[Kerry_129]

I try to stay away from the Harley (and Buell) 'bashing', because it's bad form & at the end of the day it's all about what the individual rider enjoys swinging a leg over.

However, having spent a little time on an '02 Thunderbolt, I have to honestly say it was the worst bike I have ridden, from a 'sporting' perspective. Lousy wooden-feeling brakes, very clunky transmission, harsh suspension (mushy front & very 'bouncy' rear - not a good combo!), and ran out of power about the time it felt like it should be getting into the mid-range - and don't even get me started on the vibration. Now, I know they came a long way since then and I think the 1125s are far better bikes than the prior generations. I recently got a chance to ride a 1125CR recently and while I didn't find it anything to gush over, it seemed a good, capable bike with nice handling & power-delivery (the vac-assisted/delayed clutch felt good & was a nice unique feature, I thought). I believe part of the improvement was fit/finish/refinement, but the biggest factor was simply the far superior Rotax motor (again, speaking from 'sportbike' perspective). I think it was just too little, too late & it would have taken a few years to overcome the (well-deserved, IMO) negative image that most people in the 'sportbike' market hold of the earlier bikes.

It's sad that the only production sport-bike America had to offer is now dead, right after it took a huge step forward (can't help but wonder how much the adoption of the Rotax motor might have influenced the decision). I hope he gets another shot, with a mfg. that gives him much more free-reign!