How much do you weigh? Plan on ever riding 2-up? If you're smaller/lighter and ride solo...I wouldn't worry about the 883 not being enough. If you're larger/heavier, and may 2-up once in a while...I'd shoot for the 1200.

Also...look at the bikes in person....how do they look? You may find one of them looks like it wasn't taken care of, and the other may look like it's in great shape. Right there is a big part of the choice.

 

keep searching.You should be able to find a later 90's 1200 for 2500.00.

 

25K miles is only alot for a shovel or TwinCam. Pans & Knucks will have been rebuilt by then,Evos can go forever. Not sure about Sporties, but at that price, I'd go for the 1200. 883 is just too slow. Wouldn't buy a TC with more than 10K, unless it was a later one with the hydraulic cam chain tensioners.

 

No offense intended but how is 25K on a shovel a lot of miles (assuming you mean original miles)? They stopped production in 84 (w/exception of a few police models for 85). If you found one that would mean roughly 1K miles per year, not even 100 miles a month.

Got my 84 FLH from the original owner. Had 58K on the speedo and had never been apart. Put in 10 over pistons, did a rebuild on the rods (wasn't making noise but I figured it was worth the time), new crank pin, rebuild of lifter rollers (they needed it) and new cam (it was very tired). Should have it all back together by next week.

Hell at 25K original, a shovel would just be getting in its groove...

 

I'll have to get back to you. My Electra-Glide has 90,000 and is going to Sturgis this year for the 12th time. My Shovel has 200,000. Sometimes I enter it in shows just to get the primo parking. Apparently, they give out trophies in the executive parking area, because it has three now.

Level of care is what's important.

 

Looking into trading for a SG and I found one but its a 2015 with 17,800 miles....I know its alot of miles. Thoughts?

 

You should start a new thread. This one is five years old.

18k is nothing.

 

Let me get this straight. You pay over 20k for a motorcycle and you think less then 25,000 miles, is alot of miles? I could never understand why people think that. I also can't wrap my head around why you take a perfect running bike apart to do "upgrades", then put it up for sale immediately. What ever happened to buying a bike and riding the wheels off it?.,,

 

a 20 year old bike with 4,000 miles!!!

probably still has the original (dry-rotted) tires and fork seals, motor mounts etc

everything made of rubber is probably in need of replacing depending on climate where it was stored

i think i would rather have the one with 25,000 miles

 

Old post people..the original poster likely made a decision since the date of the post...in the year 2011.