Faults:

Output shaft seal, bad when new, replaced free by the dealer.

Positive battery cable broke, made too short at factory. After a 2 hour search for the problem, fixed by owner.

General Comments:

Has been a very reliable, fun, economical motorcycle.

Handles very good.

Got 19,361 miles from the original front Dunlop tire!!!

19,361 miles on the front brakes pads, and they're still good. (And yes, I use the front brake HARD!)

Averages 45 MPG in town, got a high of 61 MPG on a back road cruise.

Faults:

Had to replace the coil.

Replaced front brake pads.

Replaced both tires.

Bought another seat.

Lowered rear with shorty shocks.

General Comments:

The bike is pretty fast for this old man.

Rode to Reno, NV and The Redwood Run from Central CA.

Ride is stiff due to shorty shocks.

Faults:

The first few rides during break-in the engine would leak oil from the air cleaner housing. A couple of dealer visits and it seems better now.

Always has had trouble keeping highway speed (65mph) and cannot pass traffic or accelerate very well at highway speeds.

Currently it dies while driving down highway without warning, seems electrical because it is sudden.

Also dies when coming to a stop occasionally.

Rattles a lot (I don't mean vibrates - of course it does that), the sound of metal slapping metal.

In the beginning it had a horrible time when first started each day. Modifying the airbox seems to have helped. It used to die a lot.

Overall the quality is very poor.

General Comments:

Poorly built, poor running.

Not dependable.

Looks nice.

Faults:

Shortly after buying it, I had a valve spring failure. This is the first time I've had this kind of failure with a bike.

While I had the engine apart, I decided to make the conversion to 1200. It was the best thing I ever did. Normally modifying a bike's engine gives mixed results, but in this case it was all positive. I think that this engine was designed as a 1200 and then "converted down" to be an 883. So increasing the bore allowed it to be itself again.

Of course it leaks oil, but that's not a big deal.

The black box ignition module failed one day.

The front brake master cylinder leaked from the cover.

General Comments:

The Sportster family really holds its identity. It's probably the only 1950's sport motorcycle you can still buy new. It really feels vintage. It's loads of fun to ride short distances. Mine still has its 883 solo saddle and speedo only.

It had buckhorn bars when I got it, but I hated the feeling so I immediately switched to the factory speedster bars. It's the ultimate stripped-down standard.

The engine gives intoxicating torque from low revs on, and it just explodes into action when you open it up. It feels like a jackhammer on the loose.

But the vibration is the price you pay for having such large pistons. The engine is solid mounted so you feel each revolution! This is undoubtedly the hardest shaking motorcycle in modern existence.

That said, I don't like the kicked out steering head angle. It makes it feel way too long and slow when changing direction. It really is out of character to the rest of the bike. Sharper handling was what gave the Triumph Bonneville a big edge in the 60's heyday of the model.