I am looking to buy my first bike ever. I called a local dealership and the guy said they had a 2000 Harley Sportster xl 1200 with 34,000 miles on it. They want $2,899 for it plus fees.

Is that a good price?
Is that to many miles for a beginner, will I need to do an overhaul to it soon?
Can i handle it as a first bike?
Should I pay more then msrp at a dealer for out the door price?

Thanks for your help and if you recommend other bikes for around that price that would help too.

 

While I can't speak to the price being good or not, I can tell you that being able to handle the bike might be a challenge if you haven't ridden before. Then again, you may feel pretty confident on it. I'd recommend finding one to test ride, maybe try out a few different sizes just to see what fits you best. Have you done a riding class yet?
After riding a few different bikes, or even just sitting on them a while and seeing what is or isn't comfortable, you can get a much better idea of what works for you and what models to look for. Keep in mind that buying the best deal doesn't always mean getting the ride you'll love. Trust me. I got a killer deal on a 650cc thumper, but it wasn't something I could see myself keeping. Good to learn the basics of riding, but it felt like riding a bicycle whenever I got on anything other than a 2 lane road. On top of that, it just wasn't my kinda bike. I ended getting my 48 not too long ago and got a good deal on it by shopping around and seeing which dealers would give me the best price. Also, think about what you might want to change from one bike to the next (I changed less on my 48 than I would have changed on a Nightster, which helped my search). It may seem like a lot to think about, but it's well worth it. No need to rush.

I hope something in there may have helped you out a bit, but let me sum it up this way: whether or not you can handle the bike is up to you. Depending on your size, your style or riding, what you'll be doing with it (long rides vs. putting around town, etc.), and how confident you are with it. If you've never ridden before, riding classes and test rides are the way to go. If nothing else, definitely spend some time sitting on different bikes for a while. It helps.

 

First take a rider safety course.

I started out on a 500cc thumper as my first bike. I now also have my 1200 sporty and it is indeed a lot of motor and can get you into trouble. That said if you take it easy your should be fine on a 1200. As the man said, it depends on what type of riding you do.

I commute on daily on my bikes and the sporty stays at home mostly. Things I did not like about my sporty compaired to my thumpers in a commute:

The forward controls sucked ***** in stop and go traffic, you always are lifting your legs and they seem to make it harder to ballance in a que at a stop sign.
It corners like a pig with the 21" front and its geometry
I don't feel comfortable shooting down dirt railroad sidings and hopping curbs on my sporty.


Things good about it:

Its fast.
Its reliable
The wife loves to ride 2 up on it
It looks and sounds good.

 

I have taken the safely course and feel confident going above a 250cc, I am over 250 pounds and 5' 10''. But going to 1200 scared me a little but I felt comfortable on the bike. Are those high miles if the bike is in good condition? That also worries me like am I going to have to do major work soon because the older year with a lot of miles?

 

My first bike is the sportster 1200 I took the class with 250cc bike and then just rode the sporty around my neeighborhood for about 45mins to get used to the weight and then was fine its alot heavier then the 250s but it wasn't that bad as far as price and miles im not sure I paid 4500$ for mine an 02 with 8000 miles

 

I was concerned about getting a 1200 for my first bike too. My brother wisely told me to "just stay out of the throttle." "You will enjoy the added power after you get used to it" is something else he told me. He was right I feel very comfortable on the 1200 and I'm glad that I got it as I don't feel like a need to upgrade anytime soon. As far as the price that really depends on what they are going for in your area. I know that some places bikes are very cheap others not so much. However, any Harley for less than 3 is a good price for my area. I would make sure they did a full service and ask for some off the asking price. Good luck with your decision.

 

Like stated above; any H-D for under 3K is a good price. I just picked up a 1200 (02) with 1705 miles on it for $4900 for my wife.

She wanted to go with an 883 but decided against it. The 1200 won't need to be upgraded any time soon.

Congrats on your first Harley. I remember my first one well and it was a Sporty. (20+ years ago) Good luck and ride safe.

 

Mileage isn't as important to me as how it was maintained getting that mileage. A well maintained Sportster with 34K wouldn't bother me, but a 17K Sportster that was not maintained would have me thinking twice. As for the price not many Sportster's 883 or 1200 go for less than $3K in my area.

A buddy of mine had a Evo Road King he sold a few months ago with 92K on it. It ran fine, original motor, and was well maintained. Another buddy has over 100K on a Evo Wide Glide. Once again, it was well maintained.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks everyone. As far as the last few people said it is a pretty cheap price. Is that worry anyone? It is a dealer, I would be more worried if it was of craigslist because he probably did not maintain it but a dealer wouldnt take in a bad bike right?

 

Most dealers take in used bikes and do a complete service on them. So it could have been abused before it got to the dealership.

You can probably find something a little newer with less miles on craigslist or something similar. If you have cash in hand you can talk people way down... The saying cash talks is no joke.

edit... maybe not on the craigslist thing I tried and couldn't maybe you can at the beginning of the winter seasons though.