Ok here is the deal I qualified for $9000 at both Harley and Suzuki. Suzuki is $69 a month and Harley is $99 a month. With Harley I can get a 883XL Custom and just be at $9000 and with Suzuki I can get 800-1000cc Cruiser for around $7000 and still have money to buy a helmet and a jacket and other accessories. This will be my first bike and I am not sure which way to go. I have considered buying a used bike for 3-5k but I would rather not spend that much on a used bike that I know nothing about. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

HARLEY

 

Well. It's all up to what you want. The ricers are great bikes. If you want an American Legend, buy a Harley.

 

Dude,

Don't forget the fine print. I don't want to rain on your parade at all, cuz I love my Harley. But, I was on a budget like you, so I bought a used one.

I saw that way-sweet-talking sign at the Dealer in Minneapolis when I was window-shopping before I found mine... That $99 a month is ONLY for a couple or three years, and THEN it like triples per month....! Don't be fooled.

And, if you have been reading the posts here lately on how LOW used Sporties are going for, I'd think twice before sticking your neck out at the top-end of your credit limit, only to find out you can't afford it when the payment balloons...

The world (and the Dealerships) are a jungle. Just be careful out there.

 

My neighbor has a suzuki and the thing looks HUGE, but it is only an 800 cc bike. He stares at mine all the time and is already looking to replace his bike.

I had the choice as well, but I much rather would have a Harley, but that is personal preference.

The small print that pilot was talking about:

Monthly payments increase beginning in year four. Offer valid on new, previously untitled 2006 and 2007 model Sportster® 883 and 1200 motorcycles financed through Eaglemark Savings Bank (ESB), a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson Credit Corp., subject to ESB credit approval. For example, a 2007 Sportster® 883L motorcycle with a $6,995 ($7,095 in California) MSRP, no down payment, a 72-month repayment term and 9.89% APR, would result in 36 monthly payments of $99 followed by 36 monthly payments of $169.73 ($174.06 in California);

 

Look at some used low milage HD's, prolly find ya a 1200 custom Sportster in the 7-9 thou range. Ihad a metricfora season, before the season was over I started looking for an HD,I could have bought a new one, stock or, the oneI found with a bunch of extras on it but, used with 19k on it.....I looked around from August tothat next MArch and bought the used one with the extras19k to start now 40k and no probs!!!

My wife bought a used 00 WG with some mods already for $10,000...taxes and interst $12,000. It has just been my experence that if you want a bike and an HD is at the top of the list but, you'll be okay with a metric.....Next season you'll be trying for a HD again. I did that, my wife did that....and a good percentage of the folks here did that.

 

I was thinking about buying a dr 650 for riding on the gravel roads and down in the national forest so I checked out the suzuki financing and for the first 2 years of the loan you pay 69.00 a month on nothing but interest then at the end of that time they full retail price of the bike is still owed for the remainder of the loan at an exageratted interest rate. I think I will just save some more money and pay cash.
look on ebay there are a lot of used late model sportsters out there with low milage and the remainder of the factory warranty still intact. think before you leap , can you afford the insurance and the payments every month with out putting a strain on your budget?
an old man once told me " boy never want something so bad you will hurt to get it" and it has been good advise for me over the years.
as far as the suzuki - harley debate goes I think you have already made up your mind or you wouldnt be here asking , suzuki makes some nice motorcycles , but its hard to argue with something that has been getting the job done for over 50 years.

 

Dealing with a budget sucks. Makes decisions hard sometimes. If you are debating on a harley, then you will probably end up buying a harley. If you settle now, you will probably regret it later. I would recommend looking around for a little bit to find a used harley at a good price. Like the other people said, the $99 thing is only for 2 or 3 years, then it goes up, plus you will lose money buying new. I say buy a used harley, the metrics are cheaply made and you will only end up turning around and buying a harley anyway.

 

Yup!!^^^^

 

If it helps, (which it may not, you may be determined to get new), but my bike is a 1996 1200. It has 15K miles on it, and I paid $4k cash money for it. It has a butt-load of awesome chrome on it, and runs like a dream.

I chased Sportsters for about 2 weeks on the various Craiglist entries in the major cities around me. This seller was great, honest, and the bike was AFFORDABLE. It was easy, too.

Hardest decision for me was whether or not I could tough out a nasty rainstorm in driving it or hauling it home. (I ended up hauling it in my pickup, and its a good thing... horrible rain for over an hour on a 4 hour drive late on a Sunday.)

This bike doesn't look bad for $4k, does it? You can do it dude. And, thing is, you don't even have to get something this old... Guys(and Gals) are buying them new, riding them one Summer, and then selling them with 1500 miles or less... let someone else take the depreciation hit and you clean up, within your budget.

But the choice is yours. You can be on an HD either way. It sounds like that is where you wanna be. How you gonna do it?

Good luck.