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Looking at a sporty 97 883 for a project runs good 2000 bucks thoughts on the year and price good deal? Issues with that year I need to know about?
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Ive owned a lot of sporties (IH & Evo) and my advice is 1998-2003 are the very best, but 97 aint bad at all.
IMHO they are as good as it gets for Sporties. Things I personally like is the belt drive rear (Not everyone does,
but I really like the belt drive) the upgraded 5 speed trans and the list goes on and on. They are really well
built bikes. Price is excellent assuming no hidden issues. There is a long list of upgrades you can do as
your budget and time allow, but the most common method is "Stage tuning-1-2-3-4" and plenty of articles online on how that is
is done. The XL Forum is excellent and many tech articles on this as well as many of the posters list all the part
they used as well as post follow up and results, many on the Dyno so no BS.
It all comes down to what you want, but as an entry bike and daily rider, its an excellent deal and value. Where you
go from here is up to you. But its best to have a good reliable rider and then look at the dream project you
can wrench on, but you still got a runner to go for a putt. (Farmall has a great saying for this, but Im brain
damaged and cant remember stuff)
There really is no known faults, on high mileage bikes of certain years the oil pump gear wears out, on some years
the primary chain tension needs an upgrade, but over all, you really gotta look hard to find anything wrong,.
Stock carb is even good if you do the upgrade/rebuild. (See CV Performance for their tech pages and all the parts)
See: https://cv-performance.com/
See: http://xlforum.net/vbportal/modules/Jig/index.php
Some say the only real HD is a big twin, and they are okay, but no way can you have a nice Vtwin ride witha big twin at your entry price point of $2000. 883s are inexpensive and easy to upgrade, so sweet deal. But if you are not 100% sure
find a real knowledgeable guy or shop in your area and pay them $40-$50 bucks to look it over and do a
FPI (First person inspection). Its money well spent. The other side of the coin though is, if it IS a good bike,
it wont last long at that price point. But getting a scoot checked out if you are not an expert is money well spent -
Thanks for the info I do have a daily rider it's a 2014 ...so I went rode the bike very few issues leaking fork cosmetic ect... scored the sporty for 1700 bucks I'm stoked to start this projectComment
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I have a 97 1200 Customer with around 50k on it. Yeah, it leaks a bit of oil, but it runs strong, hasn't left me stranded, and spanks my friends big twins when we decide to launch off stop lights.Comment
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Yep, gotta love that!!! Used to be the Yammie XS650 was prime custom material because they were cheap and decent runners (I always thought they were so-so myself) but the modern Sportie is king of the custom world these days.
As I said,, lots of help here, but the XL page is a gold mine, whats your plan? Chopper? Bobber? Cafe? Street tracker? All of which the sporties are good for and popular choice.
I kinda half ass got started with a 1998 I am doing as a street tracker,, its to replace my old daily rider.
1250 kit, cams, Super trapp exhaust, and some suspension and styling, got about 2/3rds the parts on hand, Spring is coming! Get busy wrenching or get busy dying!Comment
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Gonna Bob it out I'll post pics as it goesComment
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It's always spring and summer in in florida riding year roundComment
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Not too worried about engine upgrades just cosmetics putt around town is good 4 meComment
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Holy Jeebus! Someone with traces of fucking sense. Good. DTIA covered the basics above.
You also never know when you'll end up with a complete 1200 engine or donor for cheaper than a bore kit. I keep some war reserve play money handy because part of scoring bargains is being able to buy them.
I would keep the stock crossover exhaust unless you feel like throwing $$ at a 2-into one, but those don't sound like a Harley or breathe a lot better than stock downpipes (crossovers are also used on hot rods for good reason). If the baffles aren't removed I like to use a steel rod in a hydraulic press. Face rear end of muffler up, protect opposite end with a piece of scrap wood, then press a loose fitting rod or pipe until the baffle tears away.Comment
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So went through the bike..small oil leak on oil line behind the battery box was the OEM clamp no longer tight enough replaced with hose clamps...left fork seal blown i fixed that pretty cheap for the seals dust covers ect...fixed some shitty wiring previous owners did .. adjusted primary chain and drive belt..road test all is good...still gonna check under derby cover maybe a clutch adjustment if needed and a couple things the other owner had haphazardly put togetherComment
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If you get rid of the baffles do you need to adjust the carb at all...would it hinder back pressure to the engine?Comment
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True, but FLs average age is about fifth from the eldest and giant funbags age quickly unless they are aftermarket bolt-ons.
Stock silencers with baffles are too restrictive, while with baffles removed they become reasonably restrictive. You'll want to tune a bit richer to take advantage of that, and for easier starting in cool weather and cooler running.If you get rid of the baffles do you need to adjust the carb at all...would it hinder back pressure to the engine?
Useful reading:
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