ok so im in the hunt for my first bike....i have Rode motorcycles in the past but they were mostly Dirtbikes racing motorcross and been on my fair share of ricers as well. but now its time to get myself a new toy and i want a Harley. with a family at home wife and 2 kids cant really afford anything super fancy like i would love to have but just mainly looking for some thing to start with. so i have been looking mostly at Sportsters. which is fine with me for my first.
whats weird is i know a price range i want to spend. i will have to save up fun money i can hord away to buy it and the boss (wife) said do what i want so im goin for it. heres whats kind of weird....with searching around on Craigslist i have found quite a few bikes in the price range i want to stay with which is right around $3k or less maybe a little more...but most of them are late 70s or early 80s Ironheads which is fine. i kind of like the idea of having an older one really but i also see some newer bikes in the 02 year range that are like $4k why so cheap for a newer one or maybe its high priced for the older ones..i dont know i jsut thought it was kind of strange

 

The old ironheads are more desirable for some, but you better know how to wrench a bike, if you go that way. $4k for an '02? Depends on condition, miles and weather it's an 883 or 1200. My bet is 883.

Anyway, if you're only looking to spend $3-4k for a Harley, you can't expect much...

 

Look at the whole Harley line-up in CL and you will see the same thing. They depreciate the first 4 years or so, then values plateau. As long as the bike remains in good condition the value will stay at that plataue for years. (at least that has been the case historicallly)

Pick a harley line and follow all production years that are for sale and you will see what I mean. Dyna's seem to level off in the $7000 range. 80s model, 90s model all about the same.

 

I'd rock a Sportster for 4K...... just gotta save up first

 

I am pretty mechanicly inclined been in the auto industry for quite a while so not really to worried about having to wrench on one...kinda like that part of it really. it jsut kind of threw me off with the prices some

 

If you buy an ironhead for $2k and think you got a bargain guess again. Plan on putting about $3k more into it to make it reliable. You will spend most of your time working on it. The rest of the time you will be cussing it and/or pushing it. Find an EVO sporty that someone HAS to sell for around $3k-4k. They are out there. I see them somewhere between rarely and occasionaly. Be patient. There was a guy in my neck of the woods hanging out in front of the HD dealer trying to sell a sporty for peanuts. He was desperate.

I doubt the price of an ironhead that will run is ever going to drop below 2k. They should be going up in price as they get old and scarce.

 

I would spend a little more to get an evo sporty personally. There are tons of them under $5,000,
a cheap 883 can later be turned into a 1200 for relatively cheap and you could buy the bike then later save for the parts to convert.

I had a 77 sporty and it was a cool bike, but I didn't like to get too far away from home on it.
It would be fun to have now as a second bike. When I had my ironhead I has constantly adjusting points and I was buying 70w castro oil buy the case. And most of it ended up on my levis.

 

I agree with going to an EVO Sportster . The price confusion you see is because there are fewer and fewer of the older bikes around for collectors or someone who wants an old one as a SECOND bike to tinker with . EVO's are dependable . The best years of the slightly older ones are 96 to 03 with 2000 to 03 being the best . The 2000 to 03 has every upgrade Harley ever made for the original Sportster before changing it to the newer rubber monuted style which is a different frame and motor . Because the Sportster didn't change hardly during that time , there are tons of aftermarket items available for it . Also if you are handy as a mechanic , then buy the cheaper 883 . The insurance will be less and when you save up a little money you can do the 1200 upgrade yourself . You should easily be able to get a GOOD Sportater in those years for the money you are talking about in the U.S.

 

Get an EVO 5 speed Sportster. The EVO's can be run hard day in and day out and require only basic maintainence, while the iornheads are a completely different beast. Also as far as power vs weight, the EVO Sportsters are lighter and more powerful than the ironheads (unless they've been tweaked). 5 speed belt drive is the way to go as well, then you have a thoroughly "modern" bike.

 

Where are you located? In Utah we have a fairly large classified section of a news website at www.ksl.com and I just did a search for Sportsters under $4k and it came back with 45 matches.
Here is one in Park City for $4000. Sounds like somebody bought all of the goodies at the dealer, rode it home, and never rode it again:

2003 Harley Davidson XLH Sportster 883 100th Anvrs. Only 57 Miles
Additional Riding gear for sale:
2 Harley Davidson Full Face Helmets
2 Harley Davidson Half Helmets
2 Women’s Large Alpine Star Riding jackets