This is my wife's bike. We bought it new and put 6K miles on it before we got it home:

 

The wife rides an '04 1200 Sportster, her 2nd in 11 years.

 

Uh, I've learned a few things, the problem is I forget too easily...lol

 

My wife is 5'-1" tall and rides a Heritage Softail Classic. We took an advanced riding course this past week end and she was dragging the foot boards in the corners, had the instructors grinning from ear to ear. (I dragged mine too but she's cuter!)

 

when i got my first bike (02sportster) i had to take the msf course before i could register my bike on post. since it was free, the wife took it too. well, i will tell you, the quickest way to a second bike is having to ride bitch on your own bike! so she gets an 03 sportster custom. fast forward a few years and she decides to buy me a road king for my 'retirement gift' from the military (we all know they don't give ya ****!). so after being intimidated by it for about 6 months, she says, okay i wanna ride it now. after about a half hour, she says, okay, i want one too.... 07 road king custom.

 

'01 FXSTSi, custom paint, big radius pipes.

 

Save yourself a ton of money and get her a Deluxe. Low center of gravity, smoooooth ride, and great handling. My wife started on a Sportster (2004 XL1200C) and dropped it a couple times when stopped, even though we'd lowered it. Too top-heavy, and at 55+ the vibration blurred the mirrors so bad they were useless. She wasn't comfortable above 60, 65 max. Spent a ton on chrome, sold it within a year. Went to a Dyna Lowrider (2004 FXDLR) and she really liked it. Easier to handle, vibration gone, comfortable at 70-75. Rode 4600 miles on it within the first couple weeks. More chrome and custom paint. Kept that 18 months or so, then test rode a Deluxe. Another giant improvement in handling, balance, comfort, and with the 96/6 speed - POWER. She got a '07, added the detachable windshield (first time I've ever cut one down!) and saddlebags. On our first ride with it, she pulls up beside me on I-5 and indicates that 85 isn't fast enough!

My wife has problems with her low back. All her bikes went to Corbin for custom seats with backrests, which helped. The Sportster still made her hurt, the Lowrider was much better but still bothered her and limited her to 250-300 miles a day. The Deluxe fits like it was built for her. No pain, no dropping it when stopped, and 500 miles a day in good weather is enjoyable.

Sportsters are a lot of fun for an experienced rider. They are light, quick, and relatively inexpensive. As you go up in price the bikes get heavier, which contributes to a smoother ride. The center of gravity moves lower, which improves balance. The tires get bigger, which improves ride quality. The bikes get more comfortable, which tends to get the rider to go farther and faster. Kind of like comparing a base Toyota Tacoma with a Tundra.

From what I've gathered talking to dealers and watching friends, women don't stay with Sportsters - at least they don't stay HAPPY with them. They move up - usually to the Deluxe, Fatboy, or Lowrider. Many who move to the Lowrider then move to the Deluxe. Extremely rare to see anyone trade down to a Sportster.

We lost enough on the Sportster and Lowrider to cover more than half the cost of the Deluxe. I highly recommend having her sit on every model and test ride the Sportster, the Lowrider, the Deluxe, and the Street Glide.

 

When she is not on the back of mine, she has a 1200 Sporty.

 

My Wife rides a 2004 Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide. She did also ride a 2007 Screamin' Eagle Dyna, but we traded that in on a new 2008 Street Glide for me a few weeks back and I also sold another 2004 Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide (mine), so I could get the new bike. Still waiting to pick it up from the Dealership, having major custom work done and a 103 Kit. Wasn't it nice of her to give up one of her bikes, so I could get a new one!? lol

 

My GF is only 5' 3", she would really like her own Harley but a little short. She loves to ride on the back of my ultra on trips, but she drives a Yamaha Majesty 400.......... she still rides BEHIND me.