Ok, I know about the 1200 and 1250 kit plus I already have a/c, power commander, and pipes. What else can be done and is it worth it? What I mean is, short of a 1200/1250 kit that replaces jugs and pistons, how about just heads and cams plus a new ignition? Would it be worth it?

 

Save your money and get the 1250 kit and a better reflash tuner. Whatever you do now will be redone later and it will cost you more in the long run

 

1250 kit.

 

Cams and heads will cost you more than a 1200/1250 kit anyway. The best bang will be the 1200/1250 conversion and a proper tune. Then, after, if you want to squeeze the most out of the bike, you can do the cams and head work.

 

Your key phrase here is "Would it be worth it?"

No, it wouldn't. If your overall goal is performance the money you'd spend on a 1250 kit would give you more performance than the money you'd spend on heads and cams. Since heads are about $550 and cams another $200 the price for the heads/cam vs conversion kit are equal.

Of course, you can always try to do what I did.



What you see here is my 1200 conversion "kit". The cams are W-grinds so if you ahve a newer 883 (08 and later I think???) you already have these cams. If not, these would be an upgrade for you. The ignition is a stock 1200 ignition. The cylindars and heads were out of a 1200S but the pistons were brand new Thunderstorm pistons...I had the cylindars refreshed by boring them over .010 so I needed pistons. Since the heads on the 1200S raised compression and the Thunderstorms would raise compression (but in a better way) I had the heads worked a bit to lower compression overall but it is still higher than a normal Thunderstorm build.

Total price...for parts and to have NRHS do the boring, honing, head work, and installation of the pistons in the cylinders...was about $850.

Granted I want to do better cams now and a better ignition system but this got me started at least for real cheap. Parts cam off eBay. Good luck finding something like that...but it is an option to consider.

 

How about the cost/benefit of upgrading to 1250 versus buying a bigger bike? Does the 1250 feel like a big difference?

In other words, if I got an 883 and know I want more power than I got. Does it make more financial sense to do the upgrade or get a 1200 or even a dyna? How much does the conversion cost, total?

 

I originally was looking at a Dyna but if I sell my Iron I would still have to come up with a couple grand and then start doing mods all over again. What HP would the 1250 give me vs 1250 with cams, heads, and new ignition with a dyno tune? I'd be keeping the heavy breather, pc v, and sideshots.

 

The 1200/1250 conversion is the most cost effective. Depending on the route you take and if you do it yourself, it can cost anywhere from about $800-$2000 with the tuner. I'd say it can be done for about $1400 on average if done at an indy with the tuner. About $1000 with the tuner if you do it yourself.

Getting a Dyna, while a great bike, won't be cost effective from a dollar or power to weight ratio. Many buy a factory 1200 and are happy with them. But if you already have the 883, the conversion is the way to go.

 

My 1200 kit made a huge difference!
Kit $1200, Tuner $420, clutch kit and clutch tool $140.
But I saved doing the work myself, for me it was money well spent.
I turned around and sold the air filter kit that came with the 1200 kit for $120.

 

NRHS or Hammer?