I know people who have the Sportster and love them.

But is there any bike that everyone thinks is the perfect bike?

Unless the Savage comes close

Seems there's advantages and disadvantages with all of them.
If there is a perfect one though,I'd love to know which one it is

  I have a 1998 1500 LC it is a good bike, good seat,suspension,2500 rpm at 60 mph,Only trouble its really heavy for a little 70 year old man.Its got everything on it.

Hee hee,...I'm trying to imagine liking my wife, and buying her a heavy Harley.  If I bought her a heavy Harley, she'd know for sure I was trying to kill her !

Sorry,......no disrespect,......but the thought just seemed funny for me.

Routy wrote on 09/27/09 at 07:51:36:
No offense taken. My wife is different in a good way. If I go hunting or fishing she goes hunting or fishing. If I ride a motorcycle she rides a motorcycle. We met on a motorcycle forum kind of like this one. She's a deputy sheriff and carries a gun for a living. She wears a sniper pin on her uniform. You dont want her shooting at you. She was a commercial pilot for Fuji for several years and flew film all over the US. She was an in flight paramedic on an air care helicopter for several years. Her acomplishments go on and on. One remarkable lady. She's always wanted a Harley (I never have) but maybe its time to get her one. Now they are better motorcycles than they use to be.

Should be a good bike and not a bad deal, the market is actually flooded with sportsters right now and it is a good time to buy one. I have a 05 and my wife has a 06. They went to fuel injection in 07 wich is nice but I prefer the ole carb. Good luck.

With all of my riding experience (this summer) I have so much advice to add.  Well, ok, not really.  But I have ridden both a Sportster 1200 and of course my Suzie Q.  (Savage if you're with me)  The Sportster is a fun bike, and when you drop her into gear she's ready to fly!  If, however, you're not comfortable with the weight (my main problem) then you'll have problems.  I didnt have any trouble on the highway, though I admit I didnt take curves very fast, but its the low speed/parking lot stuff that made me nervous.  I know, for a fact, that if I kill it (and I killed that poor Harley about 10 times everytime I rode it) in a bad place and it started to tip - there was nothing I could do to stop it.  And unless you can do all the work yourself, anything Harley is expensive to fix.  

So, are Sportster fun? oh yeah, its a thrill to feel that power when you get er out on the open road.  For me, it's just too big and too heavy for me to feel comfortable on it.  Seat height wasnt a problem, it was just too heavy.  When I've got my Savage parked next to the Harley, they look so cute together.  LOL  I just enjoy the ride alot more on my bike, cause Im not having heart attacks because I almost put it in the ditch.  (another reason I quit riding the Harley).  Ride what you like, like what you ride.  If you can, try renting a Sporster for a few days.  It will give you alot better feel for how it handles than a 15 min test ride.

  I think the sportster would be heavy for me at 5'6" 155 and 70 years old. My 1500LC is a couple hundreds pounds heavier than the sportster but its not top heavy.But really hard to push around.

The '86 1100 EVO Sportster I got in July weights 455 lbs.  Gets 45 mpg city and 55 highway.  And power.......  

But.....  it's not the low rider/hugger model so it's tall. 30" at the seat. And yes, more top heavy than the Savage was.  

The Sportster will give you more leg room.  More top speed.  More aftermarket parts.  The Spark plugs are Sooooooo easy to check.  I like the speedo on the handle bars.  Seat is nicer than the S40/LS650's.

But,  the 883 off the line is not much more powerful than the LS650.    At stop lights, feet on the ground, my leg touches the oil tank which is hot.   My 1100 came with mid-controls that hit my shins at lights (converted to forwards  already).  Parts fitment year-to-year seems to run in groups of about 4-5 years, not 23 like the Savage.  

Handling, Savage wins......  lighter with a lower center of gravity.  I guess for comparison,  you could say that you can dance with both bikes.  The Savage would be the gitter bug or Tango, the Sportster would be a waltz.

T Mack