Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster (1993-current)

the 883 is a very underated machine, ok it does not have tyre ripping performance or the ride quatiliy of its bigger brothers or of the competition, it is a basic bare bones bike that chugs along with the HD heart beat, coming from a tweaked and tuned xvs1100 you can feel the lack of power but it still has ample to waft you along all day at motorway speeds, and is comfy enough for a full tank in the saddle and there is little worry of losing your license. It has better ground clearance than its bigger brothers but still not massive and the pipes will be the first to touch down if you get spirited, the brakes are best left in the bin and replaced with something that works they just about haul up the bike from motorway speeds with prodgius amounts of rear and is the bikes and any HD's down fall apart from maybe the Vrod, loads of bits out to make it your own and for short riders the low and custom are great bikes this is my 2nd sportster and 3rd HD, would i have other marquees? with out a doubt and they too would be the custom style, often imitated and often bettered by the Japenese but they still a great little bike

Bought second-hand with Stage 1 and not so silent SE exhausts. Just 5,000m and I've racked up another 1,000 this month. A great B' road tool. Not the fastest, not the quickest round a corner, but loadsa fun. A few coughs and backfires, but great noise on the road. And the chances are I might even get my money back when i sell it.

There is a huge problem with rocker cover oil leaks on these black engines. Mine has been back to the dealers 3 times for this problem alone and its still not fixed. The bike is 7 months old and has been back to the dealers 6 times in total with faults. Buyers be very aware. I'm asking for my money back!

Fun to ride, light and agile but long rides become uncomfortable. Strengths: Best v twin engine around. Weaknesses: Be prepared to have oil sprayed (blowby)from breather in air filter all over engine casings, exhaust and your right leg. This is supposed to be normal!!! Backfires often. Cramped when riding with pillion. Vibration exessive.

Being only 5ft tall I seem to find that there are very few bikes that I can ride (I have been riding for 23 years). I have never been a fan of Harleys until I had a seat on one at a bike show and actually liked the uncluttered look of the sportster. I took a test drive and now I have to say that it is the most fun I have had on two wheels for a very long time. I ride mostly on twisty country roads and even commute to work on it. The bike is stable and solid and gives me loads of confidence despite the fact that it is quite a heavy bike. It may not be the fastest bike in the world but it has more "go" than you might imagine. Strengths: Solid and stable and the sportster low is excellent for smaller riders. It looks great and I especially like the solo seat and the minimal look. Weaknesses: It is heavy to push around but luckily is easy to manouver at slow speeds. The side stand and the alarm system are a bit awkward until you get used to them.