I put some money down on a '98 883, and I'm wondering what mods I want to do on it. I definitely want to raise the gas tank and swap out the stock bars with some Z's, but I'm not sure what else to do. It came with a Mustang seat that's OK, but now that I think about it, I feel that the bike is a bit "low" for me (I'm 6'). I can operate it fine, but I don't like how I look on it. Is there anything I can do to raise the seat?

What else can I do to it to mod it cosmetically? (I'm pretty happy performance-wise for the time being)

 

I study photos on Google to give me ideas.

 

Want the whole bike up a bit, replace the rear shocks with a set of 13" air shocks from a touring bike.

 

I did that as well and also looked at how others had fixed up their bikes to try and get ideas for mine. To me, customizing a bike is a personal thing and it's hard to tell somebody else how to fix up their own bike.

 

You can raise that bike to the point of almost touching tippy toes with taller shocks and longer dampers. Makes the bike a whole new beast.

 

Would you recommend any in particular?

 

I raised my 1200L by swapping the shocks for 13" Road King air shocks. Then I swapped the front dampers for Roadster dampers. That raised the bike about 1.5". I am 5'7" and can still flat foot, but just barely. Whylee on this forum got even more height with taller rear shocks and dampers. He can tell you from where.

 

Look into Instagram, just about every company producing parts has an account on there. They will showcase their parts on customer rides. That will give you a good idea what it looks like before buying and installing... the return policy can be very hard depending on the part company.

 

I recommend you ride your bike once you get it, enjoy it and meet up with other owners. Any changes you decide on today may quickly change once you get out on the road! Don't rush into this, give yourself, plus your 'new' bike, a little time.