Sportster Opinions

Hi all. My brother is looking at a 96 Sportster. It is basically stock, with 18,000 miles on it. Not being very familiar with the Sportys, I'm wondering what to expect, what to look out for ect. He's currently on a 600 Shadow, and wanting a bit more power and wants to get a Harley.
Any comments ?

1200? SPORTYS ARE PRETTY GOOD MACHINES sorry for yellin, caps on, anyway if he's wanting a smaller bike piglets are dang spunky when set up right

Yes, it's a 1200, forgot to post that.

"96" is a Sportster Evo motor, pretty tuff motor, is it a 1200 or 883? What do you mean by pretty much stock? If the price is right it could be a good buy for a new owner into the Harley world. Get a manual and stay up with the maintenance.

"Pretty Much Stock" in this case means just cosmetic changes. Windshield, backrest,seat ect. Price seems pretty good. I'd sooner see him on a Super Glide, but this is whats in the budget for now. But then, I know very little about the Sportys. I've ridden a couple, but only for short distances. They are pretty snappy, I'll give em that!! Just that I remember that old 650 Yamaha when I was a teenager. Wow. 50 miles at highway speed on that and you couldnt feel your fingers or toes anymore! Hate to have him unhappy on his first Harley.

and the newer ones are rubber mounted motors.

I agree with you and Cowboy on the newer bike. Right now it's all about the $$$'s. I'd like to see him on a Dyna or Softail, but his OL aint real keen on the idea of him gettin a different bike and the trade difference is what he can afford without startin a war

Before 04, Sporty's are a bit of a bumpy ride, especially at 65 mph. I've seen many Sporty's on Craigslist, 04, 05, 06 for a little over 5k. I'd bet they can be had at 4.5k or less for cash, once the riding season's almost over. If you get the 96 Sporty for say.. 3k, you'll put in another grand before you know it, and will wish you'd bought a later model. Stick with a 1200, find your best deal for an 04 or 05 with some upgrades, like Stage 1 kit, pipes or slip-ons, forward controls, windshield, recent tune up, good maintenance and I think you'll be happier. If the one your looking at doesn't have the more common upgrades, you'll be looking to get them faster than you think, and still have an 96. Just my opinion.

how big is your Brother????
i have an 01 1200 custom, i call it the beach cruser, it has all the bells and whistles to go fast......and go fast it will!!! but you never stop buying parts for your bike, thats just how it is.........you will spend more money than you will want admitt to......Hanging head in shame.....
the one draw back with my sporty, i could never get back the money i put into the bike if i were to sell it, your glides, soft tails, fat boys, dont depresiate like the sportys do.
somthing to think about????


TRG

Thanx for the feedback guys. Guess we'll see what happens. He would be looking at spending more for a newer bike, but he works at the same place I do, and hours have been down for the last 6 months, so money is tight. Atleast we're still workin !!

Well, he missed the Sporty. Dealer only had it for 3 days, and by the time he got off work to get there, somebody bought it over the phone, 3800 bucks. Sounds like he'll wait till after the riding season, then try again. Wouldn't rule out a metric bike, even though he really wants a Harley. (Which is why he should spend the extra dollars to get a Harley) A Heritage actually is number one on his list but a Dyna, or Softail Standard is very doable. Just depends on the financial situation. Thanx again for all the input.