Sportsters

is it worth putting the 1200 kit in my 883?or just sell it and buy a bigger bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

883 to 1200

I'D SAY 883 TO 1200
I did a 1995/883 to 1200 i was very happy with the results..........

YOU ALSO SAVE $$$$ if you can do the work yourself..... If not DON"T let some-one sell you a bill of goods you don't NEED

LISTED BELOW will really be all you need to have what I had...

I would say.......(some times KITS are available at $$ savings) be careful.... USE MAJOR BRAND NAMES ONLY
#1
new 1200 barrels from harley
#2
decide on pistons and compression ratio..... I went with wiesco 10.5/1 MADE for 883/1200 conversion using stock 883 heads
remember 10.5/1 needs to have 91/92 octane with the higher compression
#3
use the stock 883 heads with valve lapp or grind
#4
scream' eagle air
#5
a good exhaust (free flowing)
#6
re-jet carb to run properly(idle jet,mainjet) and use a 1200 sporster NEEDLE
#7
break it in compression up and compression down method for best ring seating....

after break-in
YOU BETTER HOLD ON WITH BOTH HANDS!!!!!!!

I didn't change cams and I DIDN"T need to ----- don"t cam away the low-end torque you just made....... IT IS THAT SIMPLE
MY 883 to 1200 OUT PERFORMED A STOCK 1200 because i did the conversion with 10.5/1 pistons 10.25 would be the LEAST compression to go for....
I loved the POWER

signed....REDHEAD

I have done quite a bit of reading on the conversions. One thing to keep in mind (at least on 04-06 I have 05) the front cog is deeper. A 27 tooth vs a 29 tooth. That is the one thing that none of the kits I have found addresses. Leave the 27 and eat anything stock coming and going, but heard it is a bit hard to keep the front wheel on the ground. Second interstate speeds have a way of driving your RPMs up staying with the 883 cog.

Personally for me there won't be anything in my garage that isn't Sporty Powered. I love my piglet and hope someday to give her a bit bigger powerhouse to play with. For now the 883 is doing ok.

Good luck and be sure to do a thread in the project section if you go for this.

right now my son is riding a sporty, plenty of get up and go for his size and weight putting on some free flowing short shots with se gaskets, when he opens them for x-mas (his first scoot wrenchin experiance, )and when he is ready for mo-power then it will be an eng up grade, not scoot up grade, the reasons are the power band will be better than a stock, which makes it a sleeper , and the insurance will stay as low because its an 883 title wise once you break that 1000 cc mark the insurance goes up, and when i ride it it brings back the wind in your face days, (just a nostolgic moment there:roflmao: )but plenty of gumption to get me smilin.

oh yea I can still pull a wheelie on it also

Yep, Just Gotta Know What You Want Outta Your 883. I Did Pretty Good With Mine.

Here's a definitive answer fer ya - it depends. Up thru 2003 models it's pretty much a "no brainer" as you'll spend a lot less & get a better running bike by buying a base 883 & converting it, but as of 2004 that changed & it really changed with the introduction of electronic fuel injection for 2007-up models.

While the cylinder heads 883 or 1200 from the same year appear to be the same on the outside, they're not on the inside & if I knew which year model bike you had I could be more specific. But for example, the 883 Evo models thru 2003 actually have better heads than the 1200's. The 1200's have bigger valves, but they also have the same cams (except for the rare 1200S) & if you're looking for low-end torque & stoplight-to-stoplight power, an 883>1200 conversion with stock 883 heads will outrun a stock 1200. (Stomp a Big Twin too). Front drive belt sprocket also comes into play - 27 teeth for an 883, 29 for a 1200 - but same transmission gearing.

Simply put, while the 883's smaller valves won't flow as much on the top end, the combustion chamber shape is better, a fairly simple >1200 conversion makes great low-end & midrange power & the slightly lower overall gear ratio also gives you more "git up & go". And I'm reminded of an 883>1200 conversion Crossroads Performance built - the builder said yes, the bike runs out of breath @ 5500 rpm - but it gets there so quick you don't care.

But in '04 things started to change & while I don't know all the changes, I do know some very important ones. The new cylinder heads are based on the XB Buell & again, while 883 & 1200 heads look the same on the outside, they're not on the inside. The XB 1200 head is the best one H-D has ever made for a production bike & the 883 head has the same inside design as the earlier Evo models. You can turn an '04-up 883 head into an XB 1200 head, but you have to be a professional machinist to do it.

The transmission gearing is different between 883's & 1200's now & the cams are too (the rare 1200S model's cams being used in all Sportsters) & if you've got a newer fuel-injected model, you have to get into the electronics - $15 worth of carburetor parts & a screwdriver isn't enough anymore.

So is it still a good deal to buy a base 883 & convert it? Yes, but not as big a savings as it used to be & if you like things like all the chrome, laced front wheel, etc. on a 1200 Custom model, it'd cost you less to just buy the 1200C to begin with. You can turn any Sportster model into any other Sportster model (been there, done that, got the T-shirt), but using a new 1200C as an example, it's already got the Buell heads, chrome "goodies", the EFI is already set for 1200cc's (can be improved on), etc. But it won't beat an "old" 883>1200