Iron 883 one of the most beautiful and also maligned motorcycle

You can have it both ways, if you look hard enough. One of my bikes is a Harley XR1200, its a Harley that goes fast, handles and has pretty good brakes. It will play with my buddies on their Ducatis all day long. They just are a little hard to find, and they share almost no parts with any other Harley, but a lot of fun.
 
Loved when I had my 883.

Modified it quite a bit, quite a few times (drag bars, to ape bars, to drag bars), did the 1200 upgrade (which is better than 883, but the 883 tranny is geared differently than a legit 1200, so you run out of gear quite quickly), chopped the seat, and other little cool mods.

its a boot around town bike at best, no long runs. But fun to own.
 
Trials said:
You mean like a Honda Fury? :confused: didn't realize Honda products had a reputation for being disposable, I've had tremendous luck with their products.
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yes, Honda's are disposable
luckily they depreciate quickly
so you can just go get another the same

just like my Vulcan
I like it
but there's nothing special about it
if it gets stolen I'll just get on kijiji and find another bike
no attachment to it

of course there are exceptions
like a CBX, or an RZ500, and a few other Jap bikes
a Fury? nothing collectible there
 
they are great bikes, here is one I put together a few years ago 1250 kit, pipes, high flow air filter, PCV, upgraded rear suspension.......spent more on that bike than i'd like to admit, was a great coffee getter

PtEWWpj.jpg
 
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Wingboy said:
Is it? Lets see the weights of the comparable cruisers from other manufacturers.
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An XDiavel has way more features (larger fuel tank, dual disk brakes, abs, tc, etc...) , a 1200cc engine, yet is 20lbs lighter (wet weight) than an iron 883.
 
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Doctor T said:
An XDiavel has way more features (larger fuel tank, dual disk brakes, abs, tc, etc...) , a 1200cc engine, yet is 20lbs lighter (wet weight) than an iron 883.
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True.But i wouldn't put the Diavel,V-Rod or V-Max in the cruiser category.They are much more a performance bike than a cruiser.
 
I had an 883 with the 1200 kit. I could ride all day but got tired of having to look for a gas station every hour. It was a fun up to 50 MPH. I was asked to join in on an east coast tour but backed out after riding for an hour on my own at the speeds the others were planning. Simple maintenance and good dealer support.
 
Starting to sound like one of those "best in class" car commercials. Their product is always the best in class because everything else is in a different class.
 
I’m a former owner of a few. I’ll likely own another.

It fits the bill for many. Loathed by others.

You love it? Buy it and ride it and enjoy it.




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I like them personally. Not a lot of time for doing full day trips anymore so would like one. I sat on one recently and wanted to buy it...price was right (around 5k which is my max) but it looked neglected and shook like a bastard when started up. I think it's definitely up there and I'd like to own one for a season or two. I read the gas tanks are small so need to stop often but in the city it's not an issue. Any recommendations what to look for within 5k. The Iron is a beautiful bike, but just out of my range. And I think ABS only came in around 2014 IIRC.
 
mimico_polak said:
... shook like a bastard when started up ...
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:I know a lady who really liked that about them, but then all of a sudden she would be done with it and just wanted to get off.
 
mimico_polak said:
I like them personally. Not a lot of time for doing full day trips anymore so would like one. I sat on one recently and wanted to buy it...price was right (around 5k which is my max) but it looked neglected and shook like a bastard when started up. I think it's definitely up there and I'd like to own one for a season or two. I read the gas tanks are small so need to stop often but in the city it's not an issue. Any recommendations what to look for within 5k. The Iron is a beautiful bike, but just out of my range. And I think ABS only came in around 2014 IIRC.
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You can find plenty of clean examples in the 3500-5000 range.

The versions that are 10 years old and newer are typically fuel injected, rubber mounted engine which makes for easy starting and generally smoother ride. What I’d look for is, suspension mods that improve the ride over what “looks” better. Which means there are some folks that swap out the rear shocks for a slammed look and it rides like crap.

Stock suspension it OK but, it’s still not the greatest.

The other draw back to the FI models is the additional weight and an access point to the transmission was removed. Commonly referred to as the trap door. (I never found it to be a problem as the transmission is pretty good)

If you are willing to get with a carb model with solid mount engine, they are lighter.

The most common model out there is the “C” or custom. And then a whole bunch of other models for sellers to advertise how special and unique it is.

The Nightster is cool version that sells on the high side for its desirability.

Range is mixed based on mods and the tank size. They come from 2.1 gallon to 4.5 gallons. If going with a carb bike, you have the advantage of running until the reserve and then switching it over and finding a place to fuel up. FI models, the low fuel light comes on and it’s a bit of a gamble.

Cons to an older carb bike if it’s stock, the ignition module can flake out. It can be a challenge to diagnose and expensive to replace. The rest is easy enough.

If you are willing to cross the border occasionally, there are plenty of cheap parts to be found. Or be patient and you can find them locally for a deal too.

What you see listed is what people what to sell them for. If you watch them, the price will fall or talk to the seller, you’ll get a better feel for what they want for it.

They are the same as any bike really. If they are abused, you’ll see it. If they are well care for, you’ll see it.

I had a 2001 Custom with drag bars and chromed out with ruby red metal flake paint. Spoke front wheel, stage one mods which is slip on exhaust, high flow A/C and carb tuned for the additional air flow. Bought it for $5000 and sold it for $4500 plus a bunch of parts I accumulated such as seats etc.

Let my 2008 Roadster go for $5000 earlier this year and the buyer wanted it stock so, I sold the extras over some time and made a few more $$$.

Google XL Forum. It’s mostly US owners but, many Canadian and UK owners. You’ll see some listings as well.












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nakkers said:
You can find plenty of clean examples in the 3500-5000 range.

The versions that are 10 years old and newer are typically fuel injected, rubber mounted engine which makes for easy starting and generally smoother ride. What I’d look for is, suspension mods the improve the ride over what “looks” better. Which means there are some folks that swap out the rear shocks for a slammed look and it rides like crap.

Stock suspension it OK but, it’s still not the greatest.

The other draw back to the FI models is the additional weight and an access point to the transmission was removed. Commonly referred to as the trap door. (I never found it to be a problem as the transmission is pretty good)

If you are willing to get with a carb model with solid mount engine, they are lighter.

The most common model out there is the “C” or custom. And then a whole bunch of other models for sellers to advertise how special and unique it is.

The Nightster is cool version that sells on the high side for its desirability.

Range is mixed based on mods and the tank size. They come from 2.1 gallon to 4.5 gallons. If going with a carb bike, you have the advantage of running until the reserve and then switching it over and finding a place to fuel up. FI models, the low fuel light comes on and it’s a bit of a gamble.

Cons to an older carb bike if it’s stock, the ignition module can flake out. It can be a challenge to diagnose and expensive to replace. The rest is easy enough.

If you are willing to cross the border occasionally, there are plenty of cheap parts to be found. Or be patient and you can find them locally for a deal too.

What you see listed is what people what to sell them for. If you watch them, the price will fall or talk to the seller, you’ll get a better feel for what they want for it.

They are the same as any bike really. If they are abused, you’ll see it. If they are well care for, you’ll see it.

I had a 2001 Custom with drag bars and chromed out with ruby red metal flake paint. Spoke front wheel, stage one mods which is slip on exhaust, high flow A/C and car tuned for the additional air flow. Bought it for $5000 and sold it for $4500 plus a bunch of parts I accumulated such as seats etc.

Let my 2008 Roadster go for $5000 earlier this year and the buyer wanted it stock so, I sold the extras over some time and made a few more $$$.

Google XL Forum. It’s mostly US owners but, many Canadian and UK owners. You’ll see some listings as well.












Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Awesome thanks for that summary Nakkers! Really appreciate it. I'm still unsure but it's a good starting point as I'd definitely prefer the EFI instead of the carb. Although I've had issues finding something within 10 years that's not modified, and that's within my range....seems people are asking fairly big cash IMHO for the bikes.
 
Before I blew my winter project bike budget on a non-project R6, I had been looking at 70's kickstart shovelheads.
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