I'm 6'1" 200 and have a 883L. I find it plenty comfortable. Put 15,000 miles on it the first year. My legs aren't too long, most of my height is from the waist up, so even the Low model is fine for me. I would think the Roadster should be fine. Just plan on replacing the 2 x 4 HD calls a stock seat.

 

OH boy, I went to a local harley shop today with a friend who rides harleys to check out some bikes and ended up buying myself a used bike, its a 2003 100th Anniversary FLSTC/FLSTCI Heritage Softail® Classic

I paid 13k for it, it has 42k miles on it, comes with saddle bags, windshield, an aftermarket exhaust cant remember what its called but It sounds incredibly awesome to say the least, the screaming eagle air intake (i think its called that).

I was looking at the 2007sportster 1200 roadster for 10k and the2007 1200 50th anniversary classic(or whatever its called) for 11k. plus another 400-500 for the front controls. So I was gonna go with one of those when my friend started looking at the softtail, and then got me looking at it and then the guy told us its story of how an old guy whos a frequent customer owned it, he was in every 2500 miles to service it, and its all highway miles as he drove it back and forth to florida alot. Then we started talking that if im spending 11-12k on a new roadster that the 13k softtail would be better. So one he started it up and I sat on it I was smiling ear to ear and damn, I went for it.I trust my friend and he thinks its a hell of a deal and a great bike, so im excited. Im gonna go insane waiting til the 23rd for my motorcycle training class.

You guys think I made the right choice?

 

Sounds like a good deal to me, and although some might question the miles, 40,000 highway miles is nothing. In fact most of the guys I ride with put that many miles on a bike in less than two years. Now City Miles are a completely different story. LoL..

I like the 2003 Anniversity bikes, in fact my FatBoy is a 100th Anniversity model. Got a super deal on mine as well, as the original owner seldom rode it, and had over $23,000 invested. When I heard that I could get it for $13,000 cash it didn't take me long to put the money in his hand.

 

Take the course first, then do some test rides on the bikes you are interested in buying. Every time you throw your leg over a different bike, you will come away with some valuable knowledge. This is a great time to be buying--the markets are weak. No reason to be in a rush. Enjoy the experience. Be sure to ride any bikes that you think you might want to trade up to later. You'll find some of them are not as great in reality. Remember, the Sporty is Harley's price leader. It is a good buy new and a very, very good used buy in the current market. As a scoot around town bike, IMO the Sporty is poor. Harley doesn't make any scooters. These babies are made to roll down the road. If you want a town scooter, check out the competition.

 

I'm 6' 3" 260lbs and I ride an 2003 xl883c. It came with the factory forward controls. The ONLY thing that I wish was that I had about 2" more leg room, but that is only when doing long stretches of highway. Around town and on day trips through the sierra foothills, no complaints at all!! Good luck!

 

I think (unless I'm in the Twilight Zone, which could be possible) he just purchased a 2003 Softail Heritage...

 

A good friend of mine has that same bike. A medium Blue Heritage Softail Anniversary addition. Sweet bike!!

 

I am pretty much the same size with the same opinion. I have ridden nearly all the Harley models and I still prefer my sportster custom. If I decide it ain't big enough or heavy enough an extra 10K could fix that!

 

What is the difference between the two types of 883's and 1200 asides from power?

 

In the shop the 1200 roadster seemed like it sat a little higher than a regular 1200 or 883, or maybe i'm mistaken but thats what i remember