7 Best First Bikes for Harley Fans

Start Small and Dream Big!

Maybe you weren't one of the lucky ones who started riding a mini bike like the Harley-Davidson Shortster when you were still a kid. Maybe your parents hated motorcycles. Well, you are an adult now and can make your own decisions, mom!

The best first bike is one you aren't going to care too much about because it is going to get a little beat up. Everyone drops their first bike, and usually in front of someone you want to impress. For the sake of this list, I'm only going to consider bikes less than 20 years old, because dusty bargains may be hiding under the Christmas decorations in some garage, but you want to get riding now! Also, we're going to keep the budget to the price of a new Sportster, or about $9,000, because if you have $10,000 or $20, 000 to blow on your first bike you don't need my advice. Of course, lighter, small, less powerful bikes are easier to learn on, so the list won't have any full dress touring rigs on it either.

1. Nearly Any Cheap Used Japanese Bike

You guys are going to hate me for this, but any number of bikes from the big four Japanese motorcycle makers make great first bikes. Pictures above is the Honda Nighthawk 750, made exactly the same from 1991 till 2003 except for colors, and known to run practically forever with little maintenance. Other good standard/naked style bikes include the Suzuki Bandit 600 and SV650, Kawasaki Zephyr 550 and 750, and ZR-7, and Yamaha Seca II 600. If you are tall, dual sport bikes like the Honda XR650, Kawasaki KLR650, and Suzuki DR650 and DR-Z 400 make great starter bikes. Of course, there are all the Japanese cruisers too, but isn't that the worst sort of pretending? At least the nakeds and dirt bikes are only trying to be what they are. If you insist on the cruiser style, the Honda Shadow 600 and 750 are perennial favorites and can be picked up for not much money, and the Magna 750 with its V-4 engine sounds like nothing else.

2. Buell Blast

Yes, nobody likes the Buell Blast because they are ugly and they are slow, but both of those negatives are actually great for a first bike. You will be excused for not remembering this bike. Harley-Davidson basically demanded that Eric Buell engineer and build for them an entry level bike, using as many already existing part numbers as possible, to be used in their new rider classes. Basically, the Blast is powered by half of a Sportster 1200 motor, with 34 hp. Why they chose to create an all new frame, bodywork, and chassis, instead of using Sportster parts is something you'll have to ask someone at the Motor Company. These are perfectly fine handling bikes to ride around, with enough power to top out at over 90 mph, and they only weigh 400 lbs. They sell for cheap and can actually be modded into cool choppers or street trackers when you graduate to a bigger bike if you don't want to sell it. The best part is they were American made, and much of what you learn about maintenance on it will translate directly to a Sportster or big twin power plants. Avoid the 2010 edition, unless you need a coffee table.

3. 1995-2003 Sportster 883 Hugger or XL883R

For a long time, Harley produced the same basic bike without changing much except color year to year. In 1986 the revised, aluminum head, Evolution engine debuted, and in 1991 the transmission became a 5-speed. Some other minor improvements were made, and by 1995 you had a fairly modern bike, which still looked a lot like the original Sportster from the 1950s. The 883cc motor is the smallest, slowest of the Evos, but it is also the lowest priced modern Harley you are likely to find on the used market. If you are a shorter rider, look for the "Hugger" model, with a lowered seat height. The sportiest of the bunch is the XL883R, with dual discs up front and a flat track look. Depending on where you live, you can pick up this generation of Sportster for $3500 or less.

4. 1996-2003 Sportster 1200C Custom or 1200S Sport

These bikes are very similar in many ways. The Custom has a fat front tire for a more retro look, while the Sport gets a more powerful motor, better suspension, and better brakes. In a lot of ways, all the Evolution Sportsters are great, but these late 1990s models are the best of the bunch. The Custom introduced in 1996 featured much-improved styling, and all the evolutionary changes to make a more reliable bike. The Sport came out in 1998 with dual plug heads, hotter cams, more compression and less restrictive exhaust, for more power and better sound. You can pick up a 1200 Sportster for less than $4000. Pictured is the model year 2003, 100th-anniversary edition XL1200S.

5. 2007-2011 Sportster 1200 or 883

Harley-Davidson updated the Sportster significantly for 2004 with a new frame and rubber mounted engine. Unless you have a love affair with carburation or hate electronics,there is no reason not to buy a 2007 or newer model with fuel injection. The price on the used market is not much different given how much easier it is to maintain the later EFI models. There also is not a big difference in price between the 883 and 1200 models. I personally like the sportier XL1200R, and XR1200, versions, though the XR is still priced much higher. Prices for Sportsters of this era seem to start at just less than $4000. There is really no need to use 2011 as a cut-off, but 5 years is a good amount of time to wait for prices to depreciate.

6. 2016-2017 Street 500 or 750

You may not believe this, but the most advanced, most powerful (per cc), motor Harley-Davidson makes is actually in their smallest bike. The all new for 2014 Street 500 and Street 750 with their Revolution X motors truly were a revolution from the motor company. They feature liquid cooling, overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder and all the other tricks that have been standard in economy cars, and metric bikes for 20 years now. The 750 cc version is officially rated at just a few horsepower less than the Sportster and has so much more potential that Harley is developing a replacement for the XR750 dirt tracker with it. Why shop used (where a Street lists for more than $5000) when you can get one right off the showroom floor with an easy payment plan and warranty? The list price on the Street 500 is just $6,849, and the Street 750 is slightly more at $7,549.

7. 1995-1998 Harley Dyna Super Glide

A big twin is going to be a hard bike to learn on, but these are the best, most affordable of them. These last of the Evolution motors in the new Dyna chassis are still fairly affordable as far as big twin Harleys go. The Softails seem to be priced even lower, but the Dyna is lighter and better handling. Looking at the Los Angeles Craigslist, there are Softails for less than $7,000, and Super Glides starting at about $8,000, neither of which I consider an amount you ought to spend on a first bike. But, the good thing about a big twin Harley is that you should be able to sell it for close to what you pay for it as long as you don't wreck it too badly.

For more information on maintenance and repairs, please check out our do-it-yourself technical articles at http://www.hdforums.com/how-tos/.