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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:28:56 AM EDT
[#1]
Premature double postulation
And I owns page too bitches! |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:32:51 AM EDT
[#2]
Get a VStar, save a ton of money, slap some Vance & Hines pipes on it and cherish the thousands of dollars you saved.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:36:10 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
Quoted:
The Iron is a nice looking bike, but the Sportsters make a lot of guys look like they are too big for their bikes. The "hardcore" HD guys refer to any Sportster as a girl's bike. Not true.....Actually the hardcore HD guys appreciate that a 1200 Sportster will wax their ass.......Its the target Harley Demographic dressed like a Pirate that calls them girls bikes... when I get too old and mine starts to scare me I will sell it and get a bigger/heavier bike....... Yep. My 1200 Sporty is faster and quicker than both of my Softails, and gets 50 MPG to their 40 MPG. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:37:44 AM EDT
[#4]
Leave it to Harley for 883cc's to not be enough...
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:52:43 AM EDT
[#5]
I've always loved the look of this bike
Rough Crafts "Iron Guerilla" made from an 883 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:08:09 AM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
I've always loved the look of this bike Rough Crafts "Iron Guerilla" made from an 883 http://www.bikeexif.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/harley-davidson-sportster-a.jpg http://www.bikeexif.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/harley-davidson-sportster-c.jpg http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Custom%20Bikes/Harley%20Iron%20Guerilla%20by%20Rough%20Crafts%20%201.jpg That is sweet!!! Patrick |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:11:37 AM EDT
[#7]
Start with the 883.
When you want to, later on it is easy to pump it up to 1200. My preference is with the Carl's speed shop conversion. Add to that some performance pipes and an S&S carb with a Screamin Eagle ignition module and you will have some excellent performance gains for just a bit more than the stock 1200. my old Sportster before 
After 
my other Harley 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:12:36 AM EDT
[#8]
Slow, chick's bike.
If you're going Sportster, for god's sake go XR1200. At least get a quick engine and good brakes.  |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:16:45 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
Can we stop with any comparison to Harley's and Speed? Seriously, its embarrassing. I get it if you dig the look, but performance? No. It's not about speed. It's about having enough ass to get out of its own way. I had an 883 sportser. I'm same size as the OP. The bike was fun and I had a blast on it. The girls don't care if the HD guys think it's a girls bike.  It's a chick magnet.
With that said, the 883 is seriously underpowered. Going up steep hills or trying to take the girlfriend on a short cruise was taxing to the little piglet. It's also too small to be comfortable on. It was just OK after I put hwy pegs with forward controls on it. I don't care to go fast AT ALL but I sure would choose a bigger bike for a guy my size. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:23:19 AM EDT
[#10]
http://www.xlforum.net
The ARFCOM for sportsters and a very good bunch of guys. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:27:40 AM EDT
[#11]
Yep. Great site. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:30:12 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Tell me about it. Thinking of making this my first bike purchase. Going to look at some this week for fitment. I am 6'0 195lbs. http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Media/images/2011-Motorcycles/photo_gallery/pg_spxl883n_dom_bs.jpg You'll be trading it in for a bigger bike in less than 6 months. Quoted:
Just cause I know a few guys that have picked up Streetbob's (and other dyna's of the same years) or the last few months for 7-9k with low miles and mods.....here is mine. http://i827.photobucket.com/albums/zz191/vinsil1/IMG_2624.jpg I'd look used and you'll find the market flooded and full of great deals. My Street Bob parts are at the powdercoater right now. 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:32:52 AM EDT
[#13]
The best use for an 883 is to have it built out to 1200 w/ NRHS parts! Way more power and torque than a stock 1200 - then have it mapped out. My 1996 883 converted to 1200 was WAY more fun than my tuned up Nightster.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:34:29 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
The Iron is a nice looking bike, but the Sportsters make a lot of guys look like they are too big for their bikes. The "hardcore" HD guys refer to any Sportster as a girl's bike. Also, this is bullshit. I know a lot of "hardcore" HD guys that ride sportys, though usually chopped, hardtailed, and ratted out. Anyone calling Sportsters a "girls bike" is a poser wannabe who probably trailers his bike to events, or has something to compensate for. There's a reason the sporty is one of their best selling bikes. People that spew that "girls bike" bullshit are total insecure faggots. 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:36:51 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Quoted:
The Iron is a nice looking bike, but the Sportsters make a lot of guys look like they are too big for their bikes. The "hardcore" HD guys refer to any Sportster as a girl's bike. There's a reason the sporty is one of their best selling bikes. Because it's their cheapest. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:37:03 AM EDT
[#16]
this lol
 Quoted: It is obnoxiously slow. That said, it is your first bike, not your last. Buy a used Japanese POS, ride it for a year, drop it three or four times (including once in your driveway and once at a stoplight), and then get what you really want. You're going to ignore me and get a brand new HD as your first bike, so make sure you post pics of the first scratch you put on it so I can say, "I told you so." Good luck and enjoy life on two wheels. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:37:43 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
The best use for an 883 is to have it built out to 1200 w/ NRHS parts! Way more power and torque than a stock 1200 - then have it mapped out. My 1996 883 converted to 1200 was WAY more fun than my tuned up Nightster. +1250 NRHS does an excellent job. My wife's bike is a firebreathing demon (as far as sportsters go) after the Stage III 1250 kit, some cams, and a new exhaust. This is one of the reasons that I prefer the 883. You can end up with a much more solid and powerful engine for less money than just buying a 1200 to start out with. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:42:45 AM EDT
[#18]
My first bike was the 03 Sportster Anniversary edition. Great bike to learn on, I never layed it down and I enjoyed riding it. I don't have anything against it but I don't think I'll go back to a Harley, although that Iron does look damn good
(I did lay my CBR down, in my garage  )
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Posted: 3/12/2012 5:57:14 AM EDT
[#19]
I had a similar sportster as my first bike. Great bike, and a perfect fist bike. Mine held it's value well which is nice when you want to upgrade in the future or decide to move on from motorcycles.
The only thing that is a problem is that bike will be way to small without the forward foor controls. In that pic it has the standard Sportster controls, and the bike was barely big enough for me with the forward controls. I am 5'11". Enjoy it! I wish I could get another!! |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 6:59:56 AM EDT
[#20]
The only thing that is a problem is that bike will be way to small without the forward foor controls. In that pic it has the standard Sportster controls, and the bike was barely big enough for me with the forward controls. I am 5'11".
This. I test ride one every few years at a local rally & I'm about your size & I always feel cramped with the standard controls. It feels like my knees are up under my chin. I recommend the forward controls, either bought that way (Sorry, I can't remember which model Sportster that is) or added later. As far as power, it depends what you are planning to do with the bike. If you're just going to ride around a big city sometimes, or use it as a bar hopper (not that I recommend drinking & driving), 883 is probably OK. OTOH, if you're planning any serious highway time or you'll have a passenger, it wouldn't hurt to have the bigger engine. You could start out with it as an 883 & build it out to a 1200 later if you find that you don't have enough power. It ain't cheap though, probably several grand. I think that the Sportster took a huge leap forward when they rubber mounted the engine. That was probably almost ten years ago, so keep that in mind if you look for a used one. You won't want to get one older than that. The shakes take all the fun out of riding the Sportster. Good luck.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:05:15 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Girl's bike. +1 you will want more power in a hurry....Go big or go home. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:16:47 AM EDT
[#22]
By the time you buy that and a trailer to haul it on (required HD equipment), you could have a really nice bike.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:18:09 AM EDT
[#23]
Check here: http://www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-models-10/
I think that at your size, something larger and more comfortable would be appropriate, but only you know you. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:19:47 AM EDT
[#24]
im 6' also and started on a 883 for my first hd.(had jap bikes before that) the sporty was a blast but after a couple years it just wasnt enough, so i traded up for a dyna as well
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:24:43 AM EDT
[#25]
883 sportsters are considered "woman's bikes" in Harley circles. You'll be trading up in a year or spending your life savings on Screamin' Eagle parts to show the guys on their big 'Glides that you have a Fast Woman's Bike.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:30:07 AM EDT
[#26]
"Hardcore HD Guys" dont refer to sporties as girls bikes........only evo riders do.......ask Sonny Barger how girly they are!!!.....
Nice looking, reliable,rideable bike, but there aint nothing "iron" about it.......needs more kickstart and magneto .......
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:34:27 AM EDT
[#27]
Get what you like. You'll have a few horses' behinds who will insist your bike isn't "cool" because they spent more money. People are like that. Ignore them as best you can unless you like being judged by how much money you spend. I am always amused by how some rugged individualists get all butt hurt if you don't ride and wear exactly what they like.
Most of the "real" bikers I know don't give a rats ass what you ride. The 883 is an around-town and short day trip kind of ride. It is not in any way, shape, or form, suited for long distance riding. I know of very few cagers who can hang with it red light to red light. They're fun little bikes. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:37:24 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
You will want more power in a hurry....Go big or go home. They are ridiculously underpowered. The Piaggio scooters we have at work are faster. Quoted:
.......ask Sonny Barger how girly they are!!! He hasn't ridden one in decades. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:43:54 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
Start with the 883. When you want to, later on it is easy to pump it up to 1200. My preference is with the Carl's speed shop conversion. Add to that some performance pipes and an S&S carb with a Screamin Eagle ignition module and you will have some excellent performance gains for just a bit more than the stock 1200. my old Sportster before http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/JUNEJACKET6.jpg After http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/SPTCHPTEST3.jpg my other Harley http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/BRASSTACKS.jpg[/quote How much acid did you drop when you built the pan? I dig it though, My biggest problem with sporty's for a commuter bike is I have to get on the highway and they don't have a sixth gear. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:44:35 AM EDT
[#30]
Quoted:
Quoted:
You will want more power in a hurry....Go big or go home. They are ridiculously underpowered. The Piaggio scooters we have at work are faster. Quoted:
.......ask Sonny Barger how girly they are!!! He hasn't ridden one in decades. To compound matters I believe he's into Jap bikes now...................LOL! |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:45:55 AM EDT
[#31]
When I first started looking at HDs I looked at Sportsters because of the price. But I ended up with a mint used Dyna off of Craigslist (thanks to the suggestion from navvet) and I'm glad I got the bigger bike. But a Softail really fits me like a glove. I'm about your size.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 7:47:55 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
You will want more power in a hurry....Go big or go home. They are ridiculously underpowered. The Piaggio scooters we have at work are faster. Quoted:
.......ask Sonny Barger how girly they are!!! He hasn't ridden one in decades. To compound matters I believe he's into Jap bikes now...................LOL! He's stated numerous times over the years that they shouldn't have tied themselves to just harleys. He's said a few times that he would rather ride a BMW. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:04:59 AM EDT
[#33]
Sonny rides a victory right now.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:08:43 AM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Girl's bike. +1 you will want more power in a hurry....Go big or go home. 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:14:19 AM EDT
[#35]
I'm quite sure you're going to ignore this post but as a long time rider who's made it to 50 years old I'd recommend you set your ego aside and buy an inexpensive bike and actually learn HOW to ride a motorcycle, once you've mastered the HOW, you can move to the what... Take the MSF course and whatever other courses are offered in your area, read everything you can by Keith Code, David Hough and Lee Parks and practice, practice, practice your techinques in parking lots until it's second nature, spend your first season on the bike riding as much as you can... Then buy yourself a new bike...
Edited to add: I neglected to mention Jerry “Motorman” Palladino in the list of reading you should be doing, I'd bet most people here on ARFcom with bigger bikes would benefit from his classes...
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:22:11 AM EDT
[#36]
I have a real nice FXR I'd let go.
AB |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:23:50 AM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
I have a real nice FXR I'd let go. AB Miss my FXR 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:36:20 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
Start with the 883. When you want to, later on it is easy to pump it up to 1200. My preference is with the Carl's speed shop conversion. Add to that some performance pipes and an S&S carb with a Screamin Eagle ignition module and you will have some excellent performance gains for just a bit more than the stock 1200. my old Sportster before http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/JUNEJACKET6.jpg After http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/SPTCHPTEST3.jpg my other Harley http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/leadbutt/BRASSTACKS.jpg Post 556 is excellent.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:47:25 AM EDT
[#39]
too big
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Posted: 3/12/2012 8:49:11 AM EDT
[#40]
I wouldn't buy new. You can snatch them up used pretty cheap. If it is going to be your only bike you will get tired of it fast and lose money when you upgrade.
I would love to have one as a second bike for buzzing around town. This is my personal bike... 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 10:28:48 AM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Go for the 1200 if you like the fit of the Sportster. You'll grow tired of the weak 883 real quick, first bike or not. this This is true. Get the bigger motor. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 10:57:15 AM EDT
[#42]
You are going to be cramped on that bike. I recommend something with a softail suspension, get a used big twin / softtail instead.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 11:20:22 AM EDT
[#43]
Quoted:
It is obnoxiously slow. That said, it is your first bike, not your last. Buy a used Japanese POS, ride it for a year, drop it three or four times (including once in your driveway and once at a stoplight), and then get what you really want. You're going to ignore me and get a brand new HD as your first bike, so make sure you post pics of the first scratch you put on it so I can say, "I told you so." Good luck and enjoy life on two wheels.
Don't listen to this guy. Not everybody drops their bike. I started on a nighthawk 250 when I was 15. Bought my 03 zx6r and full leathers/gear as an 18th bday present to myself, never dropped it in two years. Sold it for an F150 downpayment and kept riding the 250 that had been collecting dust to offset gas of the truck. Just dropped the 250 for the first time 8 years after starting to ride when a Marta bus cut me off and I dumped it doing about 20, that was due mostly to original 20 year old tires and brakes My former ZX6R 
And the nighthawk 250 has been through some changes.... (My bro rode the 250 while I had my zixxer) 
Currently: 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 12:54:04 PM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
im 6' also and started on a 883 for my first hd.(had jap bikes before that) the sporty was a blast but after a couple years it just wasnt enough, so i traded up for a dyna as well http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y46/devilman13xx/IMAG0011.jpg LOL, I'm pretty sure I saw you on 95 about 5-6 months ago. |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 2:48:16 PM EDT
[#45]
Quoted:
They look ok stock... and you can make them look awesome with pretty minimal mods. BUT.. even for a first bike, you will outgrow the 883 pretty quick, I think. The biggest downfall for you will be the size, I think. They are pretty small bikes, and at 6'0" and almost 200lbs, you will likely look a little cramped on it. This |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 3:36:59 PM EDT
[#46]
Took my bike out for the first ride of the season today, and for the first time, I hit a bird.
Felt like a little Nerf ball in the chest. THAT wakes you up.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 3:50:34 PM EDT
[#47]
Quoted:
I say go for it PS - You're tall for a chick
. 
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Posted: 3/12/2012 3:53:10 PM EDT
[#48]
I say get something bigger...an 883 converted to 1200 was the bike i learned on/my first bike...Outgrew it very quick...I am 6'2 , same weigh though.
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:14:32 PM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Go for the 1200 if you like the fit of the Sportster. You'll grow tired of the weak 883 real quick, first bike or not. I dig the dark HD's....not a fan of the chromed out whore bikes some HD guys ride. FYI...if you plan to do some longer rides or anything, might consider a Dyna for more comfort. I ride a Streetbob myself and I'm happy all around. I don't look down on the Sportsters and those who call them girl bikes most likely has not run against one, the 1200's are some of HD's fastest bikes (excluding the vrod).You will probably outgrow the 883 real quick 
Stock XL883 heads with NRHS Competition Valve Job & Chamber Relief work NRHS/Axtell 1250 kit Stock header with SE Slip-ons SE .536 Cams SE Air Cleaner Stock carburetor Stock Ignition http://nrhsperformance.com/index.shtml I did the same work above to my 883, except I stayed with 1212cc's, had a higher flowing air cleaner, a 2:1 exhaust and a DYNATEK ignition. I would smoke my FIL's Road King at will! |
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Posted: 3/12/2012 4:27:18 PM EDT
[#50]
Years ago i had a sporty, MEH, now i got me a softtail.
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