Hey all,
I have recently puchased my first Harley, a 2004 Sportser XL 833. I am sure there are people that think there are better bikes out there, like me, and why buy a small one...but for financial reasons, it is what it is
Anyway, I have attached some images and I wanted some advice. At the moment, most of the set up is original.
What would people recommend I change? Pipes? I here people saying it will improve the sound, but then I need to change the air filters too?
Handlebars, move the back plate, lights, etc etc...
Completely new to this and wanted to price things up, and plan what I could do to improve her and budget for it.
Thanks in advance!

 

http://motos.coches.net/ocasion/harl...te-5721230.htm

For those who can not see images

 

Welcome to the forum !
My Kid had a 2001 XL883 and it was a blast to ride , fuel mileage was excellent too.
Ride the heck out of it , you'll know what you want or need soon enough.
Is that carb or EFI ?
The bike should serve you well for a long time.
I was looking for an Iron 883 the day I found my 48 , it's all good.
Mick

 

Like Mick says, just go ride it. Appearance wise, the only one who really cares is you. Ergonomics-wise, riding it will tell you what needs changing, and the order in which those changes need to be made. Performance-wise, only by riding it for a while will you be able to identify what needs to be improved (or just changed for the sake of change) and how those changes affected the performance.

Bottom line.....go out and ride!

But my guess is with as low as the *** end is, it's gonna beat the crap out of you sooner than later!

 

'04 is carbed, so if you change the pipes to less restrictive, it'll run leaner - and the factory tune is already very lean; often they'll pop a lot on decel and even on low rpm cruise. Simple fix is a size up on the low speed carb jet; plenty of info on carb fixing, just do a search on this forum for carb tune or jet sizes. You'll also lose mid range power if all you do is change pipes, especially if you get a setup that has no crossover balance pipe; free flow pipes work best at high rpm, where most Harleys seldom spend much time.

Check the tire dates for age; I've seen these bikes with tires 10 years old or more, especially if it's low mileage. Those original Dunlops probably wouldn't fail in ten years, but the rubber gets hard and traction sucks. You have tires made in Europe that have way better traction, too.

If it's higher mileage, the riveted spring plate in the clutch could be a problem (usually isn't, but some have failed at 15,000 miles or less). I put a new plate set in my 1200 around 30,000 miles, and the rivets were loose. I replaced that potential mess with a Barnett set that eliminated the spring plate. Other than that, an '04 is a really solid bike.

The biggest comfort mod you could do would be a different seat. Stock sporty seats are nothing to brag about. I have Harley Pillow Look seats on both my sportsters, way more comfortable to me and a lot more padding for passengers, too. Seats depend a lot on your size, some sit you back more (mine does) or closer to the tank. Sportster rear shocks suck, too, feel every bump in the road.

Small bike? It's heavier than most of the European bikes. 883 hp is nothing to brag about, but down the road you could always put a 1200/1250 kit in it, be cheaper than a new bike, and would feel like you added a couple more cylinders to the old 883.

'04 to '06 sporties are my favorites, have rubber mounted engines for smoothness, but still have carbs for simple do it yourself maintenance at home. When you get ready to do oil changes and the adjustments that will come with time, check out the how to videos on youtube, some good ones there, and you can see what's behind that cover before you pull it off - and how to avoid having something fall out that would ruin your day.

 

Just ride it and get a feel how the comfort is and go from there. Looks like someone already changed the bars.

Grats!

 

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of customizing a Harley!
I'd agree with the riding it for a while with maybe the exception of something like cycleshack slipon's and rejet the carb just to make it sound and run better.
Spend some time looking thru sportster galleries and decide what theme you want first (chopper/bobber/bagger/bar hopper) etc.
Once you have a theme you can start investing in parts that work towards a common end so everything fits and you don't waste money buying parts that you want to change again later.

 

The handlebars, forward foot controls and rear shocks are not stock. Those three alterations changed the handling and comfort quite a bit. For better or worse, is subjective. Passenger pegs were not standard on a XL883, so they're a bonus.
The air cleaner looks stock, as well as the pipes, but it sounds like you know that. Drilling the baffles out of the factory mufflers, doing an air cleaner mod and throwing a new jet in the carb is cheap, quick, and dirty (gotta drill out the air/fuel mixture screw's cover, too). An extra 5-10% gain in horsepower and torque goes a long way on an 883. Of course, you can spend as much as you want on pipes and an air cleaner, and some people do just that. Tons of options.
Lots of revs and lots of shifting on the 883 - I love mine.
I like the red grips.