Anyone Change Sprockets for Taller Gearing?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 33
From: San Diego, CA
Mod: Less Vibration at Highway Speeds
My 1200L vibrates over 73 MPH. I'd like to reduce that if possible. I like to cruise around 80 MPH but my feet go numb..
Last edited by Gamma742; Dec 29, 2009 at 08:16 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 990
Likes: 10
From: Redondo Beach, California
I have a 2007 XL883 and I changed out the original transmission drive pulley and replaced it with a Harley 30 Tooth transmission drive pulley and I can cruise all day long at 80 90 MPH. On the day that I put the new pulley on I went over 500 highway miles in about 10 hours or so as my gas tank is only the 3.3 gallon size. I also changed out my original footpegs to the much older style footpegs that had the air cushions in the rubber. Those old pegs are the most comfortable pegs that I have ever used on any bike that I have ridden so far. I have put them on my 2007 XL1200L too and they came stock on my 1999 XL883. On my XL883 I think that there was a change of about 2 teeth in the pulley size and on your XL1200L it will just be about a one tooth increase in size but that may be enough to do the trick for you. I think that it was about $100.00 or $125.00 or so for the pulley. I got about six or seven pairs of the old foot pegs for free from a local independent shop because everyone wants to customize their bikes so they take off the old footpegs that Harley spent millions of dollars doing R&D to help make them as vibration proof as possible and they put on the latest footpegs from whomever. Nobody seems to want the old pegs so I asked if I could have all of the old pegs that they had and they just gave them to me for free. I have put them on almost all of my bikes and on a few of my friends bikes as well! I hope that this information has been useful to you.Good luck with your bike and ride safe out there! 
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Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,561
Likes: 33
From: San Diego, CA
Thanks for your reply.. I'll probably go for it as I'm only trying to move the sweet spot from 73 to 80 MPH and 1 tooth should do it. The speedo is slow anyway I've noticed that when I'm cruising 73 I'm actually running closer to 70 MPH. So maybe the Speedo will be closer to actual.
I have changed out the pegs to Kuryakyn ISO pegs and they are much smoother than the stock pegs and have a nice look to them.
I have changed out the pegs to Kuryakyn ISO pegs and they are much smoother than the stock pegs and have a nice look to them.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 20
From: NE Pennsylvania
I changed out the stock 28T pulley with a 29T on my '04 XL883C. I definitely noticed a difference in the RPMs afterwards. I'd recommend it. If you go more than 2 teeth (as mentioned) you'll have to possibly change the belt ($$$).
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 990
Likes: 10
From: Redondo Beach, California
No! You do NOT have to change out the original stock drive belt. I have gone from a stock 27 Tooth drive pulley to a 30 Tooth drive pulley and I have almost 50,000 miles on my 1999 XL883 with the stock drive belt and I went from the stock 28 Tooth drive pulley to a 30 Tooth drive pulley on my 2007 XL883 and I have almost 15,000 miles on that Sportster with the original stock drive belt. So you can just change out the stock drive pulley and use the stock drive belt and you will be good to go!
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 564
Likes: 3
From: Orange County, CA
Excellent, thanks! I do my fair share of long trips so this is a change I have been contemplating...
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 990
Likes: 10
From: Redondo Beach, California
Tracer, dude, your bike is sweet! The relocated headlight and the jockey shift and the solo seat back rest and
man your bike is so sweet! I took my 99 XL883 from Redondo Beach, Ca. over to Virginia. and back again. I went over 6,000 miles in nine days back in June of this year. I also went to Sturgis, SD. for bike week this year too! 4,000 miles to the show and back! It was four days to get out there and four days to get back again. I just strapped my duffle to the bitch bar and off I went. To paraphrase a good member here: Any wimp can put 100,000 miles on an Ultra glide, but it takes a real man to put 100,000 miles on a (XL883) Sportster! Man, a XL883 and go ANYWHERE! Sportsters Rule!
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Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 564
Likes: 3
From: Orange County, CA
Thanks for your comments! I haven't gone to Virginia on mine, but I did do Route 66 earlier in this past summer, then on the way back rode through Sedona. I put over 20K miles on my bike annually, as I use it to commute to my office every day, take my son to school and his tae kwon do classes, etc. I was trying to put together a trip to Sturgis this year as well, but it coincided with a music gig I was locked into so I had to pass. You did a lot of mileage in those 4 days out and back, wow!
The backrest is a custom piece I put together in the garage using some strap steel I found at Ace Hardware and some creative cutting, drilling and bending, while the pad is a spare medium-low H-D bitch pad I had laying around in the garage. Attached are a couple of older photos showing the bike in "tour mode" in Big Sur two months ago, a closeup of the shifter and the oil filter cover I made (I wish I could take credit for that one, but I can't), and a more recent pic of the right side.
The backrest is a custom piece I put together in the garage using some strap steel I found at Ace Hardware and some creative cutting, drilling and bending, while the pad is a spare medium-low H-D bitch pad I had laying around in the garage. Attached are a couple of older photos showing the bike in "tour mode" in Big Sur two months ago, a closeup of the shifter and the oil filter cover I made (I wish I could take credit for that one, but I can't), and a more recent pic of the right side.
Last edited by TRacer; Oct 21, 2009 at 11:49 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 564
Likes: 3
From: Orange County, CA
One more of the sticker I put on the relocated coil cover. The other is a closeup of the little photo graphic on the battery cover; she is a very "artsy"-type friend of mine (really) who teaches music. When I asked if I could put this photo on my bike she said, "I'd be honored!" 
Last edited by TRacer; Oct 22, 2009 at 12:03 AM.