eyedocsri

Hi Ive been dreaming of owning a Harley for ages now. and the time has come to turn my dream into reality
I had almost narrowed down my choice to the HD superlow.... till i took a test ride on the Iron 883 this week.
Iam slowly getting attracted to the Iron and the superlow seems less attractive now...
I need help from you experts This is my first big bike.
I plan to keep it at least for a decade.
I want a bike for weekend rides and touring.
Also want to ride it to work one or two days a week.

my thoughts on superlow.
looks good
not intimidating for a first time big biker like me.
riding posture good for touring on it.
low seat height for my height 5'6"
got lots of chrome.
good ride quality for touring
fits my budget.
but has low GC so gotta be careful always
looks small compared the rest of the harleys.
wondering if I will grow out of it in a few yrs ( coz I plan to keep it for long)
The entry level Harley......

Iron 883.
amazing street presence.
looks like a big bike.
love the blacked out look.
better GC.
but i felt i had to really stretch to reach the handlebars
i have my doubts about its touring capabilities..
small petrol tank hard ride quality issues here.
Is it worth the extra 1.2L i have shell out for it???

well thanks all in advance

MG

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n_aditya

The Iron 883 is a better choice than the superlow. I wouldnt take a risk with the low GC on our humps and speedbreakers especially with an expensive bike.

If the tank capacity is a bother, you can ask for a bigger tank, custom handlebars etc.

I took a test ride over the weekend and loved the Iron but i dont think it'll satisfy my touring requirements much. Still thinking as i am not in a rush.

But to answer your query there are tons and loads of custom options available. More ergonomic seats, handle bars, bigger tank and even a bigger (1200cc) engine can be plonked into the existing 883 chassis.

Spend some time with the Tusker HD guys and they'll give you a long list of options that you can customize your Iron for looks or for practical uses.

So all the best and make your dream a reality.

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pulsar_flame

883 r roadster is the best ! it some how looks like this 1200...

took these pic's from my frnds place... it did cost him 12 lakhs on road ...

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srisetty

You are actually in a better position with option to test ride and I was in a similar situation many months back when I had not even seen the bike before booking

Having interacted with few 2010 883L (equivalent of 883 Superlow) owners, ground clearance will not be a major problem for weekend highway rides. You can manage it by very slowly crawling over the humps. You might scrape on some mammoth ones, so will Iron. But nothing to worry if you scrape slowly as the chassis would take those. If you are going to use bike more frequently and for some touring, then Iron would be a better option.

Reaching handlebars would not be a major issue. You can customize the seat with reduced reach and you would move forward by few inches. Another option is to change the handlebar.

Fuel tank of 12.5 liters should give you a ride for 200-250 kms (depends on fuel quality and traffic conditions). This is decent enough for a big bike. If you go on touring, better to carry a spare of 2x2L bottles (twin engine )

Let me know if you need any other info...

eyedocsri

thanks Srisetty...
I havent seen the superlow in real yet so it is hard for me to kind of imagine how it feels to ride one and tusker harley telling me that they may not give any test ride on the superlow makes it even harder
I wonder how you could manage to put down 7.7L on a bike you havent even seen!!! but you sure got a good one
Is there any reason i wont be able to use the superlow as an everyday bike plus a touring bike except for the GC issue in bangalore city pothole ridden roads???
For this is going to be the bike for next ten yrs for me so will superlow hold its premium value as well as the iron 883 ???

srisetty

Its just the GC issue. If you can manage that part, Superlow would be a good value for money compared to Iron which is priced at a bit premium. We can avoid pothole to good extent, but speedbreakers is the biggest issue .

harikeshpk

eyedocsri you cannot avoid bumps on any indian roads. you have to live with them. many superbikes will get their bottoms thrashed if you try to fly over bumps. i have a ninja and i was warned not to try bumps over 7 inches. i have to stop for bumps. next chrome is not very good for indian conditions of high humidity/moisture rain etc esp after a couple of years. if harley uses premium fuel ( eg. speed/91 octane or over) with long rides more than 170 kms (your bike may not give you a range of more than 200kms) you may run out of options in getting the right petrol.

but remember with the pleasures of owning a superbike there are also pains especially in india bad roads , no good petrol every where, people tinkering with your bike in the parking etc etc.

by the way the way things are going in india there may not be any resale value for any bike after 2 years, if you get 50% you will be lucky as the prices will definitly come down by at least 25%. dont plan too much into the future. now is what you have. i personally am not a harley fan. but biking itself is a dream.
go ahead and get your dream.

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surins

You could try one thing. I see that in US HD has come up with a new model XL 1200 Custom. Check out the Website Sportster 1200 Custom XL1200C | New Fat Custom Motorcycle | Harley-Davidson USA. I find this model exactly the same except the engine and a real Fat front tire. If HD can modify the SuperLow with the fat front end tire then I think it should be killer looking bike with just the right price tag (however it needs to be checked if they can actually make the change on SuperLow)

There is a video on YouTube also for this new bike 2011 XL 1200 C. To me it looks awesome..well actually I find all the Harley's awesome

kingzeeshan

I would suggest have a test ride and then decide which one you want to buy, its very tough to choose when it comes to Cars and Bikes best of luck ride safe.