special ( vrod ) and it dont vibrate much yet lol
Sean Butler I have ridden my share of rice rockets ranging from '74 RD350 to my last rocket '96 CBR 600f3. I bought my sporty forty for a few specific reasons (it's an 06 ) 8,999 miles, affordable, the sound of the drag pipes .... My girlfriend loves it
Great video. I had a 1200 sportster and I enjoyed it. It was a great bike. I looked at the bolt as well but I got the 1200 because it was more powerful and a bigger gas tank.
Ya no doubt the Bolt is probably a "better" bike than the Sportster . BUT, yes big but, in 10 years the Bolt will be worth exactly the price of the going rate for it's weight in scrap metal. The Sporty will still be worth some serious jingle. Not saying I agree with that, not even saying it make sense, but that's just the way it is.
That's funny since a stock 1200 Sporty is quicker than pretty much every big twin out of the box. Yeah, you'll inch on me at 90 when I run out of gear, great job. You want a quick tossable bike, get a Sporty. You want fast, get a V-Rod. You want the best of neither world, get a Dyna.
i dont quite think 98% of any motorcycle riders have "polluting the atmosphere" as the number one thing on their mind, when mirin the badassery of the rumble going on beneath them
porkchop express there both low to moderate as stock. When you start adding stuff on then it gets worse .that goes for any bike . except the Electric ones. . thanks for your input though.
I love the reviews you do they are honest and true the only time I would have is it would see your Mic peaked or their was wind so it make the audio a little off. Just a suggestion but you know why more than me
Took me 6 months to decide which to buy and i ended up with A 2014 all black first bolt model. If i was to pick again i would do the yam bolt again. My fav is HD street bob but if YAM makes a bigger bolt with a bigger engine i would go with it too
bolt is an excellent bike no argument there, i had a 2012 iron 883 put 20,000 miles on her till i traded her in for a more highway friendly bike since my state is full of them, got a 2017 HD lowrider S yes another harley , but nearly triple the horsepower and slightly over double the torque, with cruise contro! its very smooth on the highway and burning out through town :P only thing i didnt like about the bolt and yes i rode a 100 percent stock one, the stock looks are ugly mainly the tail light positions and among other things, and with a sportster just get higher shocks and a different exhaust and you can get more lean angle. love the review hope to see more of them.
Ottomatic the low rider s is definitely not triple the hp. Double the torque yea, but like 80hp max. Im speaking purely stock..... There is a reason Harley doesnt release hp numbers.
Sean Butler 90 hp stock found it multiple times, I'm pushing near 100 hp as if right now , 115 ft lbs of torque would have more if I got 2 into 1 exhaust instead of 2 into 2
Ottomatic put up dyno numbers and ill concede, thats still not triple even at 100 hp thats double. And what mods you got? Unless you have the screamin eagle stage 2 or 3 I still doubt its more than 85-90hp people always go for the higher number. The pipes dont do much for harleys, its intake and cam work that does
I have a 2004 883 and love it. This was an awesome review and I think if your looking for a bike. Go out and sit on some at a dealership to see what bike suits your comfort. My 883 is a dream to ride.
