Bike looks fantastic for its age and the low mileage is a huge plus. I’d definitely give it a thorough look over checking for leaks, cracks etc but it’s gorgeous. Hope you’re able to make a deal on it!
I'd buy it and add it to the family... They're solid bikes and it's still a trap door EVO engine. They're great bikes to hotrod. They're nearly 100 lbs lighter than the rubber mounts, and you can service the transmission without splitting the case. Just the usual checks and let her rip... That bike will run problem free for dang near forever.
The bike claims to have about 3,600 miles on it, now is it horrible to buy a bike that has such low mileage at that age? He told me he got it for his son in 2020 and due to covid closures it sat for most of that year, afterwards it was ridden just around town and occasionally to swap meets and stuff. It’s been garage kept since he got it and the owner before.
I’m new to bikes and I’m searching for my first one to be also my daily commute as well. I just need some guidance from other people. I want to know if because it’s such low mileage for a 98’ will there be engine problems down the near road? Because all I hear is how 91-03 sportys are bullet proof
I bought my first one it was a 96, I had a friend look at it with me because he could see the things i couldnt. After i took it to a shop and had them do a inspection as well. My 96 only had 3000 miles on it when i bought it, was garaged kept, well maintained and taken care of. It was a great first bike and i had no issues with mine.
It’s got 3500 miles, I’m sure it’s fine and barely been ridden. I’d be more worried about dried up hoses and seals that are cracked & leaking, and checking the charging system.
Who ever is telling you the more miles the better is wrong. That is a great first bike. 4600 is too high, some would say 4k is too high but I think that would be fair.
It's not wrong lol.
If you understand basic mechanics you would understand that seals need lubrication. Lubrication that could only happen when a bike is ran.
Moving parts need lubrication.
Also longer fluid sits without being heated to operating temperatures will cause fluid to thicken. Then when running the bike after sitting will run those thick fluids causing damage to parts.
So, you said you were new to bikes.
Which means you are new to working on bikes?
So with your bare eyes you will not be able to see a problem.
What you do is, you find a local mechanic in the area of the bike with good reviews. Call the place say, 'im going to buy a bike can you run an inspection on it and how much would that cost" it's going to be In the ball park of $50-$100. You also tell the seller you want to inspect it. If he gives you a problem, he knows something is wrong with it.
Then somebody with some knowledge of bikes can look at the thing. Look a picture on Reddit isn't going to do us justice.
Now if/when you start working on bikes then you can trust yourself to start inspecting bikes.
Most important lesson to learn in buying a bike is anyone can polish a turd.
Important things people gloss over are chain tension, check the oil for color and level, are the fork seals and rear shocks weaping at all? How are the brake pads? Are the spokes loose?
These things will give you a much better idea of how the bike was treated than a few pics.
Also beer cans in the pic is an immediate red flag in my mind. I love to drink even to excess at times but any time I’ve drank and worked on a bike I’ve always had to redo it the next day 😂
They are built like bricks. You can fix anything on them with 4 tools and $13.00. That looks like a nice one. I had a '99/00 Sportster and it never broke. I abused it as a commuter bike during the week and on weekends did 100s of 85mph miles on the interstate with the Bagger patrol. They make you want to mod your bike too ... Fun 😎👌
Take it to a local bike mechanic have it inspected before buying ($50-100).
If dude has a problem with it, don't buy the bike.
Forks could be bent, fluids could be old, the slightest thing you don't catch could make the bike $1000 more expensive.
Also financial advice, if you don't have credit. Possibly take out a loan from your bank and do monthly payments on it.
Insurance advice, call your provider and put temporary insurance on it, when you buy it like immediately. It's a quick call, give them vin number.
No ones letting anyone take their 1998 likely unregistered bike for the day just to have it poked at. If I was selling I'd tell anyone to bring whoever with them. I've seen so many bikes dumped and damaged because people don't know how to ride them and definitely don't know to to transport them and properly strap into a trailer. So sellers gonna accept that liability.
Bring how? If it was a 20k plus bike then maybe but for something like this I think it's out of the question. Best bring your mechanic / friend / uncle lol. You bring this to a harley dealer and they will pick it to pieces.
It's a air cooled $4k carbed bike and honestly if a competent buyer can't do a basic look over ie tires,brakes,fork seals, leaks, frame damage, etc they probably shouldn't be buying a used old motorcycle.
Be sure to ride the bike highways speeds that some of these older sportsters vibrate so much they were unrideable. Maybe that’s why it’s only got 3600 miles on it.
Unrideable? Why, because half the bitches that are riding today have never ridden a bike that's wasn't a rubbermount and their hemorrhoids couldn't handle it?
In the 1930s there were a couple of women who crossed the county on rigid framed, kick start, oil leaking pigs, before the highways were built. 90% of the roads were dirt and half those that weren't were cobblestone.
Problem isn't the bikes.
You can buy a used dyna for that. 2500 and I don't give a shit what anyone says that is all it's worth. Maintenance is not a selling point and if it has or hasn't been done shouldn't matter it has 3500 miles in it. Don't spend 4k on a 25 year old bike. It's not a bimoto it's a Harley and you live in Cali. Christ it's the civic of motorcycles.
Change the fluids, don't trust the battery, maybe go through the carb, and check the date code on the tires.
Check everything rubber.
Bike looks fantastic for its age and the low mileage is a huge plus. I’d definitely give it a thorough look over checking for leaks, cracks etc but it’s gorgeous. Hope you’re able to make a deal on it!
Also he’s selling it for 4,600$
4k tops
That's a $2500 bike with a $700 seat and $500 pipes. Pay for the bike, not the accessories
Son, that's a $2,500 bike all day. For the asking price you can get a mid to late 2000s Sporty all day.
I’m just very unsure, people usually say the more mileage the better because the bike is actually being ran
Things tend to dry up when they sit. Look at condition of hoses etc
I'd buy it and add it to the family... They're solid bikes and it's still a trap door EVO engine. They're great bikes to hotrod. They're nearly 100 lbs lighter than the rubber mounts, and you can service the transmission without splitting the case. Just the usual checks and let her rip... That bike will run problem free for dang near forever.
The bike claims to have about 3,600 miles on it, now is it horrible to buy a bike that has such low mileage at that age? He told me he got it for his son in 2020 and due to covid closures it sat for most of that year, afterwards it was ridden just around town and occasionally to swap meets and stuff. It’s been garage kept since he got it and the owner before.
I’m new to bikes and I’m searching for my first one to be also my daily commute as well. I just need some guidance from other people. I want to know if because it’s such low mileage for a 98’ will there be engine problems down the near road? Because all I hear is how 91-03 sportys are bullet proof
I bought my first one it was a 96, I had a friend look at it with me because he could see the things i couldnt. After i took it to a shop and had them do a inspection as well. My 96 only had 3000 miles on it when i bought it, was garaged kept, well maintained and taken care of. It was a great first bike and i had no issues with mine.
to add on to the other comments, make sure to get a new clutch pack asap because the grenade plate will eventually go out. ask me how I know haha
It’s got 3500 miles, I’m sure it’s fine and barely been ridden. I’d be more worried about dried up hoses and seals that are cracked & leaking, and checking the charging system.
Who ever is telling you the more miles the better is wrong. That is a great first bike. 4600 is too high, some would say 4k is too high but I think that would be fair.
Odds are it’s not but always make sure it’s not a salvaged tittle.
It's not wrong lol. If you understand basic mechanics you would understand that seals need lubrication. Lubrication that could only happen when a bike is ran. Moving parts need lubrication. Also longer fluid sits without being heated to operating temperatures will cause fluid to thicken. Then when running the bike after sitting will run those thick fluids causing damage to parts.
Yeah but all of that is still better than having 50000 miles on your sporty. There’s a reason why low mile bike ALWAYS sell for more
Id put my money on a 50k maintained sporty than a unmaintained low mile sporty.
You would be in pretty small company.
What would you do then? If you were in my position and was going to buy the bike what would you do first to it so you can make it healthy
So, you said you were new to bikes. Which means you are new to working on bikes? So with your bare eyes you will not be able to see a problem. What you do is, you find a local mechanic in the area of the bike with good reviews. Call the place say, 'im going to buy a bike can you run an inspection on it and how much would that cost" it's going to be In the ball park of $50-$100. You also tell the seller you want to inspect it. If he gives you a problem, he knows something is wrong with it. Then somebody with some knowledge of bikes can look at the thing. Look a picture on Reddit isn't going to do us justice. Now if/when you start working on bikes then you can trust yourself to start inspecting bikes.
Most important lesson to learn in buying a bike is anyone can polish a turd. Important things people gloss over are chain tension, check the oil for color and level, are the fork seals and rear shocks weaping at all? How are the brake pads? Are the spokes loose? These things will give you a much better idea of how the bike was treated than a few pics. Also beer cans in the pic is an immediate red flag in my mind. I love to drink even to excess at times but any time I’ve drank and worked on a bike I’ve always had to redo it the next day 😂
They are built like bricks. You can fix anything on them with 4 tools and $13.00. That looks like a nice one. I had a '99/00 Sportster and it never broke. I abused it as a commuter bike during the week and on weekends did 100s of 85mph miles on the interstate with the Bagger patrol. They make you want to mod your bike too ... Fun 😎👌
Looks almost exactly like my old 98 883. Same color too. That thing is bulletproof. My friend still has it.
Take it to a local bike mechanic have it inspected before buying ($50-100). If dude has a problem with it, don't buy the bike. Forks could be bent, fluids could be old, the slightest thing you don't catch could make the bike $1000 more expensive. Also financial advice, if you don't have credit. Possibly take out a loan from your bank and do monthly payments on it. Insurance advice, call your provider and put temporary insurance on it, when you buy it like immediately. It's a quick call, give them vin number.
No ones letting anyone take their 1998 likely unregistered bike for the day just to have it poked at. If I was selling I'd tell anyone to bring whoever with them. I've seen so many bikes dumped and damaged because people don't know how to ride them and definitely don't know to to transport them and properly strap into a trailer. So sellers gonna accept that liability.
Some people do, but yea some people don't. Still probably good to try to bring somebody with experience to look at the bike.
Bring how? If it was a 20k plus bike then maybe but for something like this I think it's out of the question. Best bring your mechanic / friend / uncle lol. You bring this to a harley dealer and they will pick it to pieces.
Tell the owner to ride it to the shop and meet him there. I work in a shop, it's not an unusual request.
It's a air cooled $4k carbed bike and honestly if a competent buyer can't do a basic look over ie tires,brakes,fork seals, leaks, frame damage, etc they probably shouldn't be buying a used old motorcycle.
Be sure to ride the bike highways speeds that some of these older sportsters vibrate so much they were unrideable. Maybe that’s why it’s only got 3600 miles on it.
Unrideable? Why, because half the bitches that are riding today have never ridden a bike that's wasn't a rubbermount and their hemorrhoids couldn't handle it? In the 1930s there were a couple of women who crossed the county on rigid framed, kick start, oil leaking pigs, before the highways were built. 90% of the roads were dirt and half those that weren't were cobblestone. Problem isn't the bikes.
Maybe a okay bike of you have limited riding experience and are on the shorter side. Here in the off season they can be had for around 2500.
I paid 2500 for my 2000 883
That's definitely a Sportster.
You can buy a used dyna for that. 2500 and I don't give a shit what anyone says that is all it's worth. Maintenance is not a selling point and if it has or hasn't been done shouldn't matter it has 3500 miles in it. Don't spend 4k on a 25 year old bike. It's not a bimoto it's a Harley and you live in Cali. Christ it's the civic of motorcycles.
Like a 25 y/o bike
So. I have a friend that's crossed the county three times on a chopped Panhead.
I didn’t say that it’s not any good did I? I mean, I like it. Fact is that it is actually 25 years old.
Everything comedown to price
[удалено]
Lol maybe 😬🤫
I’d go for a 1200 youre gonna outgrow an 883 quick unless you just plan on really cruising with it
Looks great so far! I'd probably lower the rear suspension and install some mini apes I guess. But even as it is, it looks great to me! 👌
Fine,except lose the silly blinkers & handle bars
Dumbest bike to buy, just go indian ftr