Well then, budget and what you like are your only concerns then.

 

I'm 5'5, 140 lbs. Same as you, mostly. I have a 2010 Iron. I had never ridden a bike prior to taking my MSF course, and I put 7,000 miles on my Iron last year thereafter! The bike is sized perfectly for folks like you and me. You may not like the saddle - it's built for bigger guys - the stock saddle is WAY too wide for me. I swapped it out for the solo spring seat, and then had an even smaller (and lower) one made. I have a tiny ***, I need a tiny saddle to match it.

Had I it to do all over again, I'd have bought the Nightster as I like to twist the throttle. The 883 is plenty fun and quick, but more power is, well..more power!

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I really want a Nightster.

 

I'm 5'5" and 165lbs but I've got a short inseam. I've a background riding sportbikes and I just switched over. The Nightster is a much easier bike to ride. I still say get a beater bike for your first but in the end, it's your money, do what you will. Just be smart with it and don't ride above your ability. Even the smallest of mistakes can cost you. Good luck and safe riding.

 

So I looked at KBB and the suggested retail price for a 2008 Nightster is around 8K.....that sound fair?

 

I LOVE my Nightster! I'm only 5 feet tall. Although I learned on a used '07 yamaha vstar 650 custom...after 5 months, I needed more power to keep up with the big guys. I had never ridden before (not even as a passenger), I'm glad I learned on the vstar!

I picked up my '08 last sept. for 7,500k on craigslist - it came with extra accessories and less than 2k miles. One thing I did notice while looking at nightsters was that people ride ride them hard.

The nightster has a lot of power! - lots of temptation to punch the throttle and zip along. Good luck to you....be safe.

 

If your going to buy new or newer, buy soon cuz its till winter. maybe you can find a leftover at a delaer with a good deal. Once spring comes, prices will raise.

please be safe!

 

Ok so I'm 5'4'' and when I sat on the Nightster my feet were ALMOST totally flat on the ground and I think I would feel better if it were half an inch or an inch lower.


You being 5 foot even, please tell me if you had it lowered suspension-wise, or seat-wise, or both? Thank you.

 

im 59 130 and never rode before i got my lowrider,first time i rode was the day i rode home from the dealer (and never stalled) as long as your feet can sit flat you shoud have no problem controling it. ide go with the nightster. i know many people who got 883s and regreted it caus it has no power. if the nightster sits to high you can allways get a lowprofile seat or spend the extra $ and lower it. and the closer you get to spring the more your gonna pay

 

The nightster is even lower than the new super low. I used my hiking boots for a long time which gave me another inch or two and protection..(i forgot about that). I recently purchased a pair of harley riding boots which I like. I found that my daytona boots didn't have much of a sole, although they were really nice, my foot would occassionally slip and not have much grip on the bottom. I'm a practical person and will NOT ride in heels just to get more height..lol! You might want to consider buying all your gear used also...you can find lots of good stuff on cl that are brand new. I wouldn't buy a used helmet though. Riding is one expensive hobby! There's always lots of stuff to buy.

Yep, buy your bike soon b/cause prices will increase...I found my bike 3 hours away and was happy to ride it home!

BTW - was it a stock seat that you sat on? I have a stock seat. I just switched to Progressive std. shocks because 1. I want to black out my bike and 2. I hated getting "launched" off my seat when I hit a seam on the road. That is one raunchy feeling!