Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hi folks, I am a 26 year old guy. I am currently living in Carbondale, IL and looking into the motorcycle purchasing decision. Here is what I do know:

~definitely taking a safety course real soon
~getting driver's license endorsement
~have been doing a log of reading recently so have got a little bit of a feel for things

Questions:

~ I was looking at Harley Davidson bikes because have known a few people to have them, family rides them recently and I like the brand. I don't want a crotch rocket but cruiser type. To start off with the local HD dealer was suggesting the new HD 2011 XL 883L Sportster Super Low because of the lower feel, bigger gas tank, tire size just among of the few reasons. I am not set on this by any means but just wanted to get opinions. Just fyi am looking to spend under 10K, have no issue buying new or used but because I am not very mechanically inclined wasn't wanting an older bike that may need a lot of work or maintenance.

~ Also if I get a Harley is it usually.. etiquette to buy Harley gear such as jacket, boots, glasses...ect...

~Um.. any other suggestions really would be helpful

Thanks for all the help and for putting up with another newbie!

Brandon

Kudos on your plans for the safety course, you're off to a good start. Not sure why the dealer is plugging the Sportster with the lowest seat height, unless you are of small stature, but you should at least sit on other Sportster models to get an idea of what fits you best.

Nothing wrong with wanting a new or used Harley, but keep an open mind for offerings from other manufacturers - Triumph, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha all put out good entry level cruisers that, in some cases, have a sticker price that is easier on the wallet.

Pretty much any bike made in the last 10 years is not going to be maintenance intensive, so don't let that be a factor when buying used. If a bike has been well maintained and cared for, it should give you years of trouble free service regardless of the manufacturer.

Please don't buy into the bullshit belief that there is a "dress code" associated with being a Harley owner, that is a marketing ploy that far too many people fall for. HD does sell a lot of good quality gear, but it can be very pricey and IMO there is no need to dress yourself head to toe in it when there are lots of other brands out there that can be had for less money.

Good luck on your course and welcome to TMW!

I am definately going to still look around, it is going to be a few months before I get a motorcycle. In the meantime I plan on researching and visiting a few dealers for varies makes. Also I am not majorily short, but have short legs. A lot of the bikes I tried it was a bit hard to have my feet flat or felt a lil too heavy for me.

Oh and the research I've done says the Super Low isn't the shortest seat, just the placement along with width of the motorcycle allows the riders feet to reach the ground easier. I dunno if that is true or just dealer hype.

Superlow is a brand new model for 2011. Lots of folks will suggest that you not start with a brand new bike for your first, e.g. 1) let someone else take that initial big depreciation hit, and 2) you have a significant chance of dropping your first bike, why ding up an immaculate new bike? Both of these reasons make sense to me, and I usually recommend a gently used,several year old bike. Tons of 'em for sale these days on most every region's Craigslist. If you go with a used Sportster, go 2004 or later - that's when the rubber-mounted motors began.

By the way, Sportsters are pretty heavy for their size - approx 550 lbs. There are bikes in that general size class that weigh less. (But........ if Harley is what you want, Sportys are the smallest bikes that say "Harley" on the side..... )

Alright folks.. I have good news. I have been doing a lot of research, traveling around to different motorcycle stores.. ect. Well I have decided to go with a Ninja 250R instead of the Harley. I sat on it and it feels awesome, though the Honda Shadow 750 was a close second. Any words of wisdom.. tips... would be appreciated.

oh and sorry if that post was a bit run together.. am exhausted.

Excellent choice for a first bike it is better to start out on a smaller bike to get the feel of riding and gain some experience. You can always move up to that Harley in a year or two

The good thing is that if you drop the Ninja there are so many parts around that it'll be really cheap to fix and also you won't grow out of it like you would a 250cc cruiser. You can do some decent touring on it as well since the gas mileage is in the 60MPG range.

As for the Shadow 750, it gets great gas mileage but I prefer my old Vulcan 500 which has more power for anything I can throw at it compared to the Shadow. It may not be a V-twin bike but at least the engine is a detuned Ninja 500 twin.

I was actually also looking at the Vulcan, not sure exactly how I feel about them yet.My sketchy plan is get the Ninja 250R for now because it just seems overall really a good choice. Then I may move up to the Vulcan 900 Classic, just kinda depends. I may forgo Harley's all together at this point mainly because of the price and the maintenance cost. I was researching the average checkup cost difference between the bikes...and wow...lol. I was also looking at some of the touring and bigger bikes compared to the price of the Harley's as well as features and I rather spend the extra money not on buying the actual bike but buying gear and other accessories.

Oh and did I mention that I love the price of the Ninja and Vulcan compared to the Harley's...lol.. sorry just cant get over the price issue and the feeling of the bike.