Hi all,

i just had a few questions for the iron riders, i am thinking of buying my first haley soon and wondering if the iron is a good or bad choice? as i have never ridden one i dont know how powerfull they are, im not big on high speed or anything like that but i would want to be cruizing comforablt at 100k's. will the iron be ok with that? obviously i would eventually do peformance upgrades. mostly be riding short half day trips no big touring jobbies or anything like that. so basically my question is will it do the highway speed limit comfortbly or will it be pinging at 80k's. i would love a Nightster but they are a bit out of my price range at the moment. do i settle for the iron?

 

 

The 883 will sit comfortably on any Australian speed limit. It will be about 3000 rpm/ 110KPH. There are plenty of 2nd hand Sportsters out there and that will give you a good chance to get the bike you are after. Take your time, look at several bikes before you make your decision. Have fun.

An 883 will sit on 110kph all day even with a fat bastard like me on it, but you won't have a lot of spare horses for overtaking.

Also the iron only has a 12.5 litre tank vs the 883 super low which has a 17 litre tank (more range between fuel stops) so that might be a factor (they're pretty close in price).

Me, I'd be looking for a good low kms 2nd hand one with basic mods already done and save yourself a few $.

FYI...You should get about 200km range on the 12.5l tank

The Superlow has a LOT of chrome compared to the Iron though. It can be just as expensive to black out a Harley as to Chrome one. Any reason you're looking at the 883 over the 1200? I test rode an 883, and while it sat comfortably at highway speeds and was nice to ride, that little bit more go the 1200 has was welcome. End of the day they both weight the same.

Unless you're an ACT L plater, then 883 is the only option in the sportsters.

The Iron has plenty of grunt for around town and highway work if you are not a big bloke. I am only 68kg, and the 883 with stage 1 (exhaust, air cleanrand retune) gets along just fine, all the way up to 160 kph. In terms of highway work and overtaking, knock it back to 4th if needed and away you go. I have had mine for five years now, stepping off a Ducati. Yes, the Duc was faster, but I will live longer wth the Harley, and maybe keep my licence healthier! TC

Yeah I agree with all the above. My iron is just over 12 months old and have done 6000km's already and not a sign of any problems what so ever. Most of my cruising is around town with the odd trip up the freeway with a passenger on board sometimes and it sits on 110 no worries.

Thanks for the info guys,

like i said im not into going all that fast, the speed limit will do me maybe with th odd overtaking.

i love the look of the irons and the nightsters but the iron is more my price range.

anyone have a price on mods.

ill probably want to get some short shots and the applicible air intake and ecu upgrades

883 is a great little commuter not sure I'd want to tour on one. 

I was the same as you mate, preferred the look of the Iron & Nightster as opposed to all the chrome and such. Ended up going with the Iron as I love to customise my bikes and wanted the spare cash to do so.

Mods in terms of price is all very relative. Can do stage 1 for about $1000 on the cheap, even less if you use the second hard market smartly, whereas some stage 1 setups can cost $2000. All depends which brands and styles you go with. For example, my RSD air cleaner cost like $500US bucks, but you can get a S1 Screamin' Sagle (genuine Harley stuff) air cleaner for like $150US. V&H Short Shots are currently priced quite well, can pick up a set brand new for like $600 bucks last time I checked.
Though I will forewarn you that they are very loud pipes and you will lose some bottom end torque, 2-1 exhausts are better for performance. That being said I run the 2-2 Big Radius pipes because I chose form over function in that case. 

Only thing that is pretty static when it comes to price is a tuning module, they're all around $500-600 or more. Which if you're just going to Stage 1 and then leave it for a fair while, I'd probably just get it properly dyno'd and not worry about the tuning device itself.

In regards to touring, I think it depends what you're after. The Sportsters handle the best for obvious reasons, but are not as comfortable for touring as most other Harleys, I like to include some twisties in my longer rides if at all possible which is why I prefer the Sportsters. Though I put some higher rise bars on, forward controls, and a different seat and I can ride all day long without much if any discomfort. Should be even better when I get some different shocks on the back.

883 is a fun bike.. But a bit revvy for long long trips, longest I did on mine was melb-bendigo, was ok.. Did it just fine but it was a bit of work. 1200 is much nicer IF you can swing it.

I did think the 883 was great for blasting around town, freeways, commuting etc.

But.. Hell I've done long distances on a Ducati monster 600 and a Suzuki RGV250, neither of which were good 'touring' bikes.. 883 will chug along all day if need be.

My 2 cents worth. Stock sporties are ok but if you can afford it and plan to do decent rides on it then get progressive suspension, a better seat e.g. Mustang, and a stage 1 upgrade (air cleaner, exhaust and tuner) and some way of carrying luggage that does not detract from the looks of the bike.

That way the combination of good suspension and a good seat will make the ride more enjoyable and the stage 1 upgrade kit more power. For really long trips (1000k/day over several days) consider a throttle control of some sort.
Good luck
Sprocket

ok do i decided on a nightster, taking one for a test ride tomorrow.

5000kms and wants 12k for it. its in good nick, the chrome just needs a clean up.