Starter Harley

g00ner

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Is there such a thing? Say £3k and reliable? No.1 son has booked his A2 licence after a couple of years on a 125 and after wandering around the local chrome and cruisers show yesterday he really wants an 883 or some such. He's quite happy to wait and get something else for now if he needs to spend more than that

(but I don't mind pitching in with a few quid as long as I get to ride it when he's absent so maybe a bit more from Bank of Dad)
 
Sportster is a great little bike, reliable and is fun to ride, just steer clear of the spokes, purely in case of punctures, otherwise I thing it would be a nice bike to start with, not to punchy just enough and enjoyable, my favorite 883 in link below, has dual disc front brakes, which is a must because Harley brakes are generally, well not so braking.

https://www.autoevolution.com/moto/harley-davidson-sportster-883r-2001.html#


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2015-HAR...212824?hash=item23a7365b98:g:1bAAAOSwLMJbaJ-A
 
Well it sounds all good - TBH he/we had considered them out of range price wise but that seems promising. Better than an SV650 which is the default option
 
Well it sounds all good - TBH he/we had considered them out of range price wise but that seems promising. Better than an SV650 which is the default option

Err... the SV is more powerful, lighter, faster, handles better, brakes better, cheaper, is more comfortable...

but it's not a Harley.
 
SV was his 'all-rounder' if (as thought) a HD was out of reach. He knows they're chalk and cheese but he didn't want a Virago
 
Stretch to a 1200 if you can. Single brake can be fine....you adjust....more back brake.

+1 on that if you can ride it on an A2, way better I will surely grab one later when I find the right one, however I aint limited to A2 whatever that is now, cannot remember off my head the restrictions.
 
Ah.....I overlooked that...what's an A2 limit?

just found it...:D

A2 Medium Motorcycle Test. This test must be taken on a minimum of a 395cc motorcycle with a power output of between 25 kW (33bhp) and 35 kW (47bhp). When you have passed the A2 licence you can ride any machine of any cc but it must produce no more than 35 kW or 47bhp, you can carry passengers and ride on motorways.
 
Yep and not to forget the Sportster has the engine held properly by 3 engine mounts, which is a bonus no wobbles like the previous rubber mounted Dynas.

The Sportster was rubber mounted from 2004 onwards, though didn't wobble as much as a Dyna. Mine was a '97 and I preferred that to the '04-on bike which felt a bit too civilised

(though I love the look of that 2015 one)
 
Stretch to a 1200 if you can. Single brake can be fine....you adjust....more back brake.

Very true - back brake use on an HD is pretty much as important as using the front. I upgraded mine from single to twin disks and it made virtually no difference
 
HDs aren't the easiest of bikes to manage for the inexperienced & let's face it, an 883 isn't exactly exciting stock. Why not stick to something more main-stream (& boring I know) for now & leave say a 1200 Sportster as a target for later.
 
The Sportster was rubber mounted from 2004 onwards, though didn't wobble as much as a Dyna. Mine was a '97 and I preferred that to the '04-on bike which felt a bit too civilised

(though I love the look of that 2015 one)

Yep agree but the engine mounts on a sportster are locked solid to the engine, the Dynas front rubber mount fails very often, the rear not so bad, as the rubber on the rear is harder and the mount has a metal plate in it, the front not, and get some oil on the rubber and you can say goodbye to the mount, I do not like the look of the new Dynas yet, but I do like the softail style fixing on the new frame, a lot safer.
 
HDs aren't the easiest of bikes to manage for the inexperienced & let's face it, an 883 isn't exactly exciting stock. Why not stick to something more main-stream (& boring I know) for now & leave say a 1200 Sportster as a target for later.

That is very much an option - but I'm 'Dad' and therefore not to be listened to :D To be fair he's pretty sensible so just seeing what he can afford HD wise

I've told him he'll only be in a position to get what he wants now or much much later so buy with your heart and not your head :blast
 
A quick google and apparently you need to restrict the 883 down from 50 to 47bhp to meet A2 regs. Similarly the 1200 has to be restricted from 66 to 47 to meet A2 regs.

But of course, after passing the next test they can both be derestricted to their full potential.

Might be worth getting a 1200 after all
 
A quick google and apparently you need to restrict the 883 down from 50 to 47bhp to meet A2 regs. Similarly the 1200 has to be restricted from 66 to 47 to meet A2 regs.

But of course, after passing the next test they can both be derestricted to their full potential.

Might be worth getting a 1200 after all

Now that is a really good solution, and way better.
 


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