Gday mate,
Im 6.1 and 110kg. The sporty is fine, put some forward controls on it and go to town......if you want something more powerful get into a 1200. The sporty is a great bike, and you can mod it up, strip it down, do whatever you want. They are fantastic for getting around town, and decent rides out of town.......go for it!

Plenty mate....Ive seen plenty of people with fat chicks sitting on the back....you can get more hp with diff pipes, and you can pump it up with a big bore kit. Check out 883converts bike...its a cracking example of what you can do....he has pumped up his hp....

power on my 883 is fine, (i do have the need for more) but i keep up with most (drag racing is a different story) even with my miss's on the back its fine, but you will need to use the revs rather than the torque of a big twin has.
T1

Plenty will tell you it hasnt got the power etc, for me it was a financial decision more than anything, and I havent looked back mate

A stock Iron pulls around 45rwhp, mid-50's with a stage 1 (pipes & air-cleaner etc $500-$1000+) & a 1200/1250 kit ($1500-$3000) should see you well up into the 70's at least. If you can score a tidy 2nd hand Iron with low kms for the right price, then it becomes all the more attractive. I'm on a stage 1 & it's fine for now, 1200/1250 is in the pipeline though. I'm 5'11" & 87kg.

Slap.

Nice one slapster....any pics of your machine floating around mate?

Nice one slapster....any pics of your machine floating around mate?

Go the sporty....

Nice one mate

Hey bud im looking at selling mine. If your keen to buy one. Its basically brand new with 448kms on it.

i went through this a couple of months ago... I've come from riding all sorts of Japanese 1000cc sportsbikes and my latest is a Ducati Sport 1000. They produce approx 85rwhp and I totally love the bike. Riding position was aggressive, plus mid-life crisis looming, so figured it was time to look at harley. Couldnt afford a big twin so looked at the sporties.
I have not ridden a 883... I had ridden a 1200 before, and remember it being "sufficient" for my tastes... I ended up buying a 2005 1200 Roadster... I like the fact it has twin disc front end, tachometer etc... plus it has the dual seat and pillion pegs stock. You can pick these things up for around $9-$10. Cheaper than an Iron 883 and it allows you some money to customise/change too...
For me, condition of the bike is more important than the mods... if it is in pristine condition, then you can tell it has been looked after. You can buy the bits later... I think that's half the fun with any motorcycle...

If yr buying a stock bike & want to open it up power-wise then pipe/s, high-flow air cleaner & fuel tuner (or Xied leads) are your first step. The options here are endless.

Slap.

hi       i am around  the 90kg  mark  and the iron is fine for me all i did was put 3 20c pices in the top of each  front fork and it hardend it up fine the front was botoming out and knocking hard on country roads. not after the big expence of $1.20 and i also sofend the rear shocks .so i think 100kg would be fine.  with pips heavy breather and a tuner it dose go hard. as a starter to harleys i think thay are grate                                                                                                 

If you love the Iron then why not buy a good cheap 2nd hand one & bang a 1200/1250 kit in it? Was the bike you rode a stock demo? cos even a pipe, a/c & tuner upgrade makes a hell of a difference.

48's are a nice bike, love the fat wheels but tank range is limited.

Slap.

The 48 is a nice bike, but you really need to plan your rides and know your servos, doing a country run on a Sunday arvo can be touch and go with fuel. I can get 150km between fills if I'm being nice to the bike, but I hate riding through a town and finding out that the servo is shut, that said, I carry a litre of fuel for a top up and a syphon hose (for when I'm really down on my luck) with me if I'm going somewhere new, late, or just heading out unsure of any direction. Haven't had to use the hose yet, but I know it's going to happen one day.
Are you going to be doing city riding, country runs, etc? This might help with guiding your decision.
The 48 is great if you know it's limits and are prepared to work with them.

 some work out to make a larger tank look good on a 48: