Harley Davison Question

I assume motorcyle questions go in here, too.

I am getting ready to purchase a street bike and wanted to know what most Harley Riders think about the sportster's compared to the other "Real" HD's. My current company is about to go belly up and I don't want to purchase anything too expensive until I find a new job. So inthe interim, I was looking at the Sportster 1200. When you see a guy on a sportster do you kind of laugh and think of them as "Wanna be's" or "Noobs"?

Please, only Harley Riders comment (or people that have a serious HD response) as I am not intersted in hearing that I should buy a Crotch rocket or a Jap/English/German bike. Thanks in advance.

Sportsters are mainly for women. Guys will laugh at you and call you a big pussy. If you're a big guy they just won't have the power for you. Harleys look good and are cool, but they're expensive and noisy as hell and not really the best ride in the world either. If you wanna go to road rallies or something like that, or just have prestige and get into all the Harley gear crap... yeah, buy a Road King or something. That's what I personally want to get... but then again, realistically, for the best money you're better off buying a used Suzuki or something. You can pick up a cheap one for $2500 or something, as compared to much more costly Harleys (Harley-Davidson do retain their value though.)

In the end... the main reason to have a Harley is to brag "you ride a Harley." How important is that to you? They're noisy and will rattle your nuts off. Still -- chicks dig them. Then again, chicks will probably dig any bike. I suggest buying a cheap foreign made motorcycle and see if you like it before you get carried away with all the gear and accessories. Most people give up motorcycling after 1 or 2 years anyway.

Thanks for the input. I have always ridden Jap bikes in the past and without fail, every Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda I owned were pure shit. They were constantly breaking down, looked ugly, handled poorly and were underpowered. Not a good mixture. I love to know I am riding a bike, so I like the noise Harleys put out. Also, their ride, with the exception of ape hangers and hardtails, is superior to every Jap bike I have ever ridden, wich is ALOT. Thanks for the input though.

Hows that old saying go....

Buy a Harley, own the best
Ride a mile, walk the rest

Hmmm, I've never heard that one, but after pushing and towing a few jap bikes I think you are applying to the wrong brand.

Here in Australia there's only two types of people that ride Harley's
Genuine Bikers like the Gypsy Jokers, The Rebels, Comanchero's etc etc.

Then there are the rich yuppies (Harley's in Australia are like 2 to 3 times the price of comparable size Jap bikes), whom are the tempory owners until one of the above finds them alone on a dark night!

Gotta agree with tsweeney... Here in Canada, the sportster is the girl's bike... end of story.

You could be a while till you find a new job so don't blow your savings on the women's harley when it's not what you really want... wait until you get that next job and then celebrate...without shame...

You may need those savings for food and other essentials of life ni the near future...

I personally am not a fan of the Sportster. Not only are they not as nice of a ride, they are weak in power as well. Your best bet for the money would be to look for a used Dyna Glide. The Dyna Glide has the big motor like the expensive bikes without all the accessories. How much are you lookin to spend on one?