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Question regarding the 833 vs the 1200

I bought an 2006 883 2 years ago as my first starter bike. I would say now that I would have bought a 1200 if I could afford the bigger bike. after 2 years, I am planning an upgrade. I had ridden some 900 ninja's some 25 years ago, but in-between was waiting to buy my first HD. I love my 883 and will keep it for the time being. The dealer offered me 3k for it which I thought was a joke. I plan on eventually selling to someone that will love it for not much more than the dealer would have liked to swindle it from me. For me the 883, was a perfect starter bike. Nothing wrong with upgrading once your "starter" days are over.
 
Wow! lots of post here. I got my 2007 883 in Jan. of 2008 as a left over. Rode metrics most of my life. Still have one in the shed. 1981 650 inline four. Big switch to a V-twin. I was told if you can put both feet flat on the ground on the bike, you could ride it. It's true. As for the 883's yes, insurance wise you are better off. You can change it to a 1200 in a heart beat. Less than a 1000 bucks. Every thing that was said about the 883 is true. It will rock your world. When I got my sled I felt it was under powered. Put a full stage one on it. Now I eat 1340's with it. No joke. The 883 has the lowest gears for any bike that HD makes. It's why they are so fast. If I hit second gear hard it will flip the bike if I don't let off. So here's my two cent's, get the 883, it's a great bike, you can always upgrade to something bigger. Best of luck, keep it in the wind, HOLLYWOOD..............
 
Biker dude...neither the 883 or the 1200 are "starter bikes" if by that you mean you have little or no experience. Get a Kawasaki 500 if that's the case. If you have some experience than either one will be GREAT! Forget the nonsense about "girls bike". True HD lovers know that the original spirit of the brand is found in the Sporty class. The truth of the matter is if you don't plan on cruising cross country and back and just want a bike to cruise town or go on weekend jaunts to the mountains either one has all you ever need. I've had both an 883 and a 1200, they both can do 80-90 no sweat and are great in the twisties not to mention MUCH easier on the wallet...Just get a sundowner bucket seat, forget the windshield and ride! And please don't think ya need to trade it in in 6 months to get somethin bigger...you don't.
 
I'm also a new rider. I have had my Harley for just under a year. My starter bike is a Heritage Softail Classic. It is the perfect starter bike for me. It is very easy to handle. Just my 2c
 
The main characteristic of an Harley respect with a metric is the weight.
Harley's are the heaviest bikes around (compared to an equivalent metric model in term of features).
They're all made of IRON.
Because of this, a HD can give problems to an unexperienced pilot when maneuvering at low speed.
The only way to reduce this effect is to lower the masses, in particular the engine, thus lowering the center of gravity.
The seat height is important to choose the proper bike: big twins have a lower center of gravity than Sporties, because of a lower engine and a lower seat.
Conclusion: the Sporty is NOT for rookies, better a Big Twin, but if you never rode a motorcycle.... practice with something lighter first! :s

Ciao
Ugo
 
Bikerdude,
I cannot add much more to the excellent advice offered in some of the previous posts.

My experience - I had riden small displacement metric bikes for about 7-8 years. I then remained dismounted for 25 years. When I got a 1200 sportster last summer, it was almost my first scoot.

To address your questions based on my experience:
1. There are better ‘starter’ bikes than anything HD makes. There is not much difference between riding a 883 or a 1200 in terms of the necessary skills and abilities. Both are serious motor vehicles. You are a rider with < 1yr experience on smaller bikes; you are very wise to seek out advice before moving to something bigger. Therefore you probably have a fair amount of mental maturity. If you feel comfortable on a sportster, then go for it with boldness and confidence. (Note: Take you brains on every ride. Leave any road rage and competitive inclinations behind. Ride it not like you stole it, but like your grandma would have to fix it.)

2. The 883 is not a ‘starter’ bike, but they can very easily be upped in displacement with conversion kits. Many have. The result is identical to a production 1200. (BTW, does anyone know why H-D charges such a huge price difference between comparable 883s and 1200s? The cylinder bore, pistons and spockets are the main components involved and I believe the manufacturing costs for labor, materials, etc. are almost the same. Someone, please tell me if I’m wrong here, but I smell 'rip off'. For financial considerations, I would recommend searching out the best deal on an 883, then for only a few hundred $ have the cylinders bores out, add new pistons, maybe re-gear, and ride away on a sleeper 1200.)

3. See 1 above.

Also I cannot refrain from adding the following safety advice. With any sporty use caution in low speed parking lot maneuvers as you can capsize easily. (Crash bars are a good idea.) The throttle return spring is way too light. Stay off those leaves in the Fall. Never trust a cage.

Please give us a final update on what you decide.
 
Hey Bikerdude,

Loads of good advice and experiences in this thread but here's my penny's worth:

I came back to motorcycling at the very start of '09 having been away from bikes for over about 20 years. For safety sake and the peace of mind of my good lady, I did the full training course over the course of 5 days and did the direct access test here in the UK all over again. I had done my lessons on Suzuki and Kwaka 600s and had my XL883 at home in the garage already bought the month before I began my course, ready for the day I passed my test.

When I got home having passed, I took the 883 out and found it a very heavy beastie compared to what I had been riding. I'm a small guy (5'7'') but fairly strong in spite of my lack of altitude and soon got the feel of the Sporty. Since starting on it, I have test ridden Soft Tails, Dynas and a Road King (RK will be my next HD) but I have to say, none of them match the exhilaration of flicking the Sporty around the bends and the twisties. The longest I've ridden on it is about 110 miles and it was fine (a little lower back stiffness but nothing much). I love the low rev torque that it gives you and I always smile at how "agricultural machinary" - which is how some of the snotty ill-informed motorbike press refers to HD engines - can leave most other road users for dead taking off from traffic lights lol. I've done Stage 1 and that makes a sweet difference too.

But like most humans - I hanker for more of what I like the taste of, so as we speak, she's in the dealership for the 1200 rebore.

I've decided to keep to the 883 sprocket for the present which means I'll be loosing a bit of top end speed but getting even more lower gear torque compared to a factory 1200. My poor back tyre - :lolrolling

People, including HD folk, who call Sporties a girl's bike (no offence ladies:hii) or a half-bike are just displaying, what I will call for kindness' sake, a lack of understanding of the fine points of a Sporty.

So for me, an oldie back as a newbie, the Sporty has been a very successful starter bike. My only advice is pick a bike you really feel comfortable with - and that means trying them out. I was lucky - because I bought first and then rode it. That could've been an expensive error but I hadn't been getting my education here on HDtalking back then to know any better:s
 
I think youve ridden long enough now to know when you find the right bike, I went from a smaller bike not a Harley in the beginning to a Road King I knew that was the bike for me at the time even though I was a little nervous not being used to its size ,and not long after it becomes second nature, I found most people tend to try and steer you towards what they like, only natural , but I think the best advice Ive heard here is to go to the dealer with an open mind look and try everything big or small that you like youll know what ride is for you when you find it Have Fun!
 
Here's my 2 cents worth. I had never rode a motorcycle (other than a moped at the beach) until Jan. 2008. I had the same issue as you with what "starter bike" to buy. I'm 6'5 / 265lbs. If you are going in with the idea that it is a "Starter Bike" you will want another bike in a short amount of time. That's why it's called a starter bike. After alot of thought, I decided my first bike would be a 2008 Road King and before you call me crazy hear me out. When riding a bike (as a new rider)usually the fear of riding comes from tipping the bike over due to the weight. All the controls, shifters and pedals are the same on most all HD's so the only real issue to deal with is the weight. I'm my opinion when 500-600 pounds (Sportster) starts to fall there is not much difference between 600-and 800 (Road King) pounds. If you take the Riders Safety Course before you buy the bike you will have the basics of starting/stopping/shifting and that will allow you to be able to control the bike without the fear of learning to balance as well as all the other things at the same time. I think most tip overs for new riders are from a lack of knowledge, such as using the front brake at slow speeds. The saftey course will make you aware of such things and help prevent accidents. In my opinion learning to ride a bike is the same no matter the size. If you start out slow and understand that it requires your total concentration while riding, learning is learning. If weight is your concern, learn all you can to manage the weight and the rest is all the same. If you take this approach you will not need a starter bike, you can purchase the bike you want to end up with and save yourself the time and money required to upgrade. I am sure many will disagree with me but this is my story and what worked for me.

PS. Never let a guy that walks with a limp tell you how to ride.
 
I'd go straight for the 1200. There are plenty of mods you can do to either 883 or 1200 to get some more performance out of either as your confidence and experience grows. Depending on your skill level either bike can kill you or bore you just as efficently.

Something to consider. Check with your insurance company. Even though the 1200 isn't a super performance machine when compared to other machines in the same size catagory, the insurance companies have a different perspective and once you break the 1000 cc, the cost jumps considerably. You can get an 883 and modify to a 1200 and still keep it registered as a 883.

I considered the 883 but, I'm glad I managed to find a nice 1200 with some stage 1 mods and find it's plenty of machine for me.

Regarding the insurance aspect: I am an insurance agent in Nevada; and at least here the motor size has little if anything to do with the cost. The insurance cost is more based on the modle/style of bike.HD's and cruisers of all makes are pretty cheap to insure compared to sport bikes or sporty style standards.
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