send her to a MSF school first, then if she passes, shows ability to ride, and feels comfortable, look for a bike.

not to demean a womans ability to ride, but riding is not for everyone.

There are many afordable first time bikes out there, my favorites are the Kawasaki EX500/ Ninja 500, or a small Honda Nitehawk.
affordable, lots of used ones for short money, and easy to work on, and after 6 months chances are you can sell it and get your money back. I say 6 months because if she likes riding, after 6 months she is going to want a bigger ride... most likely yours.

As for that specific bike I'd be worried about all the issues with dry rot of tires/hoses/brake lines, fuel sitting in the carb and clogging the pilot jets, flat spots on the tires, .....

YMMV

 

darn just answered that in the sporty forum!!

 

Gonna go with the trend, here. Few issues with the Sporty as a first bike:

Very top heavy compared to other bikes. Seat height is an issue for short inseam folks. Nimble bike compared to other Harleys, which can get a new rider in trouble fairly quickly. Despite what you may hear, and disregarding the big bore craze, 1200 is a BIG bike, that's a lot of power in hand for a new rider. Sportsters come from a racing heritage and the gearing and throttle response are set up accordingly, an ill timed over twist can be disastorous. As mentioned previously, pre '04 Sportys are rigid mounted. This isn't a negative, per se, lot of loyal adherents to the rigid mount, but there's significantly more vibration and it transfers to the grips, can be a big turn-off for a new rider. $6500 on a bike for a new rider, she's going to be nervous about learning on it because she doesn't want to mess up the money. Not knocking Sportys, here, I OWN one!

I'm inclined to say, MSF course first, then look for something in the 500cc or below range. I'd probably look for something in the "Standard" class. Older metric, medium miles, well maintained. If you look you can find something for under 3 grand. The power is more in line with a new rider, and she can do parking lot drills without so much fear of messing up. While learning, I'd rather somebody be a little more aggressive about the drills and maybe bang up the bike than hesitate to get into it for fear of scratching a pretty bike. That way when she needs the skills, she'll know what to do. I have read opinions in other places that say anything over 250cc is too big for a first bike, and without the MSF I'd agree. But after the MSF course, if you go that small, you're not going to get much time out of it at all. Around 500cc she's can keep up with you in town, and even do some small road trips in comfort. 4 to 6 months, she'll have a feel and you can look at getting her the right Harley! (sooner if she rides a lot)

Enjoy the ride.

 

I had a 98 1200 Custom, it was a great machine and alot of fun to run around on. I'd bet it would be a bit more power than a first time lady would want, and probably very uncomfortable to ride any length of time. No matter the miles, consider the tires trash. All tires have a shelf life regardeless of miles.

 

I have a 2005 883L that I will sell you for $7000.00 with less than 600 mile on it. Has exhaust, stage 1, and rejet done already. This bike is brand new. Let me know if you want pics.

 

It may be an allright deal, but does she love bikes? If it sit's in the garage, it's the worst investment ever. Let me tell you my experiance.

I rode a great Honda 750 Shadow. When I bought a Goldwing, My wife said she would like the bike, so I told her I would pay for the course. A year later, after it had zero miles on it, I gave it to my brothers wife, same story, "I want a bike",. Yep, the following year, I sold the bike. Depreciated, low miles, and two years older. It was a great bike, but I got 50% of the value, becuase the potential buyers thought "there must be a problem with it"

 

Thank you that was a very fair price however, I have no way to get it and we have decided (thanks to advice of others and own narly wisdom) to pursue a different route.

First off MC course which ends with a license - then used metric small bore, one season on it then we'll re-evaluate - case closed...

 

I put my wife through the Abate Course. Best thing I ever did. She loves to ride however she like to be a passenger more than an operator, so that's why we are selling it. My wife is only 5'2 so this bike fit her perfect. She sits flat foot on it. Glad you guys found something that works for you.

 

Doesn't sound like a great deal to me. The most expensive 1200 available is is the Custom 1200, and it retails for 9,595 for a 2006 with a warranty, rubber mounts, etc.

Regards,

Bill

 

I have seen deals and it turns out to be no so good. If your wife decides not to ride and you have a older bike your out the money. If she decides to ride and likes it HD offers a buyback on sporties and you can put that towards her new ride. Used is good but not woth the investment if its a few dollars less then new