my buddy bought a suzuki boulevard, i will admit it is a pretty bike and looks big but it's only 800cc...i bought an 06 1200cc custom sporty...looks smaller than his but much more power and runs much better...he picks at me cause mine is not fuel injected but thats fine.

i almost bought a suzuki but the fact is i knew i would end up buying a harley. my advice is if you know you are going to end up wanting or buying a harley, buy the harley now...you wont regret it...i bought my sporty used and got a great price for it...not only that most harley owners take wonderful care of their bikes so a used bike is not a bad purchase

 

As tough as it may be, save up and pay cash. I looked for months at both metrics and harleys. Ultimately went with my '05 1200. Found it on ebay with only 4,900 miles and it was perfect. But if you keep shopping you'll find a great deal. I paid $6,700 for mine, about $1,500 less than what most '05's in my area were going for. Be patient, don't make a rash decision and I'm sure you'll be happy with your decision.

 

I just sold my 03 Suzuki Volusia, which is an 805cc. It was a great looking and performing bike. I got it because I thought the sportster would be my around town bike and the zuke would be my touring bike, but anytime that I would go out with my friends on their sportsters and street bob, I always wanted to go back and get my sportster. I kept it for about a year and finally just got rid of it. Like I said, it was a great bike, but if given the choice, I gotta go Harley, there's nothing like it!

[IMG]local://upfiles/28574/16EB925AC2A244CEABD0DD4E55E9C43E.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/28574/42BE27280D28445B943478A8994ED821.jpg[/IMG]

 

 

We bought the wife a Suzuki Boulevard S50 to ride while she got her Sporty "sea legs". I rode it too to try it out and reinforce that I prefer to be on a Harley. Its long since gone but here's my assessment/comparison....

Plusses for Harley:
- Feels and appears to be better built. It feels much more solid. Zuki has lots of aluminum and plastic - not bad per se, but it doesn't give you the same feeling.
- Accessories will be easily available, even from Harley , for 20+ years at least. Zuki and other metrics will revise the bike design every couple of years to keep it fresh and appealing. They accessories are limited and often are really hard, if not impossible, to get for a given model after maybe 3 years. You will be reduced to adding stuff from wrecked salvage bikes or using the JC Whitney MC catalog.
- The Harley is heavier. I put this in the plus category assuming you may someday ride on the interstate. Smaller bikes get whipped around a lot more. Harley's don't fall victim to that near as much.
- Harley's hold their value much better than a metric. (You think Sportsters depreciate fast the first year? Ha!!!) I traded the Zuki in 06 (it was an 06) with I think 50, yes fifty miles on it, and only got about 50% or purchase price despite having paid cash for it and getting a pretty good deal.
- Harley owners are family. I rode metric cruisers a long time ago. I just wanted to ride and didn't care much what it was. But it lacked the bond that Harley owners share. It's an intangible that metric owners will never have. It’s not really something you can explain to anyone. Words fall short. But when you are part of it......you know.- WAAAAYYYYY more power. My wife's Sporty is stupid fast. Her Suzuki was....not so much.

Plusses for Suzuki:
- Very inexpensive. Your initial investment to get into riding is minimal compared to a Harley.
- You won't spend a fortune on accessories. First, they aren't as expensive. Second, like I said earlier, there aren't a lot out there compared to what's available for Harley, and what is available will only be there for a short time.
- Very easy to handle. There is a reason they use small metric bikes in the MSF courses. The Suzuki S50 was stupid easy to ride. Whereas the Harley requires a bit more skill and a hell of a lot more confidence in your riding ability.- The Suzuki has less power. What? Is that a plus? Yes, for the newer rider. Pop the clutch and crack the throttle on a Sportster and you'll likely get the front wheel off the ground. Do the same on an S50 and if you don't stall you will just take off a little quicker than normal. The Zuki is a very forgiving bike for the less experienced riders.

I'm not sure about the options you've thrown out for consideration. I do agree that $9K for an 883 is too much - even if that is the out the door price and it's in Canadian dollars.

I have owned both metric and Harley. I started riding on a Yamaha and last pre-Harley metric was a Honda Magna (very cool - a 45 degree V-four 750 that DID have power). Anyway, my suggestion is to take that money and find a Harley to meet your needs.

But then again, this is the Harley forum - I'm not allowed to make alternate recommendations except in jest.

Seriously though, get a Harley.

 

If money is tight look for a used 883. My friend just bought an 06 custom for $5400.00 and I just closed a deal for my dad on a customized 04 883 with an aftermarket tank, custom paint, loud aftermarket pipes and powder coated frame for $4200.00. And the 04 only has 3800 miles on it. The deals are out there if you look hard enough. That 04 bike is so sweet I wanted it for myself, and I have a new RoadKing. I'll post up some pics of both the Sporties soon.

 

This isn't even a choice, you want a real bike? - you buy a Harley.

 

I dont mean to jump off topic but.

Hey MCSarge, You have the best picture on your signature I have seen on here!! It is really well done! I might be bias though because my dad was a Marine and served in Vietnam.

 

Thank you one of the guys in the Photoshop forum did it for me.

 

screw the budget, buy the harley, deal with the consequences.........