Harley-Davidson Sportster 883: features, specifications and owner reviews

August 24, 2018

HD Sportster Iron 2021 © getwallpapers.com

The Sportster family is the second oldest in the Harley-Davidson lineup. And if the most affordable models of the Street series have the typical features of classic road bikes, then the Sportster is already a recognizable look of the good old Harley. Even the youngest motorcycles in the series, with an 883 cm³ engine, have a classic appearance, and are relatively inexpensive (about half the price of Softail models).

Thanks to a moderate price tag, combined with a recognizable design and decent capabilities, the Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 bikes are popular. After all, they look modest only against the backdrop of flagship heavy motorcycles, and horses seem to be insufficient only in comparison with sportbikes.

Characteristics of Harley-Davidson Sportster 883

The Sportster series features two motorcycle models, the SurerLow and the Iron. The first has a classic appearance with an abundance of shiny chrome elements and is distinguished by a very low rise: only 70 cm. It is for this feature that the bike got its name.

Harley-Davidson Sportster SuperLow 2014 © Total Motorcycle

There is little chrome in the appearance of the Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron, but there is a lot of brutal black. Frame elements, exhaust, body kits, and rims are finished in this color. Only the valve lifter wells and cylinder heads shine. Thanks to the abundance of brushed steel that looks like blued (it's actually powder coated), the bike looks rugged and a little gothic.

2021 Harley-Davidson Iron 883 © Ultimate Motorcycling

If the Harley-Davidson Sportser SuperLow is a classic of the genre, then the Iron looks more sporty. He has a saddle 5 cm higher (75 cm), and the steering wheel has less bend, like a dragster, and the fenders are not so massive. But both bikes, despite the difference in design, share a common heart - the 883 cc Evolution engine.

The Harley-Davidson Evolution engine was created in the 80s, and it was it (along with heavy Softail bikes) that helped the company achieve rapid development at the end of the 20th century. The engine has survived to this day without significant changes. This is a classic V-Twin with a cylinder camber of 45 degrees; it differs from older models in a reduced displacement to 883 cm³. There is also a 1200 cc model of this engine, but we’ll remember that a little later.

Four-stroke motor, air cooled. Considering the volume and power characteristics of the power plant, this is more of a plus than a minus. There are 2 valves per head (intake and exhaust), the new system with 4 valves has not yet reached the Harley-Davidson Sportser. The intake system is injection, using ESPFI technology. This is perhaps the main improvement in modern versions of the engine compared to earlier generations with carburetor power.

The Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 engine is capable of producing torque up to 73 Nm. Power is stated at 52 hp. Transmission is mechanical, 5-speed. The gearbox is driven by a chain, and power is transmitted to the wheel via a toothed Kevlar belt.

Bad boy: test drive Harley-Davidson Roadster

This device is one hundred percent bad guy - a very bad guy! He definitely won’t apologize if he splashes you with dirty water from a puddle (he will also grin), and he won’t try to seem kind even “before the clear eyes” of your grandmother. He has a finca in his pocket, and maybe something even more interesting, but there are so many murky affairs behind his soul that it’s better not to even try to figure it out. It attracts and beckons, because sometimes you really want to throw away all these bullshit masks of a “respectable bourgeois”, become yourself, stop pretending that you care about everyone around you, be pseudo-polite and kind...

Eh, my black banner...

The Harley-Davidson Roadster is perhaps the most distinctive motorcycle in the last few years. There were motorcycles that were more expensive, more powerful, more luxurious and beautiful, but this guy is absolutely the most charismatic and has the most powerful personality on the modern two-wheeled market.

The matte black paint and "peanut grain" tank - a classic throughout the Sportster family - come in handy here. But the main thing that catches your eye is the steering wheel, located below the gas tank cap... Wow! I would like to come up and ask: “What, a sportbike or what?” But no, there is no “rice grinder” design here, no clip-ons. There is a regular tubular steering wheel, just without the characteristic rise, and the pillars are as low as possible. The tank, the handlebars, a small headlight - the whole "face" of the motorcycle resembles the head of a bull - foreheaded, hard as a stone, and not at all friendly.

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The seat also matches - shaped like a saddle - deep and with a very nominal passenger bump in the back. But, of course, the 1,200 cc V-twin Evolution engine takes over. Like all “sportsters”, the Roadster is quite compact in size, and huge cylinders, “clad” in air-cooling fins, occupy a fair portion of its profile projection. In general, the designers of H.-D. we tried: the motorcycle came out very courageous, but at the same time foldable and even beautiful, if, of course, you can call such brutal iron beautiful...

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Emotionless

If we put aside admiration and other inappropriate emotions and look at the device from a technical point of view with a cold eye (although this is not easy), then there will be something to be surprised by. Yes, it is based on the Sportster design that has been well known for many years. Steel duplex frame, pendulum with two shock absorbers - a classic design.

The engine also does not have any innovations. The long-known 1,202 cc air-cooled engine develops 67 hp. With. and 97 Nm at fairly low speeds. The engine, of course, is hellishly loud, emitting an incredible amount of all kinds of sounds, clangs and rumbles during operation - that’s how it’s designed. This is a brutal man, not some refined British like the Triumph Bonneville T120 , timidly hiding water cooling behind fake cylinder fins, and the sound of the engine running behind the jacket of the aforementioned cooling.

Everything here is on display, maybe even deliberately, but that doesn’t make it any less cool and brutal. The vibrations are also completely masculine. The engine running at idle “walks” in the frame as if it wants to go out. However, as soon as you add gas, the vibration returns to normal. “Normal” here, of course, is a relative concept: this is the norm for Harley, but for others it is a disaster. But this is a purebred Harley, and not all sorts of shabby ones...

Price:

from 1,001,000 rubles

Moving further from the “stern” to the “snout”, we notice the most interesting thing: instead of the crappy front fork, familiar to all “sprats”, which was only good at twisting with a screw even in the most harmless turns, a powerful inverted fork is installed here. Not only is this design much stiffer in torsion and bending, it also works in accordance with modern ideas about suspension. But we'll talk about this a little later.

Another revelation - Harley-Davidson finally decided that their motorcycles should be able to not only growl nobly, but also brake. And they finally made two brake discs and, accordingly, two calipers. Well, now let's slow down! It was these two things - a working suspension and normal brakes - that the entire Sportster family lacked. This is probably where the technical innovations end.

In a black, black city...

But that’s why he’s Harley, to win with charisma, not innovation. The low seat and equally low steering wheel create a very interesting sitting position: to reach the steering wheel, you have to lean forward a little and you want to slouch, pull your head into your shoulders and... make your face look like a box.

At the same time, she spontaneously begins to demonstrate contempt for the world around her. Here you involuntarily think about how the posture of your own body can change your mood and outlook on the world. Driving this motorcycle, you begin to feel like just that bad guy and renegade who doesn’t give a damn about the whole world. Adds, of course, a vibrating and rumbling engine, and a rather socially unapproved exhaust sound.

A real renegade should not be comfortable in life. Because if you live like cheese in butter, where can you get that contempt for the whole world? The creators of the Roadster thought about this in advance. Yes, now the “roadster” has a normal suspension, which not only holds the road, but also eats up all the bumps, asphalt cuts and other nasty things. But so that life wouldn’t be so sweet, the bad guy’s footpegs were installed so that as soon as you put your feet on the asphalt, the anchors of the footpegs dig into your calves.

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Do you want to take a couple of steps closer to the stop line or back out of the parking lot? Get your feet ready. They will always be bruised because no matter how hard you try, you will definitely hit your calves and shin bones on the footrests. Always. No options. Of course, in the feet-on-pegs position, you realize that they are located exactly where you need them - under your butt. And this position is almost ideal for driving a motorcycle. But you'll be surprised how much you have to walk with a motorcycle between your legs in everyday life. It’s hard for us, the asocial elements, to live!

It must be admitted that the Roadster and its pilot create exactly the right impression on others. The pilot and his brutal motorcycle are broadcast to ordinary people, and ordinary people obediently absorb exactly the message that I spoke about at the beginning. No one gets the false impression that this is a “good motorcyclist.” We’ll leave this “good people drive Hondas” and other similar pink snot to others. Roadster even from afar makes it clear that it is better not to mess with this dude. This will most likely not end in anything good or kind. They let you in, they give in, they look at you with respect...

Hell, even the “electric train” doesn’t make such an impression on the average person! This is the worst motorcycle I've ever ridden! And I can’t help but like it!

If you once again try to break away from emotions (I don’t want to, but the test format requires it, whatever), then Harley remains true to itself. The high-torque motor perfectly propels the heavy (almost 250 kg) vehicle from a standstill and very quickly accelerates to hundreds. Then acceleration, traditionally, sours. The real “working” speed range is 80-120 km/h. You can do more, but it starts to blow away, and in general, it’s completely useless on such a motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson Roadster

Brief technical specifications

Dimensions, mm (L/H): 2,185 / 785 Curb weight: 259 kg Engine: Evolution®, air-cooled Transmission: Chain, 38/57 ratio Exhaust system: Short dual exhaust system with chrome mufflers and black laser-cut heat shields screens Type of brake calipers: Two-piston front and two-piston rear calipers

The same goes for turns. Those same enemy footpegs that get in the way when using your feet on the asphalt also constantly remind you of themselves when cornering. As soon as you drive a little faster into a turn, the motorcycle rests on the anchor of the pegs and, with a heartbreaking grinding sound, draws a curve along the asphalt. Onlookers turn around hoping to see “blood, guts and dismemberment,” children begin to cry, grandmothers cross themselves, women faint. Especially the one sitting behind you. In a word, this device can make some rustling (or rattling) noises!

This is where you need to try to keep your facial expression especially calm, because it’s such a pleasure to upset onlookers without causing an accident. Then their excited “oh, what’s going to happen” turns into “oh, I’m scared, damn it.” Isn't this what all the bad guys get their life force from?

And only sitting behind the wheel of this motorcycle, you understand that everything that is happening, by and large, is nothing more than a performance. Bad guys, brutal macho men, black-black motorcycle... The main thing is to have fun while riding.

After all, this is exactly why we get on a bike: to isolate ourselves from the world with an invisible wall, to retire in our own endless universe, which fits between the handlebars and the seat of the motorcycle, and to live in it only for ourselves. And, of course, I couldn’t help but be glad that I had a beard and mustache growing on my “box-shaped face.” Because watching this whole performance, you want to grin into your mustache. And without a mustache it’s quite difficult to do this.

Features of the Harley-Davidson Sportser 883

© Ultimate Motorcycling
The Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 is the same Harley as its older brothers, despite the smaller engine capacity. You should not look at them in comparison with other types of motorcycles, in particular sports ones. After all, this is a completely different world. The Evolution motor has roots in the 80s, but that doesn't mean it's ancient. This classic rumbling engine comes from Milwaukee and is perfect for a heavy bike.

You should not blame the internal combustion engine of the Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 for its low liter power. Yes, at a time when many bikes produce significantly more than a hundred horses per liter, the figure of 58-59 hp/liter may seem modest. But you don't buy a Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 to fly it. And even if you go on long trips, the engine will easily last a hundred thousand miles.

Highly accelerated engines, even single-cylinder ones, can only dream of such a resource if they are exploited to the fullest. What is an exception for an engine with 150 hp/liter (achievable when driving in the “grandfather drove grandmother” style), for the Evolution 883, proven over the years, is the norm.

The power output of the Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 engine is far from the maximum on the market, but the traction characteristics are at a decent level. 73 Nm is a figure similar to sports bikes with almost twice as many horses.

The Harley-Davidson Sportser 883 has no problems with acceleration. It reaches a hundred in about 5 seconds, and in a straight line accelerates to about 190 km/h. Of course, 5 is not 3 (your Cap), but this indicator is very impressive. It’s realistic to “shoot” at a traffic light; only sportbikes, sports cars and some electric cars can get ahead of a bike (they have Newtons available from the very bottom). And the engine does this, spinning up to 6000 rpm, and not the sky-high 10-15 thousand.

Tuning enthusiasts highlight the ease of increasing engine volume. In the USA they even sell kits for this. By boring or replacing the CPG, head and timing belt, as well as reflashing the “brain”, you can get a 1200 cc engine from the Evolution 883, capable of producing up to 80 hp. power and up to 90 Nm of torque. Tuning requires about $1500 in money (including shipping of spare parts) and a day of time in the garage.