I'm new to riding ( just a week in) it's even better than I expected it to be and I want to keep my used 08 Harley nightster running as long and strong as possible. What general maintenance should I perform myself and what should I take to a professional to do?

 

Depends on what is your skillset and budget. Preventative maintenance is your daily responsibility as a rider. Get up off about 65$ and buy a service manual. Once you read it, you will say to yourself, " If I'm patient, I can do this", or " WTF?......"

 

Did your bike come with owner's manual? Read through and follow regular maint sched. If you want to take on the service intervals...get a service manual fm dealer.

Otherwise, give bike a wash every now & then, fill fuel, check oil and enjoy.

 

That 08 sporty is very simple to maintain with basic mechanical skills...like said above, if you plan to maintain it, get the hd service manual for it. the sporty motors are very reliable!!! have fun and be safe

 

You should be able to download the owners manual (which should have come with the bike) from the H-D website, go to the Owners tab. That is free, but if you decide you can do some of the work yourself the service book does cost, however you get that back the first time you use it and don't pay someone else to work on your bike!

 

There is a guy (me) selling a 2008 service manual for 35$ in the classifieds section...

 

Thanks for all the advice, I ordered the owners manual and I might upgrade together service manual once I get the basic maintenance done and feel comfortable enough to start doing all the service myself. For now I'll leave it up to a trusted mechanic. On another note, is there any reason why my bike would be pulling to the left? It doesn't happen all the time but pretty often. Maybe alignment? Any suggestions?