883 - and how I wanted to hate this bike.

[Edbear]

I've just high lighted all the negitives u comment on, and u still want to buy the bike

Hmmmm..... I see your point, but despite everything everyone says, there definitely is something about Harley's and the Sportster is my pick of them. The 883 is a great looking, great sounding, around town and short hop fun bike. Not intended to be a tourer, the Sportster range is about looks and sound!

[phill-k]

Hmmmm..... I see your point, but despite everything everyone says, there definitely is something about Harley's and the Sportster is my pick of them. The 883 is a great looking, great sounding, around town and short hop fun bike. Not intended to be a tourer, the Sportster range is about looks and sound!

Just make sure u try the M50 before u jump

[Crasherfromwayback]

Just make sure u try the M50 before u jump

Sorry dude. I sell M50's AND 883's, and the 883 is a far better and much more fun bike to ride.

[wysper]

Make up your mind!!

Never see you riding these days anyway,

and there is one of the main reasons I am looking to change my bike.

I've just high lighted all the negitives u comment on, and u still want to buy the bike

but really the only 'negative' is the vibration, and that is just the awesomeness of the v-twin.
As for the sore arse, the DR is about 90 min lol

Just make sure u try the M50 before u jump

I plan to.

Sorry dude. I sell M50's AND 883's, and the 883 is a far better and much more fun bike to ride.

thats why I sent you a pm. Make me an offer I can't refuse ....and one my wife can't either lol

[Edbear]

Just make sure u try the M50 before u jump

Well, I could hardly comment...

[Edbear]

Sorry dude. I sell M50's AND 883's, and the 883 is a far better and much more fun bike to ride.

There you go! You can ride them both and discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses with a guy who sells both!

[Crasherfromwayback]

thats why I sent you a pm. Make me an offer I can't refuse ....and one my wife can't either lol

And I appreciate you doing so. I'm back at work tomorrow, so I'll check what's avail and call you if you want.

[Crasherfromwayback]

There you go! You can ride them both and discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses with a guy who sells both!

Cheers mate. All bikes have both. At the end of the day, all motorcycles are a compromise of some sort. It's simply a matter of being honest with yourself, and buying the bike that has the least compromises for what you want it for.

[Edbear]

Cheers mate. All bikes have both. At the end of the day, all motorcycles are a compromise of some sort. It's simply a matter of being honest with yourself, and buying the bike that has the least compromises for what you want it for.

Perzackery! I can only have one, so hence the C50T, it's the best all-round compromise I've ever owned or ridden! Aside from that, it's just a bike I love - style and practicality and versatility all in one!

If I could, I'd have a DR650 V-Strom and a 1200 Sportster S and probably a Road King tourer. But I haven't made my millions yet...

[Motu]

I haven't ridden a late model Sporty ( I wouldn't want to,as I'd be in the same situation as the OP),but a mid '90's standard 883 is a bike I feel really happy on.They are flickable and come out of corners really strong...I'm not into dragging knees,but scrapping pegs is really my thing.The noise is a bonus.The tastes of someone who thinks a 1987 R65 is cutting edge may not define the motorcycle of today - but first thing on my LOTTO win list is a 48.

[AllanB]

I was really enjoying your review until you threw in the character card. Pisses me off as if the same crap people claim as 'character' on HD's etc featured on a Jap brand they would rubbish it as vibrating too much, temperamental to start etc. Every bike I've ever owned, be lent or test ridden had some form of 'character' - liking or affording it or not was a completely different matter!

Right - that's off my chest.

I personally highly rate the Sportsters and recent additions like the Nightster and 48 only add to the appeal. However the 883 is indeed a gutless motor best ignored - go straight to the 1200 Heck many of the 883's you see being sold have had a 1200cc kit fitted, those poor owners should have shelled out the small extra cost of getting the 1200 in the first place and spent the balance of $ they put towards the big bore kit on some decent suspension.

Just an opinion. Ride the 1200 before signing up the 883.

Girls bike - pifffff, pass me a leather mini skirt then, I rate the Sporster.

[Zamiam]

You're right. They aren't the most comfortable, best handling, best stopping or fastest bikes out there but they do have a certain appeal. Brother was looking at s victory, really nice bike. In the end he didn't go that way as "it's not a Harley".

Each to their own I reckon, I love my Fat Bob. Others love their Suzuki's etc. There're all fellow bikers. Ride what makes YOU feel good and f&@k what others think.

P.S. I'm not a Harley snob, I wave to scooter riders as well!

[Crasherfromwayback]

I was really enjoying your review until you threw in the character card. Pisses me off as if the same crap people claim as 'character' on HD's etc featured on a Jap brand they would rubbish it as vibrating too much, temperamental to start etc.

However the 883 is indeed a gutless motor best ignored - go straight to the 1200 Heck many of the 883's you see being sold have had a 1200cc kit fitted,

Girls bike - pifffff, pass me a leather mini skirt then, I rate the Sporster.

Sporties vibrate a whole lot less now the engine is rubber mounted (the did that from '04' onwards). They've never been hard to start.

Whilst the old carbed 883 was no power house, the injected ones ('07' onwards) go as well as the old carbed 1200's. An 883 is not expensive to turn into a 1200 either, probably around 2k, and then they actually go better than a 1200. Sound like bs I know, but it's true. The have a smaller combustion chamber, and inlet ports, so have a higer compression ratio and better inlet velocity when taken to 1200 than the 1200.

Having raced the old carbed 883's...I love people thinking they're girls bikes. A lot of people here have gone a lot slower at race tracks I've been to on their full on sports bikes than we were doing on the girls bikes. But I wore leathers, not the skirt.

Try an new 883, you may well be surprised and impressed.

[wysper]

I was really enjoying your review until you threw in the character card. Pisses me off as if the same crap people claim as 'character' on HD's etc featured on a Jap brand they would rubbish it as vibrating too much, temperamental to start etc.

I know what you are saying here, and it is a fair point. I was just trying to describe the rather intangible thing that when I was riding or looking at the sportster, it just grabbed me in some way the other cruisers I have looked at didn't. Even more than the Speedmaster so it wasn't just a anti jap thing - although that was how I phrased it.

You're right. They aren't the most comfortable, best handling, best stopping or fastest bikes out there but they do have a certain appeal.

Thats it for me, there was just a certain appeal, stripped down, basic, and in some ways kinda nasty. I loved it.

I don't ride from Ham to Well or for hours and hours every weekend. It will be my ride every day to work in all weathers bike. And escape some weekends when I can bike.
I think it would suit me to the ground.

Now I will just have to get used to people judging me because I ride a sporty.....

I have had practice....

I have had grief for riding the following....

A GN
A SV
A DR

LOL

Look at that... all Suzi's - other bikes I have ridden have only attracted minor shit slinging.
My two favourite bikes so far have been my GS500 (my first 'big' bike) and the SV, another girls bike but god it was fun and at almost always legal speeds.

[doc]

Not intended to be a tourer, the Sportster range is about looks and sound!

Where do people get these idea's from ?