I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING TO PURCHASE A BIKE FOR MY WIFE (SHE IS 5'3" TALL) AND HAVE BEEN LOOKING VERY SERIOUSLY AT THE 06 883 LOW. I HAVE ALSO LOOKED AT ALL THE OTHER MAJOR BRANDS FOR SIMILAR BIKES. I AM WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAS DIRECTLY COMPARED THE RIDE AND RELIABILITY OF THE SPORTSTER VS. OTHER BRANDS (HONDA, YAMAHA, SUZUKI, KAWASAKI). WILL WE BE SATISFIED WITH THIS BIKE? I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE RESALE VALUE OF ONE VS. THE OTHER, THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT TO ME.

 

It's not our money it's yours so get what you want. I think the reliabilty is as good or better than the others. My son bought a 05 and a freind of his bought one about 2 months after him and they had no problems. Son has around 8000 on his. They made it Sturgis and back(3450 miles) no problems. Son's freind that bought one after him was doing a lot of comparing he was thinking serious about a Yamaha but he said after he looked at both and set on the Sportster he knew that was the one for him. He had rode my son's prior to this never did actually ride any of the other bikes. But he has not regretted his decision.

 

my wife's 5'4" and she rides a 883c.she's a little stretched out with the stock drag bars and forward controls.which i'm going to see if i can get the handlebar setup off the 1200 low to change out.to bring her arms in a bit.otherwise she loves it

 

The new Sportster is a big step up in quality over the older EVO generation, and overall is a pretty reliable ride. I love the 2 I own. But if your looking just for a bike for her to ride thats super dependable with minimal maintenance needs and not just because it says Harley Davidson, I would look at other brands without question. Honda,Suzuki and some of the other Jap mfg's make a super reliable bike that very high on quality. If resale and what the nameplate says on the gas tank are not your main driving factors, look at the Jap brands. I'll take some **** for saying that, but its sound advise.

 

YOU also can look into the buell blast

 

The 1200low would fit her good i let my mom ride my 1200r she is 5.2 it was a little hard for her exspecially the clutch because she had only rode dirt bikes but a 1200 is a much better bike because you can get the money back from resell.

 

I am 5'4" and 135 lbs. I ride a 1200 Sporty and I love it. It depends on what kind of ride you like and how many miles a year you plan on ridin. I go everywhere on mine.

 

Picked up my wife a honda rebel 250,shes only about 5ft. an it fit her perfect.rode it a few times an was surprized the power it had.Probably pick up a nice used one on ebay for 1500.She can almost double us on mileage.

 

Ok..Here's my two cents. First, I must say even though most of us on this site are all Harley and or Sportster enthusists, these bikes are not for everyone. They are very solid, well made, stylish and in my opinion the best bikes out there but many of the Japanese metrics are more modern and technologically advanced.

For someone who does not care if it's a Harley or not, the metrics can be a better choice. For example, most if not all the metrics are water cooled and most of them have fuel injection. Both of these can be big benefits to a person who does not want to sit on top of an 800 degree, (feels like it) vibrating, air cooled engine on a hot summer day. Speaking of engines, you can also get an engine with a larger displacement in the metrics for around the same price as a Sporty. The Honda VTX1300's are around $9500. Thats almost the same price as an 883 Custom. The Suzuki Boulevard is a $6000 bike and it's fuel injected and water-cooled. It's a nice bike, well balanced, light and a great bike to start out on. If I didn't want a Harley and wasn't so partial to American products, I would have chosen a Boulevard over the HD. T

The downside in my opinion of the metrics is the shaft drive, quality and cheap plastic parts. I don't care what anyone says but HD has the metrics beat as far as quality is concerned. Everything on them is big, solid and heavy. If you compare the engine fins on the metrics to that of the Harley's, you can see what I mean about quality. Keep in mind, the larger fins on an HD are also to disipate heat since it's not water-cooled, but they also appear more durable. HD has had their share of problems but so have the metrics and I'd love to see the stats for the ratio of metrics to HD's on the road. For every one metric I see out there, I must see 4 Harleys. Obviously, there will be more problems with a ratio such as that. I think Harley's service and warranty is also better than the metrics. They have a 2 year warranty and they are not sold in a dealership that sells everything and the kitchen sink as I have seen some of the metrics dealerships. Some of these places carry every brand of bike on the market. I guess it's a motorcycle buffet. Remember, for the most part, Harley stand behind their products. Just ask molsenice on this forum...Tell 'em molsen :-)

Finally, if you like to upgrade and tinker around, HD is the bike of choice. Have you seen the size of the parts catalog? I doubt they make that many parts for all of the metrics on the market. The choice is yours and of course if you come to an HD forum, we are going to be pro-HD. That's a given. But seriously, there is a certain amount of prestige, comraderie (sp?) and mystic about owning and riding a Harley. I can honestly say that I am proud when I'm out on my all American HD Sportster. Good luck in your decision and if you do get a Harley for you wife, come back here with some pics, pull up a chair and shoot the breeze with us. GOOD LUCK!

 

Got my wife a 1200c. She loves it. Had to modify the seat and bars, great little ride for her (and me)! I love to buzz around on that thing after riding a big Electra. Reminds me of my earlier days on dirt tracks.