What makes the Iron 883 special?

Sportsters have been around since 1957 and produced continuously in a huge variety of flavors from Sporty sport through laid-back custom. Without going into a history lesson here, there are a few things which make the Iron 883 (XL883n 2010) an interesting bike.

Ok the obvious part, this bike looks the business. It turns heads everywhere with it's Low-tech, dark and dirty looks. The minimal chopped-down trend they started with the Nightster seemed to catch the imagination of Harley and non-Harley owners alike making this one of the best selling Harleys in history. Some of the finer details include the Denim paint which is a sort of matt / satin finish that is a big step up from the typical flat paint job. Other minimal styling cues include the chopped rear fender, blacked our engine components, rubber gaitors, single speedo unit and solo seat.



The rear brake light / indicator combo adds to the minimal theme keeping the arse-end very tidy indeed. Sadly here in Australia the side mounted number plates are illegal so this bike doesn't look as cool as the Harley designers intended. The bike yellow plate pretty much wrecks this idea but I'll do something about that very soon.
One thing to consider is that this bike looks awesome right out of the crate, and depending on your tastes, could be considered custom. But, as with most bikes, most people still want to make it their own and I'm no exception with my 'extras' already into three figures.

I've owned a few bikes and regardless of cost, the Iron 883 turns more heads than any other I've owned.

Technical upgrades:
Unless you've been following Sportsters for a while, you'd miss some big improvements on this series. Like I've mentioned in a previous post, I just couldn't own a pre-2004 Sportster because of all the rough edges. But this is a completelty different beast altogether. Kept all the good, improved or replaced the bad.
A bit of evolution here:

• 2004 All-new frame including rubber-mounted engine for decreased vibration. Elimination of the transmission trap door.
• 2005 Enlarged rear axle to 1" for increased stability.
• 2006 Helical cut transmission gears in all models reduces gear whine.
• The XR1200 is the first Harley-Davidson to utilize Down Draft DDFI II fuel injection. To be released as a late 2008 model.
• 2007 Fuel injection replaces carburetion on all models.

The 2010 Sports all get a immobilizer and auto-arming alarm, fatter rear tire, tear shape oil tank, cast wheels, integrated brake light /indicators in one unit, rubber mounted motor, fuel injection.

Of all of these innovations (aside from styling) the rubber mounted power-plants and electronic fuel injection have to be the biggest.

Oh, one more big thing I forgot to mention - the Price! To ride away on a brand new Harley Davidson for 13k AUD was unthinkable a few years back. Paying 30k+ for a Motorcycle just isn't in the league many people would consider spending on a Hobby.