2007 Sportster 883 Custom

[Gatineau_Guy]

Well, we have had my wife's bike for a couple of weeks now and she really loves it.

I want to ride it a little more before offering up any sort of "official" review but in general I am very pleased. It has satisfactory power, the forward controls are very comfortable once you get used to them and it sounds like a harley.

My wife likes to tease me that when we are on rides together she thinks my bike is not running because she can't here it over the rumble of her bike. She has even taken to revving at stop signs and stop lights.

It does need a windshield so we bought one on the weekend (flamed quicked release) and I have to admit that I was concerned about vibration when we first got the bike. They said it would go away as the bike was worn in and it has. It was never rough once you got your feet on the pegs but at a stop light or when stopped it did have a very noticeable shake to it.

pics to follow in the post your ride section.

Cheers,
Gatineau_Guy

[Gummiente]

Thanks for the writeup. I'm going to have to take a Sporty out on the next demo ride, I'm curious as to how the ride quality has changed since the days of my chain drive, 4-speed, rigid-engine mounted '86 XLH 1100.

[MajorGator]

The new Sporties are GREAT!! I fell in love with the Nightster at the dealership, and was almost ready to trade in my Bob for it and take the loss. But sanity (and the Big Twin) prevailed...

I would love one as a second bike for the twisties, however...

[Gatineau_Guy]

Well, we have had my wife's bike for a couple of weeks now and she really loves it.

I want to ride it a little more before offering up any sort of "official" review but in general I am very pleased. It has satisfactory power, the forward controls are very comfortable once you get used to them and it sounds like a harley.

My wife likes to tease me that when we are on rides together she thinks my bike is not running because she can't here it over the rumble of her bike. She has even taken to revving at stop signs and stop lights.

It does need a windshield so we bought one on the weekend (flamed quicked release) and I have to admit that I was concerned about vibration when we first got the bike. They said it would go away as the bike was broken in and it has. It was never rough once you got your feet on the pegs but at a stop light or when stopped it did have a very noticeable shake to it.

pics to follow in the post your ride section.

Well, still no pics but the flamed windshield came in and I put it on last night. The bike looks better without the windshield but on the highway the benefits of the windshield are undeniable. This weekend I will take some pics.

In general we are still very happy with out choice. I like the way it rides and handles. That is the one thing that surprised me about the bike. It is a little on the heavy side to push around in the garage but the weight does not affect the handling in any negative way. After riding the Victory Vegas on Tuesday, I am very happy with the brakes on our Sporty. I guess the lower weight of the bike could play a role in that as the two bikes have a similar set up.

Fuel economy is not bad either. The bike usually goes around 200km on 10 litres before the fuel light comes on (with about 7 litres left in the tank).
I am satisfied with 5 litres/100 km but I think the warning light comes on a little to soon for my liking. With a 17 litre tank it would be possible to go at least another 100km. I think I would prefer the warning light to come on at about 250 km.

I am looking forward to ride days in the next couple of weeks after riding the two Victorys to see how the Harley Big Twin compares. I am interested in taking a Fat Boy out and a Street Bob.

More as thoughts pop into me head (few and far between these days).

Cheers,
Gatineau_Guy

[Gatineau_Guy]

I was wrong about the Vegas and the sporty having similar set ups. The sporty has a single disk with dual piston caliper in the front and a single piston caliper in the rear.

[Gatineau_Guy]

Finally got around to taking some pictures. I just finished cleaning the bike. We went for a ride late one night and ended going through some fog which made the bike quite dirty. Here she is all nice and shiny:








With the new windshield:

[birdmove]

I almost bought a 2007 XL883C from the dealership I work at.We get a nice employee discount on used bikes.I test rode it and was very impressed.It was the first FI motorcycle I had ridden.It made good power and ran great.Also the previous owner had removed the forward controls and out mids on (I don't care for the forwards).It was a great bike.But the salesman quoted me a price, and we then found out later that they had spent $1300.00 in repairs getting the bike ready to sell. I didn't want to spend quite that much, so I didn't get it.
I ended up getting a nice 2006 XL883 with 3000 miles for $4032.00. For that price, I couldn't turn it down. And since the day I brought it home, it's been snowing and stormy here, so I haven't been able to ride it!!

Jon