Could a newbie ride a Sportster?

Question

Or is it too heavy?

For all of you who think a sportster is a girls bike, have you looked at the 1200 Nightster lately?

Answer 1

its not too heavy, I suggest you get a smaller older jap bike to learn on, that way if you lay it down you wont be bummed about dropping the HD

Answer 2

It is going to be heavier than many metric bikes but the way the weight is distributed you won't have a problem. Just a small piece of advice. Don't waste your time worrying about what some of the folks here think. There is a great deal of misinformation passed around this forum. Anyone that calls a Sportster a girls bike or claims that the only "real" bike is what they ride don't know shi* anyway. Asking for opinions is smart but it's your money so buy what you like. And even though I don't own one I think the Nightster is very cool.

Answer 3

It's not a great bike for learning to ride, but it's not a bad choice, either. It's an OK first choice, and a rather common first choice, too. If you start one one, you're best off on the 883. Here are my thoughts about its features in terms of beginner friendliness. I've only sat on one, not ridden one, so some of this is inference from other bikes of similar specs. Power: Good. Enough get up and go to have no problems with highway traffic, but not so much power it'll get away from you. Handling: I haven't heard of this bike having any particularly bad points in cornering or braking. Weight: The bad point on the Sportster; a lighter bike is a bit easier to learn on. Some riders can handle a Sporty with no problem, others will find it awkward and top heavy. Comfort: Ok, especially on 2004 and later models with the rubber mounted engine. And you can get almost any sort of seat or handlebars for it you can imagine. Its biggest problems are weight and that it might be expensive to replace some of the chrome if you drop it (a fairly common beginner mistake, and I don't mean wreck it, just something careless like slipping on a patch of oil at a stop sign). My advice is to take the MSF class, Rider's Edge, or similar lessons. See how confident you feel on the bike, which would be a 250 for the MSF or a Buell Blast for Rider's Edge. If you feel the class bike is all you can handle, go for a Japanese 250 or maybe 650 and ride it for a while to get your skills up. If you leave the course certain you can handle something significantly bigger than the range bike, go for it.

Answer 4

the sporty is the last standard bike left. there are better specialized bikes,sport bikes for racing,touring bikes for long distance. etc. but with a sporty you can put a windshield & sadlebags on it & go coast to coast one month & the next month put on a set of metzlers & heavier fork oil and go canyon carving. it will do it all reasonably well ,its the swiss army knife of motorcycles.
its an easy bike to learn on because of the natural & ergonomic hand & foot placement plus you dont have to be too concerned about what gear your in, just slip the clutch a little & you will pull away from a stop in any of the first 3 gears & figure out which gear it is further on down the road when the traffics lighter.
the only time the weight will matter is if you drop it backing out of a parking space or turning around in your driveway which is where most people drop their first bike so be carefull where & how you park. even then you can pick it up by yourself if you do it while your still excited over dropping it
& remember to hold the front brake when you pick it up.
a sporty is a good bike to start on & may be the only bike you ever need if you dont decide to specialize in one of the other types.

Answer 5

Most do that want to be part of the Harley craze.The Sportster is top heavy however and many "newbies" discover this in a hurry, many will however trade up to a larger HD with a lower center of gravity meanwhile still not mastering the basics of riding skills. Nice shiny leathers, patches, pins and the rest of it do not substitute for acquired riding skills.

Answer 6

"Too heavy" depends on the rider. I started on a Honda CX500, which is every bit as powerful and heavy as a Sportster, but I'm also 6'2" and around 220 lbs. A Sportster is an OK first bike, but there are somewhat easier to handle choices.

Answer 7

I thought the Sportster was a "girls bike" until I bought my wife an 883 XL and started riding it:: the bike is AWSOME;I ride it at 87 mph on I-95 pretty much every day;a few times this year I have actually jumped it at 50 mph (the first time quite by accident);it is way thinner and better handling than a Road King or Super Glide,the price starts at $4995.00 vs a Triumph Bonneville or Thruxton for $7200.00 which is the only bike in size near the price range;V-Stars handle like crap;the only bike I have ridden that handles as well as the Sportster is a Honda VTX 1800 that start at $12900.00;I usually take mine out for a 300 mile round trip to Daytona once a month;I like the seat styles available (I have a touring seat) the front forks ablility to hang two tool bags one at the top and one at the bottom;the cheap after market parts available from http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=H5084&store=&catId=205&productId=pH5084&leafCatId=20501&mmyId=7600003 like this $60.00 luggage rack;you wont feel embarrassed riding to a Bike Rally like Strugis or Bike Week on a Sportster;and anyone who calls it a "girls bike" has probably never ridden one.And for a price difference of $8000.00 I can console myself with hookewrs or strippers if I get my feelings hurt by someone paying $350.00 per month for a Super Glide that cant keep up with me on the interstate because he doesnt know how to ride and who cares anyway ..... I just love Strippers !!!!And they have to squeeze onto me tighter since their is less seat for them to sit on !!!!

Answer 8

The HD Sportsters are s-l-o-w and heavy
the HD 883 only pushes out 40 HP and the HD 1200 is 56 HP
Most smaller Japanese bikes have double the horsepower, and are lighter weight.
HD883's are considered a "girls bike", all ur friends and every HD rider you come across will make fun of you for riding a "girls bike"

Answer 9

the sportster's are a real nice bike I have an 883 and love it it's about a 600lb bike nice choice for a starter bike for anyone easy to ride and comfortable as well for distances

Answer 10

I wouldn't recommend it.

A sportster is nimble and spry, compared to other Harleys, but they are slow and clumsy compared to modern bikes.

If you have to have a Harley, then you have already been lost to the marketing hype. The Jap bikes are way better, if you look at capability and quality. Harleys have improved, but they will likely never catch up. It is a Harley tradition to be very retro.

My Grandfather used to ride the "wall of death" in a carnival, in the 1930's and he only used Indian, because Harleys were not reliable enough to keep him safe.

It doesn't matter what you ride, it's THAT you ride, and whatever you decide to ride, it'll be good to see you out there!

Answer 11

Ya dude, You could ride a sportster...that is like the lightest harley out there, You might want to look at something other than Harleys though, They have a tendency to break a lot...I had a honda and all i brought it in for a oil changes and new tires for 7 years...weight does not really matter much though, don't get something that is 800lb though like a goldwing, that is too big to begin on.