I have a friend/aquaintance who has a few too many toys and needs to sell his 2003 Harley Sportster. Its not a desperation sale, but he definitely needs to get rid of the bike. He heard me mention that I wouldn't mind picking up a cruiser as a second bike for the Summer riding season if I found a good deal, so he asked if I am interested in his. It is a 1200 (XLH, I think?) and he said he would take $4000. While it is true that I wouldn't mind buying a cruiser if I found one that is a good deal, since its a 2nd bike and I don't even get to ride my 1st bike as often as I'd like, what I'm really looking for is a pretty killer deal.
I don't know much about Harley Sportsters, so I figured I'd draw from the vast supply of motorcycle knowledge on this forum to get an idea of a)what to look for, and run away from, in a Sportster, and b)just how good of a deal this bike might be.
As to the 2nd part of the question, it looks like he is asking about $300 less than the KBB retail for the bike. (the bike is basically stock, btw). Based on the retail, its not a bad deal, but its not a "can't miss" deal either. But in looking at classified ads and Craigslist listings, his price seems to be a good bit lower than the asking price on a lot of other Sportsters. But asking prices are asking prices - I don't know if any of those bikes are selling. Are most of these sellers over-pricing their bikes, or does the presence of aftermarket accessories (loud pipes, forward controls, windshields, etc.) mean a lot more in the used Harley market than the used Honda market?
Does the fact that this is the "100th Anniversary" edition really mean anything as far as value is concerned?
As to the first part of my question, are there any specific things I need to really look for when looking at this bike? Any specific issues or concerns with Sportsters? It only has about 4000 miles (is that good or bad?) and he has owned the bike about 18 months or 2 years and put about 1500 miles on it. The bike looked good and seemed to run well the last time I saw it, but that was back when I wasn't thinking about buying it, so I didn't look at it with a critical eye. I will probably meet him this weekend to test ride it. I've never ridden a Sportster before, so I'm not really sure what to expect. Obviously, I'm not expecting a ride as comfortable as the ST, but hopefully, I'll be able to tell if the thing isn't acting right.
Understand that my goal is to buy a bike that I can enjoy for a little while just to provide a little variety and change of pace from the ST. I also wouldn't mind being able to say "I've owned a Harley" and experienced a littled different side of motorcycling than what I've been used to. But once I've done that, I would hope to sell it for more than I paid. After registering the bike, paying sales tax, property taxes, insurance, etc., I don't reasonably expect to walk away with much profit, if any. But it would be nice to "break even" by basically riding it for free for 2 or 3 months. That's the kind of "killer deal" I'm looking for. Any input would be appreciated.
I don't know much about Harley Sportsters, so I figured I'd draw from the vast supply of motorcycle knowledge on this forum to get an idea of a)what to look for, and run away from, in a Sportster, and b)just how good of a deal this bike might be.
As to the 2nd part of the question, it looks like he is asking about $300 less than the KBB retail for the bike. (the bike is basically stock, btw). Based on the retail, its not a bad deal, but its not a "can't miss" deal either. But in looking at classified ads and Craigslist listings, his price seems to be a good bit lower than the asking price on a lot of other Sportsters. But asking prices are asking prices - I don't know if any of those bikes are selling. Are most of these sellers over-pricing their bikes, or does the presence of aftermarket accessories (loud pipes, forward controls, windshields, etc.) mean a lot more in the used Harley market than the used Honda market?
Does the fact that this is the "100th Anniversary" edition really mean anything as far as value is concerned?
As to the first part of my question, are there any specific things I need to really look for when looking at this bike? Any specific issues or concerns with Sportsters? It only has about 4000 miles (is that good or bad?) and he has owned the bike about 18 months or 2 years and put about 1500 miles on it. The bike looked good and seemed to run well the last time I saw it, but that was back when I wasn't thinking about buying it, so I didn't look at it with a critical eye. I will probably meet him this weekend to test ride it. I've never ridden a Sportster before, so I'm not really sure what to expect. Obviously, I'm not expecting a ride as comfortable as the ST, but hopefully, I'll be able to tell if the thing isn't acting right.
Understand that my goal is to buy a bike that I can enjoy for a little while just to provide a little variety and change of pace from the ST. I also wouldn't mind being able to say "I've owned a Harley" and experienced a littled different side of motorcycling than what I've been used to. But once I've done that, I would hope to sell it for more than I paid. After registering the bike, paying sales tax, property taxes, insurance, etc., I don't reasonably expect to walk away with much profit, if any. But it would be nice to "break even" by basically riding it for free for 2 or 3 months. That's the kind of "killer deal" I'm looking for. Any input would be appreciated.