I just bought a 2002 883 with 4900 miles on it ,They are out there just waiting for a new rider , New tires are on and tune up this week , Looked at alot of newer bikes in far worse shape then this one.

 

Those aftermarket exhausts are why it's popping, typical on sportsters that most folks put louder pipes on. When you lower the back pressure, it runs leaner, and they're about as lean as can be from the factory. Typical fix is one size up on the low speed jet and adjusting the mixture screw, which is covered by a soft metal plug from the factory and has to be removed. Looking at the bottom of the carb with a mirror will show if the plug is removed, can see the slotted head adjusting screw, usually indicates someone's put in the larger low speed jet; then it might only need a mixture screw adjustment. It's easy for someone with moderate wrenching skill, both my sportsters have the larger jet now. Even runs better with factory exhausts. Searching this forum for "sportster carb adjustment" will bring up a lot of how to threads and photos.

With 20K, it almost certainly has a second set of tires, but that still could have been done 10 years ago. If it has tubes (will if it has spokes) or rubber valve stems on cast wheels, be sure to replace those with new tires; I've had a valve stem on a newly purchased used bike snap off when I tried putting air in it. They get brittle, too, and it's equivalent to a blowout when they break. 2000's had Dunlop 400 series tires that are about as crappy for handling as you can get, and I still see those on most sportsters; Dunlop makes better model tires now (but still those old style 400's, too), and so does almost everyone else.

Be careful when you ride that 1200, older tires can break loose easy on corners with just a little gas on that bike. Careful hitting second gear on a corner, too, lot of throttle, hard shift, you can get sideways easy. A 1200 has a lot of torque for it's weight. Don't hammer it on a test ride except in a straight line on clean pavement, but when you get used to it, it's fun to push hard.

 

I talked to the seller today and the back tire is new and the front tire will last the life of the back tire he says. He said he replaces two backs for every front or vice versa, i forgot.

 

I still wouldn't take his word for it. Make sure you check the DOT stamps to see the actual years the tires were made. If it has a 2010 stamp it's obviously not new. Tires are expensive so I'm sure sellers will do their best to weasel out of paying for them.

 

I'm just gonna throw out a bunch of stuff from my experience for you Kile, hopefully it's useful.

I bought a 2007 XL1200 2 yrs ago, so it was 8 yrs old and had 5,900 miles on it. Tires were stock, the back was below the wear bars, and both had signs of dry rot. I had those replaced ASAP, to the tune of $500. Oh, the seller (second owner) had let the inspection lapse. These few things made me realize he wasn't someone who took care of things like I do. Otherwise, the bike looked really good, was priced to sell, and I bought it.

No regrets on the purchase, but I came across a number of issues that needed correcting. The most serious was the bike had aftermarket slip-ons and air intake, but didn't have any tuning done (it's EFI). The result was it was running too lean/hot, as evidenced by bits of metal on the spark plugs (crap!). So I added a tuner for a couple hundred bucks.

I had to replace a leaking rocker box gasket. As I didn't maintenance, fluid changes, adjustments, I'd come across rounded torx/allen heads, stripped threads. The primary chain was way loose. Thread lock was used generously everywhere even when not spec'd by the factory, which made getting things apart pretty difficult.

2 years later, all issues have been resolved. All maintenance is done, fluids, adjustments, etc., and I love the bike and how it rides. It was a learning experience, and while finding problems isn't fun, it wasn't too painful to get things right, but was more costly than I first imagined.

My daily commute is 117 miles. I usually ride to work 2 days/week, weather permitting. Even with upgraded shocks and seat, the Sportster isn't the most comfortable bike in the world. I can usually go 2 hours before I really need to give my rump a break. Having a windshield definitely makes the commute easier, especially for the parts in the interstate.

Some years from now when I'm ready for another bike, I'll be looking at a Dyna, or possibly a Road King, used of course. But for now I'm having a blast on my Sporty. All the best with your search!

 

i will sell mine

 

I bought my 2001 Sportster S with 8,000 miles for $3k. Retail book was $3700.

That was just the start. After installing new tires, battery, 4 spark plugs, engine oil, primary oil and rocker box gaskets it is not a $3k bike anymore.

 

This statement raises a red flag for me, if he knows that it goes thru two rear tires for every front that means he has worn out at least two rears and one front. He said the front will last as long as the current new rear that means this is the fourth rear he has put on the bike, that's a lot of rear tires in only 20,000 miles.

 

I've spent nothing on mine other than plates and gas
2001 XL 7500 miles, had it for 5 months now