Buying a sportster?

Question

Does anyone have or owned a sportster 883. Im looking to buy new. wanting a short to mid distance bike ..up to 250 miles a trip.do these bikes hold up im 150lbs I used to own a 650 yamaha and several 650 hondas. Wanting some opinions....

Answer 1

If your really into riding and taking trips of 250 miles or maybe more in the future, I'd suggest getting a Big Twin. Maybe a softail model with a balanced motor. The Sporty in a great bike for around town and short runs every now and then. If your gonna spend any real time in the saddle get something that runs smoother and has the bigger motor. You won't regret it. Been riding Harleys for 30 years.

Answer 2

notice one thing.... those that bash a harley are all the same, those that praise a harley don't do near the import bashing.... that alone shows that your pool of answers in this place is biased when they are import fans. probably the biggest reason... a harley rider is out riding, a rice burner fan is a poser, and spends more time at a computer than riding (my excuse is that i'm on the computer at work when i can't be riding, so this is my little break from work i take a few times a day, the free time is out on my sportster) That said, the sportser may not have a real high horsepower rating as compared to an import, but you have to know how to read into that, look at the hp and torque curves, the sportster is quite flat... providing great power at all speeds, the import is a very sharp curve.... even though the number may be higher, it's at a very specific range... always at ridiculous rpms that nobody wants to cruis at anyways. I have had imports and harleys, i've ridden them big and small my favorite is my sportster 1200, handles better than a big twin harley, and has the torque of a goldwing for 1/6th the price

Answer 3

I met a guy last week who has a Sportster, it's a 2005 and he's already put, 17,500 miles on it. Yes they hold up well, I would say.

Just do the maintaince when you are suppose to, make sure HD does the service on it. Records are proof that the bike is well maintained.

It would be smarter to buy a used one, due to they are so many around and people sometimes buy them and only keep them for a year, so look on Craiglist in your town. I find about 3 a week for sale where I live.

Answer 4

The Ford Motor Company makes many fine automobiles like the Lincoln, Mustang, Thunderbird, etc. They also make the Focus. The Sportster is Harley-Davidson's version of a Focus. Maybe you could rent one for a week to see if it's what you really want.

Answer 5

What a bike.
I got my first HD 50 years ago and Sportster and loved it. They ride very smooth. I've had four Sports and twelve HD over all. Ride on Brother.

Answer 6

Where do you live?? I have a 2004 883 custom Sportster, 766 MI
excellent condition, black. Going back overseas don't want it to gather cobwebs. $5500.00 E-mail me.

Answer 7

sportsters are good bikes. i've had the same one for 21 years. you can ride one 250 miles easy in one day. take care of maintenance and have fun. good riding

Answer 8

I would suggest a used sportster. there are a lot of used ones and you could save a pretty good chunk of change on one thats a year old or less.

Answer 9

this is a great bike.I have a 1975 Sporster and have always been happy with it.I bought it new.I have a couple of other Harleys now(wide glide & Lowrider) so it doesn't get much riding time nowadays,but it's reading and waiting.I'm sure you're making a good decision and you'll see why Harley riders never switch back to jap crap.Good luck and ride safe.

Answer 10

i own a 2006 883 Custom and i am very happy with it . we have taken it on a couple of long distace rides & we have had no problems