Loved my 08 XLR 1200,but,it's not a DYNA .............

Robin

 

I must say it depends on what type of riding you will do but a buddy of mine and I bought our bikes the same day. he bought a Sporty Custom 1200 and I bought an FXD. I had a sporty and needed to move up. Now he barely rides and he is selling his bike because he didn't like the ride. Well he had an opportunity in 2010 to trade in his bike for any other Harley and get full value. He didn't pull the trigger and now he has a 1200 custom with about 800 miles on it and he wants $9K for it. So don't rush and take a look at what's out there.

 

Keep looking, anything with either FX or FL is wayyyyy better than a slightly newer sporty, that is a FACT.

 

i went from an 06 sporty to an 09 fxdc.

the sportster was a fun bike, except for the frequent gas fill ups due to smaller tank, and highway cruising at 70+ was way to buzzy, and not alot of fun.

i liked the sportster when i had it, but i dont miss it now at all.

 

I bought an 06" 1200 custom new back in the summer of 06' and owned it for a little under 4 years (wrecked it in March of 10') now I have a 2010 Street Bob. I like the sporty but wished I had got a Dyna about a week after I got the Sporty, 5 gears really sucked on the highway.

 

go for the lowrider even tho its a bigger bike you shouldent have a probem handeling it. im 5'10 130 and have no problem on my fxdl n it was my first bike. just take your time and have respect for the power

 

I would guess in the Dyna section, everybody will tell you the Dyna. In the Sportie section they probably will tell you the Sportie.

Only you can really decide, based on your size, type of riding you prefer, whether or not you care if peeps say you ride a "girls bike" or not. (I don't think a sportie is a "girl's bike" myself, nor do I care what others think of something that makes me happy)

If you have your motorcycle endorcement, I'd say test drive both.

I have had both a Sportster 1200 Custom and a Dyna Wide Glide. I actually do miss the pep of my Sportster for around town riding. It was quicker off the line and handled better than my Wide Glide. I did a couple 700+ mile rides on it and that was a bit rough, though it was on the stock seat.

I am more comfortable for long rides by far on my Dyna, though. The sixth gear is handy to have as is the bigger gas tank. Due to its weight and wider tires it doesn't transmit road imperfections as much as the Sportster does so the ride is a little smoother in my opinion. I like the looks of the Dyna better not that I disliked the looks of the Sportie. There are probably more easily availble options/parts to customize the Dyna family as well.

 

For what its worth as I am fairly new to HD's. I am 5'7" bought my first HD which was a 2010 48 Sportster. Loved that bike the moment I saw it. 3 weeks ago it went back to the dealers as a trade in against a 2011 Fat Bob.
The sportster was a great bike but the Fat Bob is better again by long way in my opinion.
Whatever you choose im sure you will enjoy, but if you can test ride them both first.

 

I bought my bike last spring, it was my first bike and it was the 06 FXDL, which has the 6 sod but the smaller engine than the 07s, but the price was unbeatable with only 375 miles on it ad a bunch of add ons. I love riding it and as a first bike, it was very easy to learn on. As others said, it also depends on price your talking about, being that you said the Dyna is owned by a mechanic at the dealership....I'm envisioning in my head a bunch of HD accessory parts that he paid cost and no labor for and even with 13k miles is probably asking top dollar for.

 

Absolutely!