Posts by longride
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"Think about it."
I did. Harley once owned the motorcycle industry in the US. Then they got bought out because of sagging sales. Then they almost went under altogether. Now they own the majority share of the US MC industry again, and sell more bikes than the Japanese and Euro brands put together sans Honda.
Think about it.
I did. Harley once owned the motorcycle industry in the US. Then they got bought out because of sagging sales. Then they almost went under altogether. Now they own the majority share of the US MC industry again, and sell more bikes than the Japanese and Euro brands put together sans Honda.
Think about it.
"Do people buy 883s anymore?"
The smart people do. For the 3 grand difference between the 883 and the 1200, I could have a 100 horsepower '883' that will make that 1200 look like it's going backwards. I want to pick up a used 883 and make a street tracker for about 10 grand that will embarass that new one that Harley makes. Just looking for the right donor bike.
The smart people do. For the 3 grand difference between the 883 and the 1200, I could have a 100 horsepower '883' that will make that 1200 look like it's going backwards. I want to pick up a used 883 and make a street tracker for about 10 grand that will embarass that new one that Harley makes. Just looking for the right donor bike.
Yep on all points! The older 883's are at least 50 lbs lighter to start than the new ones. Get the spoke wheel version and set it up with some alloy rims and maybe wave rotors. Getting 100/100 from the motor is not real hard or expensive, but that is where the bulk of the cash will go. Get rid of the steel fenders and heavy seat. Rearsets, flat bars, and a longer set of rear shocks complete the package, and one killer street Sportster is made for less than you can buy a new one if you pick your donor bike right, and can do most of the work yourself.
I guess you couldn't stand that was cheaper, faster and handles better than your FatBoy eh? You shoulda called it the Bester than your SlowBoy!
I found a 2000 883 for 2 grand in Wisconsin last night. By the time I called, it was sold. Sooner or later I will get one. If you can do the assembly work yourself, a simple big bore, cams and port job will probably run about 1500 bucks. That will give you about 85 hp 80 tq. With bigger bore, hotter cams, Thunderstorm heads, and a bigger carb, you are looking at about 4 grand to get at least 100+ hp, 95 tq in a street motor. No stroking is needed, but if you go larger than 74 ci on the bore, the cases need to be split and bored out for the larger jugs. If you really want to spend the bucks, Baker makes a six-speed for a Sporty since the cases are split. How big is your wallet?
Big bore is as simple as taking the top end apart, have the cylinders bored to 1200 cc(need a shop to do that part), get 1200cc pistons and rings, reassemble. Easy and cheap. Those Storz pipes are only for the 2004 or newer Sporty, not the older ones we were talking about, so keep that in mind. The cool part is that if you CAN ride it and do the mods a little at a time if you plan right. Downtime would be minimum, and you can do as many modifications as your checkbook allows. I would do the same with mine. The key to any project is to figure out exactly what you want to end up with at the end. That will eliminate costly mistakes, especially with engine modifications.
Not sure if a company makes them, but it wouldn't be hard to find a guy to weld up a set. If the guy is good, just show him a picture and he could make it. I think Biltwell has a do-it-yourself exhaust kit that would get you the basic tubing. Pick out a set of mufflers to weld on, spray the whole thing flat black, and you are good to go.
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