well took the MSF course this weekend and passed.. it was very informative and a lot of fun too. anyways, going to HD tomorrow hopefully.. maybe have some new pics up.

ive almost decided to go with the 833c beacuse im a new rider, wont be having passengers, and wont be taking it on the highway until im comfortable on the surface streets first.. i do plan on some back road trips back home and to gainesville once football season starts, so i think the 833 will suit me fine...

besides i can always upgrade with teh 1200 kit if i want to, right?\

great forum too.. very helpful

russ

 

One more thing to consider. You can ride a 1200 just as slow as you can ride an 883. It's all in your right wrist. Just because you have 1200 doesn't mean you have to use it. If you want to start slow, do so on a 1200 then instead of wanting to upgrade your 883 in a few months you'll already be there. Plus the difference in cost between an 883 and 1200 should be pretty well recovered when you sell it.

 

I think the 883 is a good choice. I found a used 03 100 Aniv. Model with 8k miles on it and in mint condition. Got it for $5,100. It came from a private party but the guy who had it owns a Harley rental place (bike was not part of the rental fleet). Had all maintenance records. Last week (after a month of riding), I was ready to sell it and move up to 1200C. Today, I changed my mind. The dealers have some attractive finance plans (on the surface), but you're a couple grand behind the 8-ball if you want to sell because you haven't sufficiently paid down the debt after 2 years and the real payments begin. Plus, by the time you trick out a stock 1200, you have spent a bunch of money.
As for my 100 year anniversery 883 CEM Hugger, I own a piece of American History. It's completely stock and a collector's bike. Extra chrome and skull topped lug nuts won't bring up its value.It will never be worth less than what I paid for it unless I drop or wreck it. The original 03 Anniversery Medallions are going for over $70.00 right now on ebay (about $17.95 MSRP when new). I think the same thing will happen with the 03 bikes if it hasn't already.
It goes fast enough to scare the sh*t out of me on mountain roads (Montana). I hadn't ridden since the early 80's (I'm in my early 60's), but I am so comfortableand in controlon this bike that riding came back to me while pulling out of the guy's parking lot. It's much better than my 1957 Triumph 650 was back in 1963. I'm still going to take the course as soon as I can get into one (they're booked til the end of July and not returning phone calls).

 

remember this, if you even think youll want to get a 1200 in the future do it now. Conversions are great, but resale is bad, you will never get the money out of it. Even if you have the harley shop put new 1200 heads on it and do it the right way, you will still have 883 on the title, and can list it as an 883 to 1200 conversion when you sell it, but people use that against you since the blue book on a 1200 is usually around 1500 dollars more than an 883. I have been trying to sell my bike on craigslist lately, and either people dont know what a conversion is and shy away from it (thinking you modified the bike and it shouldnt have been) or you get the smart allecs that tell you the conversion means nothing to them, you still have an 883 and they wont pay any more for it because of the conversion. So to me, unless you dont mind losing all the money and time spent for the conversion, or plan on keeping the bike forever, buy a 1200 and save yourself some hastle.

I had one guy tell me theres no way there was a conversion done on it, how can they fit a 1200 engine on an 883 frame? He told me hes not stupid i was trying to pull a fast one on him. God there are some dumb people on craigslist.

 

Just a thought... you may be able to pick up an '07 as soon as the '08's come out, and have the stealer wave the delivery/ dealer prep fees. That's what my stealer did for me when I got a new '06 this spring.