IMO the only thing that makes the sporty a starter bike is $$$. If your looking for something to bust up in your first year or two get a shadow, ride it then sell it for the Harley you really want...

And when you come back to harley cause you know you will, take a look at the sporty not as a starter bike, it just a different bike in the harley line up that cost a little less than the Dyna, Softails or Touring.

Peppy bikes that are lots of fun to ride.


IMO that sports bike is a waste of $$$, insurance will kill you if the bike doesn't.

 

I've only been riding for a few months, I started with an Iron.

Some of the soft tails are balanced better, which is why some say to go with those.
The sporster is a smaller bike than the others, but it is a little top heavy.

The 800 CCs on a Harley is a lot different than 800 CCs on a jap bike.
I had no problem controlling the 883 and felt very comfortable after completing my MSF course.
I'd go sit on all the bikes at the dealership and see what you like. But as said earlier, only the price tag makes the Sportsters "Beginner" bikes.

Good luck.

 

I will tell you the Low is an easier bike to handle than my 1200R. The Low is more balanced and was slower stock (not any more). I would get an HD skip the metric.

 

I started on a new 2004 1200 Custom. It cost K new and was still worth K 5 years later when I traded it in for a 2009 Street Glide. Made some mods like a new carb, exhaust and air cleaner, lots of chrome too. It had a ton of power when I needed it and handled nice at slow speeds as well. It was an all around sweet ride and I'm 250lbs!!

 

Sportster is a fine ride whether your first or last Bike ... Still Miss Mine ....

 

I recently posted that the Sportster was probably not a good 'starter' bike because it is very 'peppy' and a bit 'top heavy' ....meant to perform. ...maybe not be as stable as the bigger Harley's.

But when I think about it....I didn't follow that advice.
For me...it had to be a Harley.

I had 2 Sportsters and loved every second on both of them. ...and I didn't have any problems.

If it's a Harley you want ( and believe me...we understand. ) get it with these word of advice;

"Don't ride any faster than your Guardian Angel can fly."

you'll be fine...enjoy

 

i guess i will never understand why a lot of people think the sporty is a starter bike....it is the quickest of the harley line up, they are top heavy, they have a ton of torque that that wants to slide you off the rear of the bike...and to be honest, my 1200 still scares the **** out of me !

imo any bike can be a starter bike, i bought my 1200 custom 3 weeks before my msf course stared..i was originally looking at a 02 road king police model and a 02 heritage springer, but the sporty won me over, the fun factor was way higher and the lines of the sporty are cooler imo, i prefer the "traditional" look of motorcycles, and the sporty has that. i had ridden mostly in the dirt and only been accustomed to that (i learned to ride on a yamaha xt500 enduro), street riding was very new to me and whether it is a 250 nighthawk or a ***** to the wall cvo ultra classic any bike can be your first/starter bike. they all require a lil patience and practice no matter how long someone has ridden.

get what you want and do not listen to anyones opinion of what they think you should have....unless they want to make the payments !


keep an eye on your local craiglist and check ebay also as well as your local newspaper, there are deals to be found everywhere.

good luck.

 

That was my approach. I didn't want anything other than a harley.

Also, one thing I noticed with test riding the Sportster versus the Dyna was that the sportster was a different cornering experience. I thought for my first bike the Dyna took a greater effort to turn. Given that I ride a lot in the city of Denver and in the hills outside of Denver, i wanted an easier turning bike. Just something else to consider... I actually didn't even notice that it might be more top heavy. Go ride a few. You'll know pretty quickly what you want for your riding skills, your confidence level, and your riding style.

 

A Sportster is a fine starter bike. Works for thousands of people.

If you have your heart set on one, you won't enjoy that Rebel very much.

 

A bike will only go as fast as you turn the throttle....#1 thing is not to be afraid of it or you will never enjoy it. As far as a sportster being a "starter bike" i find that funny if the reason you think that is because of cc's. I've driven every model of harley and the sporty will keep up with any one of them. The only reason guys upgrade is for comfort not fun level.