Inherited my Father-In-Law's Sportster

So, I am inheriting my father-in-law's 883 sportster as I am the only one in the family that knows how to ride it safely.

I have a couple questions. How is the maintenance on these? expensive? like oil changes etc. There is a Harley shop close to my house that the bike was bought at that I will probably use for maintenance since I have zero experience with working on bikes. I think the bike has aroun 11k miles on it but is relatively new.. 2006 model maybe.

Also, I am 26 so I am guessing insurance will be a bit high, can you split the payments into quarterly payments or does it have to be up front per year?

And to conclude, I am looking into getting a riding jacket and full face helmet. any suggestions?

thanks alot. I will take some pictures of it next time I go over to my in-law's house. I dont have it at my house because I dont want to ride the 30 minutes without a jacket or properly fitting helmet.. my Father-In-Laws helmet fits but is too small I think.

Thanks again.

And, any pointers, hints about riding in traffic is appreciated.. I am not a complete novice at riding bikes. I have riden them my whole life. just not during rush hour.

 

HEY WAIT A MINUTE, He promised it to me!!!!!!!! j/k
congrats man. When I read this I thought it was a car!!
Had to google it!! Pics of one below!!
SWEEEET RIDE!!!

 

Take a motorcycle safety course... Enjoy the ride.

 

Usually you can split your insurance payments up monthly or quarterly. Also, see if you can get insurance based on the fact that it won't be your full time vehicle. You may be restricted to a certain number of miles per year. Congrats on the toy.

 

First and foremost get the repair manual from HD. It gives you step by step how to do everything.
You can also join some HD forums like this that has a tech board and really learn.
Some hints: 1. Crank it and let it warm up before blasting off. If you don't the base gaskets will leak after a while. 2. It's a Harley, if you want it to last don't lug it or overrev it. It is not a sports bike. 3. Lucky for you it is rubber mounted so most of your vibration problems are isolated but still check nuts, etc,. because they will loosen. 4. Cars cannot see you. Thinking this will save your life. 5. The most important, never drink and ride you bike.....

 

Agree with others, take MSF if you have not. I rode in my teens and never took the course. Then I took a break from motorcycles to keep up with family expenses. Then the wife bought me a sportster so I took the MSF course this time. Should have the first time. Anyways, you get a break on insurance if you take it and you don't have to take the drivers test - assuming you pass the MSF course.

If you are moding your truck at all, or doing your own truck maintenance, it will be much, much easier to do the same on the sporster. Join www.xlforum.net and you will get more help than you can use. Plenty of write ups. And the actual mechanic manuals are less than $100 for all three (parts, electronics, maintenance). I have them. And have the GM ones for my TransAm. Want the ones for my new to me Tacoma but not anytime soon at $300 as I got plenty of mods I want to do. The dealer rarely touches the TA or the Sportster and I have done complete engine builds. I love working on the Sportster, it is so easy compared to a car or truck - only two freakin' cylinders!

 

Keep the bike! Insurance will cost you around $40 per month. It is a small size bike but it will get you into the Harley group, that is fun to ride with other Harley owners. Plus, time to time, Harley offers a deal that it will buy a sportster back and "new price" for upgrade to a bigger Harley!
That's how you move up in the world....
Good luck with the bike and make sure you take riders course if you haven't had one. It will make you a better rider and save money with insurance!
Oil change/service, every 5K miles will be around $80.

 

1st) get the repair manule from the dealership!!! this is not an option, it is increadible valuable to have.
2nd) get the work done at the dealership. once you know more about the bike and still want someone else to work on it, you can find someone who know how to work on them correctly and not rip you off. until then your easy meat and a sucker, so go to the dealership!
3rd) cost is not too bad, change your oil every year or 5000 mile which ever is first. keep an eye on your tires...THEY ARE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4th) every state is different, but get all year round ins. they'll charge you once, twice, four times a year...whatever. just get it all year round...it's not that much more then just the summer months.
5th) the jacket, don't fuck around!!!! if it's heavy it's good, if it's light, it sucks!!!! simple! Mine is made by THC I believe. it's a traditional leather jacket and it weights 5 lbs! (I'm 6 foot and 170 lbs...for the size of the jacket) the jacket is what is between you and the asfault!
6th) helmet...I wont tell you either way, helmet or not, but if you do...A) make it fit!!!!! B) you ar not super man do go fast just because you have it on, especially in the rain!!!! I drove by the aftermath once. a good rain, dude on a superbike, bit it into a metal guard rail...sliced up into seveal large pieces...yes he was didmembered!!!! he had a helmet on. I thought about it, noway you get cut up that bad at 60, but closer to 100 sure. It was rain and he did not have rain gear on, he wanted to get out of the rain and faster seemed like a good idea, and he could because he had a full face helmet on. Problem was though, it kept the rain from hitting his face and keeping him slow. rain feels like needles, even at 35!!!! the helmet let him exceed the speed rating for his tires in the rain. For the record, I dont wear a helmet, I have a 2005 wideglide, and I'm 38. Yes I go on rallyes and runs too.

 

cool, thanks everybody on the tips. I have to get a jacket and helmet before i bring it to my house but that could be this weekend.

 

"5th) the jacket, don't fuck around!!!! if it's heavy it's good, if it's light, it sucks!!!! simple! Mine is made by THC I believe. it's a traditional leather jacket and it weights 5 lbs! (I'm 6 foot and 170 lbs...for the size of the jacket) the jacket is what is between you and the asfault!"

I agreed with everything except judging the jacket by weight. If you're getting a leather jacket, the heavier the better, but you'll want one with vents. Seeing how you're in the south, you might want to think about a mesh jacket. I have one from Joe Rocket, it's 100% mesh with reinforced sliding points down your spine, shoulders and elbows so if you do go down, it'll still protect you.

Also, get some good gloves! Helps with vibration and if you do go down, natural reaction is to put your hands down. Road rash hurts, keep the shiney side up and enjoy the ride!

 

HD doesn't stand for Harley Davidson, it stads for Hundred Dollars. Seems like every time I step foot in the dealership it costs at least that. Service on these bikes can be pricey at the stealership. Few hundred last time I had my Harley serviced. Some independant guys will charge you less, but there is a lot you can do yourself. Pick up the service manual and go from there. Good luck. Oh, and I hope you are a little guy. A sportster 883 is a small bike for a small framed guy. You may need to upgrade to a softail one day. Have fun.

 

Buy a real helmet, K-Mart beanies do nothing.
A real (full face NOT from China) helmet, good Gloves, a good jacket, sturdy boots and jeans is the minimum gear to wear.
Insurance won't be much more than it is for a Schwinn. The performance is about the same .

 

yeah, i am about 6 foot 200 pounds.. I dont need a bigger bike. this is all I want in a bike. just something I can comfortable ride to work and around town on occasion.

I plan on getting a full face modular helmet but am undecided on brand.. my father in law had a Nolan helmet.

What kind of shoes do yall wear when yall ride? strudy boots can mean a lot of different kind of things.

 

ha.. well we will see. I just want to keep this thing very close to the way he had it so that is (in my eyes) a rolling tribute to him.. except maybe louder pipes..

 

Much more advice above than I want to type or read, but here's my 2 cents:

Cool/cold weather jacket: Leatherup.com, and get one with armor. Cheap, but high quality.
Hot weather: Mesh, with armor
Helmet: Mine have always been Nolan modular or 3/4. Beanies means it'll be a closed casket. If you have a $10 head, go ahead and get a $10 helmet.
Good heavy boots- NO tennis shooes, sandals, etc.... or be the guy in this clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h167wrPJPDg
Ride like you're a target for everyone else. Use the mirrors, use the lights, use everything you have to keep yourself safe.

 

Congrats on the new ride, take the MSF course.
My leather weighs more than that. I got mine from Walter Dyers Leathers in Framingham. I got a mesh jacket from New Enough (www.newenough.com ) I also have a Scorpion exo 700 fullface helmet.

 

cool thanks fellas. I like the nolan he had well enough. it is just a touch too small and the modular part stopped going up with the button..

 

also, where are yall buying all this stuff? in the stores or online?

 

Pointer-stay allert and treat all cars and trucks like they don't see you!!!.

Take a ridder course and ride defensively.

 

Leatherup.com is online, of course. And I've had good luck buying my helmets on Ebay. Expect to pay at least $200 for a decent helmet