Hi everyone. I spend most of my time over in the Touring forum but my wife is considering an 07 883Low. It's dead of winter here so we can't test it out. How do you folks find the suspension, vibration and seat comfort over a days ride??? I've heard that since the suspension was shortened in 07 the bike is a little rougher to ride. Is there any vibration at Hwy speed (60-70mph). Also I'm wondering if the "cutout" seat on the Low would get hard after a couple of hours. My wife likes the low because she's 5"4" and it lets her plant her feet flat on the ground with some knee bend...just about perfect.

We would appreciate your comments.

Thanks....

 

i ride an 06 883L and at 60-70 on the hwy it is okay, not great but remember a sportster isn't a touring bike either. at about 80 it gets rough, vibration and thewind tear you up. seat comfort is not there at all. I would buy a new seat at the moment of delivery. the solo seat the XL lows come with are unbearable.i have a badlander and think it is fine. the reach seat might suit your wife better, more comfy and puts you like an inch closer to the bars. and if its for your wife the 07 has EFI so its virtually trouble free. i would have gotten an 07 but the carbureted motor is just my style. hope this helps

 

My wife just got an 883L. She loves it. She has the 11.5" progressives on the rear as the last owner put those on it. It handles great in my opinion. I really love riding it. She loves it too. Here is a pic..

 

I have an 06 883L. Yeah, the stock seat was a bit uncomfortable, but I put up with it for about 10,000 miles in 8 months. The wind does get to be a problem above 80. I find that most women enjoy the vibration, at least that's what my passengers tell me. As far as the suspension, I adjusted the rear to the stiffest setting, and I will replace the front springs with progressives, when I get around to doing it. However, I'm probably a larger person than your wife. I'm 6'1" 205. Didn't really need the "low" for physical reasons, I just liked the look. But a lighter weight person would probably find the suspension to be fine.

Now, if she think's the bike is gonna ride like a midget UltraClassic... NOPE. [sm=forgetit.gif]

 

She realizes the Sportster isn't the Ultra and in all likelyhood any big ride will be on the Ultra behind me. Probably nothing more than a days ride. She had a Honda Ace 750 which was a really comfortable bike but it was a little too high for her comfort level when it came time to put her feet down especially on a sandy or gravel surface. The Sporster feels much lighter to her and she can firmly plant her feet. She says she likes it much better but we're just wondering what it rides like.

She sold the Ace about 3 years ago but when I started looking into the Ultra she started sitting on some Sportsters. She had that gleam in her eye again and I had a feeling that buying the Ultra was going to cost me a second bike.

Thanks to those that have provided input so far. We appreciate it!!!

 

Sporty Pig...nice looking bike. Red is the colour my wife wants as well.

I gotta wonder how you ride the Low. I sat on one and felt like I could rest my chin on my knees. I'm about the same size at 6' and 195lbs.

 

Well, at first, I did feel a bit like a monkey humpin a football on the Sporty. But one thing, eventhough I'm 6'1" my inseam isn't as long as some would be at the same height. My upper torso is longer than my inseam. And with the addition of the Sundowner seat, the height is pretty good now. The Sundowner sits the rider quite a bit higher than the stock seat on the 883L.

Since she has experience riding similar sized bikes, I think she'll love the 883L.

 

The seat on the 883L should be brown so it's obvious what a POS it is.

I've taken one day-long ride on my old seat. I couldn't walk right for a month.

I traded my stock seat for a 2-up seat from an 883R.
Now I don't get the numb-***. I took a two hour ride with no problem.

Don't get your Wife a Sporty to tour without a good seat and a windshield.

 

You can judge the seat height for yourself. I have a regular 883 and will only comment on the vibration. The new rubber mounts help considerably. The vibration is worst at idle, when the mirrors appear only as a blur. At crusing speeds, the vibration is not noticeable. The front suspension is very comfortable. The regular 883 transmits the road bumps primarily through the back wheel. Given it's relatively heavy total weight, you may be disappointed that the Sporty's rear suspension is not a little softer. But, that stiffness probably helps the handling.

 

My wife has an 883L. Put a Mustang seat and a quick (really quick) detach windshield on. She never complains about the bike at any speed.