Hi All

Decided to finally own a Harley. As I'll need to commute into central London (I'm a Brit) in rush hour on it at times, I've opted for a 883 Iron as my weapon of choice!

After many years of owning various engine sizes and types of bikes I currently use a Honda Sh300i scooter to commute on. It an exceptional little thing for buzzing through traffic on but am in distinct danger of boring myself to death on it, hence the intended Harley purchase.

Anyway I have trawled the archives on here and the net but thought i'd chuck a few questions out there to get some fresh opinions/answers etc.

1. I'm 6ft 2" (74 inches) tall, will I fit on one okay?

2. One of the ones I'm looking at has XL forward controls which I presume will stretch my legs out more, is this likely to be an advantage for a taller rider or is its just a personal choice thing?

3. Another one i'm looking at has a raised tank? I've seen this on a few sportsters, but not quite sure why its done?

4. I really like the look of the short shots but read in a couple of places short exhausts can be a b***h to tune or dont smooth out as well as longer pipes? There seems to be plenty out there running short shots so assume this is false or a bit of truth in it but barely noticeable in real world riding?

5. Is belt life really up to 100k?

6. I notice quite a few of these have after market pipes on but no fuel adjustment? Don't they run dangerous lean like that?

7. As I'm likely to be collecting this from some distance away and it has a tiny tank, i'll need to be wary of fuel stops. If someone could give me an idea of tank range i'd be grateful.

Many thanks.

 

oops: duplicated

 

Hi Taipan,

6'4 here, and a 1200 Custom w/ forward controls. Like those much, a good feature for any tall rider. On mids, I would feel cramped.

I do although prefer a 1200 over the 883 for the added punch and max. torque at way lower rpm (3200 vs. 3900 on an 883), but that's just opinion - There's no replacement for displacement ;-)

Tank lifts - no idea why folks do that mod, understand it's for the looks mostly.

Belt: Others may know better, as my bike only has 20k so far, but definitely no signs of wear yet.

Fuel adjustments: Guess the experts will chime in soon enough, I am running stock a/c and pipes, but added XIEDs for richer AFR and smoother ride at low rpm, which works fine. Rule of thumb would be you don't NEED a fuel manager when modifying either a/c OR pipes, but will need it when you do both, because the combination will drastically lean your AFR and make the engine run too hot.

 

Welcome.

I'm 6'2" also and recently bought an Iron 883. I'm making a cafe racer from mine, so the legroom will change with a higher seat. Here is what I can answer.

Yes, at 6'2", the legroom with mid controls is a bit tight. I rode mine for about 200 miles before tearing it down for the cafe conversion. I definitely found that my knees were a bit high. However, it was still easy to ride and I wasn't too big for it, just at the big end of the range.

Forward controls are both a matter of preference and they provide added leg room. The preference issue is that of control. Mid controls put your feet under you and provide more confident control of a bike. Forwards don't take your weight in normal riding and play less of s role in control. However, they are quickly learned and work great once you're used to them.

A raised tank is just a "look". Some say the engine gets better cooling when the rank is lifted. I doubt you'll need additional cooling in Blighty.

Belts are very reliable, but mileage varies depending on proper care and road conditions (gravel will wear a belt faster)

Pipes are a matter of taste. A 2-1 pipe is said to produce s bit more torque (1 or 2%). Lots of people debate this subject. Get the one you like. The 883 isn't a high powered bike anyway. And small elements of power shifting in the rev range aren't going to mean a lot. Short Shots sound cool if you don't mind the noise in your ear. Longer pipes put the sound behind you and are less annoying to the long-term rider. Again, it's a matter of taste.

You will get roughly 100 miles before the low-fuel light comes on. Maybe 150 before running out. 3.3 X 50mpg= 165, but riding conditions, throttle control, etc, will affect it.

By the way, all Harley's run lean from the factory so they can meet emissions standards. Changing a pipe or intake will make it more lean. The somewhat agreed rule is this. Change a pipe OR inlet and no adjustment is NECESSARY. Changing both requires a new fuel/air tune.

In my opinion, you'll have a better running bike if you re-map the fuel/air after changing either.

 

Thanks Guys, thats very helpful.

 

Hello old chap from just a few miles North of London.

1. I'm not so tall so will leave that for others.
2. As an experienced rider in heavy traffic I would advise against forwards - you're not riding across the vast plains of the mid-West! A taller seat will help leg comfort.
3. Raised tanks as already mentioned - just darned ugly IMHO.
4. I also have an 883 and having thought about modifying the exhaust haven't bothered - the stock ones are just fine, unless you want to be NOTICED or anti-social!
5. Harley introduced belts on production bikes back in the 1980s, over 30 years ago. Chains are just so last century!
6. This is one of the most mis-represented subjects in the Harley world! At the very least a modified bike should have a dealer download, which will correct fuelling to regulated air/fuel ratios IMHO.
7. Some will say you need to be wary of the fuel warning light! It is likely to come on much sooner than expected. Tank range mentioned above is a good guide to go on, but our UK gallon is bigger than a US one, so we can expect to get more mpg than our American chums.

A comment on 2-into-1 exhausts. I have one on my Glide below, which gave 15% more torque in the low/mid range than two separate pipes, both tuned and dyno-tested by the same shop. Headline figures for both systems were similar, but the 2-into-1 knocks spots off the previous set-up in many ways.

 

Hi!

I've owned a few maxi scoots and actually quite like the feet forward riding position but thats a good point about a higher seat!

Loud pipes, well I've had them on many bikes before and race can fitment was teh first mod for me on any bike I owned, but in later years I haven't bothered, because, as you'll know, our Police clamp down on loud bikes. Somewhat bizarrely Harleys get away with this here, or seem to?

For me I'll have to own a Harley that sounds like a Harley (iyswim?) even if I end up fitting baffles later on.

I'll still use the scoot as my main hack but will undoubtedly use the Harley on sunny days. My commute is a 60 mile round trip so as long as teh tank range covers that I can live with it. When trawling the archives I'm sure I saw tank swaps mentioned, so there may be a touring option there if I wanted or needed it? The question was really so I could work out some fuel stops if riding back on motorways after buying one.

How do you find yours for filtering through heavy traffic?

 

I would tend to disagree; I'm 6'-0" and when I rode my sons Sportster with stock mids I was quite uncomfortable with my legs bent in such a manner, along with having a very difficult time positioning my feet on the pegs, so much so that I had to actually look down every time I took off after having had both my feet on the pavement. Noone should have to take their eyes off the road to place their feet upon the foot pegs of a motorcycle; it should be a natural uninterrupted movement that the rider shouldn't even have to think about. With the OP being taller than myself at 6'-2", I believe his knees would be positioned nearly above the fuel tank on a set of mids, unless he's a midget from the waist down! The HD forwards are NOT that much more forward, and they afford me much comfort on my Iron, even when I'm rolling bumper to bumper on the worlds largest parking lot, the "Long Island Expressway" [I don't split lanes].

The OP needs to sit and ride upon both sets to make an informed decision as to his level of comfort and not listen to recommendations from others about what "we" think "he" needs!

=8^)

 

It's not so much the Police in my experience, but MoT testers. For the first time last year my Buell (aftermarket British silencer, which sounds grrrreat!) attracted comment and he made a note on the certificate, although the tester suggested, with a smile, that perhaps the wadding had blown out. I'm not sure it was ever anything but completely empty! I know of louder Harleys that have been failed.

Depending on which model you buy you may find you can do two day trips with comfort. My SuperLow has a 17 litre/3.7 UK gallons (4.5 US gallons) tank (the larger stock one).

As for heavy traffic, Sporties are very slim and nimble, so a good choice IMHO, with good torque for quick getaways.

 

I'm 6'2", the forwards are a lot more comfy than the mids. But they are both a lot more comfy than the Japanese bikes I used to ride.