Harley Davidson XL883 sportster? manly bike?

Question

just wondering if the bike is manly enough for a guy? first time buyer, new rider. my aunt said if i ride it people will think i'm gay... is that true?

Answer 1

If you want a Harley as your first bike a Sporty is a good choice. It rides nice, has good sound to it & if you want to customize it it's cheaper than a big twin. 883's can be made into 1200's pretty cheap and they are quick.
I made a '91 Sporty with a large rear fender & tire, open belt trans, single seat, stacked air cleaner, short engine pipes, large fuel tank, drag bars & a Fatboy front end. Everyone liked it & I wish I still had it...next to my chopped '01 FX.
Real Harley people don't care what you ride, as long as you really ride it. Buying it just to show you have the money and prove you're cool.......those people are posers.

Answer 2

I normally do not answer questions like this, but can not let this one go. A bike, be it a 50cc pea shooter, or a 1400cc super bike, or a 1800cc cruiser, or any Harley in between does not make any reference to the manliness or lack there of of any person. Anyone who tells you a Sporty 883, or any other bike is a 'girly' bike is only showing you that he questions his own manliness, and that his main strength is in his mouth. I am not a Harley rider, was in the old days, but respect the right of every rider to ride what he pleases. And if you are really into Harleys, and a fairly new rider, get a 883 to start with, ride a year or so, then go to a 1200 conversion kit. Maybe a bit of head work, and cams, and you have a ride for another couple of years. Then, if you want to give up the performance, handling and economy of the Sportster, get a big twin. I look at the Big Twins in he same light as a Lincoln, or Caddy - some one who is willing to spend big money to look "Classy/Wealthy" to impress his friends, instead of a small, lighter car which makes it fun to get there. Ask yourself- how much fun can you have on a crooked road with a big twin? With a Sporty - plenty. And with most other bikes, except GoldWings, and the like.

Tomcotexas.

Answer 3

Hi guys. Thought this was kinda funny so I had to reply here.
Here in Norway, the Sportsters are concidered to be girlbikes. But, next week I m getting one. A 1995 883. Fully kittet up with big windshield, hard leather saddlebags. Sissybar. Engine guard and lots of cool details. All original HD branded extras. I am a little over 6 feet tall and around 230 pounds. So not a small guy. Yes the bike looks small when I ride it. I do feel big on them. But they are so great to ride. I know a few of my friends are going to have fun with me calling it a girlie bike. But I couldn t care less. My previous bike was a Vulcan 900 Custom. The bike I have now is a CBR 1100 XX Super Blackbird tuned to around 180 horses. I m not going to feel any less manly because I m riding a small bike. The 883 I m getting has a heritage tank so I can take it on longer trips. Old school people love the 883, cause it s keeping it origianl with the thinking of Harley.

Answer 4

Harley Davidson Xl883

Answer 5

yah I used to think of the Sportster's as a "girl's bike" and bought an 883XL for my wife .... then I rode it ....... it handles like a dream ,way better that a Road King or Super Glide,it is thin where the other bikes are too thick for me to ride comfortably ... like some of the other people said,most people that buy the big touring bikes never really ride them ...
I came up on a 12" buckle in the pavement and I went over it at 50 mph and got about 4" clearance and landed on my Sportster very smoothly and expected to crash but had no problems at all ..... I ride it cruising around at 85 mph on the interstate almost everyday and have never been passed by another Harley and only twice by crotch rockets .....
and they are discontinuing the 883 Sportster which will make it a novelty item in years to come ........

Our Sportster is MY Sportster now ...... and anyone that calls it a "girl's bike" has obviously never ridden one ......

Answer 6

power to weight ratio of either sportster (883 or 1200) is excellent when u consider: the engine is air-cooled, and the frame isnt made of aluminum.
its small size and light weight gives it excellent manuverability. alot better than the heavier road kings and glides. if u happen to drop it at a light, it wont break ur balls trying to lift it up again.
sportsters are also bikes that hardcore customizer's pick. sportster's started life as hd's dirt racing and cafe racing bikes, and yanno, the sportsters of old would kick a factory stock sportster's azz.
sportsters can be turned into a very potent little hot rod with just a bit of work that will smoke a big twin with ease.
those that call it a girls' bike....tell em to phuck off or buy ya a road king.

Answer 7

Look fella,

If YOU are a manly man, you can ride anything because it is the man that is manly, not the bike.

I know this to be very true. I ride a scooter, and the "manly" bikers are fine with me (except for a few).

I like the sporty, it has a nice feel, and is pretty nimble for a Harley.

Don't buy a bike to be manly, just be a manly man!

If you think you don't want to look gay, you best get out of the closet now!

Answer 8

I own a 2000 Fatboy with 95" big bore, 2006 Sportster 883L, and a hotrod '48 rigid Pan with suicide clutch and a jockey shift. Different tools for different jobs. I like all of them and been riding for 30 years. A late model Sporty is the last of the "superbike" era when Triumphs, Nortons, Sportsters, etc. ruled the roads. Plastic sport bikes hadn't been invented yet. The only thing that would make you look gay on a Sportster is if you wear those ***** leather chaps with some thong underwear and a leather captain's hat, aka Village People stuff. That, and a windshield and hard saddlebags. I do agree with ninebadthings on most of his comments. Harleys are like a**holes nowadays. Everybody has one.

Answer 9

It is not a females only bike, but it is the smallest frame they make, JUST your size. NOTE: The Sportster 1200 is the same SIZE engine as was once the largest motorcycle in the world, the Electra Glide 74. I don't like the single seat models, I'd get the twin seat, never can tell when some 37DD in a 34 c halter wants a ride. nudge,nudge, wink,wink.---Eric Idle on Monte Python

Answer 10

Most RUBs would consider a 883 Sportster to be a ladies bike, but what do they really know? They are the same posers that go out and pay $30K for a factory customized Harley, so they can ride it from bar to bar on Saturday afternoons, and brag about how their motorcycle has never been ridden in the rain!

If you want to ride a Sportster, then Go For It, but if you want to join the weekend barhopping crowd, be prepared to be harassed for riding a girl's bike.