Hey everyone! Sorry for this being my first post, but I have a dilemma. At 31 years old, I decided (4 days ago to be exact) that I wanted to get my first motorcycle. Today I went down to my local HD dealership and sat on a Forty-Eight (They didn't have any Irons at the time) and just as I suspected, that alone did it... I'm f-ing hooked now and WILL be purchasing in a few months.

Now that being said, I am completely new to the motorcycle world. Aside from maybe a mile on an old Kawasaki dirk bike back when I was 17, I have zero motorcycle experience... this will be a brand new hobby/passion in my life. I can handle myself on a quad and I am a huge car enthusiast (have been all of my life), but when it comes to motorcycles I am the first to admit I have a LOT to learn.

The issue I am having is trying to figure out which bike is going to be best suited for me. Before you start calling me an idiot in your head, I fully realize I need to just ride them both and figure that out for myself, but I am still in the process of getting the endorsement on my license and honestly I would not feel comfortable hopping on either of them and testing them out at wide-open throttle anyway just due to my complete lack of experience, so for now I am just hoping for some friendly advice.

As stated, I have been a huge car guy for years. My current ride is a 2012 Mustang GT with just about every option possible and I am starting to put some mods on it. The reason I mention it is because I am torn. I want the power and I don't want to get an Iron and then 6-months down the road be bored with it. Part of me thinks I need the Forty-Eight just because of that mentality, yet part of me says I would be fine on an 883 since I have no experience.

All of that babble out of the way, is there a serious power difference between those two engines? From my understanding the bottom-ends are the same, just the heads are different, and I think it's 20-25tq more on the 1200. I personally like the style of both so it's just a matter of going with the bargain Iron or the Forty-Eight and not outgrowing it for awhile. I'm 6' and 200lbs btw, in case that makes a difference.

And if you are reading this and don't like the style of either bike, or if you think the Sportster as a whole is a 'girl bike', that is totally fine. However, I am settled on those two based on my budget and riding experience, so I'm really not open for any random suggestions of getting something entirely different... not this time at least. Give me a couple years and who knows what I will want next.
I also realize it seems somewhat silly buying a brand new bike with zero experience, but its what I want to do. Call me crazy if you want, I'd probably agree with ya.

The other question I had is regarding the purchase. Does HD typically allow you to 'haggle' somewhat on their bikes like you would on a car? Or is it just a "It's this price, period." kind of deal?

Anyway, sorry for the long post, I'm just unable to sleep thinking about these damn bikes.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide, I want to hear it.

-Nick

 

My 2 cents.

First take a riders edge course and nail it. Then you need to see if you can test ride a few bikes. Maybe even consider buying a used Kawayamahondazuki for cheap to gain experience and then can really know what you want out of a bike.

How big are you? (I now see 6ft/200lbs) You may be cramped on a sprty. Do you want to tour? If you like speed/handling and all, you may want to consider a used Dyna because you will probably out grow the sporty in no time.

 

Well, like I said, I am 6' and 200ish lbs. I felt comfortable sitting on the Forty-Eight because of the low seat. I've always hated crotch rockets just by sitting on them because I felt like I had to 'tippy toe' it since they sit so high. The thing is, and believe me I am tying hard to explain this... I don't care about speed, if I did I would get a crotch rocket. I also don't want to feel like I am on a scooter ya know? I basically want some power when I need it, but in general I'm not wanting something like a 'Busa for instance. I'm thinking the Iron won't really feel gutless but I'm not sure. I have the Riders Edge brochure in the car so I will be doing that soon... But according to the salesman they just have Buells for that.

 

Well, here's how I look at it. The biggest overall difference is the motor. the 48 is a 1200, and that's definitely something to consider if you're a bigger (than me) guy and plan to keep the bike for a while. You mentioned you've got the new 5.0 Stang, so that tells me you like power. My guess is that you'd tire of the 883's lesser power quickly.

THAT BEING SAID, here's a few things to consider:
1. The stock seat on the 48 sucks. Thin, no lip on the rear to keep your butt in place. Sure that's stupid easy to swap, but in comparison the stock Iron seat is SO much nicer.
2. Smaller gas tank. Sure, looks cool but you'll filling up a lot more often.
3. Things like handlebars and footpegs can moved and swapped out, so don't let those be deciding factors. If you like everything about a but either of those two, get it & change them out. Super easy.
4. here's the big *BUT* regarding power and engines...
The MSRP on a 48 is $10,500. MSRP for an Iron is $8000. You can get the 1200 conversion kit and have it installed for less than difference. Talk to the sales guy & talk to dealership's "Chrome Consultant" about making that part of the sale. A friend of mine just did that very thing just a month ago & his 1200 Iron is a BEAST.

 

I had a 48 for 12 months and they are a great bike, nice and light so you can throw them around, not many big twins could keep up with me round the hills.
There is a fair bit of power diff between a 1200 and the 883, especially if take it to stage 1 with a tuner, exhaust and air cleaner .
I agree with the 48 seat they are not the best , i had more foam added to it and I did replace the standard tank with a Nightster tank.
Scouser

 

Bigger tank....better stock seat....do a 1200 conversion for less than MSRP difference...if you want forward controls they're easy to swap...my vote is totally for an Iron w/ 1200 conversion. (you'll have cheaper insurance than a 48 because they price based on VIN, which tells them it's an 883. They also price based on MSRP, not whatever extras you put on it).

And if you like the 48's mirrors, you can just unscrew the nut on any mirror and flip it.

That being said, if you don't want to a conversion for whatever reason, I'd get the 48 or Nightster. Based on your post, I don't think you'll be happy with the lesser 883 powerband.

 

If you don't plan on long trips, the little p-nut is more than enough. Also, the 883 is enough bike for anyone. It also depends on what you want it for. Rode my 94 883 Hugger from Delaware to Alaska. Small p-nut meant lots of stops, but they were welcome, as the old Sportys have hard mount motors. I couldn't see paying the difference except if you're wanting the midglide frontend. Not positive what setup the Iron has. You couls also save yourself some bucks and buy a used 1200 Sporty for 4K-5K. If you decide you want something bigger later, you've save a lot of change. Heard a lot of folks changing out the small tanks on the 48, which I eventually did on mine. Still have it and the wife rides it now.

 

I got myself a 1200 Nightster this last September and I am already wanting a bigger bike. I think I was in a similar position as you not much experience with street bikes but lots of experience with dirt bikes, and the size of a Harley intimidated me. Well I am glad I got the 1200 because once I hit 3rd gear the size of the bike wasn't a factor. Take the safety course and get your m1 then start test driving and make sure you love what you buy.

 

Get the 883 then put a 1200 kit on it later. Both bikes are viturally the same other than the engine size and gearing. The 883 gearing is set shorter due to displacement according to XLforums. Also consider how much of a difference insuring both bikes. It is probably slightly cheaper because its an 883. A few simple mods can make an 883 just as fast as a 1200.

The extra 2500-2800 you save from buying the 1200 can make a difference between the two. Shoot with the extra 2800 dollars you can definately make an 883 alot faster than a regular 1200 out the box.

I would also go to the XL forums website as they have more information regarding your situation. There is not as much traffic here for sportsters.

Also, there isnt really much room to negotiate for sportsters given their already low price. My dealer told me that even if they knocked off 500-1000 they would be losing money. You have to consider that these people have families to feed also. But yes you can negotiate the price of the bike

It also depends how well they sell the models you are looking at. Certain markets are different. One area might sell more touring bikes than sportsters and vice versa.

 

There are a lot of used great sporsters for sell all over pick one of those up, put the money saved towards mods and or the next bike fund. Check ebay and Craigslist sportsters are pretty affordable these days.