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Would the Harley Davidson Sportster XL 883 make a good beginner motorcycle?
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You are joking aren’t you. Start with something small and build up once you get experience
i say don’t worry about weither your a beginner or not, just get whatever motorcycle u wantthat whole beginner thing is something salesmen feed to you so you’ll get a little crapy bike, then have to come back and by another one after you find out that your bike is kinda “gay” and people laugh at you!
buy a honda rebel or buell blast first. the sportster is totop heavy. learn how to ride first these are easier to learn onand cheaper to repair if you drop it
I think so . This was my first year riding. I went a little bigger and got the XL1200L and I love it. My husband actually talked me in to getting the 1200 . I was going for the 883. I think it will be an awesome bike. . . . .
Hi,I hadn’t ridden a motorcycle in 24 years and I’m now 40 years old. I made up my mind I wanted a motorcycle,so I went and took the permit test & got that first then I looked at every kind of bike available and in Feb. 2006 ended up buying a 2002 Harley Davidson Sportster 883 XLH Hugger and I love it!! A sportster is heavy though,mine weighes almost 500 pounds but I put over 700 miles by myself with my permit because nobody had time to ride with a beginner. Then I finally talked a guy into going to DMV with me to get my license & passed,no problem. I’ve now put over 5000 miles on it since June. I would recommend the 883 for anybody that wants to learn or just starting out,I’m trying to get my wife to ride it. Don’t worry about getting a bigger bike right now believe me that will come after a couple months of riding. I’m looking at Softails now but plan on riding my 883 Hugger another year,you don’t want to jump into a big bike right off the bat. Sportsters are what some Harley riders call Baby Hogs but get it,respect it,ride it,love it,take care of it. I always remember one thing that my dad told me growing up “treat them with respect because once you think you’ve got it mastered,she’ll bust your ass!!”Take your time,be careful,watchout for other drivers because some of them don’t watch out for you and you’ll be fine. LOVE MY 2002 HD SPORTSTER 883 HUGGER!!!
In my opinion, No, But then again I started with a Yamaha 650, But you really havent defined Beginner, Either, As I have been riding Motercycles since I was 12yrs old, And Im 46 If thats any help
“Sure, nine out of ten people would want a Harley if you asked them, but then again, nine of ten people don’t know s#it about bikes. “-JGullatohttp://www. goingfaster. com/angst/noharley2. html
1st and formost question ,does your area have a motorcycle safety course that you can attend?Take the course(most Honda dealers can hook you up),then ask yourself ,what is my riding interest?If you’re going to be a commuter rider ,look at mid-sized (400-900 c. c )standards or cruisers. If styling and profiling does it for you the H. D. 883 or 750 shadow,if you like to live in the fast lane,a crotch rocket . Make up your own mind and don’t rush your decision. My wife wanted a 883 when she outgrew(her small bike skills and her Yamaha 535 Virago),but I got her to buy a 1200 sportster and she’s only recently outgrew it(now she wants a Buell)!I’ve ridden everything from dirt bikes to my current1500 Kawasaki Difter. So, above all ,make up your own mind and above all,RIDE SAFE!!!!!
My husband and I would like to get bikes one day as well and are lucky to have a brand new Mikes’s Famous Harleys in our area. We were there admiring the selection they have and got to chatting with the bike manager who let us in on what he takes into consideration when helping a person decide on what type of bike to purchase. The bike should fit the person’s body type, for example my husband is 6′6″, I’m 5′6″. My husband’s bike would be big, high seated and with handle bars of his choice as his long arms could reach high up, out and wide or down and close. I on the other hand would need a bike that I could hold up of course, so not too big, a low seater, so I could firmly touch ground, and handlebars down and close which is recommended for beginners as it brings everything close and tight for more control over the bike until you become used to riding. Another thing to consider is what type of riding will you be doing? Long distance highway cruising with fewer starts and stops or short distance gaunts with friends around town or down a stretch of back road and back home with more frequent starts and stops. This is important because some models have a little more rumble and vibration to them, everytime you stop for a light or whatever you will have to deal with this. It may be better to leave these bikes to the open road and opt for a quieter model to sport if you’re scenario is of the latter. Whether it be loud and bouncy or toned-down and smooth the one true thing all bikers can agree on is the thrill of being in the wind. Good luck and be safe in your pursuit.
Honestly, no. A beginning rider should get something small (400cc or less) and light weight. Also, given that a beginning rider may find afterwards they are really not interested your not out the expenses you will be after purchasing the 883. I’ve been riding for 20 years. I first started on an 82 Yamaha Heritage Special 400. The bike was light, economical, looked great and really gave me a chance to get my feet wet on the street. It had enough top end that you could take in on the highway without problems. I would look for something local for sale, not to new. Shoot for cost effective until your sure of the sport, than look to move up. After a year or two on a small bike you might want to take the plunge towards the 883. Best of luck and be safe.
bike is top heavy and hard to ride. . . buy the full size harley in the first place. . or better yet buy an hondashadow or like, learn on that for a year or two thenmove up to full size bike, harley or otherwise. . .
The Harley Davidson 883 sportster seems to be the main choice of many new riders, as it is light to handle has enough power but not overly much, plus the price is lower by far than the big boys. Therefore I say YES it is a very good first choice bike, then when ready move up, if you so wish.
Yes you did not give a lot of info, but a lot get a bigger bike and grow into it but unless you are of fair size and maturity level don’t do that. The smartest move is buy a smaller 250-500cc used motorcycle then when you get bored of it you will not lose thousands when you trade in or sell to get a larger bike, and always take a safty course if inexperienced
I have a 01 buell blast its my first bike and i love it!! its light enough to pick up by urself . . it set the land speed record for its class . . then after a few yrs u can trade that bike in for the sportster. but the main thing is that ur comfortable on it. . plus one more thing since a blast and under 500cc its cheaper on ur insurance.
check to see if its considered a sport bike or not. and u can even get a low profile seat if ur short like me. lol but the main thing is that ur comfortable on what ur pick to ride. enjoy what u ride. .
The sporty is top heavy – but if you have good upper body strengthand your feet are FLAT on the ground when sitting on it – go for it!I learned on a sporty, dropped it more times than I can count -but I never sat flat footed on it, and being female, upper bodystrength was also an issue. I would not recommend the sportyas a beginner bike for anyone that is vertically challenged! I’m nowon a softail deluxe, love it! It is much bigger than a sportster, butthe center of gravity is so different, it actually handles much easier.
First of all take the MSF saftey course, then it depends on experience. I have 35 yrs. of riding and race experience and have seen a lot of people buy too heavey a bike for there first time. My girl friend started riding last summer, she took the class first then we found her a Kawaski KZ250 street bike. She wanted an 883 but I wanted her to have more seat time first. . good thing. . blinkers are cheap for the kawa. . She had no problem riding with me, the bike worked very well, its so light and didnt get squirlly in sand. I would recomend any brand as long as its light, and small in displacement. . good luck
That is what I learned on. . . so I say yes, but remeber it it a bit top heavy so just get a good feel for the bike in a parkinglot. . . practice starting and stopping (easing the clutch in and out). I would suggest also taking the MSF course. . . most states offer this class for free. That is the way I should’ve learned, but I did it the hard way. I did take the class about two years after I’d been riding and still learned a good bit on the proper way to do things. Plus, it was fun to ride those littler bikes once I’d been riding on bigger ones.
I think it would be fine. Some will tell you to start with a smaller bike. From personal experience, that didn’t work. I started with a 550 and it wasn’t too long after I bought it that I regretted it and wanted something larger. So I went out and bought a larger bike. Salesmen love to sell you things and if you buy a small bike first they know you’ll be back to buy the larger bike very soon and they sell two bikes. The Sportster XL 883 is the smallest Harley-Davidson. It should work for you. I prefer Harleys to the other brands and ride a Superglide. If you get the Sportster, I can guarantee you’ll be a Harley rider forever after. Welcome to the biking world.
At a poker run once. . . talking to some hard core H-D guys. They said that a Sportster is pretty much bottom feeding. They said they’d ride Japanese before they’d ride a Sportster. Thought you’d like to know.
I would recommend the Buell Blast first. It is lighter and smaller. Therefore when you begin to ride and tip it over you can pick it up by yourself. It also doesn’t cost that much. My mom began on a Blast and she loves it. I’ve driven it and it is fun. Once you get the feel of riding, then move up to a 883 sportster. I started with a Yamaha MX100. Then a 1977 Harley 175, then the Buell Blast. I then bought a 2003 Buell Firebolt 900. It’s fun to move up to bigger bikes!!!I recommend taking a rider safety course. Most Harley shops can give you information on a local course. Or. . . if you have the option, learn on a small dirtbike. By the time you have that down and get onto the open road it will feel like you are floating!!!
Don’t do it. I was a new rider 4 years ago and would have gone out immediately and purchased a Sportster. My husband has a Fat Boy and he talked me out of getting the Sportster. It is a small bike and you will want to trade it in for a bigger bike (take a look in the classifieds, Sportster for sale all the time). I purchased an older Honda 650 and rode that the 1st two summers to get some experience. After a couple of years I purchased a 2000 Deuce. It is a 1450 and I love it. I could not have ridden it without the couple of years of experience. Find yourelf an older bike for your starter bike. You will be much happier. Also take the safety course and make your spouse take it with you. It is fantastic course no matter what your experience level is.
No. They’re short wheelbase and heavy.
I’ve been riding off-road bikes & atv’s for 15 years, cc’s ranging from 125-700cc. Recently I got my motorcycle license and looking into the 883 for my first street bike. I’m currently enrolled at MMI in Phoenix and most of the labs have a lot of 883’s & 1200’s to train on mechanically & electrically. I sat on an 883 this week and although I can’t flat-foot (straddle the bike with only the balls of my feet on the ground), the bike’s overall ergonomics and mid-controls feel good. The only concern I have is the weight of the bike, my height and my lack of upper body strength. I’m 5′4, 190lbs and have no upper body muscle (it’s all in my legs). I don’t doubt my rider confidence as I have experience to handle the bike through erratic maneuvers, just was concerned if my weak arms would cause me to drop the bike through tight or slow turns. Any advice would be great!!!!
Not the greatest english speaker, but I loved reading this. By the way, the bottom of your page doesn’t seem to load properly (I am using IE8).