I read with amusement your 4 year struggle with a Sportster. I've got a 2000 Sport model and have had a few of the same problems. But overall, while the Sportster isn't as reliable as a new Honda, it IS as reliable as a 1970s Honda, which isn't too bad. Harley sells a lot of Sportsters because it says Harley-Davidson on the tank. What most purchasers don't realize is that the Sportster was introduced in 1957 and remains today a 47 year old design. For those of us who rode motorcycles 40 years ago, we think it's pretty cool we can buy a brand new 50-year-old motorcycle.