I ride a 96 ultra. ok let me rephrase that, i own a 96 ultra. due to my work i have put less than 400 miles on it this year. Im thinking of trading for a smaller bike. I go about205lbs and was wondering if an 883 custom is enogh bike for just around town.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

...I go about205lbs and was wondering if an 883 custom is enogh bike for just around town.


Absolutely!

...............should be...

I see dudes with 883's that have passengers that weigh what you do, and they seem fine......

...IMO, it is enuff bike considering yer weight...........B

I would disagree with the above post. An 883 is just to small. Especialy comeing of a 96.

Just to clear the air, I am a sportster owner and lover. That being said. By the 883 and do the 1200 conversion. cheapest way known to man to own a 1200 sporty.

A 883 has a small gas tank besides being small. If I got a bike that small I'd want a nighster, and it has a small tank but its a 1200cc. The sporster custom is a nicer bike. But why stop there when you can git a superglide for a little more and it has a 96 cu engine.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

I ride a 96 ultra. ok let me rephrase that, i own a 96 ultra. due to my work i have put less than 400 miles on it this year. Im thinking of trading for a smaller bike. I go about205lbs and was wondering if an 883 custom is enogh bike for just around town.


It's plenty of bike.....and wins the gas mileage war hands down.

I have rode a 883 two up and find no problems with it around town, interstate doing 85 with a passenger is a bit iffy, but it will do it.

I'm just 10 pounds or less lighter than you. 883 is plenty for around town, and cross crounty. I wouldn't wanna do a lot of 2 up riding on it, but I ride my 883 anywhere that I would take a cage. 25 months, 36,000 miles, and I think 14 states.

I have a 1200 Custom for sale for pretty cheap I think! Beautiful bike, check classifieds and make an offer!

I'm 6'3" 265lbs and my 883 was plenty fine for me, even took it on some long hauls. I recently had the conversion done to it and since then I bought a Wideglide, so I dont ride the sporty that much any more, but the 883 is plenty of bike!

is a 900 class bike enough for solo riding?
can about 50 Horsepower pull a single person along down the road?


If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are an "Internet Space Waster" and should get the fudge out! hahahahah

I just got back from Myrtle Beach with mine on Saturday. 450 miles. There's nothing wrong with any Sportie. They all perform well. Our friend, who has a 1200 Custom, had two different guys ask her when she was going to get a real bike. I always watch for Sportsters because I love them and there were a lot of guys riding them last week at the beach. Don't care for the big twin look with all the fairings and dual headlights and radios blaring. But I'm not going to criticize you if that's what you like. My 883 made the trip over and back flawlessly. Besides, in these times of high gas prices, the 883 wins in the fuel mileage category. And uses regular grade fuel.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/PR/MOT/2008/08_specs_print.asp?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US&dwp =&market=US&family=sp&model=xl883c&modelsection=sp ecs&measureCheck=English&specTable=showall

The 883C has the 4.5 gallon tank so you can cruise til your hearts content and then cruise some more. My daughter is thinking about that very bike, I took her to look at them at Niedengards in Steubenville, Ohio a couple of weeks ago.

ORIGINAL: cardboard
A 883 has a small gas tank besides being small.

An 883 Custom has a 4.5 gallon tank which is the exact same sizeas the1200 custom and only .2 gallons smaller than my Street Bob tank.

ORIGINAL: jedsporty883
Besides, in these times of high gas prices, the 883 wins in the fuel mileage category. And uses regular grade fuel.

The 883 I had got about 1 mpg better gas mileage on the highway than my Street Bob with the 96ci motor does. Hardly anything to get excited about.
Mine does use premium fuel though and I believe the 07 and newer 883s do also.

The current 883s have an8.9 to 1 compression ratio so would run just fine on 87 octane fuel.

Definitely fine for riding around town! Some seem to considerthe 883a mini-bike. It is not an under powered bike by any means. It's just about a 900 cc bike! Plenty of power!

you can buy a 12 for about the same price of a 883 + the conversion. Also you wouldnt have the torque of a 1200 with a conversion kit

I in no way would go from a a deluxe and expect a 883 to make me happy getting back to topic...ORIGINAL: miketami

I would disagree with the above post. An 883 is just to small. Especialy comeing of a 96.

Just to clear the air, I am a sportster owner and lover. That being said. By the 883 and do the 1200 conversion. cheapest way known to man to own a 1200 sporty.

ORIGINAL: jedsporty883

I just got back from Myrtle Beach with mine on Saturday. 450 miles. There's nothing wrong with any Sportie.


Sounds like ya had a good trip. I'm gonna be over in your area in a few weeks. Maybe I can hookup with you and the BETTER half again. If not this trip, sometime this summer.

ORIGINAL: 1200Cdriver

The current 883s have an8.9 to 1 compression ratio so would run just fine on 87 octane fuel.

I was just going by what HD recommends. My 05 Sporty used to say 87 recommended but I see for the newer 883s they recommend 91 or higher.

As someone who just went from a 1200 Goldwing to a 883XLH let me tell you one thing the bike feels SMALL! It has plenty of power and bone stock I had it doing over 95MPH and still climbing last week when I backed off. Power is not the problem but you may want to think about the physical size of the bike considering your size. I'm a runt at 5' 9" and 160lbs and the bike feels tiny.

P.S.I like it and after I get my customization done I plane on loving it

P.S. S. not loving it in a biblical sense you dirty minded sob's!! :)

Sorry PIB, I seethat in my own link. I wonder what their reasoning is.

ORIGINAL: Hitechluddite

As someone who just went from a 1200 Goldwing to a 883XLH let me tell you one thing the bike feels SMALL!


Duh....of course it feels small. If ya went from a Cadilac to a Corvette, the 'vet would feel small also. But the 'vet would have plenty of power. Just not very good for taking 6 people out for lunch.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

I ride a 96 ultra. ok let me rephrase that, i own a 96 ultra. due to my work i have put less than 400 miles on it this year. Im thinking of trading for a smaller bike. I go about 205lbs and was wondering if an 883 custom is enogh bike for just around town.


I think for scootin' 'round town, ANY Sportster will fit your needs. Especially if you are not logging in big miles. I have a Nightster and have put on 400 miles in 3 weeks commuting to work. It has MORE than enough power. I'm sure an 883 would suit me just fine under the same conditions. You might enjoy the smaller size of the Sportsters compared to the Ultra - they are definitely in their element in and around town.

How much you want for your Ultra? Just wondering....;) Wouldn't mind adding one to my toy list. :D

My wife owned one of those.... and I had to ride it once in awhile.. the power was just ok (I'm 200 lbs @ 6' 0"). The thing that bothered me was that even with the bike set up with the forward controls, I still felt like one of those circus clowns on those tiny tri-cycles... Way too cramped.

If you are wanting a around town bike, I suggest a wide glide.

I was going to trade for payoff of around 6400 cause it has a miss after about an hour of riding. it has 36000 miles on it. my local used harley dealer sold it to me a couple a years ago when he was still with the new harley dealer. said he would give me payoff.

Im 6'1 260# and my 1200 cutom w/ext.controls, hauls my arse but good and it don't feel small at all to me. But then again, i have not gone from a bigger bike to a smaller one. As far as long distance, its a blast on long trips, Granted the seat suck's but a stop here and there along the way, works out perfect. Quick and agile for sure.

883 is more than enough bike for any highway riding. Seriously, it's just the trend in recent years for larger engines that have changed customer perceptions about motorcycle engine sizes.

A Sportster 883 engine can do 99% of what a Road King Engine can do. The best people can come up with is, "but what about when I'm riding two up and I have to pass somebody on the freeway quickly with a headwind." Okay, that's the 1% difference. Not to say that I wouldn't like a Road King, but my reasons wouldn't be topped off by a more powerful engine.

I lived in India for a year and had a 135cc scooter. I had four adults on it and we went uphill! Yes, it was slow, but if a 135cc scooter can pull four adults uphill at 7,000 ft elevation, an 883 Sportster won't have problems with a heavy rider or 2-up riding.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

I ride a 96 ultra. ok let me rephrase that, i own a 96 ultra. due to my work i have put less than 400 miles on it this year. Im thinking of trading for a smaller bike. I go about205lbs and was wondering if an 883 custom is enogh bike for just around town.


Why not just test ride a sportster? Coming from an owner of both I can give you an honest opinion. You will feel small on it at first but with the foward controls you will be just as comfortable. Infact, unless you had pegs on your highway bars on your Ultra you will be more stretched on the 883. You will justfeel there is not much bike beneath you. I am 6' 3" and take mine out for short rides all the time. After awhile (10 minutes) it doesn't feel small anymore.
If you are tall I would really suggest you look at a Wide Glide. It's the Harley tall mans bike. The seat is further back in the frame then a softail and the foward controls extend past the frame. Much further reach than the Sporsters fowards also.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

I was going to trade for payoff of around 6400 cause it has a miss after about an hour of riding. it has 36000 miles on it.
HHHmmmmmm....You got any pics of the Ultra? :eek: Just curious...:(

im new to this forum stuff so as soon as i can figure out how i will post a picture.

Use the attachment feature under the reply box.
Where it says file, click the click here to upload, and then upload your pic. Then check the embed picture in post box.

Nothing wrong with the 883c FFS its nearly a 900cc engine, 17 litre tank good for 240km+, great for commuting good size for splitting, plenty of power on the freeway, I hardly need to use5th gear at legal freeway speeds as it tends to lug, and enough room on back for a slim biker slut(the fat ones may make you do a wheelie), what more could you ask for from a bike

The 883 is a great bike, but i have to be honest that you will be wanting something with a bit more power in a short while.

Its plenty of a biketo start off with however you may want the 1200 if you do alot of highway rides. Personally I am 210lbs andfind my 883 to have plenty of power for my needs. :D

heres a picture of my ultra. i still think id like to get a smaller bike. thanks for everyones input, kepp the advice coming. ill let you know what i decide.

ORIGINAL: steve marshall

heres a picture of my ultra. i still think id like to get a smaller bike. thanks for everyones input, kepp the advice coming. ill let you know what i decide.



Nice scoot...............