Is an 883 enough?
#42
09-20-2007 | 08:34 PM
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 614
Likes: 2
From: Indiana, USA
RE: Is an 883 enough?
I can actually answer this question pretty confidently seeing as weowned a 2007 883R and 2007 1200R at the same time:
Differences:
883 prefers to cruise at 70mph| 1200 prefers to cruise at 80mph
883 has earlier shift points | 1200 shift points are about 5-10mph later than the 883
883 is basically the same as the 1200 on flat ground | 1200 pulls more on hills and while passing on the highway
883 is slightly sloweroverall[racing]| 1200 is slightly faster in a drag-race setting
883 would probably struggle a bit with 2-up [we did not test 2-up on the 883] | 1200 has enough power for 2-up[we did ride 2-up]
*Both bikes are bad at 2-up [long distance]*
Even with Heavy-Duty Progressive shocks, 2-up still looks ridiculous on a 1200. There's simply not enough room for 2 people without them looking like they're cramped. The stock shocks [even on highest setting]will bottom out if you don't replace them for 2-up. The Progressives don't bottom out, but the bike is still toocramped for 2-up touring. Around town the 2-up is perfectly adequate.
Bottom line: the 883 is a great bike for solo riding, but I don't think it would be all that great for 2-up riding of any sort. The 1200 is fine for 2-up riding, but it is still too cramped for it to be comfortable 2-up riding. If you plan to solo ride most of the time, feel confident buying the 883 because you really won't notice a huge difference compared to the 1200. It may pullless on hills and have less highway passing power, but it still can climb hills and pass sufficiently enough that it's not "dangerous" to ride.
EDIT: I forgot one last thing. The 883 gets about 47-50mpg consistently. The 1200 gets about 42-45mpg consistently.
Differences:
883 prefers to cruise at 70mph| 1200 prefers to cruise at 80mph
883 has earlier shift points | 1200 shift points are about 5-10mph later than the 883
883 is basically the same as the 1200 on flat ground | 1200 pulls more on hills and while passing on the highway
883 is slightly sloweroverall[racing]| 1200 is slightly faster in a drag-race setting
883 would probably struggle a bit with 2-up [we did not test 2-up on the 883] | 1200 has enough power for 2-up[we did ride 2-up]
*Both bikes are bad at 2-up [long distance]*
Even with Heavy-Duty Progressive shocks, 2-up still looks ridiculous on a 1200. There's simply not enough room for 2 people without them looking like they're cramped. The stock shocks [even on highest setting]will bottom out if you don't replace them for 2-up. The Progressives don't bottom out, but the bike is still toocramped for 2-up touring. Around town the 2-up is perfectly adequate.
Bottom line: the 883 is a great bike for solo riding, but I don't think it would be all that great for 2-up riding of any sort. The 1200 is fine for 2-up riding, but it is still too cramped for it to be comfortable 2-up riding. If you plan to solo ride most of the time, feel confident buying the 883 because you really won't notice a huge difference compared to the 1200. It may pullless on hills and have less highway passing power, but it still can climb hills and pass sufficiently enough that it's not "dangerous" to ride.
EDIT: I forgot one last thing. The 883 gets about 47-50mpg consistently. The 1200 gets about 42-45mpg consistently.
#43
09-20-2007 | 10:49 PM
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 5
From: TX
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