Background: so I've always wanted a motorcycle, by I'm 27 and when I was younger, I needed a car more, and now that I'm married with kids, i figured i was kind off SOL and haven't put much thought into it. Recently I've realized I need to get an outside job (working from home doesn't cut it) and we only have 1 car, so I jokingly brought up getting a bike, and my wife actually agreed! so I'm green light, go! for a motorcycle. I've gone back and forth between getting a sports bike or an import cruiser, and then I started to notice the occasionally 2500ish priced sportster 883 in the price range, and theres no way I can be happy with a yamaha crotch-rocket anymore, knowing that a REAL motorcycle is just a couple hundred dollars away.

Downside: I don't have much money, Im thinking I dont want to spend over 2k for a bike, as I'm still going to have to pay for the riders safety course, all my safety gear, insurance, registration.. all that good stuff.

Questions: First, am i being unreasonable in thinking that I'm going to find an appropriate "first-bike" Harley for two-grand? I want something that isn't going to cost a bunch of money to fix outright, or something that is on the edge of meltdown.
On the flip-side, I have no problems learning the mechanics and workings of my bike, and am mechanically inclined enough that with more medial tasks, i could spend a weekend and a 12 pack and do most of the repairs myself, machine-work aside. for the price range I'm in, am i going to be finding a dead bike and rebuilding it in this matter?
Or the other option i've considered (again, barring in mind that I have little mechanical experience aside from my old 76 malibu which i did the majority of work on, or my VW super with a big porsche engine in it which i did basically all the work on) is finding a rolling chassis and an engine/trans and putting everything together myself. How difficult is this? I understand theres going to be some interesting aspects of it I'm not considering, and thats why i'm asking you fine folks.

I'm excited, because I've always wanted a Harley. everyone who rides in my family who rides, rides Harley-Davidson, and i couldn't really see myself in a neon leather jumpsuit riding around on a sports bike. Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have for me, and look forward to joining the community en full.

 

Hmmm, $2k? Around here, you probably would struggle finding something that wouldn't be real high mileage and/or didn't need a lot of work. Obvious needing work = more $$$.

If you could swing another grand or two, it would be much easier.

That being said, if you are willing to be patient and look at your local CL and so forth (and sometimes that means looking every few hours, I did and it paid off big time for me and my first Sporty), you might get lucky.

Also, I would think that anything around $2-3k, is probably a Sportster 883. So you also have to decide if that is a big enough bike too.

 

If you can wait a few months and save up an extra grand or two, you will expand your options and possibilities a thousand fold.

Unless you are a wrench, DON'T buy a fixer-upper.

good luck, man!

 

First off, I don't know where you live, or what the climate is there. But to me, buying a bike as your primary mode of transportation when you've got a family and will possibly have to ride to work in the rain and snow sounds irresponsible and impulsive. I get that you love bikes, but you've got to put your priorities in order. And factoring in your budget, if I were you I'd buy a beater car that will last you for awhile until you're in a more appropriate income bracket so that you can afford a decent car and then buy a bike when you're in a better position. It's your life, and you can do whatever you want, and my opinion is just that (an opinion), but that's my .02. I wish you luck in whatever you decide though.

 

You can afford a Honda Shadow. Buy that, ride it a season, save your money, sell it next spring, and trade up.

 

I'll give you the same advice I'd give my 26 year old son:

DON'T stretch yourself thin. You have a wife & child to support and it sounds like you're struggling to do that already. If you absolutely need a bike for transportation, then by a cheap metric to get you around. NO, not a sport bike, but rather, something like a Honda Shadow, etc. I know getting a Harley is exciting and all, but don't use this as an excuse to spend money that you don't have, on something that will inevitably cost you more money in the future. It just doesn't make good financial sense right now.

Yup, that's what I'd tell my son.

 

 

ill clarify slightly to clear any points up.

firstly, we have a van for the family and for our primary vehicle, this is a secondary vehicle just for me to go do what I need to do. we're not STRUGGLING but yea, times are tough. I'm working at home and going to school full time, hence the need for a second mode of transportation, and yet, not the need to get something today or tomorrow, i can sit on it for a few months if i need to save some more cash up.

secondly, i am not exactly a "wrench" so i think getting a fixer-uper might not be the best idea, but how about getting a complete rolling-chassis and a complete running engine/trans and bolting them together, i've noticed that price is closer to home for me?

oh, and i live in southern california, so aside from the 10 or 15 days a year it rains, i dont have much to worry about in terms of road conditions, and like i said, we have the big family van for our kids and what not.

 

Didn't say how far your commute is, but on the low end of the price range, sportsters are going to be solid mount engines (pre-04) and above 60 you'll start feeling the vibration; my 2000 883 is bad enough I don't like extended periods over 62 indicated, usually keep it at 60. 883 sounds like a good sized engine, and it is, but it's not a drag racer; if you'll feel bad when 650 metrics run away from you, well, it'll happen. Don't know where you live, but does the weather there permit year round riding with no slick stuff on the roads? Even getting to work soaking wet is no fun, though you can dress for that. I've used a bike instead of a second car, and finally gave up and got the second car anyway; there's times a bike just won't work. Repairing a cheap bike can be more expensive than just getting one in decent shape - been there, done that. Not that I want to discourage you from getting a bike, but you need to consider more than the enjoyment factor, or you may end up feeling discouraged about the whole biking experience. Get the right bike at the right time, and have years of riding enjoyment.

 

Huntington Beach, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's.

The warmest month of the year is August with an average maximum temperature of 73.00 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 48.00 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be small during summer with a difference that can reach 8 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

The annual average precipitation at Huntington Beach is 11.65 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 2.60 Inches.

Taken from the internet.

as to engine size, I've been told by my family to try and find an 883 to learn on. Keep in mind, I have never ridden a motorcycle. not once. not a dirt bike, not a street bike, not even a little 50cc mini or scooter. nothing.

That being said i do understand 2 wheel dynamics (at a much much slower speed) based off my past in BMX and what not, but I know that is really no comparison aside from the balance, which will change anyway because of the weight. so something smaller makes both myself and my wife more comfortable, and if need be, i can always "get bigger" later on down the road.

Commute length to work will be within 15 miles and school is about 10 miles each way, so I'm not going to be doing much commute distance, but I live on PCH, so there will be a considerable amount of PCH riding, i can see upwards of 100 miles in a day once I become more comfortable with it, but maybe once or twice a month, not a daily commute ride by any means, my daily should never be more than 50 miles combined on a very busy day.