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-   -   I just got Har-Ley'd! My Iron 883 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/142095-i-just-got-har-leyd-my-iron-883-a-51.html)

Hi Mr_V, Nice trip for your first ride. Also happy to see that you were fully kitted. But your ride partner was not kitted I believe! Hope the injury was not bad when your partner fell.

Keep riding and enjoy the Iron! :thumbs up

The new Street Twin from Triumph promises to be a looker and also has better torque figures than the outgoing one. The fuel efficiency has reportedly gone up by 36 percent, which is also pretty sweet. I can't talk about the 2016 Iron, but some 2015 ones we rented from Bangalore were really pathetic on bad roads because of the suspension. Each small pothole would elicit a huge thud/clank from the rear. The ground clearance was also quite a pain point, but then I heard the new one has improved GC. The mirrors are cheap and worthless. A Harley with such ugly mirrors is unacceptable.

Tough choice, really. Both the Street Twin and the Iron can look very fetching on any biker, but in the long run, keep in mind the issues/service/cost of spares and accessories. Am in the same boat as you, unable to decide between the two. Let's see what Mr_V has to say about his experience.

I guess the Harley fever is slowly dying down and seems like many HOGs are moving into other alternatives while new HOGs are getting added. There are a few with high-end Harleys like RoadKing or Fatboy and they are there to stay. Many from sporter family are slowly moving into a tourer options and with the market opening up in this segment one should evaluate these before taking a plunge.

Being a HOG myself, I am in the market to upgrade to a tourer. Many in our group including some of those who penned down beautiful thread have kinda moved on or moving on with better options. Definitely the harley service, attitude of the service personal and HOG community and the politics there is not helping to retain many and biked like Ducati Mutistrada, Diavel, Hypermotard, Tiger XCA, XRX, Bonnivel, Versys 1000 and Versys 650 are making lot of sense for our kind of roads.

Let's face it. These bikes are very often for weekend rides or long trips and definitely a pain for day to day commuting. Yes there are many who use it for day to day commuting but they are outliers out of the complete lot.

So before you guys decide, do test ride few more apart from Harleys and take an informed decision. Every penny you invest should be worth on the bike and you should not be like maybe I should have upgraded to the other version. And yes you need to be ready for atleast a 1L or more for the accessories what we call in our terminology as Harley tax:Frustrati

What you say is true to some extent. I for one would really keep my Heritage for life as these old school Harley's do have their own charm. Especially if you don't care about these groups and politics like me but are only interested in the machine. Anyways, I never considered the Street to be a capable machine as better options from Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati or even the small R3 from Yamaha et al are now available. I for one would be more keen in adding another modern tourer to the portfolio like a 1200GS/Diavel or similar.

Thanks for the compliments Invader.

The 2016 883's new suspensions have got the much needed improvement, and the much easier on the bumps and pot-holes. The bike handles decent at highway speeds, though there is a lot of vibrations (but not too bothersome). Heating in traffic, A BIG YES! I'd definitely not take it out for my daily office commute (RT Nagar -KR Puram - Whitefield). Fuel consumption exceeded my expectations, I got a decent 18-20Kmpl on highway and about 15kmpl in city.

Now coming down to Bonnie and the 883, both are two very different bikes with their own heritage. British smoothness v American muscle. I would suggest at this point, look into what you will be using the bike for and take as many test rides as you can to make up your mind. You need to convince yourself, than others to convince you :)

Thank You TorqueyTechie. The fall was not bad, just a bit of paint rubbed off. All part of the biking experience. You get up, dust off and ride on :)

Glad your friend got away slightly. Not many are lucky to "Get up, Dust off & ride on" after a spill unless one is properly geared. A spill is never a gentle one :)

Safe Riding Mr.V!

Cheers

Just picked up a 2016 Iron 883 in "Olive Gold". Initial impressions indicate that the suspension has been adjusted, which is a blessing with our road conditions. Anyone else who has purchased a 2016 model?

Congratulations MM! Thats an awesome color!

Yes the 2016 models does come with improved suspensions. Thank god they realized that and got Y'all an upgrade without having to shell out the "Harley Tax" :)

Congratulations!! Awesome color MM-58. Please post your initial ownership report and your ride experience.

Waiting for Mr_V and MM-58 to post their ownership reviews of the 2016 Iron.
This is one thread that shouldn't die even though Shubz has sold his Iron.

Shubz, I had sent a private message to you about the Harley bug that's bitten me.