My son has decided that he wants to get into motorcycles which is great. I showed him a lot of different makes and models for beginner bikes and he has decided with a Sportster. We will definitely be buying used and I do all of my own work. I have never owned a Sportster. My question is, are there better year Sportsters and models to look for and are there any years or models to avoid? Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks for your time.

Phil

 

It really depends on what kind of riding he wants to do. Sportsters come in all flavors from cruising, touring and some even sporty. With a few bolt on mods you can make them into any type of bike you want. Sportsters in general are great bikes and really reliable, super easy to work on also

 

2006 and older have carburetors.
2007 and newer are EFI

2004+ are rubber mounted engines (less apparent vibration) The transmission trap door was eliminated, you must split the cases to service the transmission.

2004 1200s got higher performance "W" cams, 883s got them in 2007.

 

2008 saw some changes.
2014 the electrics went CAN bus.

 

While I hope your son enjoys whichever Sportster he ends up with, you're making the choice on a false premise. ANY bike pushing 600lbs and 1 liter of displacement is NOT a beginners bike, and that's on the small end of things (883).

A Honda Rebel, or the Yamaha 250 v-twin are examples of what could be considered a 'beginners' bike. As far as Harley Davidson, I guess the Street 500 is an example.

Personally, I'm not very tall and prefer smaller nimbler bikes. The 883 SuperLow fits me perfectly.

 

Another point not mentioned yet is that the earlier pre 2004 solid mount bikes are about 50 lbs. lighter than the rubber mount bikes which puts them at about 525 lbs. roughly. 2000+ bikes got sealed wheel bearings and better brake calipers. The XL1200S and XL1200R have a big following and are sportier with dual discs, taller suspension, and a tach...

 

Dont forget about the xr1200x (best handling, stopping and most powerful production sportster)

 

The 48 is a fine looking bike bit its the worst handling bike I've ever ridden. To much rotating mass up front for such a small chassis. Dont like to turn like the rest of the pack.

 

My son and I both started out with 883 Sportsters.

 

I would just make sure you have fuel injection and rubber mounted engine. The Custom is my favorite because of the larger gas tank and great looks.