Why are there 883 Sportsters?

I mean does someone think geeze I gotta have a Harley but a 1200 Sportster will just be too powerful for me so I'll buy one with tiny pistons because that will make it safe??? I guess you can buy a 4 cylinder Camaro also. But really, WHY? Enough people think this way for the company to market the model? Scratches head....

I agree with ya, I guess my only line of thinking is marketing to newbies, it's Harley's never put a leg over one of these things before bikes. A guy who's never ridden sees a cheap price tag and a Harley logo, done deal, he can enter into the circle jerk of oak leaf worship and be one of the brethren on a budget, sell it off in a few years to the next jerk off so he can buy a soft tail that never leaves it's zip code or some other new cool hip thing that everyone's into, Harley's man-the American con

A chance for the Motor Corp to sell 1200 cc upgrade and keep the back shop working?

The original was an 883 in what 58? but reduced diplacement on a bike with bones plenty big for 1200 what's the point? they sold a lot of 883 Buells also, even MORE dumber. a performance bike with reduced displacement, LOL. As dedicated CL'r I see em all the time but always think, boy you are stuck with a turd.

gggGary said:

The original was an 883 in what 58? but reduced diplacement on a bike with bones plenty big for 1200 what's the point? they sold a lot of 883 Buells also, even MORE dumber. a performance bike with reduced displacement, LOL. As dedicated CL'r I see em all the time but always think, boy you are stuck with a turd.

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Your correct buddy, 1957/58 was the birth of the 883, piece of shit then, piece of shit now, at least they're consistent. I constantly see them on CL as well. I love them for the sense that I've flipped a few over the years for some decent change, but it'll be hell and high water before I ever give those scumbags at HD any of my hard earned money for anything they sell these days. I'll be the first to admit I have a certain fondness to old knuckles and pans, my dad and most of his buddies rode em, I grew up on Harley being the standard, I loved them as a kid and bought into it, then the 90's happened and Harley turned there backs on us, they sold out and said fuck you to the very people who kept them going, that burn will never heal

We have a couple of women at work that ride 883's and a few wan-a-be bad boys with genuine Harley chaps and dew-rag and coffee mug and full sized Harleys. The women are bikers. The guys will keep planning that trip to Sturges and whose trailer they will take as they eat their watercress and yogurt sandwiches and chase it with the newest craft ale. Everybody has to start somewhere.

Iowa Mark said:

We have a couple of women at work that ride 883's and a few wan-a-be bad boys with genuine Harley chaps and dew-rag and coffee mug and full sized Harleys. The women are bikers. The guys will keep planning that trip to Sturges and whose trailer they will take as they eat their watercress and yogurt sandwiches and chase it with the newest craft ale. Everybody has to start somewhere.

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I agree Iowa. I mean, I suppose there are 883's for the same reason that there are 250 and 300 Ninja's. Not everyone can swing the payment or price of a bigger bike and it's an end to a means... By the way, WHAT THE HELL is a yogurt sandwich???

madjap said:

I agree Iowa. I mean, I suppose there are 883's for the same reason that there are 250 and 300 Ninja's. Not everyone can swing the payment or price of a bigger bike and it's an end to a means... By the way, WHAT THE HELL is a yogurt sandwich???

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Hi madjap,
Iowa's post said "watercress and yogurt sandwiches" but the medieval Mongol horsemen who invented yogurt made the stuff in an early version of a sandwich.
A leather container filled with mare's milk sandwiched between their horse and it's saddle to be pounded on until it turned into yogurt.
I'd far rather have the yogurt they sell at the local deli but if there'd been a deli available back then the Mongols would have burned it down.
But back to the modern yogurt sandwich; the yogurt's there to stick the watercress to the bread.
And why 883? The insurance rate In many areas climbs exponentially with increased engine capacity. 883ccs may just be affordable but 1,200ccs not so much.

Well, I'd heard of 'throat yogurt'... but NOW I know a little more about yogurt than I thought I might ever!

There are "883" Sportsters because somebody at Hardly Ableson decided to cite displacement in metric measurements, presumably for the export market. The (nominal) displacement of the original Sportster engine was 55 cubic inches. Once upon a time that was rounded to 900 ccs, but Hardly stopped doing that, presumably to avoid an ugly comparison with other makers' 900's.

Of course if you take the question as asking why the nasty thing has survived and why fools continue to buy it, you open a different can of worms. The Sportster label doesn't fit the current generation of machines at all, but a few of us can remember the days when hardy souls would ride the XLCH to Sportsman TT events, race it in the Open Class, and ride it home. That was a Sportster, and it was a real thrill to watch what a good rider could do with it.

Hmmmm...

My daughter has a '16 Camaro with a 4 banger and a turbo. It goes like stink. It's wicked fast and fun on a twisty road. It has a thirst for premium fuel. I can dig it!

One of the locals has let me ride his XL883R a couple of times. It rode it on crooked roads. It took me by surprise. Foot position is to the rear and it's comfortable for my 6'4" frame. It has three brakes. It pulls plenty hard out of a turn and it has plenty of lean. I had to take care with somebody else's bike, so really wringing it out is out of the question. I'm man enough to ride it. I ain't scared. FUN, FUN!

Well, HELL, there ya go! The question was asked and jetmechmarty gave you the scoop! I love my 54 Chevy flatbed... Does it compare to a 2016 Silverado? No, THANK GOD! You're not gonna hear ME badmouth a sporty, it IS - what it IS!

Stolen (copied) from here


"The big motorcycle maker is reportedly taking over an abandoned 106,000 square foot Sam's Club store in Farmington Hills, Mich., with an idea to open a dealership that will serve as a destination location for the brand.

In addition to selling motorcycles, which will occupy some two thirds of the space, Harley is also hoping to attract the previously mentioned brew pub as well as a gourmet market and maybe even a drive-in/ride-out movie theater. While Harley itself doesn't appear to be the one that will be running the bar, the association with drinking and riding shouldn't be one the bike maker wants associated with its brand.

Recently rival Polaris Industries announced it would be making a limited edition Indian Motorcycle in honor of the 150th anniversary of Jack Daniel's whiskey. While that had some analysts scratching their heads over the decision, again because of linking drinking with motorcycle riding, it's being produced in very limited quantities and the proceeds from the auction of the very first bike produced in the run will be donated to a wounded veterans charity. It's still a relatively minor pairing of brands.

Harley-Davidson's brand extensions here is once again an example of the bike maker running off the road in trying to juice sales. It may have looked at the demographics of the up-and-coming bike buyers, the urban, first time riders that include many women, and thought they'd be a natural fit for brew pubs and gourmet markets, but that's not likely the destination to where people are going to want to ride their Harleys.

Its decision to get into jeans is a good fit, but having a dealership become a destination location to hangout is not likely. Though it's just one dealership at the moment, it represents the type of thinking that has gotten Harley-Davidson into the hole it currently finds itself in."

gggGary while this excerpt doesn't completely answer your question I think it does explain some of the why.
It is difficult to maneuver the larger bikes in urban settings. The 883 is a better fit and that is where the money is at.
And I don't agree with the authors stance that bars aren't a destination for bikers.
I believe the Combat Vets to be the largest growing motorcycle organizations currently and those boys (and gals) do like to drink.

I totally agree gggGary. They traded the power from the extra displacement for... Well... Less displacement and less power. I think the 883 is a fine bike and nice looking, but there isn't really any benefit over the 1200. It probably is just marketing. They really should have taken the opportunity to develop a lighter more nimble engine with real "Harley feel" for the 883 rather than the Street series. Not just a cheaper scaled down engine with budget parts either, but something really nice. Not saying anything bad about the street. It just seems out of place in the line up.

I guess I never thought the 883 would be cheaper.... I guess that would make sense.

There are no more real Sportsters. Real Sportsters had no battery, and real men took them off-road and beat them until they were satisfied. All that remains is the label.

I've ridden an 883 once, I was riding my xs and my buddy was riding his sporty. We stopped for gas and we kinda eyed each other and agreed hey, let's switch bikes for a bit. Made it 5 miles down the road, pulled over and asked for my bike. Now it was more likely how used I was to my bike, but I just couldn't get comfortable on his 883. That's all I have to offer, lol...

How things change, Next town over a big "destination" Harley dealer is closing. The owner bought a dealership in a larger city 20 miles away moving all operations there. (a long story but getting a big city dealership had always been his goal) That town is howling at the loss of trade when all those Harley riders stop coming and spending bux in "our town". Who'd a thunk 30 years ago a city would MISS the Harley riders. Was in that town the other day, chatted up a couple of Harley guys at the Mac and Dons. They were doing an in state road trip on the way to the Tomahawk Rally ( a huge Harley based northern WI fall event) and were there to visit that Harley dealer, buy a tee shirt etc.

figure8 said:

I've ridden an 883 once, I was riding my xs and my buddy was riding his sporty. We stopped for gas and we kinda eyed each other and agreed hey, let's switch bikes for a bit. Made it 5 miles down the road, pulled over and asked for my bike. Now it was more likely how used I was to my bike, but I just couldn't get comfortable on his 883. That's all I have to offer, lol...

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Did the same recently. Worst thing about the XS650 is 30+ years and maybe the Special bars are cramped. The best thing about the Sporty is it's almost new. Fuel injection is nice!

Grzld1 - like this guy?