Sorry, traditionalists, the Iron 883 is not a return to the Sportster's pre-Evo, Ironhead glory days. The cylinder heads on this Sporty are 100 percent non-ferrous, and the catchy name only refers to the wrought-iron aesthetic of this newest addition to Harley-Davidson's popular Dark Custom line. Merging the strong-selling Nightster 1200's styling with a more accessible (and inexpensive) 883cc powerplant, the Iron 883 is the ultimate entry-level Harley.
The Iron 883 uses the same old-school fenders, combination stoplight/turnsignals and side-mount license plate holder as the Nightster, to maintain the proper bobber look. The biggest styling change is the shift from spoked to cast wheels. A super-low, 25.3-inch solo seat is standard; a passenger seat is an available option. Shorty dual pipes look right, and electronic, sequential-port fuel-injection keep the Evo twin running smoothly. You can have the Iron 883 in any color you want, as long as you want Black Denim or Brilliant Silver Denim.
The Iron 883 stole the show...
The Iron 883 stole the show at The Art of Rebellion, a Southern California exhibit featuring the works of various "lowbrow" artists. Each painted a Sportster tank that was auctioned off to benefit Art Matters, a charity that assists ground-breaking artists.
The best part of the Iron 883 might be its price: At $7899, it's the cheapest offering in the Dark Custom stable, and a full $2000 less than the Nightster 1200. If you act quickly, you can get an even better deal through Harley's generous "Ride Free" trade-in guarantee program. Buy any new 2008-'09 Sportster before March 31 and, if you trade up to any Dyna, Softail, VRSC or Touring model within the next year, The Motor Company will credit the Sportster's full MSRP toward the trade. If you already own an '07-'09 Sportster, you've got the same amount of time to trade up under the same conditions. Think of it as riding a Sportster for a year for free-because that's exactly what it is.