after 16 years of marriage the wife talked me into a bike.she had never ridden ,my experience was dirt bikes,atv's and few miles on friends street bikes.forgive the blasphemy to follow (I know this is a harley forum) but it will makesense in the end.last spring we bought a 650 v star as a first bike to start on.then took the msf course.shortly after I bought a used magna for myself(her intention was neverto be a passenger) she now has a couple of thousand miles and wants a little bigger bike.she is capaple rider but needs more experience.she is 5'3" 140# she is strong but seat hieght and bike wieght are a factor.her mind has always been on a harley.we are a working couple with 2 boys so money is an issue.try to make a long story short she has been to harley shops and a few have automaticaly steered her away from sporster and to softtails i assume for a bigger commission ,the reason told to her were that the sporsters are harder to ride more vibration not as comfortable etc.question is -we are looking fora slightly bigger bike to upgrade her to ,current finances allow for a 750-900cc metric(sorry) or an 883.I know no-one here will say metricbut is an 883 a good bike for her (limited skills,handleing,reliability,comfort).don't want to ruffle feathers but bought the 2 bikes for less than 1 harley didn't want to spend all that money when we were learning see if we would like it (would hurt alot less emotionally to drop a $3500 magna than a $15000 harley)thanks for any constuctive advise we both rally enjoy the time on the bikes together

 

The NEWER sportsters are much better than the ones from 4 years ago and older. It would still not be MY first choice. My wife had a 96 883, and HATED it. It was top heavy, didn't handle well. She didn't ride (herself) for 10 years. Last year we got her a Deluxe. ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT... THE best bike for a lady (I enjoy riding it too!). It is the lowest (seat height) Harleyand EXTREMELY well balanced. You might be able to find a used one now that spring trade-in-days are here.

 

Hey ozarkrider welcome to the forum, no feathers ruffled here at all. I have an 05 883xl, with your wifes height I would say to go with the 883 low. As most people here will say, 04's and later have the rubber mounted engines for less vibration, so if money is an issue perhaps she can get a better deal on a used one. I will say that a lot of people "think" the sportster is a good bike to start with, but I think most will agree that it is in fact a pretty top heavy bike. I know at the dealership near me you can rent bikes, is that option available to you guys? Maybe just getting on one and riding it will be the best judge as to what's right for her type of riding. The sportster overall is a great bike, but she may have been steered towards the softail because of that top-heaviness I mentioned before. You'll get a lot of great advice from others, everyone here is always helpful to others, regardless of what you ride.

 

I have ridden both. I think the bigger bikes are easier to handle then the Sportsters. You get used to the sportys handling and then you can really throw the bike around...much better then a softail. However, for the first 1000 milesI think she might be more cofortable on a softail. The best advice is rent one of each...sportster are like $79 a day to rent.

 

I agree, look for an 883 low, 04 & up.

 

I've ridden baggers, Dynas, Softails and currently own a Spotster 1200 C. The important thing to me for a short person is the ability to get both feet on the ground comfortably. Balance seems to only be a big problem when someone has to "tip toe" their bike.

When you consider that not too many years ago a 650 was considered a big bike, an 883 would not come up short in any way. She has to either ride or atleast set the different models of bikes that are offered to help make up her mind. I would suggest starting off with the 883 Low. If she finds it is to her liking (or any other bike for that matter) I would really suggest you check out ebay or other methods to locate a good, recent model, low mileage bike. It can save you a ton of money. I bought a one year old Sporster 1200 C with 1300 miles on it and the original owner lost between 3 and 4 thousand dollars. If her decision is to go with the Sportster, get an 04 or newer. That is the year that Harley went to rubber mounted engines in the Sportsterand it does make a difference.

Good luck

Ant not last but least: welcome from Tucson, Az.

 

My wife started riding last year, an old Honda 500 Silverwing. That lasted exactly 3 weeks and she went and bought a Suzuki 800. Put on about 1500 miles last fall.

Thisspring shesold that and bought an 05 883 sporty. Loves it! She says she wishes she had bought it to begin with. Granted she has ridden the Suzuki but she says that the handling and power of the 883 are both WAY better.

 

Don't be fooled into thinking lighter is better for a beginner. Center of gravity is the clincher. Often the lighter bikes (like a sportster for instance)although undeniablyis a great bike, they tend to be a little top heavy when compared to a low rider for instance. She may have to 'try a couple on' before she finds one that suits her body structure. For a beginner bike, you might just be lucky enough to find a used one, and alleviate forking out a lot of money. Possibilities are endless.

Good luck to you both and SAFE riding!

 

I would tell you to just get her a cheap bike for the first year that she can drop and beat up, because it is gonna happen. If she still likes to ride after a year then look to get her something nicer. I have seen it a few times already when I was at the dealer getting stuff where a lady dumped a nice new bike in the parking lot before she ever even got it on the road. My neighbor lady is a prime example of that. Save your money and buy her a 2-3k beater bike and you will save yourself a lot of money if she decides she don't like it.