883/1200 sportster

[pootle]

Evenin all
this has prob been asked a million and 1 times so apologies but a mate of mine is thinkin of gettin a sportster (after much persuasion from yours truly) instead of one of those honkwakyamzuki`s,but he`s heard its cheaper to buy a 883 and have a conversion to 1200 rather than buy a 1200 straight off so i`d like to hear the thoughts and experiences from your good selves on this matter to help steer him in the right direction,
cheers

[Squiz]

Originally Posted by pootle

Evenin all
this has prob been asked a million and 1 times so apologies but a mate of mine is thinkin of gettin a sportster (after much persuasion from yours truly) instead of one of those honkwakyamzuki`s,but he`s heard its cheaper to buy a 883 and have a conversion to 1200 rather than buy a 1200 straight off so i`d like to hear the thoughts and experiences from your good selves on this matter to help steer him in the right direction,
cheers

Never very popular when you come to resell from what I've heard. It is cheaper of course, but it'll never be thought of as a true 1200 by Harley riders. There are other differences between the two other than engine size, so it'll be obvious to everyone.

[grbrown]

Originally Posted by pootle

but he`s heard its cheaper to buy a 883 and have a conversion to 1200 rather than buy a 1200 straight off

He would do well to familiarise himself with the variations of Sportster before making any such judgements! There is more to owning any Harley than making the engine bigger. He could of course come on HDH himself and also visit a few dealers to see them in the metal.

[BaZa®]

puting 'conversion to 1200' in the search facility give a few threads and good reading on the subject.

http://www.harley-davidson-hangout.c...earchid=836051

[Ben]

American-V magazine compared a stock 883 with one converted to 1200 in issue 24 - you (or he!) can read it all on-line on the website. Good article!!

Hope this works.....

http://issuu.com/american-v/docs/amv24.complete/3?mode=embed&documentId=080903110716-75ad251588f84cd293fcb097d20f5ed1&layout=grey

[Phil]

Very popular here, the 883 to 1200.

It is as they say cheaper than a 1200 off the floor.

Over here there is a BIG difference in registration, taxes & esp. insurance between under 1000cc & over.

Provided of course that you keep mum about it.

[kiwidave]

It is such a great modification that dealerships even offer it. Or did so.

There is nothing dodgy about it as long as it is done right. It is a no-brainer for a properly set-up workshop.

Not much wrong with buying a converted 883 secondhand either. SO LONG AS.....the paperwork is there and the job was done by a reputable shop. We know a few of them

I suspect in these days of sensors and injection, it is more costly than it used to be to do it to a new bike or a very recent one. My own instinct would be to let the last guy pay for it.......

[Tony Cross]

Agree with Kiwi on this. Comparing a stock 1200 with a conversion 1200 the conversion will have lower gearing and be much more fun on the back roads. I had an 03 that the previous owner had converted at the main dealer. No problems with it and it has now done 35,000 miles.

[MadMax]

It's worth noting that the vast majority of 883 to 1200 conversions are only dished pistons and barrels. I've never heard of even one that has had the 33% extra air flow addressed by changing out the 883 valves and addressing the ports. Do that & it'll feel like a 1200 Sporty should .. ..

[grbrown]

Originally Posted by MadMax

It's worth noting that the vast majority of 883 to 1200 conversions are only dished pistons and barrels. I've never heard of even one that has had the 33% extra air flow addressed by changing out the 883 valves and addressing the ports. Do that & it'll feel like a 1200 Sporty should .. ..

Good point! But if a conversion is done at the same time as other simple stage 1 type mods, the improvements should be very worthwhile, if not as exciting as the full monty.