22nd Feb 2008, 09:00

Just bought a 2007 Harley 883 Custom Sportster. Dealer knocked off $600 dollars because it was a 2007 left-over.

I am very pleased. I did my research and found that 2007 was a great year for the Sportster line.

Fuel injection rocks! No throttle choke and no sputtering, just start and ride.

My bike also has carbon fiber belt drive, security system, solid disk rear rim, and lots of chrome.

The Japanese bikes are good, but I found out that Harley has kept up just fine with technology and quality. In fact most Japanese bikes are not fuel injected unless you get up into the $10,000 range.

Some people might be confusing the 883 power with speed. 883 is powerful and torquey, but not rocket fast like many kids probably like.

The only bad thing is that the Harley is very heavy duty and requires a long break in time to loosen up; for example the gear shifting is clunky and the seat is a bit hard. Better than a plastic Japanese bike.

23rd Feb 2008, 06:18

Returned to biking after many years, first 2 bikes were Honda's Deauville and then ST1100; both great to ride, plenty storage and comfort etc.

I then realised something was missing "Character". Bought a new Sportster 1200 Custom, May 2007 from H.D. Preston, England. I must admit during the first few months I wondered why I had bought a Harley, now at nearly 5000 miles and having changed the seat (very early on) I love it, and as you can see I am clocking up the miles. However I won't be taking it to Harley for my service £200. No problems at all and rides great.

7th Apr 2008, 20:38

I had the same issues with mine; ended up being the crank bearings went out, then bend the rods. Just finished getting it fixed.

11th May 2008, 01:15

I have built a chopped bobber using an old rigid frame, springer front end and a sweet little Harley 883 from 1988. 20 years old. It had a few issues when I got it, due to poor maintenance, but I have since fixed all of those issues, and she is a beauty. She growls like a bear when I first start her up and she hasn't been run for a few days. But once warmed up, I am in love with her all over again.

I have not had any problems with mine. It leaks a little now and then, but come on guys...it's an old Harley. You know how to tell when your old Harley is out of oil? It stops leaking! LOL. Anyway, I love mine.

22nd Aug 2008, 21:58

I have a 1999 883C SPORTSTER that I purchased new on 3/11/99. I have 54,000 miles on it as of 8/22/08. I also have kept a detailed record of repairs.

Granted, I have owned a 1980 AMF F.L.T. Harley (which was the most advanced at the time) and I learned to live with the "quirks". We affectionately called it the "garbage truck".

Anyway, on 5/11/99 the ignition module failed.

Then on 4/15/01 the front cylinder gasket leaked.

Next, on 5/26/01 the ignition module failed again.

Then on 8/24/01 the positive cable broke.

I then drove with minor failures until 9/11/06 when I had to replace the ignition module again.

To end this, I just want to note that I drive a 120 miles a day, and lately it seems to act up daily.

13th Oct 2008, 10:49

Bought a 2003 XLH Sportster a year ago this month. Love it to bits. The only problem was a failed speedo sensor. The Harley dealer sold it to me with 4750 on the clock, then tried to charge £300 for a service at 5000 miles. Needless to say I took it somewhere else for 1/3 the price.

6th Nov 2008, 09:58

I had a 98 Harley 883 Hugger. Put Samson 2 to 1's on it, huge improvement. Right after that electrical problems. Needless to say after sinking in lots of cash, and not having it on the road during the warmer months, I sold it.

Now on a Suzuki M50, and couldn't be happier. It starts, runs, gets over 50 mpg as opposed to 30.

27th Aug 2011, 03:26

I ordered an 883 1999 Sporty from the factory after I quit smoking. Was the best thing that I have ever done; now 131,500 miles later it's still blowing other bikes off the road. I kept with the stock motor, just added a high flow intake and high flow slip on exhaust system. The 99 model year is possibly the best year before the redesign change in 04 that Harley has come up with. I would not touch a newer one, but that's me. To each their own.

28th May 2013, 18:57

I just bought my first bike about a month ago. It was a 2000 XLH 883. I absolutely love this bike.

A little leaking, but mostly just from the overflow line because of the extra oil it has for some reason. Otherwise not a single issue.

I've had it up to 95 mph no problem at all. It pops on me once in a while, but it is a 13 year old bike now. Not to mention I bought it with 100,000 miles on it. It's already at 101,500 in a month and a half. Just perfect, and the sound is great.

I had someone stop me today at a red light, and just started asking me all kinds of questions about it, and where he could get one.