hey tinman, i see from your avitar that you got a different sporty,im talkin about the nightster that she wants to buy me

 

Look for a Fatboy. And slam it. You'll be touching the ground then.

 

Do yourself a favor and don't listen to the dealer about needing a bigger bike. Remember these guys are salesman and the more money you spend the better for THEM.

The Nightster has plenty of power to haul you and your wife around. It wasn't long ago that Harley's Big Twin was 1200cc's.

If your wife wants to buy you a Nightster, let her. You will love it.

 

I'm 5'7", 250, and my Iron 883 is the same body (more or less) with less power. It hauls my fat *** around just fine, and the few times I have taken someone for a quick spin, it handled the extra weight just fine. The dealership would try to sell you a Boeing 747 if they had one in stock.

 

Yes, I have an 08 883 custom. It came with forward controls. I haven't looked at the nightster lately so I don't recall what kind of seat it comes with or if it comes with forward controls. If it has mid controls, I would definitly consider forwards, ubnless you are comfortable with the mids. Since my last pics I have also replaced my seat with a Mustang vintage touring 2 up seat. I'll post pics later. It shouldn't matter though if it's a Custom or a Nightster. Sit on the bike, see if you are comfortable with it's height and control position. If you are, than no need to buy a larger bike. My 883 has enough power to haul me and my wife and I am comfortable on it after the new seat (I thought I was comfotable on the old seat, but my wife was not, once I got the Mustang seat, I found out what a comfortable seat was). If you are not comfortable on the Nightster, try different sporties. The Custom sits a little higher and has forward controls, the Low sits a little lower and has mid controls. All I'm saying is don't let finances stop you from buying a Harley because the salesman says you need a bigger (more expensive) model. I don't regret buying my Sporty one bit. I was looking at used Dynas and Softails as well. I'm happy with my Sporty. I will get a larger bike at some point (way down the road when I can afford it) for long trips, simply for luggage and a little more comfort on the long haul. The Sporty will NOT be traded in. I'm keeping it and my wife wants to learn to ride it.

 

I agree with all said,just have them put a double saddle, passeger pegs,forward controls,the two up shocks before you take it home,that way you finance all at the same time,all under warranty.There is usally discounts for this stuff at time of purchase

 

Anybody thought to mention the Lowrider? its a sporty on steroids has the mid controls and is just a couple of grand more than a sporty...

 

If he can't reach the controls on a Night Train, why in the world would he want to put forwards on?

Alot of people on here give this simple advice when new riders ask this or that about getting a new (or used) bike. Get the bike that speaks to your soul. If the Nightster is the bike that you saw, the bike that grabbed your intrest to the point that you were talking about it in a way that made your wife say, "wow, he LOVES that damn thing, maybe it would be a nice gift", then get the Nightster. If you compromise for somthing bigger, you might be dissapointed that you didn't get the nighty and every time you see one you will think about just that. You said she doesn't want to ride that much. If that is true, you shouldn't get a bike you don't want so she can do something she dosent want to do....right. Sure you could get a bigger used bike for the same amount of cash, but why. Just like salesmen are biased becasuse the more you spend the more they make. People on the boards are biased by what they ride (I too, am guilty), see how quickly this thread became a "find a used Fatboy" thread.

 

There is a difference between a train and a sport as far as how far the forwards are

 

Hey Tinman you and your wife ride together on the 883?? the sales man said that would never happen on a 883 with me and the wife because of my weight,but hey my doctor says that i have a clean bill of health dispite my weight he said he would LIKE to see me lose a few pounds but they all say that so if it aint broke dont fix it