First post here. Seems like you guys here are a cool bunch. Anyway, I have had my mind set on an 883 and went to order today but the salesman turned me on to the 1200 Custom. Now I'm stumped. I like the divider on the 1200 tank, and of course the chrome looks good but the cosmetics justaren't worth the price difference to me. I'm 220lbs and don't really care about tons of HP but I have heard so many people talk down about the 883's power (or lack there of) .. is it really that much of a power difference? Whatever Bike I buy I plan on keeping so I want to be sure I get something I'll be pleased with, so any input would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance and I look forward to talking to you guys in the future.

 

you have a few pounds on me slowandlow, i weight in at 185lbs and i picked up an 06 883xl, that they wanted to get rid of before the 07 showed up in the show room so i got a great deal on it, and so far i have no complaints at all and with the money i have saved i have done plenty of upgrades and add ons , not to mention that my insurance is a couple of hundred bucks less for the 883 over the 1200,and if you wanted you can allways make the 883 a 1200 with the big bore kit later down the road , but so far im happy with the power i have and i have no plans to do the upgrade , i have added the stage one, and got a little more power,i think if you were going to do alot of two up riding the 1200 might be better, if not save your money and get the 883, just my 2 cents ......

 

The main thing to look at is the other differences between the 883 and 1200 models besides engine size. Last time I looked, it cost around $700 to upgrade an 883 to 1200 if you decide later that you really need more power. If you really like the look and feel of one of the 883 bikes, it will probably cost a good bit more to buy a 1200 and rebuild it into the bike you really wanted.

So, the 1200 is worth the price IF there are other reasons that you want it besides the engine size. On the otherhand, the bigger engine isn't worth riding a bike that would otherwise be your second choice.

Try test rides on both, you may be surprized how little difference there is at normal speeds. The 883 is geared lower, so it will pull nearly as well as a 1200 up to maybe 70 or so. After that, it's a whole different ballgame, but just how often will you want to ride with the speedometer in the triple digit zone?

Oh yeah, there is an outstanding advantage to the 883. The cylinder castings are the same as the 1200. This meansou can run the pee out of it and after you rebuild the engine a couple dozen times, it will be a 1200 and still have enough meat left in the cylinders for several more rebuilds. This means the 883 is pretty much a lifetime, or even several generation, motorcycle.

 

i rode both when i bought my 1200Low and was going to buy 883 to save money but peer pressure got to me i'm weak LOL i say buy the 883 and spend the saved money customizing it.

 

i bought a 07 883c in January, i have travelled 500 klms and am happy with it at the moment.
But in saying that i am very eager to check out the cost and work involved in the upgrade as it seems to have torque but not much power.
if i went back to the purchace day and had the extra cash at the time i would definetly choose the 1200 hands down,
what ever you decide, You will love it
cheers bretho

 

There is a little more in the way of engine improvements for the 04+ 1200 than just the added displacement.

The 883 has a bore and stroke of 3.0"x3.8", while the 1200 is 3.5"x3.8", but the 1200 also has lighter piston and rods, and the useable power range has been increased to 6,000 RPM. We hooked some gauges up to my 2005 1200C, and the internal rev-limited kicked in right at 6,000. On a 883 the rev-limited came on at 5,500 RPM.

The 883 runs a 8.9-1 compression, while the 1200 has a compression ratio of 9.7-1.

The 1200 also uses high flow cylinder heads from the Buell XB line, and cams from the 1200 Sport.

Factory horsepower and torque figures for the 883 are 53 HP at 6,000 RPM, and 51 LB-FT at 4,300 RPM.

Factory horsepower and torque figures for the 1200 are 70 HP at 6,000, and 79 LB-FT at a low 3,500 RPM.

As you can see, the 1200 makes a lot of torque at a low RPM, and it really screams from 3,500 RPM to 6,000 RPM.

 

I'm a well known fan of buying an 883, doing motor work, having a quick bike and worrying about the little extra cash in my pocket slowing me down.

 

I ride alot of highway with my 1200(300 miles this week alone). I run about 75-80 mph most of the time. I think the 1200 is geared low (3500 rpm at 80) but I have head the 883 is geared even lower. If you are going to run highways a lot I think the 1200 is worth the extra $.

 

There is a gearing difference between the 1200 and 883 models (and even between the US and 'World' models), but the difference isn't as great as many think.

Here are the specifications;

Number Of Teeth;

883 (US Model)

Primary - Engine - 34
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 28
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

883 (World Series)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 28
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

1200 (US Models)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 29
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

1200 (World Models)

Primary - Engine - 38
Primary - Clutch - 57
Final - Transmission - 30
Final - Rear Wheel - 68

Overall Gear Ratios;

883 (US Models)

1st - 10.994
2nd - 7.524
3rd - 5.834
4th - 4.806
5th - 4.071

883 (World Models)

1st - 9.792
2nd - 6.732
3rd - 5.220
4th - 4.301
5th - 3.643

1200 (US Models)

1st - 9.454
2nd - 6.500
3rd - 5.040
4th - 4.152
5th - 3.517

1200 (World Models)

1st - 9.139
2nd - 6.283
3rd - 4.872
4th - 4.014
5th - 3.400

 

If I were to do it all over again, I would go with the 1200C. I had a ball converting my 883C to 1200 and didn't spend a lot of money for the extra bang I got.