G'day everyone.  I've got a serious question i need answered.  I'm thinking of buying my first Harley.  I would love to buy a Fatboy or a Dyna Wideglide but unfortunately don't have the extra cash at the moment.  I've come accross a mate of a mate who is selling his 1996 Sportster Sport.  Bike looks great with a fatbob tank on it and plenty of extras but my question is this.  Is the Sportster a girls bike or is this just a stupid rumour?  I honestly don't want to offend any blokes that might ride Sportsters but when I started looking into it I realised that most Sportsters are owned by ladies????  Although I must admit that the girls seem to ride the 883's.  Is it that the guys ride the 1200's?  Can you guys please clarify this for me?  I took the bike for a spin and was impressed with the power but felt that the bike seemed a little small frame wise???  It has forward controls on it.  I asume i will get a mixed respone of answers but I would rather check first then rush in and buy it.  Thanks heaps.

Sporties are lighter and thus favoured by lady folk.

In all honesty some guys have a problem with it and yeah that perception is rife amoungst riders. The difference is you, if you get on it and feel like its not big enough, or comfortable enough or powerfull enough (though the power to weight ratio means you could beat many bigger bikes off the line) then its not for you.

 

 

not wanting to offend anyone but it seems to me that all the guys that own a sporty want to sell it and upgrade to a bigger bike .They are also r haveing trouble selling it not that there anything wrong with them they just find it hard to sell .So its obivious that there not for every1

Thanks for quick responses. So basically its true that alot of women ride sportsters but it seems that maybe a lot of guys ride them too but end up selling them to get a bigger bike? Is that right? So I'm hearing that its not actually a chicks bike - but more of a stepping stone bike for blokes??? Is this right?

I could take the piss but I think it would certainly get me banned,,,,,,

Best to try it out for size... if it fits then go for it  I wanted a Night Train but settled for the Bob and am more than happy and plenty of coin left to personalise it which is what I'm doing

 

oh... btw.... welcome mate and enjoy this mad crazy forum

Some of the fastest Harleys are Sportsters, I have ridden with a few Speed Demons who ride them and believe me there is no girl bike about them. I am sure also that should ya mention to these particular guys that they ride a girls bike ya would not live long enough to kiss your arse goodbye.

Bt

Motorcycle magazine said that the 1998 Sportster Sport was the "best handling bike Harley-Davidson have ever made, but do something about the vibration", the 1996 is the same but different.

I'm a 6 foot 4 man, I eat nutri-grain for breakfast, when my mum tucks me in she staples me in and my girlfriend irons my shirts.....while I'm wearing them, so I'm kind of a tough guy too and I ride a 1998 Sportster Sport!

Stop dreaming about a bigger bike, buy it, learn how to ride it, whip ya mates who are riding bigger bikes and when you have finished your apprenticeship on a Sporty buy a bigger bike.

Dude

Oh and nightsers are fuking sick looking bikes, in my eyes one of the best looking model of any Harley. ever.

I rode a 1200 for five years. Definitely NOT a "girl's" bike or a beginners bike. Lots of torque. I could get 93 mph in third gear! That left me two more to play with. Great handling & good clearance too.

I agree with Uncle Ho, just sit on a few different bikes, then try and get a ride and see which one fits right. I went into the HD dealership with an open mind and eventually decided on a Nightster... It just depends on you... That's the cool thing about riding!!!

Thanks guys I'm glad I came on here and asked the question. I thought it was just a crap rumour but thought i better check. I really like this sportster and it means I can have a Harley now, instead of waiting for another 6 years. Although the big picture is to one day have the Fatboy, but for now its just not possible. Thanks for your opinions. Really appreciate them. I'll go and have another look at the bike now.

Nothing wrong with bloke riding an 883!
I rode one for years 2 up all around the country it handled it no probs.
An 883 riden correctly can beat most things off the at the lights, just go to the drags and see for yourself that sporties are very fast, great handling bikes.
Dyna's have a boot full more power but a well tuned 1200 sporty can still whip it in the twisties.
The sporty is really the only race designed engine Harley have made.

Everytime you go onto a sportsbike forum you hear guys shitting on Harleys - all types of Harleys - and they're all using the exact same put downs that guys that own Harleys use to rag on each others bikes.
As for the "girly" factor of sportsters, If there's a bike type (any capacity/size/brand/model) out there that a woman doesn't also own I'd be fucking amazed.

just a query on sumtin you said (it will take me another 6 years to save up for a fatboy) are you sure you can afford the juice for a bike?

Not only petrol but rego, and insurance, and the services or items to keep the friggin thing running...and gear (the saftey kind) and then there's booze and whatever else you're into...

I got a softy ,been lent a few sporties when I had services .Once I found the pegs , they were great fun. If you want a bike to look tough.

Work on your Image You may not need a bike.

                                                                                                              Ductor  

LOL, Your right with the cost of petrol I'll just have to keep the bike in the garage and look at it!! I've already got all the gear, I've had bikes in the past. I gave myself a budget to save up for a Fatboy (6 years) but I figure that I can afford the sporty now, keep saving and just sell it again when I'm ready to buy the Fatboy. At least I'll have something fun to ride in the meantime. Don't worry I'm not hung up on what others think but I'm new to the Harley scene and thought I better check if these Sportsters were built for women or for everyone. Now I know.

Is it a girl's bike? No
Will people still give you shit about riding a girls bike, a toy scooter, a Skirtster, a Half-a-Harley? Yes of course they will, but they're not really hanging shit on the bike, they're hanging shit on You. And if you can take it with a smile on your face and a finger in the air, that entitles you to retort with comments about Granny-Glides and Garbage Wagons, and about how the Dyna-Might be able to keep up with your Sporty...

Then we can get past the crap and on to the important business, Going for a ride...


... and then a beer afterward.

Well everybody thanks for the opinions.  I now own my first Harley.  I bought the 96 Sporty!!!  Very happy with the power.  Now just got to make sure I don't get my tampon string caught in the belt.  He he He.

Oh Shit man.....the 96 sporty was the girliest of them all......didn't someone tell ya before you bought it??!!!