Hello

Hi Just sign Up need help chooseing a Bike. and idea I,m a big guy about 210 and sixfooter and very little experance. Been Looking at harley 2003 xlh-883r I realy Like it. good looking bike the dealer in savannah Ga wants 6999 for it i think it has 2200 miles on it. What is vibration and does it Hurt a bike and why does it shake going down the Road is that a bad thing. also I like the suzuki vs800 intruder. Which is the better Bike. :moped:

Hi Just sign Up need help chooseing a Bike. and idea I,m a big guy about 210 and sixfooter and very little experance. Been Looking at harley 2003 xlh-883r I realy Like it. good looking bike the dealer in savannah Ga wants 6999 for it i think it has 2200 miles on it. What is vibration and does it Hurt a bike and why does it shake going down the Road is that a bad thing. also I like the suzuki vs800 intruder. Which is the better Bike. :moped:

Hi and welcome to RiderInfo.com.

I dunno why a 2003 sporty would vibrate. That's not such a great sign. I'm 6 foot and 200 lbs myself. I had a sportster and now an FXR. On the sportster I found I could not get my feet far enough in front of me to be comfortable. The forward controls could be a little further out for my taste. Aside from getting one that is ragged, the sporty is usually a good bike. For 7K though I'd want a NEW 883.

I dunno about the intruder, but there are alot of great options on imports with great prices. At first look the bike is very nice.

HERE IS A PIC OF THE BIKE I,M HOPE TO BE RIDEING THIS WEEKEND :headbange WHAT DO YA THINK. :cheers:

Sharp looking bike. Miles of fun ahead of ya. Hope you have great weather where ya are.

Dixie,
I am 5'9" and 225 and ride a '96 XLH 883. I can give you my thoughts. From a looks standpoint, she's a looker. Lots of investment in chrome by the previous owner. Mine had about 14,000 miles and was well broken in. From a size standpoint, I have difficulty getting my legs out far enough to be comfortable for long rides, even though I have forward controls. Other than that, it's a keeper. The vibration issue is one you should take a serious look at. On the early XLH's, the engine was rigidly mounted to the frame, therefore it's vibration was transmitted to the rider. Even with that problem, mine is a smooth ride under 4500. At that point, my fillings start to get loose. I intend on changing the engine sprocket to get the RPMs down on the highway. I tach about 3400 at 65 MPH. Like to get down to 2800, or so. All in all, you can;t go wrong with a Sporty. You will also notice that it is a bit underpowered for 2-up riding. You'll want to do a 1200 conversion, some SE slip-ons, cams, and maybe some ported heads. Be careful with that vibration issue. Try to find someone that is familiar with Sportys to give you a knolegable opinion.

Ride Safe

Hi Just sign Up need help chooseing a Bike. and idea I,m a big guy about 210 and sixfooter and very little experance. Been Looking at harley 2003 xlh-883r I realy Like it. good looking bike the dealer in savannah Ga wants 6999 for it i think it has 2200 miles on it. What is vibration and does it Hurt a bike and why does it shake going down the Road is that a bad thing. also I like the suzuki vs800 intruder. Which is the better Bike. :moped:

The vibration is pretty much part of the deal and well explained by radar_indy if yours behaves like his. I am much more concerned about what you describe as "shake" going down the road. If it is something different than the vibration you mention first it is something potentially dangerous, possibly fatal, and costly to repair.

BEFORE you buy this bike, get an experienced rider you can trust to take a test ride on it. City and highway driving of at least 20 miles. Don't let the fever get to you and make a dangerous/expensive purchase you might regret. Like smeg said, you can get a new sporty for the price range the stealer is asking.

Welcome to the board.

Please shop around first . Test ride more bikes.

883 is a nice bike,but I think you might want to ride something else
before making that much of an investment.If your that tall the sporty
might be to confined. But each to his own.
Good Luck.

Welcome aboard .

That 883R is a nice model

Sporties are a lot of fun , nimble , good handling bikes. The pre-04 models are known to vibrate alot . My girlfriend has an 03 and it is fun to ride , but I'm not too fond of the vibration on longer trips. (I have a Superglide Sport)

In 2004 they made significant changes , rubbermounting the engine being the most important. It shakes a lot less and makes for a better ride all around.

HD is making more improvements for the 2005 model and releasing them early
see http://www.harley-davidson.com for details.

For that much money , I'd suggest going to a 04 or waiting for the 05's.

Also if you can swing it a 1200 for your size might be worth the extra .
You may also want to consider the "C" models as the forward controls give you more room to stretch out.

Happy riding