New riders and those who are height-challenged have many more options to choose from because the popular Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 is offered in a lower version. Introduced in 2006, the Sportster 1200L, the L standing for low, is the lowest Sportster 1200 ever with a 26.25-inch seat height. Next in line in terms of low is the Sportster 1200 Custom, at 26.5 inches.

The seat on the 1200L has been pushed back and the grips are 1 inch closer to the rider. The seating position for me, at 5 feet 7 inches, fits just right. I would have liked to feel a little more comfortable in the saddle. The flat seat created a slight numbness after a period of time. I think a passenger would expect a wider, cushier seat, too. An issue a lot of female riders deal with is clutch effort. Harley-Davidson addressed this by reducing the clutch effort by 12 percent over previous years on all 2006 Sportsters and later. That combined with the reduced grip size three years ago Harley reduced grip size on the Sportsters from 1 1/4 inch to 1 1/8 inch translate to hands and wrists that don't ache after a long ride.

I tested the 1200L on a wonderful strip of roadway, long sweeping turns that allowed the bike to do what it does best -- carve and corner going right where I pointed it. Lots of power and torque propel you upon take-off. Throttle response is right on. This 1200 has tons of zip. You ll have no problem keeping up with the larger powered motorcycles. Coming to a stop you ll find the dual-piston caliper brakes up front and the rotor brakes in the back do the job just fine.

Part of the Sportsters redesign in 2004 included a new stiffer frame and an engine that is rubber mounted to the frame. This reduced vibration considerably while stabilizing the ride a lot more. Because I owned a 1993 Sportster 1200 in my early days, I am very tuned in to the difference this makes in the ride. I think the redesign was the best thing to happen to the Sportsters in years.

You'll also have no problem going the distance alongside with the bigger bikes thanks to the 4.5-gallon fuel tank. This is the newly designed tank Harley introduced on the Sportster 883 Custom and the Sportster 1200 Custom three years ago.

Harley-Davidson didn't skimp on styling either. Lots of chrome where you'd expect it accented by black paint on the wheels, the oil tank and the fender struts. To view the specs for the Sportster 1200L and read the WomenRidersNow.com recommendation, visit: www.womenridersnow.com.

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