Speedmaster vs 883 Low

tdragger

Living Legend
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Fredericksburg, VA
I've got my wife signed up for her motorcycle training class so now begins the search
for her own mount. I know it's going to start a grand debate here but I value the
group's opinion.

She sat on a Speedmaster at the Triumph dealer a few weeks ago and really liked it.
We had originally thought about an 883 Hugger or Low. In comparing the two, I
noticed the following:

Feature.....Speedy......Sporty

Dry Weight....504.........563
Seat Height.. 28.3....... 26.3
Fuel Cap..... 4.4gal..... 3.3gal
Fuel Sys..... Carb....... FI
Torque .......51......... 55
PRICE........ 8299....... 7279


Speedy has the advantage in weight and fuel capacity.
Sporty has the advantage in seat height and torque (at lower rpm too).

Sporty has a big advantage in PRICE but the fuel capacity sucks.


A side thought: There seems to be a lot of '07 Speedys still at dealers. I like them
more since they have the old style tank (matches my '06 Roc). What would be a
reasonable offer to a dealer for an '07? Do you think they would match the Sporty's
price?
 
I will have to say I am a big fan of the '04 and up Sportsters. They are extemely low maintenance (hydraulic lifters, so no valve shim check). The Sportster Custom sits very low and comes with a 4.5 gallon tank, and looks really cool, and is in the same price range as the Speedmaster.

Triumph has always been in my blood and I like the Speedmaster as well, a very sporty look, and they sound really good with aftermarket pipes. Like our Rockets, not everyone has a Speedmaster, so it may get her a little more attention as well.

If she's like my wife, she says she's not worried about the attention, but... when she pulls up on her Trophy at the local bike night and people start gathering around asking her questions, she sure seems to enjoy it..

The Sportster Custom is closer to the Speedmaster in specs and price. The Sportster low is a very, very basic bike and does not sit that much lower than the Custom. Also, you get stiffer shocks with the Low to help make up for the lack of suspension travel.

Basically, you can't go wrong with either one. I would let her decide and go from there. My wife test rode the Honda ST1300 and Yamaha FJ1300, and she is the one who decided to get a used Trophy 1200 instead, and she couldn't be happier!
 

Normally I never argue with a Texan, especially a Texan who has horses, a beautiful blue Rocket and especially a Rocket that don't have a bad TDU bearing.......but....

The 883 HD Sportster is a piece of dung. I've had some personal experience with the bike in as much as my friend owns one and I have ridden it. It's a dog, it shakes and it rides like a Schwinn pedal bike. It might be fine for a 2 lane road, but it's winded at 65 and it's downright dangerous at 75. He also has a 1200 and it has leaked repeatedly from the valve covers despite numerous trips to the dealer and copious amounts of blue-glue.

The Speedy has the same engine as my T100 Bonnie and it will out drag, out corner and outlast the Miluakee vibrator/leaker. As a case in point, my Bonnie, without the sidecar, will outrun light-to-light any stock HD except a V-Rod.

If you want to get her an easy to handle, simple to maintain and really cheap bike, get her a Kawasaki KLR, put on the 2" lowering links and the bike will outlast your Rocket and you'll probably end up riding it...you'll ride it once and like it so much, you might park the Rocket and do the short trips on the KLR. I do. $8299---$7299------nope.

Try $5600 out the door, tax, title and prep for an '09. That's almost 1700 bucks less than the Miluakee vibrator/leaker and the KLR stock will run a low 13 second quarter mile....That will smoke any stock sporty and even the big HD's that are stock plus it has real suspension and real brakes...same brakes as on the Ninja, just a single disc up front instead of dual discs.

You are going to say the 883 and 1200 is American made...It's not. It's assembled in America from predominately foreign parts. The Speedmaster isn't made in England either. It's made in Taiwan, ROC. Matter of fact, it's made right next door to where the KLR is assembled. The KLR is made in Japan and assembled in Taiwan.

Now that I've blown my mouth off, I'll take any and all comments.....Of course I'll have the chance to rebutt........

I may just bring the KLR to the next RAA so you guys can appreciate what 60 mpg is.

I added a picture of my '08. You aren't seeing double, there are 2 identical bikes. I just happen to have a riding friend that has one...yep, that's my ugly mug. 'Course you know that already.

Mine is the one in the front. Blue is faster........
 

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My two cents

First, if you haven't already figured this out, I can't talk technical with most of you. It's even dangerous to give me tools that have a sharp end. I just spent an hour or so looking and comparing the two choices and here's my vote.

SPEEDMASTER ALL THE WAY. It's not because I'm a Triumph rider.......it's because I really think it's a classier, more stylish and yet a touch of Retro thrown in for good measure. The fuel injection on 2009 should help and guarantee you she'll have as much fun and a lot more people wanting to ask questions about the Triumph.

There it is. No technical jargon's for why I think it's better. I can't back up a single thing I've said except........ I think it's the bike for her! Hell, if I was smaller and richer......I'd add it to my collection of one.
 
'03 and prior shake like a paint shaker. Think of all those idiots who bought Anniversary Sportsters.. lol. Then, in '04 the Sportster was drastically improved and made in to a usuable bike, with a rubber mounted engine and with the Custom, you get a 4.5 gallon tank that will give you a good 200 mile range. After reading Flip's post, I would have to agree that the 883 is not the best bike. She will out grow the 883 so fast that it will become boring to her.

My wife's first bike was a Honda NightHawk 750, which will smoke the Speedmaster, the Sportster, and many other bikes. It's severely under rated. At first, I tried to talk her into something smaller, but she physically fit the bike so well. So, I agreed. She turned out to be right, and she REALLY loved that bike!

Like Flip said, The Speedmaster (and most any other bike) will smoke the 883 Sportster in any performance area and is more comparable to the 1200 Sportster. As much as I have praised the Sportster, Triumph is in my blood, and I really like the Speedmaster. If it has been just a tad larger bike, I would be owning it instead of the Rocket! (I'm sure glad the 1600 wasn't avaialble then!)

and yes Flip, I'd love to have a KLR as well!.. Have you taken it out and played out in the fields with it yet?




 
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Given the choice of the Speedmaster or America vs. a 883 Sportster I would pick the Sportster.
I'm a big Triumph fan but in this case IMO HD has the upper hand.
Triumph took the same engine used in their classic Bonny and Scrambler and changed the firing interval from 360 degrees to 270, at a loss of 11 HP. The change gives it a little more distinctive idle and may remove some handle bar buzz and higher rpm's. IMHO thats not a very good trade.
The sporty shakes like a dog ****ting razor blades just like the bigger Harley's. But the smooth out at cruise.It's just how they're built and the rubber mounting helps to isolate the vibration. A good friend of mine has a 94' 883 and it's not a bad bike. Pretty reliable for a 14 year old and it still looks good. And while it won't keep with the Rocket it runs pretty good. As far as the fuel capacity goes its not a long distance tourer, but for the $1000 difference you could get a bigger tank and and some chrome as well.
In either case I wouldn't buy with out a test ride. The specs are too close to make the decision on paper.
BTW Flip I've followed my friend's 883 at 90 mph thats probably all he had but it's a lot better than 65.

 
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Speedmasters are cool...a sporty is a sporty. Around here you can get them 1-2 years old for a bag of popcorn as guys trade up.
 
blue vs. blue .....

Mine is the one in the front. Blue is faster........

well, yes.
but which one is faster, being that they're both blue?


greg
 
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