i am looking for some opinions from you guys? i have ridden big dirt bikes since I was a young tacker. i am hoping to pick up my first harley soon and really like the iron and the 48. do you have any advice on what would be better of the 2. considering the price difference between the bikes. to me makes more sense to go for the iron, with addition of a 1200 kit?

would the iron be an easier transition than the 48? is the 48 more form than function?

hey mate...have ya ridden the bikes?   best way to gauge is to test both and also i would test a bigger bike. all the best

GK74 - if you have a background of big trailies, try an XR1200 - I reckon you'll love it.

Philthy

Test ride. Don't listen to anyone else. !0 seconds down the road you'll know which one to get.

thanks for the input riding them all would be a good idea

HEY GK74,  I'VE BEEN AROUND SPORTSTERS SINCE 1967, AND IT'S BETTER TO BUY A 883, AND PUT A 1200 KIT IN, BECAUSE THEY DON'T COME FROM THE FACTORY, VERY WELL BALANCED.  TAKE A STOCK 883, TO A REAL GOOD MOTOR REBUILDER, AND HE WILL HAVE TO WEIGH THE PISTONS & BALANCE EVERYTHING, BEFORE HE PUTS IT BACK TOGETHER, TO MAKE A 1200.  THE NEW 1200 WILL RUN SMOOTHER, AND BEAT THE STOCK 1200, AND WILL BE MUCH CHEAPER, THAN BUYING A STOCK 1200.  I HAVE A 1986 1ST YEAR EVO SPORTSTER, PUNCHED OUT TO 1200, WITH A 4 SPEED AND CHAIN DRIVE, IT GOES LIKE HELL.  GOOD LUCK !

ok thats what i wanted to here i thort that may be the case. thanks boston

I've had two sportsters that I've converted from 883 to 1200 and the conversion works well.  But consider other things when buying a new bike like resale value.  You will save a bit when buying new on getting an 883 converted to 1200 but you will only loose that money later when you go to sell it as the bike will still be registered as an 883.  Also, unless the dealer does the work you will most likely loose your warranty on a new bike.  And if the dealer does the work you will be paying close to the difference between the two anyway. 

Go for the factory 1200.