Sell the house!

 

I had an 883 and traded for a Dyna.......I would get the 1200 without question. The 883 is fun to ride but you hit the end of the power curve pretty quickly. KB

 

I owned a 883, it is great for me, but if you have owned a Ducati, you'll better of a 1200.

 

I'd go with the 1200 guy. I bought a 1200R and I'm very satisfied with it. Remember you get what you pay for.

While the 1200's Are more money you get More then just the difference in CC's. So while 883 owners talk about a conversion is cheaper they also forget to mentions the Other Things the 1200r/c come with. The BEST Heads harley currently makes, Buell Cams, Dual brakes, Black Motors, More Chrome, Etc, Etc, Etc.

Also the one thing 883 owners Always come back to in these posts is the Conversion to 1200cc and how they love to Rant about how a MODIFIED 883 can outrun a STOCK 1200 any day. Geeeeeeeeeee, It should.

I'm Soooooooo tired of hearing this. It's like Comparing Apples to Oranges. Lets see the 883 has slightly lower gearing (better off the line but giving up top end) and as far as I know THATS IT. Dont you think that a MODIFIED 883 verses a MODIFIED 1200 is a More Fair Comparision guys. Lets say a 883 with a Standard 1200 kit and stage 1 Verses a 1200 with stage 1. I have the heads and the Cams and the 883 has the gears. IF the 883 takes it, It will Only be because of the 1 tooth less in the gears. I think I can Changes my gearing for a Lot Less then the 883 owner can changes Heads and Cams. If I do that the 883 owner is Toast and that most famous saying is NULL & VOID.

No Offense to 883 owners but this argument is Old and Doesnt really hold water.


LV

 

Nice point made.

 

The modified 883 to stock 1200 arguement is only made in terms of $ spent vs performance. It's true that if you mod a 1200 you can definatley stay ahead of the 883. But it's also true that you can spend less money (883bike + conversion) and get a better performing bike (off the line). To me, chrome's not important. I didn't know that the 1200 comes w/ different heads and cams... thanks for the info, definately something to think about.

 

Ok here is my 2 cents after everyone else. I own an 05 883 C. I love the way it rides and it has plenty of torque and speed for me. That said a sport bike will be different than a cruiser. IE low end torque versus a broad power band. I also have a nighthawk 750 while not a true "sportbike" there is a difference. I can rev the hell out of the honda and get lots o speed where as the harley you cant. So its apples to oranges. Now Ive ridden a 1200 and as far as i can tell there really aint too much differnce in seat of the pants feel. So it all boils down to $$$$ and what you want. Performance and speed is generally not a harley trait as long as you dont cant the vrod or the vr1000 harley race bikes. If you want speed look at the Buells. Harley made and fast. If you want a fun cycle to cruise around in save the extra money and get an 883 C. I sure wasnt disappointed!

Chris

 

I originally wanted a 1200, but I got a killer deal on an 04 883C. I love the bike, and have had it since new. I now want to upgrade to a 1200 and by the way I saved about two to three grand off of a 1200. J&P cycles has a conversion kit with Custom Chrome cylinders, gaskets and Wiseco pistons for $529.00. This makes it a bolt on operation. My advice would be to get whatever feels comfortable to you both in riding and in the pocketbook. For me there was quite a difference in insurance premiums and initial purchase price. I love my bike and ride it alot. I also bought a Sundowner seat and it is much better than the stock seat. I have had several 300+ mile days on the bike with no problems. When I ride two-up with my fiance we don't go that far though since she gets uncomfortable after about 50 miles on the bike. Anyway, just my two cents worth on the subject based on my personal experience.

 

As you can see below, dimensions are the same, so as far as comfort/how you fit the bike, they are the same. It boils down to a higher performing engine and a tranny that is geared to the engine. There may be some cosmetic differences, but if money is an issue, you can add cosmetic items later. I will say that at 6 feet, and weighing 200 lbs, I felt I needed the "extra power" to move. The bike is QUICK. I have a 06 WideGlide as my munber one bike ( cruising, long rides, two up, ect) but I held on to the 1200 for the pure fun. With all that said, as impressive as I feel my 1200 is, I have never had a guy on a 883 have a hard time keeping up with me. I have lost him in the corners, but that was him not the bike. A lot of dealers will let you trade your bike back in a year to upgrade. It lets them sell more bikes. If your dealer does that, get the 883. If you feel it is lacking, trade up in a year, when you stated you would have your house done. If you feel the 883 is good for you, start customizing. This way you get a bike NOW. LIke someone said, delays are dangerous. Get a bike now and enjoy!



883C 1200C
DIMENSIONS
Length 90.3 in. 90.3 in.
Seat Height
Laden 26.5 in. 26.5 in.
Ground Clearance 4.4 in. 4.4 in.
Rake Steering Head/Trail 30.1º / 4.7 in. 30.1º / 4.7 in.
Wheelbase 60.4 in. 60.4 in.
Fuel Capacity 4.5 gals. 4.5 gals.
Oil Capacity 3.6 qts. 3.6 qts.
Dry Weight 558.0 lbs. 554.0 lbs. .
Running Order 579.0 lbs. 575.0 lbs.


POWERTRAIN
Engine Evolution® Evolution®
Displacement 53.86 in.³ 73.20 in.³
Bore x Stroke 3.00 in. x 3.81 in. 3.50 in. x 3.81 in.
Engine Torque 51.0 ft. lbs. @ 4300 rpm 79.0 ft. lbs. @ 3500 rpm
Fuel System Carburetor Carburetor
Compression Ratio 8.9:1 9.7:1
Miles per Gallon
57 hwy / 48 city 52 hwy / 45 city
Gear Ratio (overall)

1st 10.792 9.315
2nd 7.702 6.653
3rd 5.728 4.948
4th 4.748 4.102
5th 4.071 3.517

WHEELS/TIRES
Wheels

Front Steel laced Steel laced
Rear Silver cast aluminum solid disc Chrome cast aluminum slotted disc
Tire Size

Front MH90-21 54H MH90-21 54H
Rear 150/80B16 71H 150/80B16 71H






UNIQUE FEATURES
883C
gallon fuel tank; significantly reduced clutch lever effort; forward foot controls; one-piece, two-up seat; chrome pullback riser
1200C
4.5-gallon fuel tank with stainless steel console; significantly reduced clutch lever effort; forward foot controls; high-compression, high-flow cylinder heads; chrome pullback riser Triple-disc brakes; significantly reduced clutch lever effort; black powder-coated engine and covers with highlighted cylinders and head fins; high-compression, high-flow cylinder heads; performance cams





Vivid black $7,695 $9,595
Color $7,915 $9,815
Two-tone $8,070 $10,015
Custom color $8,320 $10,235

 

You should go onto www.motorcycleusa.com and go to buyers guide. They give great info on the bike's you may want to campare the 883 and 1200 with there specs. Good luck with your buy.