Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Iron (2015-2021) review

Sorry haters, but the Harley-Davidson Iron 883 is good for an entry level cruiser motorbike. Those last four words are key. Compared to another entry level middleweight, say a Yamaha MT-07, the Harley looks all kinds of bad (especially if you only refer to the spec sheet).

But compared to other entry level cruisers, it’s a no-nonsense, no gimmicks fun machine. It’s also not trying to be a Harley-Davidson, like the Honda CMX500 Rebel or Kawasaki Vulcan 650 for instance, which counts for a lot.

It’s a hard thing to explain but the Harley-Davidson Iron 883, like many other Harleys to be honest, has a certain something that makes it more than the sum of its parts. They are without doubt expensive, underpowered and overweight but they’re also really brilliant hunks of metal too.

It has a heavy clutch, its brakes are relatively poor, it’s slow steering, the engine is comparatively clunky (as is the gearbox) and the rear cylinder gets uncomfortably hot in traffic – but it does look and feel like a genuine Harley and that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Compared with the Harley Street 750 (Harley's old entry-level hog), the 883 has cleaner lines with its purer, simpler design and the lack of a radiator. Then there’s the iconic 'peanut' tank, twin, side-mounted exhausts, classic cut-down rear 'fender' and 'drag' style bars. If you removed the H-D badge from the Iron you’d still be in no doubt who made it.

Riding the 883 feels good – and that's what matters most. It doesn't feel like riding an imitation of a Harley – it feels like the real deal.

There's a thriving enthusiast community for Harley-Davidsons run by the firm itself called HOG - Harley Owners' Group.

This bike is also very popular with those who like to personalise their motorcycle. It appears in our Best Custom Motorbikes article. Mutt Motorcycles even created their own custom blacked-out Iron 883 in 2018.

In 2022, Harley replaced the Iron 883 with a new entry-level cruiser called the Nightster.

Harley Iron 883 v Honda VT750C video review

For 2015, Harley-Davidson put the entire Sportster platform through 'Project Rushmore'. There were a few outcomes but the biggest for the Iron 883 was brand new suspension and much better brakes.

They’re not labelled up but they’re from proper named brands: the suspension comes from Showa and the brakes are from Brembo. The result is a much-improved ride all round. The forks are now much more progressive and no longer crash over bumps, although they’re fairly short travel (92mm), so braking into a pothole still sucks.

At the back the preload is now adjustable through a 50mm range, instead of the three options previously, but again the travel is short (just 41mm) so rough roads are kidney bashing experiences. Rivals, like the Indian Scout, handle this much better.

The new dual piston calipers front and rear give a lot more bite, and feel better at the lever, but still require a bit of effort to pull up in a hurry. ABS was an option until 2017 and works just like it should.

Out on the road though you don’t really notice as you’ll rarely get yourself up to the speed where you’re going to trouble the brakes.

The engine in the Harley Iron 883 is both its biggest asset and its biggest weakness. It’s a proper Harley motor, so it’s a 45-degree air-cooled, pushrod operated, V-twin - just like most other Harleys have been since 1912. That means it sounds nice and rumbles around just like it should, unlike the water cooled previous entry-level Street 750 and hot-rod-inspired Street Rod.

However it means it doesn’t create a great deal of power or torque (just 51.2bhp and 50.2ftlb respectively). To give it a decent bit of go it’s got a fairly low first few gears, however it’s also only got a five speed gearbox and a clunky one at that.

That also means it can feel a little revvy and breathless on the motorway. And while the air-cooling looks good, you do sit remarkably close to that rear cylinder, so it slow traffic and on hot days things can get a little warm in your trousers. There’s no two ways about it but the competition have the Iron licked here.

The air cooled Evolution motor in the Sportster range has been around so long now that all the major kinks have been ironed out. The only potential nasty that remains is the spring plate in the clutch, which is known to fail and can be an expensive fix.

It’s much cheaper (and easier) to just swap in a couple of extra clutch plates beforehand to stop it going wrong. Oil weeps from the rockerboxes aren't unheard of, but it’s a cheap and easy fix. Apart from that it’s just a case of swapping the oil every 5000 miles.

Also like most Harley’s since the mid-80s, the engine has hydraulic valve lifters, so they never need a valve adjustment, while the final drive runs on a belt. Keep it adjusted properly and you can do over 60,000 miles without replacement.

On the whole build quality is good however there are a few issues that crop up regularly. The back of the front and rear mudguards are prone to rust, while the area below the fork seals are known to corrode. A liberal coating of XCP or ACF-50 should keep the worst of the problems away but, like all bikes, if you ride them in crap weather and don’t take care of them, they won’t respond well.

Our Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Iron owners review shows loads of love for this bike: "don't knock it until you've tried it".

The purchase price of an Iron 883 is similar to the big rivals, namely the Indian Scout Bobber and the more roadster-style Triumph Bonneville T100, although they do come with more 'stuff' as standard.

Where the Iron 883 really comes into its own is five years down the line.

This model came out in 2015 and you’d struggle to find a nice one for much less than £5500. Older models hit a price floor of £4000 as long as they’re in good nick. If you buy a cared for used model and take care of it yourself, it’s easy to sell it for exactly what you paid.

Alongside the Scout and the Bonnie mentioned above, other rivals to the Iron 883 include the Honda CMX500 Rebel, a low-slung version of the Honda 500 platform. You could also consider the Kawasaki Vulcan S if you're not bothered about the authenticity of an American cruiser, or similarly the Yamaha XV950 range.

In terms of rider aids, a Sportster 883 Iron is basic – you get twin channel ABS and that’s it. However there’s a lot more going on underneath. Harley-Davidson have long mastered the art of refining the finish on their bikes for a simplistic and classy finish.

For a start the ABS runs off the wheel bearings, so there’s no ugly sensor ring bolted to the wheels. Wherever possible, cabling is hidden from view, too. Then there’s a fully-keyless ignition with a fob, that requires one button to turn it on and go. The keyless ignition also includes a movement alarm (with a bloody loud siren) and immobiliser.

The clocks have speed, digital RPM, gear indicator, two trips plus an odometer and that’s all controlled from a rocker switch on the bars. The only thing its missing is a fuel gauge, which is available as an extra but it’s a stingy omission given the small tank (fuel light comes on around 110 miles). The Iron also has self-cancelling indicators, which are some of the few self-cancellers that actually work as you’d imagine.

Due to the type of bike the Iron 883 was, many of them on the used market will have been modified and customised. Popular mods include aesthetic changes such as sissy bars, various handlebar options, bar end mirrors or screens.

Pay particular attention to the quality of the parts used as there are plenty of cheap or spurious options out there. Exhaust mods are also popular and if you're not in the business of waking up the entire street when you head off in the morning ask if the seller still has the original pipe.