Bought my first real bike.

Hello everyone.

I have bought my first street bike a new 08 Harley Sportster 1200 Low. and I have 2 concerns.

I have had it for about 3 weeks now, and have had some problems i havent got solved yet.

Some times I accidentally roll the throttle when I try to brake with the front hand brake.

I have tried everything I can think of from making sure my palms are in downright position ans much as I can but, for some reason I still hit the throttle and take off. it don't happen as much as it did, but sometimes i still happens and it scares the hell out of me, lol

Did any of you have this problem, and what can be done to stop it.

Second, I seem to stall some of the time when I take off from a stop sign, I let off the clutch a little to fast sometimes I know ,and it stalls it.

Even if I roll the throttle a little it still dies unless I let out on the clutch real slow to the point that it takes way to long to get across the roads to which if a car was even close when I tried to go across, I would get hit.

When I got my bike my friend rode it home from the shop because I didn't have my permit yet(I have it now) and he had no problems with it at all, the only thing I rode before that was a dirt bike and it didn't have nothing close to the power this has, so it took a little getting use to it, but other then the problems i stated above, i really love my bike, and love riding it as much as I can after I get off work.

I live outside of town and ride the back roads and subdivisions where I live and the speed limit is 35 max, and not a lot of traffic usually.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate the input.

I am going to take the riders training course at the end of next month and I know I will learn a lot from it and can't wait to do it.

thanks for listening

Welcome... Great ride and congratulations. I have the 1200R. The issue you are having with the front brake is likely an adjustment is the lever angle relative to the grip location. If the lever is too high you will have a tendency to roll the throttle on as you reach for the brake lever. As for the stalling, you may want to increase the idle a bit (not too much). This is a Sporty, don't be afraid to gas it and dump the clutch as it will actually like you.

The rider course will help you a lot. In the mean time go find a quiet parking lot or some deserted streets and just practice. Mess around with the throttle until you figure out how much is too much and how much isn't enough. This is where it's good to be in a big, open parking lot with no obstacles. If you give it too much and lose control at least you won't hurt anything too bad when you drop it. Don't grip the throttle so tightly. If you relax it'll a) make it easier to figure out how much gas you need to take off and b) you probably won't roll it when you hit the front brake. Keep practicing and you'll get it. Just be careful out there and keep in mind that your bike is pretty big for a newb.

I stalled my XL 1200 out taking off from a stop light this past Saturday. I was riding with a group of 6 other Harleys and I left it in second instead of first at the light. :) Mine was the only bike with stock exhaust and I kinda had to go by feel alone. Even folks with a lot of miles ridden make this mistake from time to time, so don't feel bad. :) Practice will help on the take-offs, just make sure you give yourself a lot of room when pulling out and don't take chances with the traffic.

I agree that changing the lever position may help with the throttle rolling when braking. Practicing stops and starts a lot should help with this as well.

The XL1200 is a fairly heavy bike and a lot of concentration has to go into keeping it upright when you are first learning, which makes it a bit harder to concentrate on the controls when doing the slow maneuvering. You will eventually get the hang of it though.

Yes don’t be afraid to adjust all your controls, grips, switches and bars to best suit your natural riding position (instead of you getting used to the way they are set now). This will increase comfort and control as well as reducing fatigue. Most likely they are all set for the previous rider.

I stalled my XL 1200 out taking off from a stop light this past Saturday. I was riding with a group of 6 other Harleys and I left it in second instead of first at the light. :) Mine was the only bike with stock exhaust

Can you still hear?


I agree with what was said about finding a parking lot you can practice in. It just takes some time to get really comfortable with the bike. Good luck and welcome to the motorcycle community!

Can you still hear?

About as well as normal, which isn't too good. I found I could get an extra 4 miles per gallon by riding in a group. Maybe because the leader set the pace and I usually speed a bit more on my own. :)

I prefer the quieter stock mufflers for my own bike, but it's pretty nice rumbling along the countryside with a group of hogs.

About as well as normal, which isn't too good. I found I could get an extra 4 miles per gallon by riding in a group. Maybe because the leader set the pace and I usually speed a bit more on my own. :)

I prefer the quieter stock mufflers for my own bike, but it's pretty nice rumbling along the countryside with a group of hogs.


Yeah and even when you ain't doin the rumblin Dods. Funny how that 1200 Sporty gets better fuel mileage when you drop below 80 mph isn't it?