Hello all,

after lots of research and reading, i finally decided on getting the iron 883 as my first bike ever, after waiting for 2 months, the stealership called me yesterday and told me to come by and finish the paperwork, i'll hopefully be getting the bike on monday....

now i've read this before many places, but there were many different opinions, and i need to put my mind at ease regarding 2 issues:

1)) for engine break in, i'll be riding the bike almost 100 miles on the highway back home, how should i go about with the throttle, i read somewhere that the first 1000 miles should be driven with different variety of speeds, also, some say dont exceed 60 mph...on the other hand, there seem to be different opinion saying that you should ride the living hell out of the bike from the start to properly let the engine adjust, especially for people who like to ride rough...like me

2)) i need to do something about the way the bike sounds, i think it is embarrassing to ride a harley with the way it sounds out of the showroom...firstly, i dont want something loud, but i want that sweet, deep, throaty sound...plus i am out of cash for the next few months so i need something "financially attainable"...i am looking for mufflers, screamin eagle street performance, or the vance & hines slip ons, the stealership is telling me that if i want to put the slip ons, i need to change the AC and do the mapping, is that correct??? plus, if i use anything else besides screamin eagle, the warranty will be void

sorry for the long post...but i hope u understand this is my first bike, and i am a bit excited...

 

 

Congrats on the new ride! Look in the owners manual about the break in. It says there what you should and shouldn't do. The one big thing that my dealer told me was to vary the RPM's when riding and to not necessarily baby it.

As far as new pipes, I have some Rush slip-ons along with the stock A/C since I got my bike new and it runs fine and sound great. Not too loud, but louder than stock. No need for an any sort of fuel management with just new pipes. If you also add a higher flow A/C, then you would need some sort of tuner.

 

I bought a 2012 Iron this past October. I love it. A few things:

1) To break in my bike: For the first 500 miles I didn't go over 65mph. I also changed gears a lot (when appropriate) to break in the various seals, gaskets, moving parts, etc. Just like a new pair of shoes, everything is a little stiff at first so you have to break it in without going over the top.

2) You have an EFI bike so it can adjust to minor changes in the exhaust department. The only reason you would need a remap or tune is if you changed the intake. You do not need to remap or tune with exhaust changes only. They have little effect on the bike. The easiest route would be the screaming eagle slip-ons but that wouldn't be the cheapest route. I would ride the bike home as it is and do a little more research on pipes before you commit to buying anything.

3) After market slip-ons DO NOT void the warranty. The ONLY way to void the warranty is if the dealership can PROVE that the after market parts you put on were solely responsible for any damage caused to the mechanics of the bike.

My suggestion: Break the bike in first, get your 1000 mile service from the dealer. Then buy the service manual, learn how to do your own maintenance, and then worry about buying other parts. You're going to have this bike for awhile. No need to rush into things.

 

thank you for the input guys...i think i'll stick with ur advice and not do anything until the 1st service is done...so far im still leaning towards the screamin eagle street performance mufflers, but would like to add the se heavy breather as well maybe sometime in the future, check the below link and you'll know why

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXgff...eature=related

this is the exact sound i'd like to have....

as for the break in, since i need to vary the speeds, change the gears alot and not exceed 65mph, i dont think i can do that on the highway for the 1st 100 miles, should i just get the bike delivered to my home???

 

Did you buy a brand new motorcycle to put it in a box or ride it?! 100 miles isn't bad. Break it up into a few hours, take the surface streets, enjoy the ride. It'll cost you $8 in gas and give you an incredible memory.

Ride safe

 

Thanks for this post guys I was going through the same thing

 

Congrats on the new bike! Harley was my first street bike too. Fast forward several years to when I got the Nightster. Great bike! It is a lot of fun.

 

As said, I wouldn't go over 65 + vary the speed. But, break-in isn't as critical as it used to be with vastly improved lubricants + machining. So, while I'd follow the manuals recommendations, no need to worry or become ****. And, most importantly C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S-!

 

man that is one GREAT piece of advice...dont know what the heck i was thinking, thats my first day on a harley and i am gonna make it ROCK...

so guys regarding the video i posted, what do u all think??? that bike sounds sweet doesnt it??? do any of u guys have vids for their bikes with slip ons??? it would be great to hear some rummmmmmmble....