G'day
I went through the same process last year getting my first HD after years of beemers and jap bikes and got a XL883 in part because of price. At first I also wanted the 2004-06 for the same reason as you and found it hard to find one so got a 2009 model. Using the Power Vision you can have lots of fun playing with the tunes in the EFI
I have now installed the 1250 Hammer kits as I found the 883 limiting about 80kph and the nice side benefit of doing this conversion is that your rego fees remain the same

As above, I needed a 2nd bike to run as a daily commuter (and it had to be a Harley, as i would kill myself on a Jappa + the missus would leave me if i bought anything but a Hog).

So for me the specs had to be a reliable low maintenance ride which meant; rubber mount engine, belt drive and EFI (I love carbs and have one on my FXR, but there is only so much messing around you can do and its so trivial that in the end its just not worth it).

Ended up with a nice 2009 Sporty 883 Low with Screaming Eagle exhausts. I made and fitted an old school air cleaner setup to effectively bring her up to Stage 1 and installed a Dobeck fuel adjuster. She runs very well indeed and has gobs of power on the freeway (can hit 120/130 km's without breaking a sweat) so i am happy with that. I may install a 1200 kit one day as they really open up a Sporty and turn them into serious contenders (i recon they would blow away most big twins due to the fantastic power/weight ratio), but am in no hurry, plus I actually ride the bike most days so getting the down time may be an issue.

I also have a turbo sitting on the shelf in the shed that I keep looking at for her....lol

I have done 1000kms on it and so far it is running very well, revs a little higher that you would want on the freeway because of the gearing but because of that it also accelerates harder.

Good luck with the 1200, the good bit about buying HD second hand is so many of them are very low milage, mine was 12k kms for a 2009 model, I do more than that in a year

I say go the 1200, heaps of power and if you buy an 883 you will just end up putting the 1200 conversion in.

I dont know where you are, but you can get a 1200 for not much more than an 883 and save the money on the conversion.

Good luck with the choice

Whats your price range?

 

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/deeragun/motorcycles/harley-davidson-xl1200c/1108934595

More than $10k, but looks like a new model coming out. 1200CX, twin disks and improved suspension. Would be a fun bike. 

I just bought a 2016 roadster. Fucking love it!