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Any Harley riders???

quick308

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I'm in the market for one of these at the moment. Probably my favorite model is the Dyna glide low rider. Being my first one people have been telling me to start off on the sportster, what are your thoughts? i don't want to be irresponsible and buy something i'm not ready for, but what makes the sportster such a beginners bike? they are still 1200cc.
 

vr94ss

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I don't ride anymore as much fun as it is... I suppose if I had to I would, you just have to be a nutter to do it by choice. Like playing a game in rl with no respawn. Yeah I know life itself is fatal but I've seen too many people broken by it. The odds are not in your favour, or maybe they are and just seem bad..

Not a learners bike. I don't know that a Harley would be my first choice as a bike. Big, heavy, slow.. If I did choose a Harley it'd probably be an older one like a Randy's Cycle Service & Restoration: 1968 Harley Davidson Sportster because that is just nice.. So little paint needed to change it too.

Edit: I have a mate about ready to sell his Harley.. He's not finished what he wants done before he sells it but it's getting there.
Edit2: There's a cure for part of the bad driving offenders(hoons?).. You can no longer drive a car and carry passengers, you must now ride a bike by yourself... Think they'd learn anything?
 
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dirt drifter

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my riding experiece is nothing more than tearing up the bush on dirt bikes for 7 years, a few of those years i was doing a bit of road riding on regd dirtbikes. i wasnt useless but wasnt one of the faster guys either. after a 7 odd year break i took a stock 08 v-rod for a spin. apparently they're one of the quicker harleys

i handled it fine i thought, yeah its different to riding a dirt squirter but so long as u have the basics sorted u shouldn't have any dramas. i see the op has a CBR already so stepping up to big harley shouldn't be a worry. test ride or better yet hire (morgan and wacker has a few harleys for hire, not cheap though) a few different ones and see how ya go.

i'm sorta in the market for one myself.. well i gotta put up a decent shed first but if a good v-rod or fatboy came along at the right price i probably couldn't resist.
 

DevilDRake

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Well i work at Peter Stevens Harley-Heaven in Dandenong (vic) so i deal with harleys every day. I don't sell them just spare parts.


Sporters are a entry-level due to the size of the engine (883/1200) and the size of them. Also the way the rider is positioned. If you look at softails or Dyna's they're all legs forward, arms forward, while sporters are more back with legs, hard to explain.

Go into a harley dealer on the test ride days and try them out, if not just sit on them.

There's ENDLESS ways of customising these things, I would know as we sell 6million dollars in "accessory" items a year on harleys, they start from anything like footpegs to a 113" CI stroke.
 

Guzzoline addict

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The sportster would be classed as a beginners bike because of its size and weight,plus you can get an 883 aswell as the 1200.
 

Big_Simmo

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harley = overweight and under powered

but if thats what your chasing go for it :) nothing beats the feeling of being on 2 wheels instead of 4, but in saying that 1 is even more fun :D
 

DevilDRake

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harley = overweight and under powered

but if thats what your chasing go for it :) nothing beats the feeling of being on 2 wheels instead of 4, but in saying that 1 is even more fun :D

I wouldn't say that,

Softails with 113" kits (bigger cams, stroke, pushrods, intake, etc) And don't say they don't do it because every 1/5 harley riders spend $20k on accessories. They take off about as quick as a v8, actually quicker because one kept up to a gsxr-750 until about 100kph. Which is a damn good effort.
 

naf33n

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I wouldn't say that,

Softails with 113" kits (bigger cams, stroke, pushrods, intake, etc) And don't say they don't do it because every 1/5 harley riders spend $20k on accessories. They take off about as quick as a v8, actually quicker because one kept up to a gsxr-750 until about 100kph. Which is a damn good effort.

you pretty much helped his arguement, a bike that has to spend 20k on accessories (whats the total price 40-50k???)just to out run a v8 and give a 750(which cost about 14k) a run for its money aint fast. technically that is slow
ive ridden a few and i gotta say its a love it or hate it thing... proably like driving a jacked up 4x4 on the road.. big slow, doesnt turn real well, but some people like it
 

quick308

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I'm not looking for loads of power or speed, just a nice cruiser with a good note. The reason I ask is because i was looking at some to import from the states, then some of biker mates said they have a sportster they could sell me for 8 grand, and that it would be a good one to start of on ect.... it's 1200cc, sounds and looks really good apparently. I might go look at it tonight.
 

CSP

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I hate the "it's a good bike to start on" wankers. Just buy the bike you ultimately want. The bike can't kill you - it's what you do on it that can. So be responsible about it. But just buy what you want from the word go!

Talked a mate of mine into getting a GSXR1000 as his first road bike (he had his Ls and then Ps but never owned or road a bike on the road). He was apprehensive but a few weeks later thanked me for talking him into it. Means he doesn't lose money on "a good bike to start on".
 
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