Yes, we've all been there, Swappin whatever we could find to keep the scoot goin. I remember those days, hell, I'm still on a budget, no lotto winnins here. I do know what my next build is tho...who know maybe I get to do it in here

 

You know what I'm saying Schu.....and congrats as you have more income than my household. You want to know what is wrong with Harley and for that matter the world.....look no farther. I'm not going to respond with name calling or any other rubbish. Maybe it's time to sell the bike, and just maybe next time I won't stop to help the broke down rider on the road. What a joke this world is becoming!

 

you can get old sportsters pretty cheap. chop em up, stretch em, whatever, just keep working on it until you got it. I've seen some really badass looking sportster bobbers and chopped customs. The more crap you strip off of them, the better they look.

 

yeh, we're all going to be living in huts and harvesting mud before it's over

I keep telling the wife we'll pack up the bike and ride to mexico, or maybe put it on a boat to cuba

 

I hear what the op is saying, when I was younger (40 something years ago) bikes were cheap although wages were low and motorcycles were very hands-on.
We rode what we could afford, and fixed them when they broke, which was often. Every winter I'd tear part of the bike apart and do the top end, or the tranny, the carbs or whatever. Sometimes it actually went back together ok LOL.
Now all it takes is $$$ and it seems a lot of folks have more money than brains.
I feel bad for them, they'll never experience the "joy" of a roadside repair, or getting a push to bump start a dead bike.
To the op; find a scoot you can afford and make it your own.

Just my .

 

Your kidding right?
HD owes riders for making them what they are, so they should make financing more available to everyone who rides?
I done tink so Lucy. Keep looking around. You'll find something you can afford.

 

big rod, im in the same boat. ive been saving for a while. ive found a 2002 heritage softail with 26,000 miles on craigs list for $7500. i might just pull the trigger on it. ive been seeing many Heritages on craigslist for $12500 and less....also seeing the street bobs going used for less than $9000..... good luck

 

I was bikeless for a few years, picked up a cheap Honda first when I couldn't stand being bikeless any more, watched ads and about a year later found the sporty I have now. I've looked at a lot of bikes, and I really think Harley owners (ok, and BMW) take better care of their bikes than most metric owners; the Harley I got was/is immaculate. You can find sportsters in good shape in the $3-4K range, and then if you want different bars, seats, whatever, it's just whatever you can afford. Something to think about. A divorce meant I'd never get much ahead financially, so I'm really tight with money, like a lot of guys here are, so new bikes are lottery dreams, but there's nothing wrong with the older ones; I actually like some of them better, I'm an old school carb guy. You might actually enjoy getting an old evo and rebuilding it; some of those were real good rides. As far as that mechanic school, I couldn't be encouraging either, "skill" jobs are going downhill. A car mechanic friend was way down in earnings, and I took close to a 30% pay cut a few years before retiring from an airline mechanic job. I'd like getting into independent bike maintenance for some extra income, but with today's lawyered up society, don't want the liability. Good luck with whichever road you take.

 

Everybody wants what they can't afford and don't have the credit to buy.

Work. Make a pile. Then buy what you want. Once you are prepared, financially, there are plenty of good deals out there if you are willing to spend the effort to find the one that's right for you.

 

Funny, from what I've seen prices on used Harleys have gone down the last few years after being up for may years. 10 years ago it was hard to find anything other than a Sportster, AMF bike or basket case for under 10k.