I am going to look at an 1987 883 Sporty on Saturday. The guy wants $3,000 for it. The pictures of the bike look nice and is local to me, but $3K seems high for a bike with 60K miles. On the other hand, $3K is about the least a running Sporty sells for around here. My plans are to make a Sportster Scrambler out of it.

Any perspectives from the group?

 

$3000 for a running Sporty seems resonable but I would try to talk him down a little. I paid $3000 for my 1995 883 with 23,000 miles on it.

 

Three pages back is a thread I recently started "My 883 Project - 1996 Sportster". I paid $2,250 for that bike with less than 4,900 miles on it. Take a look for reference to the one you are considering.

 

Just paid $2500 for 99 Hugger with 5K on the clock. Bike is IMMACULATE + came with HD helmet, extra seat, case of HD oil. You can do MUCH better!

 

Shop around more.

 

That's a lot of cash for that bike. Around here, 883's from the mid-to-late 90's, with a lot fewer miles, are going in the $2,600-$2,800 range and tend to be in very good condition. I'd back away from that deal. By the way, Sporty's do not make decent scramblers because of their weight and geometry. They can be made to look like a scrambler but fall far short in the function area...

 

Why not spend another 3 grand and get something 20 years newer?

 

I don't know how far your willing to travel to pick one up, but you can use searchtempest.com and search all of Craigslist. If you are not familiar with it, you put in your zip code - distance from your zip code - search term - and dollar amount ranges and see what is available within your predefined criteria. I bought a 2006 883 for $3775 with low mileage. Asking price was $4000.

 

I agree with everyone else. Too much. My 02 had 6,000 on it when I bought it, paid $3,500. Keep looking.

 

You can also check suggested used bike prices Kelly Blue Book, as they have a section for motorcycles.