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Occam's Razor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Lake Jackson, TX
Posts: 2,663
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Bought a Harley this weekend
This was too good a deal to pass up. It was sitting in a guy's garage for about a year and a half. It's a '97 883 Sportster, lots of bolt-ons:
Forward controls Harley Windshield Case Guard Chrome oil tank Harley cast primary cover Harley "Live to ride..." air cleaner cover Saddlebags LED tail light For $2,000 it allows me to experience the v-twin w/o spending $10,000+. I gotta say, it's a great ride! Much different than my Honda V-65. A lot slower, but that v-twin thump and vibration is pretty cool!!  It runs great, just needs a good cleaning and new exhaust. I hope I don't have to grow a pony-tail now or get a tatoo!      
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Craig '82 930, '16 Ram, '17 F150 |
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09-23-2008, 09:50 AM
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Friend of Warren
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 16,496
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Looks like he really cared for that bike.
 Now go get yourself some assless chaps and fingerless gloves. Oh, and fringe for the handle bars. You must have fringe.
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Kurt V No more Porsches, but a revolving number of motorcycles. |
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09-23-2008, 09:54 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: secure undisclosed locationville
Posts: 24,312
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 there's some guy selling a kit to turn it into something like this. really the only thing to do with an 883.
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1971 R75/5 2003 R1100S 2013 Ural Patrol 2023 R18 |
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09-23-2008, 09:56 AM
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Dog-faced pony soldier
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Cool - although you're liable to get seriously laughed at if you show up at any Harley events with an 883. They're the red-headed stepchild of the Harley world - kind of like how the P-car world views 944s and 914s.
The are fun bikes though. And frankly most of the "Harley crowd" these days is just frustrated, fat, balding, middle-aged, suburban white-collar dorks anyway so I wouldn't get too hung up on what they think.
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A car, a 911, a motorbike and a few surfboards Black Cars Matter |
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09-23-2008, 09:57 AM
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Occam's Razor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Lake Jackson, TX
Posts: 2,663
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That is an excellent analogy - like an SAT question. The softail is to the 883 like the 911 is to the 914.
The sportster has been around since the 60's, but is still not really for hard core Harley owners. You know, I do have some assless chaps. I'm afraid to put them on. I think the second you strap those bad boys on, you want to start singing show tunes, picking out wallpaper and rearranging the furniture.
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Craig '82 930, '16 Ram, '17 F150 |
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09-23-2008, 10:05 AM
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Registered
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09-23-2008, 10:08 AM
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Parrothead member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Monmouth county, NJ USA
Posts: 13,847
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One post and the Harley bashing starts.
  Welcome to the wonderful world of Harley ownership! Sucks that bike was neglected like that. Nothing a few cans of Mothers metal polish wouldnt fix! Still a great find for 2 g's. At least with the winter coming up you have some time to rehab it. Spend a few hundred and drop a 1200 kit in it. You'd be amazed at the difference.
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Vinny Red '86 944, 05 Ford Super Duty Dually '02 Ram 3500 Diesel 4x4 Dually, '07Jeep Wrangler '62 Mercury Meteor '90 Harley 1200 XL "Live your Life in such a way that the Westboro Baptist Church will want to picket your funeral." |
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09-23-2008, 10:09 AM
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If someone buys a Harley, they are asking for some amount of bashing. If they can't handle it, then they shouldn't buy it. Just like GS owners get called Long Way Down poseurs, Ducati owners are poseurs in general, Miatas are for gay hairdressers, Porsches are for pricks, etc. Comes with the territory.
More power to Craig, but that bike holds no attraction for me at all. I won't make fun of him for it though. At least not while he's looking  Where did the guy store the bike? The pitting on the wheels looks pretty extreme. |
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09-23-2008, 10:16 AM
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Dog-faced pony soldier
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Quote:
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A car, a 911, a motorbike and a few surfboards Black Cars Matter |
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09-23-2008, 10:18 AM
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Too big to fail
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Quote:
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"You go to the track with the Porsche you have, not the Porsche you wish you had." '03 E46 M3 '57 356A Various VWs |
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09-23-2008, 10:20 AM
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Parrothead member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Monmouth county, NJ USA
Posts: 13,847
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Quote:
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Vinny Red '86 944, 05 Ford Super Duty Dually '02 Ram 3500 Diesel 4x4 Dually, '07Jeep Wrangler '62 Mercury Meteor '90 Harley 1200 XL "Live your Life in such a way that the Westboro Baptist Church will want to picket your funeral." |
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09-23-2008, 10:20 AM
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Dog-faced pony soldier
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Hey now! I drive a Mercedes SLK so I guess I'm a gay hairdresser. I'm just getting to accept my vehicle choice-directed lifestyle!
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A car, a 911, a motorbike and a few surfboards Black Cars Matter |
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09-23-2008, 10:22 AM
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Occam's Razor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Lake Jackson, TX
Posts: 2,663
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I'm going to hit it hard this weekend. I'll post some "after" pictures. I see you can get a stock exhaust for a sporty on eBay for about $100-$150.
The riding lasts for about 9 months/year here in TX, so I'll be out a lot in the next few months. The thing that sold me, after the negative initial condition of the bike, was that it ran great - at least during the test drive and the 60 mile ride home. Also, I looked at Cycletrader on-line and the best deal I saw for that year was $3500 for a Sportster that didn't even run. I'm definitely liking the Harley brand after seeing how well this bike is put together for an 11 year old machine. It's a toy performance-wise compared to my 25 year old V65 Magna - but then, it's not for going fast, rather for casual riding.
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Craig '82 930, '16 Ram, '17 F150 |
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09-23-2008, 10:23 AM
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great bike! especially for 2k.
i personally will never own one. that is the honda rebel of the harley world.
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poof! gone |
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09-23-2008, 10:27 AM
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Occam's Razor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Lake Jackson, TX
Posts: 2,663
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Seriously, everything rusts/corrodes in TX. The humidity is brutal on all metal surfaces. Plus, we're not that far from the gulf. Hey, it's not the owning of the Harley that's hard, it's becoming a Harley owner. Like no-no said, there's a certain amount of smack you have to deal with whether you own a Harley, an SUV, a Porsche or an Amish buggy with one of the reflector triangles on the back. Oh, and I believe I was very clear when I said that I never put on those ass-less chaps that I purchased in San Francisco (I lived in Oakland for 25 years). If you think about it, there's two complete lifestyles to be had for around $2,000! I don't care who you are - that's a bargain!
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Craig '82 930, '16 Ram, '17 F150 |
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09-23-2008, 10:31 AM
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Dept store Quartermaster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I'm right here Tati
Posts: 19,858
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Is it hiding behind the 883? j/k
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Cornpoppin' Pony Soldier |
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09-23-2008, 10:37 AM
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Congrats on your bike! I wouldn't listen to these guys about "assless chaps" they are all assless, otherwise they would be pants. My bike has leather on the hand controls, never hear any complaints or jokes. try using some s100 total cycle cleaner, the stuff works awesome. the old 883 huggers can be mildly built to become real rocketships! like a 914 with a v-8
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A nose heavy airplane flies poorly, a tail heavy plane flies once. |
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09-23-2008, 10:38 AM
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Dept store Quartermaster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I'm right here Tati
Posts: 19,858
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I'm sorry, I'm just goofin' around. Don't take it seriously 
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Cornpoppin' Pony Soldier |
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09-23-2008, 10:40 AM
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Occam's Razor
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Lake Jackson, TX
Posts: 2,663
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Quote:
I purchased a product made by the Harley Davidson Motor Company that resembles some of thier other fine machines, but is not necessarily representative of thier real two-wheeled motor vehicles. Sheesh! Tough room!
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Craig '82 930, '16 Ram, '17 F150 |
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09-23-2008, 10:41 AM
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Dept store Quartermaster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I'm right here Tati
Posts: 19,858
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Quote:
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Cornpoppin' Pony Soldier |
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09-23-2008, 10:42 AM
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1979 Porsche 911SC 3.0
1979 Porsche 911SC
