CL is cool bought a 2006 Sporty with 1200 miles in 2009 for $4500. Ive got near that in upgrades 6 years later lol.

 

Buy a dyna.

GM

 

Good buys on Sporty's can be found around every corner ! just
take your time looking, remember the patient hunter usually
gets the bigger bang for his buck ! Blue book every bike & ask the
seller to see any maintenance records he might have & if you get that gut feel'n
to walk away you'd better run ! Just a note FYI "07" & later Sports are fuel injected unlike the previous models & can be found within your budget if "again" you just practice patience ! We all have been where your at and know patience doesn't come easy when your excited about the Hog hunt, but don't jump on that horse until your A-1 comfortable that the horse isn't lame & the saddle fits ! Good luck & Welcome to our Family !

 

Thanks for all the advice. While I'd prefer a 1200, my wife may also try riding it a bit so I'm trying to find a 883. I also want a carb bike because my budget is small (dumped too much money in my Fatboy) and I want something I can get my hands dirty with. I'm not a mechanic but I want something I can learn to tune and modify. A rubber mounted engine would be nice but getting one isn't a deal breaker.

I've got time to hunt for the right deal since this will be my 2nd bike. Are there any specific issues I need to look out for with the Sporties?

 

Although my wife doesn't ride with me alot i'm 250 she 140 on an 883 it has no issue getting up to speed whatsoever stock. Don't listen to the naysayers trying to make the bike a lesser bike than any other HD offering. Sportsters are in fact the best styled bike HD makes. You will probably have to buy a touring style seat and more then likely have to upgrade the suspension but after doing that its a comfy light weight ride.

I rode a 650cc bike for years all over the place. This bike is nearly 300cc bigger. Oh and the Sporty is really easy to work on because its pure motorcycle. The other HD's are not easy to work on, move around , etc, etc. If you can work on a lawn mower you can work on a Sporty pretty much. I drive a carbed Sporty without the fancy computer of newer EFI Sportsters. 9 years old and the carb is running perfectly. I'll have to rebuild it i figure eventually but with any mechanical knowledge at all its fairly simple.

 

I check CL in cities within a 4-5 hour drive or so, and have bought 4 bikes 200 miles away. Only walked away from one after finding it had a salvage title.
The last out of town buy just happened to be located seven streets away from my mom's house. Double bonus on that trip.
Ask the right questions, get better pics sent, and plan on having a good meal with your favorite lady in the city you're travelling to.
U haul rents motorcycle trailers for $15 per 24 hours. Great deal for doing out of town budget buys.

 

HD dealers will not sell these bikes due to the legal liability.

 

I bought the bike in my sig pic with 4k miles for $6200 on CL a few weeks ago after selling my 14 Heritage,...On Craigslist. No way I would find that price on an 11 1200c at a dealer. I had to ride it back 5.5 hours after renting a car one way to go get it.

 

I'm happy to report that I didn't have to hunt very long. I just pulled the trigger on a 02 883 Hugger with 7200 miles on it. Cosmetically it needs some love, but it gives me an excuse to powder coat a lot of the chrome black. I guess I'll be hanging around the Sportster forum some more!

 

Looks good, pipes are killer.