As most of you know, I want a bike that doesn't exist. Many people feel a Dyna is a big boy's Sportster, when in terms of heft and handling it's just a small boy's Electra Glide. I want a 'Sportster Glide.' I've tried to build this bike for decades.

(BTW, I recently saw such a bike in a recent bike magazine. It looked like a white Sportster trimmed in early red-white-blue trim, but was actually a cut-down big twin.)

I'm slowly making changes to Spinner, but we need a tad more of this heft and a few more cubic inches. And it's kind of a disappointment to peruse through MoCo's catalog when sifting for parts.

I have found only minor upgrades in electronic engine managment, lots of exhaust system components (both functional and decorative), pushrods and lifters, and air filtration opptions. And while you can get an entire big-twin rebuilt to your specifications, including a stroker, I see no parallel Sportster parts.

Where is the factory 1500cc XL stroker?

I'm sure there are after-market options. I know that an Illinois company called "Lake City" built the Gargantuan Sportster engine used in the record breaking Bonneville Saltflats bike--the technology exists and it is decades old. However, I'm just a suburban guy now. I don't tear bike engines apart in my living-room (anymore) or degrease parts in the kitchen sink. If I break stuff, I go to the dealership, and if I need a part it's OEM.

I agree that the market for CVO Sportster upgrades is small, probably only me and two other idiots. But it would be nice to be given a choice. But I do not like MoCo's mindset that the XL market is a gateway for entry-level, disposable bikes for women and tiny guys. Sonny Barger rode a Sportster, this is my fourth. Where are the good parts?

It seems if you are not going to purchase a sportster stroker kit from SnS you are out of luck.
The XL just has never been 'the bike' to customize, so the market never developed.
The best handling HD big twin is the FXR. Have you ever owned one?
Jam a 113" Ultima into it and see how far you can lean it in the corner until you strart to drag something.
I have owned 2 XL's - first was '87 1100 and my second was a second bike '74 xlch 1000. Both great bikes but I wouldn't compare them favorably with my big twin's.

Most of my bikes were in the "FX" series. In fact, I owned the first FXE locally. That's not the route I want to take now. The FXDi I have now is fully customized. My future is in XLs.

And I'm happy with my current Sportster--but. Its mileage and overall range is limited, the comfort quotient could be better (I just bought a new seat I have not tried) and I'm a guy who likes lower range grunt rather than raw top-end horsepower.

I always say that I do not drag race, but I do pass slow farmers.

That's why I say "Sportster Glide." The benefits of a smaller bike and the good things of the FX series without all of the old Electra-Glide parts.

You know how many fabricators that would love to break into that market?

I had this very discussion a few days ago with a mechanic and a service writer at my dealer's shop. It appears that there is little interest in Sportsters at a serious level. For example, while listed, there isn't a Low-1200cc variant. There is a Super Low 883, and MoCo will sell you a 1200cc upgrade. In fact, their own internal correspondence suggests they offer that very upgrade.

And that is not to single out the Sportsters alone. It seems that MoCo wants to push this "dark custom" trend. The current 1200cc rubber EFI engine is the best example yet, however MoCo seems to want to build Nightsters and 48s. Heck, I'd like to see an honest new-style XLH with a 3.3 gallon tank and shocks designed for adults--that's how many of us got into this silly sport.

Go to their own website and look into Sportster's line of go-fast parts. There ain't much. Why not?