So i'm brand new to the motorcycle world and have a few questions, I have an 05 883l I picked up a couple days ago so onto the questions.
1. All the links in the stickies seem broken, is it because im a new member?
2. Can I get just a k&N or equivalent air cleaner, or should I get a whole new A/C assembly?
3. The guy at the dealership made it sound like I needed a tune every time I add an upgrade, is this true?
4. I want to add some pipes first, i've gathered that slip ons are fine as opposed to a system.

Thats all for now thanks everybody and I look forward to being part of the community.

pic of bike https://flic.kr/p/nsa6Vi

 

2.Can I get just a k&N or equivalent air cleaner, or should I get a whole new A/C assembly?

-Buy a new assembly

3. The guy at the dealership made it sound like I needed a tune every time I add an upgrade, is this true?

-For exhaust only, no. For exhaust and air upgrades yes probably

4. I want to add some pipes first, i've gathered that slip ons are fine as opposed to a system.

Do it, they're cheap and definitely help the engine breathe better.

 

1. As a new member you are restricted to what you can do, until your post count reaches something like 8 or 10, so not long to go!
2. If you still have the original airbox, which is a sort of silencer, you can do one of two things: remove the moulded plastic backplate and cut it about, or replace it with an air filter kit. The second is simplest!
3. There is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation where mods to recent bikes is concerned, so take everything you read and hear with a lot of salt! Read the sticky in the Tech Ignition section on why efi bikes need to be tuned. Your bike when new was made to meet strict EPA regulations on exhaust emissions and any mods can make matters worse not better, unless compensated for. It's a long topic to cover here.
4. A change of pipes etc can improve performance, but also lean out fuelling. If you add an air filter you get more performance, but will need to adjust things, as your dealer said. Do it all at the same time and tune once.

 

http://www.nightrider.com/parts/ied_faq.htm

This is a great place to see what others are doing. It is also the worst place to ask what and why any mods need to be done. The link I gave will explain.

If your motivation is to keep up with the Jonses then good luck, you will never catch up and never be happy. If your motivation is for a better ride then get what will work for you, not what someone here bolted on blindly because 90% of the peeps here did it.

Unlike many here I ride, I am not into the oh did they hear me ride by or washing the bike on a sunny no humidity 70 degree day. All I have done is pop the baffle disc, removed the intake snorkel restrictor and drilled lots of big holes in the back air cleaner cover and X14IEDs. Also took a rattle can to a bunch of chrome because that chit is gay. Make it how you want it.

Before anyone can help out with your mods let us know what the bike is for, status symbol, daily rider in any weather, wax on wax off practice, to look at in the garage hours on end. Whats YOUR motivation to mod. First thing any Harley owner should do is ditch the horrible Harley spec tires. No matter the suspension mod them tires make the ride far worse and have horrible wet traction. Everyone seems to dump thousands on a bike for performance and never dump them terrible tires. All it tells me is they do not actually ride the thing, what a waste of performance parts.

Whatever your motivation and what you do post more pics along the way. The reason I love this place is just looking at what people waste money on after I get done riding.

Scroll down to exhaust pipes.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/HP2.html

Notice how just popping out the baffle discs give 93% of the same power as the best after market pipes and more than most after market pipes. Something you can do for free at home. If performance is the motivator you can get a bunch for free. Or just buy a K&N and an IED product, for less than $200.00 you will be getting the same or most likely better performance as people spending a couple K.

What ever you decide to do, do not do it blindly based on what someone on a forum says and stay away from advice that is nothing more than a tuners snazzy advertising thrown up on someones keyboard and reposted.

Just do some research before you mod.

 

I agree that less is more when it comes to chrome. I want it loud mostly so I have a better chance of being heard, anybody from arizona knows that our roads are filled with retarded chimps, and because loud=26% more cooler.
Thanks for the info peeps, and the manual says only dunlop HD tires but I assume thats nonsense

 

Guys, a 2005 model is carbureted. EFI came out in 2007.

 

Run the tires you want. Dunlops are engineered to run on Harleys, but who cares? The tire debate is almost as wicked as the oil thing.
New guys think chrome is ghey because they don't understand its origins. You clean chrome. You don't polish it. You polish aluminum, which is more difficult than cleaning chrome. Chrome is clear. What you see shining is the Nickel under the chrome. Before chrome, guys spent a lot of time polshing Nickel-plate. The chrome "top-coat" did away with the need to polish, and became highly desirable after WWII. Guys with rat bikes didn't build them that way back in the day. That's all they could afford. I bet a lot of 'em coveted nice, clean, shiney chrome. Building a rat bike is the biggest poseur thing you can do. Having a dirty, rusty bike will only get you so far with the ladies. Once they figure out your poseur game, it's Game Over. You can pick up a trashy ***** with a rat bike or a clean bike, but you don't need a bike for that. Target the smarter, wealthier chicks with good looking Moms (they grow up to look like their Mom, if they look like their Dad, be scared). If you're into the "find 'em, fool 'em and forget 'em" mode of life, carry on. I don't spend hours cleaning chrome. I spend minutes, and it looks fantastic. However, I still belive to each their own. Hot-rod black (flat black or black primer) and brushed aluminum can look cool, and I'd agree there's no place for chrome in that color schematic, but make it nice for Jeebus sake. Show some self respect.
An '05 Sportster is carb'ed. Some of these posts sound like they're assuming you have a fuel infected bike. Read about and look at pictures for modding the stock air cleaner. If that doesn't appeal to you, there are a crap-ton of ready-to-install options. I like Figure Machine. Some guys go with an oil collection system rather than an air cleaner that directs the crank vent oil mist to the intake. There's a thread about a 10 dollar, round air cleaner around here, somewhere. Mod or buy what you want. You can use slip-ons without changing the carb's jet, but you'll want to drill out the air/fuel mixture screw cover and re-jet the carb with new mufflers/full exhaust and an air cleaner swap. You shouldn't need to re-jet again unless you do some head work and different cams. You can also make that 883 a 1200 with new jugs and pistons. There's nothing bad about leaving it an 883, though.