One of the key items here is weight. How much to you weigh? Do you plan on only using this as a commuter bike, or will you put on a set of panniers (saddle bags) for “luggage”. or possibly carry a passenger at times? Heavy weight translate to needing a larger engine. My son has a 500cc Honda Shadow and he can just keep the bike at 75 here in Colorado, but it works hard at it (he’s 6’3 and weighs a bit over 200 lbs). The key is torque and horsepower, not just engine size.
The Sportster is the small Harley, and isn’t that heavy compared to other road bikes. But, if you plan on traveling some longer distances, a true road bike might provide you with a more comfortable driving/riding position.
Also, what altitude do you live at? Remember, that a bike at sea-level is much more responsive than the same bike at 6,000 ft.
Do the 2 plugs fire simultaneously??? Or does each plug fire every time the piston is at TDC?
The H-D V-twins are odd firing engines. The spread is due to both rods being on a single crank thtow with the cylinders separated 45*. Kinda like the J-D twins. They have a distinct odd rythm.
Bladecutter, thanks for taking the time to give me a clear explanation of this. I’m one who likes to understand the reasons behind things rather than just the answer. I like the equation rather than just the solution.
I haven’t ridden a motorcycle since the '70s, and criterion for my search these days is all centered around my bad back. I know little about bikes, and until your post (which is truely excellent) almost nothing about modern bikes.
I think Harley has only adapted FI on their bigger engines, not the 883. I could be wrong. I do know for sure that BMW was doing FI on the K models starting in 1984 while Harley was still recovering from the AMC debacle. Harley has recently started offering ABS brakes, mostly due to Law Enforcement folks wanting it on their cop cycles.
go for the 1200. it will get you about the same mpg as the 883. of course a lot of the resulting mpg is directly due to the fun factor. but todays sportsters (fuel injected, 6 speed etc etc) you’ll get very repectable fuel economy. the reason i say to opt for the 1200 vs 883 is this - if your a larger person like me (240) the extra cc’s will accually help your mpg because you’ll have the extra power to carry the extra weight. also same goes if your riding 2 up (girlfriend, wife). i have a larger one but i still get close to 50, also i only drive my car 4000 miles per year. i have large saddlebags and run all my errands and grocery shopping on the bike (march thru oct). so go for the 1200 pick a nice color and enjoy yourself.
ps if your ever in north central il get in touch we’ll go riden.
bill
There are a few reasons most motorcycle fuel economy is unimpressive. Most cruisers are not aerodynamic at all. Also, the V-twin engine was designed to save space. It wan’t designed for fuel economy. Lastly, only expensive high-end motorcycles currently have electronic fuel injection. However, you can expect that to change in the near future.
I think we all agree that motorcycling is the kind of activity that you should only do for reasons other than fuel economy. If fuel economy was really your most important factor in selecting a motorcycle, you would find yourself getting 75 MPG on a 250 CC Kawasaki Ninja or a scooter.
Mr. Idiot, if you really want a Harley, the 883 is a nice bike. However, don’t expect to save any money owning a motorcycle. Everything from tires to oil is going to cost more pre mile than on a car. Shop labor is more expensive. Motorcycle windshields cost more than car windshields. Helmets must be replaced routinely. Riding gear is expensive. Even the Harley Davidson boots and t-shirts made in China are expensive. No motorcycle above 250 CCs is economical, and even those under 250 CCs would cut it close.
First, most motorcycles have 1 throttle body per cylinder for performance reasons, while cars tend to have only one throttle body that is common to all cylinders for a smoother idle and better torque characteristics in the lower rpm range.
There are many twin cylinder bikes that have only a single throttle body. I think these are mostly low displacement engines (less than 800 CCs).
The 883 Sportster has ESPFI (electronic sequential port fuel injection). I have attached the brochure. You can also see www.harley-davidson.com
Have you condidered the kind of engine cooling system it has? One reason I bought a metric cruiser is that I didn’t want to cook my junk sitting in traffic on a hot day. I wanted a cruiser with coolant and a radiator.
I will also add that if you are a big guy, a small bike like this can be customized to fit you. I converted my foot controls from middle controls to forward controls to make the bike fit my 6’2" frame better.
Right on with the suggestion of the CB. My roommate has a '79 CB500 and I have an '82 CB900F, both fun bikes, both can crack 50 mpg.
Keep in mind that motorcycles are still internal combustion-driven machines, so fuel mileage principles are the same between them and cars. A lot of motorcycles -especially sport bikes- are tuned for performance, and I don’t know about you, but when I get on a bike that can outrun a Z06 Corvette from a dead stop, I am inclined to use that power a lot more. And when you’re “using the power” (that is, riding aggressively) your fuel mileage is going to suffer, just as if you were driving hard in a car.
Also, since motorcycles have smaller engines that like to rev, they’re geared for that. My Honda is turning almost 6000 RPM at 70, and that eats up the fuel, but it also means that you can roll on the throttle in top gear and pass anyone that you need to. You can gear that way up and take some of the fun out of the bike in the name of fuel mileage, but it doesn’t seem worth it to me.
EDIT: Also, if you’re really concerned about your image, a Sportster is going to catch giggles from the other Harley guys. (Though the other day, I did see a pretty butch-lookin’ dude on a Sportster with an even butcher(?) lookin’ lady on the back, so maybe it’s cool now?)
My 883 sportster got 65 mpg on my trip back and forth from LA to San Francisco. Sportys are good deals and hold their value well. sorry though, those with big harley twins look down on sportsters as wussy bikes. Those not in the HD brotherhood just see Harley. CC is cubic centimeter. Good luck, and take a riding course before you hit the streets, literally and for real.
After seeing all the “other Harley riders will make fun of you” posts, I have to ask, do you really care? We are not still in high school, are we? Do what makes YOU happy. Better yet, buy an American made Victory motorcycle (http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/Victory/Pages/Home.aspx) and thumb your nose at the Harley riders while sitting on your better, less expensive bike.
Don’t buy into H-D’s marketing hype. The brotherhood of motorcyclists extends across brands.
Jeremy R Hoyt, I have to disagree with you about the operating costs of a motorcyle vs a car. For starters, a motorcycle will get roughly twice the MPG of a car. Right off the bat, the car has a 7c/mile hill to climb.
Second, minimum insurance on a motorcycle is cheaper. Liability is all about the damage you can do to someone else, not the other way around.
Third, motorcycles have fewer, simpler systems. When I was learning to fly, it was pointed out to me that an a/c is a collection of systems, each of which have a purchase price and a certain probablilty of breakdown; the cost of operating all those systems is the sum of each individual cost (i.e. complex planes are more expensive to fly, regardless of purchase cost). Now, consider the number of systems involved: half the cylendars, potentially no liquid cooling, no emissions, etc. In particular, a 4-wheel vehicle requires differential and complex alignment systems which (especially in FWD, where the additional complexity involved in powering wheels that both articulate and turn at different speeds leads to a disproportinately high amount of repairs (IMO). Less systems=less $$$.
Finally, the reason motorcycles don’t realize better MPG is because performance motorcycling is driven by racing far more than WRT autos. Racers NEED max power from a fixed displacement (MPG, weight, reliability be damned), and that’s what the public wants too. On the other end, heavy, chrome-encrusted cruisers get horrible MPG for obvious reasons. A torquey, low-RPM “tractor” motor gets the MPGs: you could probably power a Peterbuilt w/ a F1 engine, but you wouldn’t want to…
Finally, at least you can GET to everything on a motorcycle! No “remove the dashboard for access to the heater core,” of a make and model that shall remain nameless!
As a current HD owner and past owner of HDs/BMWs/Triumphs with about 40 years of riding here’s my take on this issue.
A friend of mine, who has slowed down a bit now, used to put about 25-35k miles a year on his HDs traveling to his job, which required interstate travel. An EVO Softtail had about 140k untouched miles and was still running like new until it got stolen. An XLX Sportster got about 30k miles a year with never a hiccup and 60 MPG to boot. The same goes for a couple of other HDs he owned.
They’ve all been rock solid reliable.
As to the Sportster only being a “Davidson” and not worthy of the Harley nameplate that is pure crap. My personal preference is the Big Twins but I’ve owned a couple of Sportsters in the past and one of them (a 12 to 1 compression, hot cammed, stroked Sportster) would clean house on any Big Twin out there. It was stupid fast and good thing it didn’t have a speedometer to increase the fear factor.
The ones mouthing off fall into 2 categories. The first are the guys who are kidding around and that’s fine. It’s just like friendly banter over the Ford vs. Chevy subject.
The second are the ones who really mean it and most of these people fall into the Sidewalk Commando category. All mouth and no ride.
You know what I do when someone mouths off about a ride (generally the “my Kawasaki/HD/whatever will eat that Harley up”? comment?
I challenge them to a race on the weekend for 50 bucks with the stipulation I pick the type of race. They quickly agree and then I tell them “how about to Dallas, TX and back”.
That leads to the “but it’s 300 miles” (one-way) and case closed. Never had to race yet, and not that I really even want to but…
In a nutshell, that Sportster will do everything you want it to no matter the displacement.
We are not still in high school, are we? Do what makes YOU happy.
Every year in my home town of Austin TX there is this R.O.T. (Roadkings on trailers?) rally and it really is nothing more than spring break for middle-aged adults. This year a few episodes of supposedly wide-spread public nudity made the evening news. Personally, I could care less if their clothes come off, I just wish they would keep their mufflers on.
I agree, there is nothing wrong with the Sportster. I’m not a big HD fan, but that engine has more than enough power for normal use. Just buy what you like and don’t worry about anyone else.
I guess im trying to 1, be economical and 2, not drive around on a wussy bike. HA!
I would say only a wuss would worry about being considered a wuss because of what bike they ride. A real man would ride what he liked and not give a ^&$* what anyone else thought.