Yes that's right... All Sportster riders are the salt of the earth... The real down to earth Harley riders... The Sportster is the "original" Harley heart... Just is some Harley owners don't appreciate knowing that but I do.

So here is my question for all the Sporterster riders and true Harley bikers.

I want some riding fun and not just highway road trips.... anybody can jump on a bagger and run the highway... Like driving a bus.

Looking to buy a Sportster and have found an 883 Custom, 2005... just over 3000 miles. Never dropped but looks like it has never been cleaned.. Still not too bad... asking price is 4990.00 is that a fair price? should I hold off for a 1200 or get an 883 and upgrade to a 1200??

thanks for your comments...

 

I am a retired CW3, only put in 20 (Army) and I miss it too.

Anyway to answer your question. I just bought a 2005 XL1200 for $8,200 with 3,500 miles. So an 883 for that price sounds good to me. I would do it. They are just as fast. Sounds like a deal.

WhooYah!!!

 

I really don't think you can go wrong with the Sporty, great fun.
Here in Ohio, that is a very fair price. This is the time to buy used for a good deal. If your are ok with 6k, you should be able to find a 1200. If you are looking at the 883/1200 Customs, you do get more bling on the 1200. Any model '04+ will have the rubbermount engine.
Just do it.

 

Sounds fair, but by no means is it a steal! If you like it, get it, if you are even thinking you should hold off and get the 1200, then hold off, cuz as soon as you get the 883, you are gonna want the 1200. Like JC said, the 883 is just as fast, and more than fast enough, but the power of the 1200 over the 883 is noticeable. Lets face it, the sportster is as fun as it gets, and is really not all that expensive even new! You may spend as much in add ons as the big twins, but easy to get into. Good luck!

 

You guys are wrong when you keep saying the 883 is just as fast.We owned a 2007 883R at the same time we owned our current 2007 1200R, and the 1200 leaves the 883 in the dust completely because of the gearing difference.

Nonetheless, if you're thinking of going 1200, get a 1200, not an 883. Even if you dothe 1200 conversion it won't be like a 1200 because of the gearing differences. You would basically just have an 883 that gets to the next gear faster, but each gear is still shallower than a true 1200. Plus I've heard a few people mention oil leaks once they had the conversion done by the dealer.

 

And again..if the Bike looks good to you and your happy with the deal,go for it.The difference in performance between the 883 and 1200 is not that big a deal..yes its there but MOST riders cannot exploit it.Learn to ride your bike to its full potential and you'll be blowing away alot of bigger bikes.I do this on a regular basis.Plus,if you wish to do so,you can cahnge out the cylinders,cams,valves and ignition module later and make your bike a Sleeper 1200...looks like an 883 but really is 1200...now theres the way to catch Flys.lol Good Luck>>David
P.S.When you hear people mention "the gearing"...the 883 and the 1200 have the same gear set..they differ in the size (number of teeth) of the Belt Sproket..its also an easy change..the 1200 is set up for the hiway while the 883 is geared for town...though I frequently run down the hiway on mine on trips withoput a problem.

 

The bike is obviously neglected. My question is why would you consider buying anything that has not been taken care of? Unless there's documented records......

 

thanks for all the feed-back so far. the bike is setting in a auto dealership showroom. according to the sales rep. the bike was female owned and it's appreant that she did not take cleaning a machine like a Harley seriously... Just hosed it down after a ride as the aluminum parts are crusted looking. No oil leaks that I could see and it seems to run and shif alright...

Never considered the gearing between the 1200 and 883.. something to ponder on now. If I do move on it I wonder if I can clean up the engine a little and repaint it as it has some stains on the covers (dull spots)... the engine is a flat wrinkle type silver colored and not a buffed aluminum finish...

I also suspect upgrading an 883 to a 1200 would be somewhat costly... say 5-600.00 for the heads and such.... that being the case I guess I should start looking for a 1200 and forget the 883!! Still on the fence at this point. the 1200's are more to my liking but I'm not really after a chromed up looker in as much as a fun to ride Sportie....

 

An 'aggressive rider' on a 883 Sportster might run circles around someone on a V-Rod, but does that mean the 883 is faster or has more power?

Of course not.

The bottom line is that there is a major difference in power output between the 883 and 1200 Sportsters. The 2004+ 883 Sportsters are factory rated at 53 horsepower and 51 foot pounds of torque. The 2004+ 1200 Sportsters are factory rated at 70 horsepower and 79 foot pounds of torque. The 883 Sportster is actually a few pounds heavier than the 1200 (smaller cylinder bores equal more metal and a heavier engine weight).

There is a small difference in gearing between the bikes (as shown below), but that doesn't make the 883 'quicker' than the 1200. For those that judge performance based on straight line acceleration, verified times for stock bikes show the 1200 Sportsters running quarter mile times on average 1.2 seconds quicker than the 883 bikes.

Not a thing wrong with the 883's, but there is no way in the world a stock 883 has more power, or will run as quick as a stock 1200.

Number Of Teeth;

883 (US Model)

Primary - Engine - 34
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 28
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

883 (World Series)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 28
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

1200 (US Models)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 29
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

1200 (World Models)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 30
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

Overall Gear Ratios;

883 (US Models)

1st - 10.994
2nd - 7.524
3rd - 5.834
4th - 4.806
5th - 4.071

883 (World Models)

1st - 9.792
2nd - 6.732
3rd - 5.220
4th - 4.301
5th - 3.643

1200 (US Models)

1st - 9.454
2nd - 6.500
3rd - 5.040
4th - 4.152
5th - 3.517

1200 (World Models)

1st - 9.139
2nd - 6.283
3rd - 4.872
4th - 4.014
5th - 3.400

 

If gearing doesn't make any difference, we need to get this news flash to Harley Engineering fast. Seriously, there are lots of bikes and other vehicles that have different engine options. All of them have trade-offs. The 883 has lots of power. If you want more, a 1200 will do it. I would be more concerned about the condition of the bike. I'm not necessarily buying the "little 'ole school teacher" story.