New or rebuild a Sportster

Fellow vintage sports car racer has been trying to get me on a Harley for decades.  

I’ve resisted mainly because I love British motorcycles a lot more and I’d take a Honda next.  But all of the ones I’ve seen are either massively over priced or need so much work I’ll spend nearly a year getting them the way I want them.  

Now to be fair they do seem to sell so maybe I’m just too cheap! 

This weekend I needed some race gas and the nearby Harley dealer sells it in 5 gallon cans. So I stopped by. The line at the parts counter was pretty long so I wandered around and spotted a simple  black 883 Sportster. With only 125 miles on it.  $0 down 36 payments of $205  seems comfortably affordable. 

What will I get myself into if I pull the trigger? 

Mind you I’m 70, haven’t ridden for decades. And then British bikes or Honda

I had one of the first fuel injected Sportsters (2007 maybe?). I, and my Honda/BMW/Ducati riding friends were absolutely shocked at how good it was. Different, but good. I'd avoid the Hugger height ones, but I'd recommend a standard model.

In reply to Woody :

Thanks Woody. What did you ride before the Harley? 

My wife rides an 883 Hugger, 1987 model.  It is a fantastic bike.  She just put >2K miles on it a month ago riding to Sturgis and back.  And while I won't mention her age, she could call you "boy."  So, can you keep up with a grandma on a 21 year old Sportster?  Do it. 

About the only downside I can think of is idiot Harley guys ridiculing your "chick bike".   As long as you can weather the arrows of the ignorant, you'll be fine! 

frenchyd said:

Mind you I’m 70, haven’t ridden for decades. 

I don't normally discourage people from riding, but those two things are a couple big red flags...

frenchyd said:

In reply to Woody :

Thanks Woody. What did you ride before the Harley? 

I rode mostly older mid-size Japanese stuff, a Honda CB550F, a CB400F, a GPz550, an XL185S, a DRZ400 and a Montessa trials bike. Plus some scooters and other stuff that I have long since forgotten.

In reply to Joe Gearin :

That’s s given. I assume there are plenty of narrow minded people in Harley clubs and at Harley events with that sort of attitude.  

That’s OK I wouldn’t be ridding for them. Rather the simple pleasure of riding. 

In reply to stuart in mn : I am aware that elderly baby boomers  are buying a lot of Harley’s in retirement and seriously injuring themselves or killing themselves as a result of too much bike with too little experience. 

Im also aware that riding now is extremely defensive in nature with the crowded roads.  Unlike when I did most of my riding back in the 60’s 

On the other hand I doubt I’ll be racing the Highway patrol at 130 mph or escaping capture by driving through the farmers woodlot. 

Nor will I ride non stop from Minnesota to California at the top speed of the motorcycle.  

On the other hand the few Harley’s I’ve rode always seemed foreign to me.  Right hand throttle versus left, etc.  plus they totally lacked any sense of nimbleness. 

Maybe though it has been too long.  Maybe I am too old.  

Modern Sportsters are pretty nimble. But with my most recent venture into street riding, I was constantly on alert for texting drivers. It wasn’t fun for me anymore. 

Triumph makes new Bonnevilles. Comparable to the 833. Also in price, new or used.

The ride quality of Sportsters has never been great. Aside from that, they are okay bikes and I like the styling.

But if you come from a background in British bikes you may vastly prefer the newer Bonnevilles like the one posted above. Electric start (that works), no oil leaks and even Harley guys won't thumb their noses at you because it isn't Japanese. (Yeah, some are assembled in Thailand, so what?)

The Sportster will depreciate pretty heavily. Used ones are everywhere. Used Bonnevilles aren't hard to find but rarely sink below 50% of their price when new, such is the demand. The air cooled 865 still has enough character to remind you of the glory days. The new water cooled ones are Honda smooth, which I think detracts from the experience somewhat but they are arguably superior machines.

You really should ride both (or any bike) before deciding as they all have very different characters, ergos, etc.  Some brands just don't work for me. On paper I should like everything BMW but in use I couldn't wait to get off each one I tried.

For some reason I was fantasizing about building a Sportster as a Motard the other day...  Slap on some big suspension and a real seat just to see how it went.   

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh..........

What ever you choose to ride is fine, just ride man ride.

My currently running road bike stable includes:  99 Ducati ST4, 52 Harley Model K, 05 Suzuki C50 boulevard, 02 ATK 605 dual sport...  There 40+ other dirt bikes and part units stashed here an there too...

Bike ADHD no just one for every mood.  :)

Do yourself a big favor and take the MSF riders course even if you have your M class lic it will retrain your brain for todays dangers and in most states save you 15% on insurance.

ddavidv said:

The ride quality of Sportsters has never been great. Aside from that, they are okay bikes and I like the styling.

But if you come from a background in British bikes you may vastly prefer the newer Bonnevilles like the one posted above. Electric start (that works), no oil leaks and even Harley guys won't thumb their noses at you because it isn't Japanese. (Yeah, some are assembled in Thailand, so what?)

The Sportster will depreciate pretty heavily. Used ones are everywhere. Used Bonnevilles aren't hard to find but rarely sink below 50% of their price when new, such is the demand. The air cooled 865 still has enough character to remind you of the glory days. The new water cooled ones are Honda smooth, which I think detracts from the experience somewhat but they are arguably superior machines.

You really should ride both (or any bike) before deciding as they all have very different characters, ergos, etc.  Some brands just don't work for me. On paper I should like everything BMW but in use I couldn't wait to get off each one I tried.

I’ve looked at Triumph and it certainly has an appeal. But its 40% higher priced than the basic Sportster.   It to mention the low interest rates they offer, ( better than the credit union) 

For decades I’ve wanted a Royal Enfield 750 interceptor But not enough to pay a silly price ( and forego the pleasure of the restoration). But never found one at a price that made any sort of sense. 

The last couple of years I’ve looked more and more at the Sportster because there have been a few priced where it made sense.  Most recently I found one for less than $800. Nearly a complete runner just needing a quick tear apart and redo.  Finished price would be well under $2000 even allowing for an overly optimistic parts pricing.  

Three things stand in my way.  

Backwards( as far as I’m concerned) controls. 

My assumption that they aren’t as nimble as Bikes I’m used to

reliability? How much does it cost to fix and how often is that required? Are they like my prior experience? Decently  reliable, that work is done a couple of times the riding season and over the winter. Or will I be working on it every time I want to ride it? 

With Dr.Linda's Sportster, I can say that it is as reliable as a Toyota RN Truck.  That is, about like a hammer.

Shown here with my bike about 6 weeks ago.

In reply to frenchyd :

Really confused by the left-hand throttle comment. I believe you're going to look far and wide and maybe way back in historical arcana for a left-hand throttle bike; I actually Googled to make sure I wasn't forgetting something, but if it ever existed, I'm pretty sure it was never common.

A lot of the bikes I think of as British classics had rear brake on the left and shifter on the right, but that's the only reversed control I'm aware of, and you have to go back to... I think pre-'75 to find right-side shift before bikes for the US market were mandated to have left shift/right brake.

Similarly, since then, Harleys aren't backwards of anything else. Shifter on the left, rear brake on the right, throttle on the right, front brake on the right, clutch on the left. Harley, Triumph, Honda, Yamaha, etc are all going to be the same if you're looking at a remotely modern bike. Heck, '75 was 43 years ago now, so modernity is hardly a concern.

The only thing that I didn't like about my Sportster was the awful HD security system. I basically couldn't touch the bike in my garage without setting the thing off. And I couldn't remove it without spending a few hundred bucks for the downgraded electrical components. Avoid that if possible.

In reply to Ransom :

Most of the time I rode bikes was in the 60’s so yes it does seem awkward to me.   Like I’ve said I’m 70 and maybe that’s too old?  

Although Ive never had a problem with right hand drive cars, but then riding and driving are different. 

I know I’ll really have to take it easy and not push myself until that natural feeling returns. The ability to ride without thinking through every step. I tried riding a bicycle the other night to see if I retained my balance and that’s Still good. Even if I can’t ride anywhere near as fast and as far as I once could.  

My reaction driving still seems to keep up and I don’t have any issues there.  Maybe though it’s been too long? 

Only thing I don't like is the smaller tank and if you do longer rides like 200 miles in a day your going to want something bigger. 

They do hold their value so if you buy used and not at the dealer you can get out of them for almost exactly what you paid if its a good one. 

frenchyd said:

In reply to Ransom :

I tried riding a bicycle the other night to see if I retained my balance and that’s Still good. Even if I can’t ride anywhere near as fast and as far as I once could.  

Sounds like riding a bicycle is like riding a bicycle, huh? 

The MSF course is worth it. No pride or tough guy stuff needed. You owe it to yourself for a nice refresher.

In reply to Appleseed :

I agree wholeheartedly, with an additional note that it's worth finding out who to go to locally. I gather the MSF will pretty much lend their name to anybody who pays the fees, and as a result, often there's a much better regional organization. Here, it's Team Oregon. A friend of mine from Idaho taught for STAR there. Ask a local shop or do a search. Looks like Minnesota has their own pretty comprehensive set.

The core message is unvarnished; a day at a skills course getting feedback and having a safe place to really work yourself and the bike under controlled conditions is both a lot of fun and a big deal from a safety standpoint.

I recognize that everyone is different, so YMMV, but my dad is in his early 70's and still rides regularly.

These says he tends to stick to nice weather, small backroads, low-traffic times of day, and typically rides bikes with moderate power output, but he still enjoys it quite a bit. His father (my grandfather) also rode his entire life, and I hope to follow in their footsteps.

If you keep your head screwed on straight, and stay realistic about how it is going for you, I can't see why you don't give it a whirl.

I don't think age is an issue. I do think the length of time since you were a regular rider is. I would second any good rider training course. I'm also 70 and rode British and American Japanese bikes when there were left and right hand shifts. I don't recall many problems . The hardest thing I had to do was learn how to ride a bike that didn't have a foot clutch and a tank shifter. I know you will be shocked at how well any modern bike accelerates, brakes and handles compared to almost anything from the sixties.

Left hand throttles were on Indians traditionally.