Good morning sportster forum. I am trying to gather some information for the purchase of a sportster. I usually hang out in the touring section, but now have been browsing this one. My wife is becoming interested in riding. She is taking the riders edge course this spring and has taken a liking to sportsters. While I am familiar with the different upgrades and changes associated with touring bikes, I have no idea which year sportster has the better suspension or handling, which has upgraded brakes, etc. Which year might have the least problems. So far we have only looked at newer models, 2012 and up. Is there an advantage, other than pricing, to buying an older model? I have been told by one salesman that the 1200 would be an advantage over the 883 in terms of longevity, as in she would outgrow the 883 and be looking for more power in a short amount of time. Would this be true? Are 883 owners happy with the power of the bike? I would also assume that the 883 could be just as quick or quicker with a few mods that might be cheaper than the additional cost of the 1200. I look forward to any and all input that this forum can offer. Thanks in advance. Ride safe....

C'mon spring!!

 

Well there are many 883 owners that I'm sure will sound in - but the last 883 I owned was back in 1995 so I can't really speak of them because the technology has changed a lot since then. What I would say thou is don't by any means overlook the Forty Eight (48) they were made from 2010 to date and right off the showroom floor they are bad *** looking - the Bulldog of Sporty's - a lot of torque and fast, after your wife gets use to riding one she may get bored thou waiting on you to catch up on your tour bike.

Note: That wasn't meant to be trashing tour bikes, I just ride with a few guys that have them and anytime we jump on the freeway I always end up slowing down so they can catch up..

 

I just bought my son a 2005 XL883 for a killer price locally. He had been riding a 30 year old Yamaha for the last year since getting his motorcycle endorsement.

Everyone has their own opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

Personally, I would look at a used 883 as a good starting point for her. You can pick them up dirt cheap this time of year and if she is new to riding she will have plenty of power to learn with. Later on, if she wants more "oomph" you could either drop the cash on the 1200 upgrade or look into selling the 883 and getting her either the 1200 sporty or maybe even move into the Dyna arena.

Nothing against the new 48's but I believe they are way too much bike for a new rider. I had the opportunity to test ride one in Sturgis when they first came out and they are a serious machine. Let her get some miles under her belt before you strap her onto a superlight weight bike with a darn good motor.

Like I said earlier, I just bought my son a 2005 XL883 from a guy locally who had it sitting in his garage for the last 9 years. It had a total of 522 miles on the odometer. Scored it for $3500. I figure the boy can ride it for a year or two and we can still get most, if not all, our money back later when he wants to move up.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Also, you might want to wait for the 2015's as there will be two new lines coming out the 500 and the 750. everyone is different when it comes to personal choice on bikes - just another option..

 

Here are my $0.02 ...

I am short (5'5") and that was one of the factors in choosing the bike. Why I chose 1200 Custom (2008 model) because of these:

1. Immense possibilities of customization. Don't think I have to say anything here ...
2. Type of commute: My primary commute is urban in-town with a couple of road patches with 55+ mph speed limit. IMHO 1200cc version handles the typical urban commute better and gives enough power if I want to crank it up on the secluded areas of the road or some of the weekend hill country rides (typically 150+ miles on highways).
3. Power: I test-rode an 883 but as someone told you earlier, there is a very likely possibility for your wife to outgrow it and want to move up to at least 1200. Again my personal opinion (I sold my Yamaha 650 within 5 months ) ...
4. Comfort and Style: Now don't take this personal please but typically riders aged 30+ such as I am, prefer cruising comfort over extra-power and sporty feel. Extra-power doesn't hurt though. Sporty 1200 is right in the middle of this junction in terms of power and comfort. See point #1 for style. Thousand ways to make it your "own". Also with lowering and shocks options, pull-back handlebars, various comfort seats etc. out there, you can actually get the comfort of a touring bike on a sporty.

Again, these are all the points I considered when I bought mine ... but everyone thinks differently and has different needs. Take for whatever it's worth.
I'd be glad if it helps you the tiniest bit.

 

Buy a cheap 883. Buying a new bike for a new rider is ignorant. It's about riding the dam thing not what it looks like, especially for a newbie. You can pick up a rubber mount 883 for 3500 or buy her a 1200 3500 to 4000 grand. An 883 will not hang with a 1200 unless internal work is done.

Honestly, who buys a brand new bike when you first start out. If she doesn't like riding after a year you'll loose your *** on the bike.

Posers buy new bikes for new riders.

 

Craigslist is overflowing with cheap used sportys. I've bought 6 in 3 years never spending more than 4g's and that was for a 1200 orig mile 06 883R. Buy cheap, spend wisely to make it your own and when and if its time to upgrade you can at the very least break even, maybe turn a profit.

 

This.

Get a low.

 

2004 and up are rubber mounted, so she will enjoy the reduced vibration. I wouldn't go earlier than that.

 

It's been said but I'll chime in.

04 and up 883s are all over the place at a pennies on the dollar, take your time and you'll have no trouble finding one for 3-4 grand. 04-06 were carb'd and 07 onwards are EFI. A small consideration is 07-09 had the ECM hidden under the seat with an ugly hole in the fender which will limit solo seat choices.

I have an 883 and it isn't as bad as everyone makes out on power, they're geared differently which helps. If she really wants extra power and simple upgrades don't cut it you can do the simple 1200 conversion either yourself or at an indie shop for not too much scratch. Also, 883s are cheaper on insurance(even after a 1200 conversion).

As far as suspension/brake differences go: Some models have different height rear shocks but not too much and that's honestly a cheap mod to do yourself if you want the bike higher or lower. The only place you'd see a real difference is R models which have dual front brakes.

You'll want to consider how tall she is and if you want mid or forward controls, someone shorter can feel more confident with mid controls. Take her to the dealer and have her sit on bikes with both types, see which she prefers. I did this with my girl and she said she would never feel comfortable with forwards. Changing controls up are not as cheap a mod.

Sporty's are easy and fairly cheap to customize with a huge aftermarket so I would focus on key things; get the fuel type you want(EFI/carb), get the controls you want (forward/mid), and probably the gas tank size you want (2.1, 3.3, 4.5). Everything else is easy, even paint color.