Greetings all!! I'm new here. I don't own a Harley. I may not be owning one soon. Currently I ride a Kawasaki KLR 650 and even when I get a Harley, I'll likely keep the KLR or find another even more dedicated offroad bike.

I've been searching for an 883 Sportster and I was curious if there were any years that are better than others. I understand that in '04 some pretty major work was done to improve the shifting and reduce vibration. Is this true?

Part of the stories/reviews that I've read, claimed that there was a vibration at highway (65-70mph) speeds that made the bike a bit less comfortable to use on long runs. To combat this, has anybody changed drive sprockets, and, if so, what'd you notice?

Lastly, has anybody upgraded the brakes on one of these? I'd feel a need for 2 disks up front. I'm used to having a light bike that can stop quickly or plenty of brakes. The 883 has neither. No, I don't want a 1200. the number 883 just sounds like magic to me. That's what I want.

Thanks in advance for your opinions/insights.

 

Awfhand: My first H-D was and is (I still own it) a 2004 XL 883 Custom. I too had a long history of riding desert racing bikes with LOTS of front brake. I did some research, looked at a XL Roadster with twin brakes up front and decided that it wouldn't be much of a job to install the second brake assembly on the front of the 883 C. The 19 inch laced front wheel has the right side of the hub machined perfectly for the brake rotor. It just does not come pre-drilled and tapped like some other H-D wheel hubs do. The right slider did not have a boss for mounting the caliper assembly. I purchased the H-D "Kit" for mounting the second brake on the 39 mm forks. I drilled and tapped the wheel hub to match the tapped machine holes on the opposite side. I changed the slider, bolted up the rotor, installed the brake caliper and switched the hand brake hydraulic system to the larger bore required for two brakes instead of one. It worked perfectly!. I was thrilled with the additional braking power now available at the front wheel.

Be aware that the H-D "Kit" is not complete. You need to add the brake lines from the brake master cylinder down to the two brakes. that is about $100 if you go with the stainless steel wrapped lines. You also have to buy 5 ea torx cap screws for the rotor/hub hookup. A little blue locktite and a bottle of new fork oil, you are ready to go.

The H-D part no. for the "Dual Disc Brake Kit" is; 44090-04. It is pictured in the 2005 Accessories Catalog with the hydraulic brake lines. The required brake lines DO NOT come with the kit. You might argue the Parts Dept. into kicking in the hydraulic lines, but the one I dealt with flat would not. Therefore; $369.95 plus the brake lines, plus the cap screws, plus the fork oil. I had to argue with them to just sell me the kit when I ordered it for a XL 883 "Custom". Only when I changed the order to "For a XL 883 Standard", would they sell me the kit. Later, I rode the bike back to the dealer and made the Parts Manager come out and look at it. Only then did he believe me that this conversion would work.

If you PM me with your e-mail address, I will be happy to e-mail you a couple of pics of the finished installation.

.......................... Big Cholla.................................

 

Awfhand: Now to continue: My '04 XL 883 C is obviously a rubber mounted engine system. The whole bike is very smooth with NO vibrations at any speed in the pegs or handgrips. The engine is noticeably smoother in operation than my '05 XL 1200 R. I have never heard of any vibration issues with '04 thru '06 883s because of engine shake. There always is an issue with out of balance wheel/tire assemblies, bad engine mount(s) and too tight of drive belt or primary chain. I had to yell at a H-D service writer to get them to re-balance my front wheel to get it balanced to my satisfaction, not theirs.

IMHO, you should avoid any Sportster model year older than the '04 if you are vibration sensitive.

Lastly, the 883 vs. 1200 question. Coming from high performance desert racing bikes, I couldn't imagine needing any more than 883 ccs. I purchased the XL 883 and was very happy for a few days. I then realized that it did not have the acceleration rush of even my Honda XR 400 R. I also did not like the way the front end geometry of the "Custom" made the bike handle in the corners. I made the mistake of test riding a XL Roadster one day at the Dealer's. I purchased one immediately. The 1200 cc engine, after paying the "Harley Taxes", is a wonderful street engine. You don't have to turn the throttle any further than the adrenalin level that you want to achieve. Given the manner in which I ride (hard), I actually get better gas mileage with the XL 1200 R than I do with the XL 883 C.

I lowered the XL 883 C all around for my wife to ride. She was just getting into it pretty good, when carpal tunnel syndrome hit her left hand. So now the bike sets. It will be going up for sale as soon as all the '06s are sold. Hope all this is of some help to you.

Welcome to the forum. There is a world of good technical information here. All you have to do is "search" for it. And if you don't find the answer you are looking for, just "ask" the way you did here. Some very knowledgeable guys will generally help.

....................... Big Cholla ..............................

 

One front brake works fine. Just maintain it well. I don't like too too much front braking power, because this unballances front to rear braking in a turn. That's just me, I guess. Ever since I braked too hard on one with two disks in front one time 20 years ago. Spill time when the front wheel skipped out.

I changed the sprockets and chain on my 883 to match the overall gear ratio of a 1200. This reduces the highway vibs in my 91 hard motor mounted XL by reducing the high speed rpm. The larger front sprockets are easy to find. The smaller rear sprockets are very difficult to find.

 

Thanks Big Cholla!

It looks like a 2004 or newer for me. I agree that the trouble with having ridden something with "more" whatever, makes you want more. I rode a friend's GSXR 1100, and with a 0-60 around 2 seconds (first gear) and willingness to wheelie in 2nd and 3rd on throttle alone (at 90 mph) it was very humbling to get back on my own bike and ride home.

I'm not worried about cost on the brake conversion. I've got a good friend in the industry who has said he'd help me I would be looking at the mag wheel version.

If I think of more questions, I'll pop in!

 

The current lineup of 883's can be seen on the HD site. Waiting for my 07 883R to get here. It's the only new 883 with dual front brakes. The rest is simply style and what you want. Don't forget you can also spend a small fortune on parts that will make your ride look any way you want.