Mornin'

I'm currently looking to buy my first Harley, which in the terms of UK style licences means that it'll also be my first "big-bike" (aka above 125cc).

Now, I'm not actually from the UK but a small island called Jersey which is only 9 miles by 5 miles. We have a maximum speed limit of 40mph. So I'm after some opinions of Sportster/Iron owners.

I'm looking to buy a reliable and fun daily bike. It'll be looked after, but at the same time used almost every day to ride a 2 mile trip in and out of town and round the island as my primary transport. A local Harley dealership has a new 2013 Iron used as a display bike for a year and I'm thinking a figure of around £5000 will net me a sale, which is £1800+ off the price of a 2014 model new (albeit with ABS)... which I think is a good deal providing I'm happy with the not so common candy orange paint. I'll push them as low as I can get them though, as I know they want it gone. Maybe even £4500...

I have 2/3 main questions that I'll want your guy's opinions on.

Firstly, the rumour from the big Harley riders are they are gutless. Where I'm from speed limits are 30mph and 40mph certain main roads. If I was having fun in certain roads 50/60 would be the absolute max, realistically. I want to make sure though that the low end power (up to 50/60mph) is still very usable, or are the 1200's+ really that much more in the slower speeds? Next is that I'm using it as a daily commuter on a small island, so motorway/highway riding isn't a thing at all and parking in smaller spaces will be common. The bigger models really won't be easy to manoeuvre! Things like the Road-Kings to the Ultra-Glides won't been seen in town...

So, what are your opinions on a new Iron for a daily run about? Or do you recommend a cheap bike till I can get insured a bigger engined Sportster even on our slower roads? Will it really be that different/usable at the low range?

Secondly. I'm a huge fan of the bobber style (if I'm getting my lingo right!). Forward controls, Ape hangers, solo seat, that sort of thing. I think the Sportsters look awesome with that setup. But with winding roads, round-abouts, and so on what are they like to ride like that? Do you still have plenty of control at slow speeds and tight corners?

So Sportster owners got opinions about them for town bikes/daily riders? What are they like in the wet?

Cheers for any input guys!

 

The 883 is more than enough for what you will be using it for. I've run mine at 70/80 mph down the high ways all day long. It's great for around town bar hopping. Yes the 1200 have close to twice the power, it's up to you if you think you need it. I got the 883 knowing up front I was going to put a big bore kit on it. I can hop up the 883 with more power than the 1200 for less than a 1200 cost and I got the bike/look I was after with the Iron.

 

"Firstly, the rumour from the big Harley riders are they are gutless"

Gutless, 883's are far from Gutless and anyone that makes a statement like that surely has never rode one.

Rather you buy an 883 or a 1200 isn't really a big factor for you as you are only riding it a few miles each day and then around the island for fun, 1 mile per hour up and over 100 miles per hour either bike (883 or 1200) will have no problem retaining the speed. In fact if you ride with the Bigger Harley riders you will find yourself slowing down and waiting for them to catch up more times than not.

Sportster's are fun bikes to ride and fit in very well for daily commuters, good on gas, easy to find parking for them and very easy to service. For rainy days they act like any other bike having the proper tire tread makes a world of difference, they have a lot of torque so I would suggest getting use to the throttle before heading out on a wet surfaces.

The best feature of the bike is the Price new or used you can find great savings either way and still not break the bank. Good luck in your choice.

Oh and Welcome to the HDForums

 

Thanks guys. I'm hoping to get a buddy who used to own (but can still ride) a Fat bob to take an Iron on a test ride for me. He again was making the impression that with an Iron you'll be looking for more power. Well, he rides an R6 now so you can see he likes that type of bike, and he never needed to commute to town everyday either! I'll see what his first impression is after having actually rode the thing.

My initial intentions would always be a simple intake, exhaust and tune just to pep up the response and bring the bike alive.

As for "gutless" I suppose it really depends on peoples perspectives. I've rode 250cc dirt bikes that'd give any relatively standard Harley a whopping in a little drag (until they cap at 65mph), a huge variation of powerful cars and used to own a BMW E30 with monster torque from a 200hp race-piped straight-six engine that had the whole top-end cleaned and opened.

But I've never rode a Harley. Rather than the speed, its more the "pull" I'm after. For example, with obvious exaggeration, my E30 would've accelerated up a steep hill as fast as it would've downhill. It didn't rev extremely quick like a little four-pot sporty hatchback, but it felt as though nothing would stop it's long-geared power delivery. I get the impression Harley's have that similar delivery and that is what I'm after.

But its that feeling of torque (or lack thereof) that people often would call gutless, rather than outright speed.

The major problem is without a full big-bike license, I can't take it for a ride myself. So I have to get peoples opinions and gauge from that.

I suppose I can link to a picture of the bike in question. Its pretty big so I wont imbed it.
http://imageshack.com/a/img21/2900/8325.jpg

Cheers guys.

 

They're pretty sweet bikes I bought my 2014 iron a few months ago and couldn't be happier. Granted I've thrown a lot of mods at it already but even when I got it I loved it and was impressed with the power it had hauling my fat *** after everyone tried to talk me out of getting the small one.

 

Something else to think about is the gearing. 1200 gearing would mean you'd seldom get out of 3rd gear - legally. An 883 might let you use 4th occasionally.

Where you live sounds really frustrating for riding a bike with any kind of power, I don't envy you for that. I love pulling hard up to and past our average 70 mph interstate speeds, and I've done the longest length of your island in well under 5 minutes. I suspect my 250cc scooter would be more satisfying on that island than my Harleys or bigger metrics, and probably get less tickets, too.

 

You can have jolts of power round certain areas, there are some fantastic little hillclimbs and plenty of smooth twisties in the "rural" areas of the island. But to do long sprints at high speeds? Well you'd be breaking the law pretty quickly!

We have two major roads known for the tonne-runs, but you have to eye up the place first and choose your time wisely. Being busted at 2x the limit is an instant suspension or loss of your license.

But its more the power to pelt it past the grannies quickly when an opening arises. With only a simple network of major routes (although we have thousands of little roads/lanes) its inevitable that when your stuck behind someone they are going in the same direction for some time. Cars are difficult to overtake with safely in many areas, but having a bike that can haul you from 25 to 45+ in 2nd gear in no time makes those tight road passes possible.

 

My answer would be close to what ib5150 said.

If you like the looks and ride of Iron then buy it, I dont agree with "start from small bike up" suggestions.

Your commute is much less than a dirve around town so lets just call it you want a bike to have fun with. Buy the one that makes you ride it more.

 

With the 883's lower gearing, you will feel a good amount of torque around your island. Would it be more with the 1200, even with taller gearing, probably. But there will be no lack of ability to move from 25-45 quite quickly with the 883, especially if you wake it up a bit with open A/C and exhaust and richen up the AFR a bit.

Going back to your original post...apes and forwards are perfectly comfortable and controllable for many in slow speed riding.

Another thing to take into consideration, any Harley will take 15-30 minutes to fully warm up. Short 2 mile jaunts will mean the oil will get contaminated very quickly.

 

The Iron is no small bike and seems perfectly suited for what you're after, low end torke, light (by Harley standards), and if ever you want more torke, you can always do a few mods.
Even though I own a 48 and love it, if I were living in Jersey I'd most likely get an iron, more than enough to have fun!
Go try it, (even as a passenger) and buy it, you won't regret it.