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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.html)

Some time ago, I had opened a thread which came across as mid-life crisis! What bike at this age! Almost every one of my brethren from this community came up saying - Whats age got to do with it! And I felt, Hell Yeah! Whats age got to do with passion!

Then the Duke happened! I literally turned a kid. Was there at the showroom at 5 am'ish on the day of the launch, hoping they would take in the bookings. They did not, then again was there 5 am'ish on the day they announced bookings would be taken. Booked, got Duke'd! Loved every moment of it, I still do!

Then came across the urge to grow. And I had made up my mind that I "may" not be able to handle anything more than a 600 cc range. (I am slim built, you know) ;-)

Then the news of Triumph all over the place, Had seen it at the Auto Expo in Delhi. They had the perfect range that I was looking for - The Street Triple - 675, with amazing specs and the drooling began all over! Along with the never ending wait, canned responses from Triumph. Then the big announcement, Launching in September, err.. November 2013.

Meanwhile, while there was nothing substantial happening on the Triumph thread, was intently reading through the HD threads. The icon caught my attention for sure.

But I was never a cruiser person. On our weekend rides, we used to pass by and get passed by an occassional HOG group and I used to wonder, what are these bikes all about anyway? they are loud, they are heavy, they are big, they have this "macho" look, OK! They have this bad-azz reputation (inspired by the movies) PLUS - my own inhibitions - I would never be able to handle these monsters - 883 cc minimum?!?! Gosh - I might be left where I am, and the bike would just go! I was terrified, petrified of anything beyond a 600 cc. Err.. to be honest, I was petrified at the 600's too but was sure that I would be able to manage it.

Then - I guess the sun rose from the west for the past few weeks, I began rummaging through anything that is Harley Davidson! You tube, HD forums, our own T-BHP forums. The more I saw, the more I was getting attached to this piece of machinery, this piece of Icon and legend!

I was talking about this with my very very good friend. and she was listening to me rapt listener to my raving and rantings about Harley. By then a quiet call was made to Tusker Harley in Bangalore (I didn't make that call). Got to know the following,

1) Bikes would be given for a test ride
2) 11 am to 5 pm - Weekdays only
3) Test rider should have a valid driving license and a fully loaded credit card.
4) Test rider MUST be in Jeans and MUST wear boots.
5) Test ride route was explained ( from Tusker Harley - towards cubbon park in front of UB city, Vittal Mallya road - enter cubbon park - go round the roundabout - exit cubbon park - Vittal Mallya road again and back to Tusker Harley.

So here I am, this trembling soul, arrives at the showroom with the friend. In work dress with the following packed in a backpack
1) Riding jacket
2) Pair of Jeans
3) Riding Gloves
4) Riding boots
Helmet separately.

Walk into the showroom. The salesguy greets me and shows me around. I come straight to the point saying I am looking for Iron 883. He shows me the one on display


I begin checking the best out and asking questions galore. (I asked everything except "kithna deti hai" - which he was kind enough to tell me)



Then I changed into the jacket, jeans and got set to mount this beast. with a million butterflies flutterring in my stomach and the urge to run to the bathroom!


Almost set!



Among all the angst, I had the gall to pull out my shades and wear it! lol
(FYI - the helmet is not mine)

And I get instructions on how to switch on the ignition, the left indicator, the right indicator, the horn, the starter button, the gear sequence, the light sequence on the dash etc. I mount the steed, power it on, could feel my heart pounding, KATAKKKK - 1st gear. I jump out of my skin - the Tusker guy quickly says - Thats the way it is - don't worry. And here I was thinking I broke the gear box!

Away we go on the route mentioned and It was ONE HELL OF A RIDE! Got a zillion eyeballs, some drooling, some envying!

This was on screaming eagles and it indeed was screaming!

My confidence was overflowing by then but NOT to be read as over confidence. I still held the monster in high esteem! I soon got used to the gears, the clutch, the throttle. The things I could not or did not want to get used to was the horn, the indicators.

And I return a happy man!



Once in - I need a caffeine shot, a nicotine shot, a bucketful of water to douse my excitement and calm my nerves. I was sold!
But was still trying to hold off! But the monster wasn't letting go of me!

And Lo! I paid up the booking amount!

Now for Tusker Harley!

Pros:
Amazing Sales guys!
Very patient, very knowledgeable!
Treat you equal as other walk in's - irrespective of whether you want to really buy or just enquirers!

The owner - One Mr. Reddy - Was very polite and very friendly!

Cons:
Exhorbitantly priced accessories!
Excruciating wait - 6 Months (and not guaranteed - it could be more as Iron 883 is the most sought after model I guess).
No parking space for visitors vehicles.

Riding experience/Comfort: The Bike has a comfortable feel. The seat (not the original saddle) was like that of any commuter bike. Seating position was very comfortable. I tried the seating on a SuperLow XL and I personally felt it was too big for my little bottom. I might visit again to see if anyone with original saddle are present at the showroom to see how an Iron feels with regular saddle.

The ride - I took a few mins to get adjusted to the seating position. Cos this is totally a different position than that of the Duke. The footpegs are too long but the feet get planted properly. Even this takes a couple of minutes to get used to. particularly the brake pedal. I was advised not to place my feet on the pedal as that has a sensor too. Inspite of my short on confidence till I sat on the bike and started, the ride was uber smooth despite the eagles screaming. I was told not to go above 40. Let alone 40, i could not have gone more than 20, given the traffic. Take off from 1st gear pumps up the adrenaline to a new high. Pulls like a freight train. 2nd gear onwards it sails smoother. There is enough (and more) torque in any gear. Though the bike is bulky, maneuvering it in the traffic was like riding any other two wheeler. (not comparing it with the Duke) Of course, you can't be zig-zagging like in the Duke.

I was advised to use full clutch. No half clutch. clutch was butter smooth and I had no problems engaging clutch/changing gears. Missed the gear indicator on it though.

The switches: I had to turn the ignition key on - which brought on the headlamp - then switch the start button and then press the starter button once the oil pressure light goes off. Boom comes alive the massive engine. This particular bike was fitted with Screaming eagles slip on's

Slotting into the 1st gear gave me a fright as mentioned. But I got to know this is characteristic of it. Shifting through other gears was a breeze. I could go no more than gear 4 - attribute it to the short 2km ride and the traffic.

Features: Loved the way the handlebar is shaped. Gives a true sportster feeling. The indicator switches are handy. The horn/high beam/low beam switch - I never bothered to operate.

What I don't like: The foot peg positioning. You can neither keep your legs in front of it, or behind it without feeling obstructed in planting the foot back on to the foot peg.
Everything is an accessory. The crash guard, the rear seat (costs 8k to 20k) Gosh! The back-rest ~ 10k?, the rear foot peg too costs a fortune.
Vance & Hines costs anywhere from 30k plus - don't know the upper limit.
The side stand - Protrudes way too far out. This could be for the weight of the bike to be amply supported. Engaging the side stand was also a tad obtrusive - the foot peg in the way - though its a spring loaded foot peg.




The total cost of stock Iron 883 - Ex Bangalore - 807761INR (I can provide the break up if required)

Sigh! So here I am! All shocked and dazed. As I trudged back into office - all my team mates ask one question

Is everything OK? You look shocked/dazed! Are you unwell?

I am ACTUALLY Unwell! clap:

A video of the ride :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRIqJ...ature=youtu.be

Let me be the first one to Congratulate you clap:

Liked the way you summarized your test ride, can feel the adreline rush you would have got riding it for the first time.

Best of luck and hope you get to own this beauty as early as possible.

Congratulations Shubz! The wait is indeed agonizing. Keep us posted on your progress.

Thank you sir. Yeah the adrenaline rush - I am still unable to get over it.

Thanks dude. I tried asking them what if I book through other dealers. They said, everyone will give the same timelines.
They even said - the bike (CKD) would be ordered only after booking is confirmed. so it takes that long. I don't know how far that is true.

That is why I wasn't convinced with their answer. The process can't be different for different cities.

Congratulations Shubz on joining the HOGs. Yes, the Khattak of the first gear is very loud but then that is the authentic Harley clank. The screaming eagles will shake up your neighborhood, hell even the stock ones ain't quite.

But all this talk about the bike being built to order is bull. It is being assembled in India. They might be going slow because the 2014 model is on the anvil which is supposed to launched in about 3 months time with some minor upgrades and definitely a price 'upgrade'. For features of the 2014 bike look here - http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...torcycles.html . You might end up owning the 2014 model seeing your waiting period. In Delhi when I went to book the Superlow they had 6 Irons in stock, all ready for immediate delivery to any takers. But they were in the new Blue colour that they wanted to push and not the matt black.

And don't worry of the 883 engines. They are treated as beginner bikes in the US. But for our roads they are more practical and maneuverable than the bigger 1600cc models. Performance and speeds attainable are nearly similar. Their 883 cc outputs 50bhp while the 1600 cc does a 65bhp. That's it. But then they are loaded with 50 to 100kg of more metal.

Once again wishing you the very best at getting Harley'd...

thanks for your wishes sir. Thats what I was told, that anyone booking now will be getting the 2014 models. When I asked what is different in 2014 models - the owner of the showroom categorically said - ONLY color! They coming out with camel white and whiskey amber.

And they said the 2014 models are coming in by the 3rd week of October.

and Price upgrade is definitely not good news! :)

Nope, the differences although minor and little more than just the colour. I had posted the revisions in a separate topic here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post3212551 which include -

1. Slight improvement in brakes
2. Optional ABS now offered at a cost of about 50k extra
3. Trip switch now comes from the speedometer to the left hand side controls - better ergonomically
4. Newer electrical system - lesser wires to play with. No visible difference to you.
5. Slightly revised Exhaust System to comply with new pollution norms. May or may not make it to India. May reduce sound bytes - Not good.
6. The speedometer will now display the tachometer reading and gear indicator. This is a good feature though I don't know how effective it will be visibly as it will be displayed in the single line display at the bottom.
7. Reduction in weight from 260kgs to 255kgs - Not good.

Not all differences stated above may make it to India like optional ABS etc.

Also price revision will be minimum 10K to upto even 20K. I doubt that these will be available by October although they have been launched abroad. More likely to see them in the new year as they have to finish stock of 2013 models.

Thanks sir.

I was asking about the tacho/gear indicator set up to which they said, its a separate unit (as of now - costing a bomb)

When he said October, he didn't mean the folks booking now will get it in Oct. All he said/meant was that the models will be out by October so for sure whoever is booking now will get the 2014 models.

They don't have too many of the 2013 models to push it off. Wonder how the Delhi folks got so many in stock.

Note from Team-BHP Support: Thread moved to Superbikes & Imports section from Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing your experience with us

Great news Shubakar. Congratulations.clap:Wishing you many happy miles and years with this lovely machine.

I know how eager you were to get a Triumph but i guess your patience finally ran out. Good choice with the Harley though.

Harley Davidson has been doing very well in India and they offer excellent after sales experience. I guess the breakdown support is offered as a standard package to new customers now. If you haven't been offered this, please ask for it. It can be very helpful when you ride out long distances.

So does the Duke stay? Time to get a tattoo if you haven't got one yet ;)

What color are you getting? I've seen a red Iron and it looks awesome. Looks like the red jelly / halwa and is a brilliant color scheme. Do get a windscreen as well.

All the best bro and once again, wishing you many happy and safe years and miles with this one.

Thanks Aditya! Yeah my patience kinda ran out with just songs and videos on the official Triumph page and I always had the Harley dream (subdued though) - A VV good friend of mine was instrumental in rekindling it in me strongly. Though I have been an opposer of Touring kinda bikes - cos of the stance/sitting posture, Iron 883 is a hybrid (according to me at least)

Yes the Duke stays for now. I can't be taking the Iron to the tracks. Nor was I keen on taking a bigger bike to the track.

The color I have chosen is Denim Black, 2nd option is the Whiskey Amber - a color yet to be released. They are coming out with a few colors in the 2014 edition. Besides Denim Black, there are Whiskey Amber, Camel white and I guess another in Blue.

No plans on the windscreen as yet.

For now contemplating only on either slip-ons or the basic v&H full system (gulp!!)

Tattoo??? :Shockked: Where do I get to put one? The body artist would turn me away saying - I don't tattoo bones! :D

A small windscreen like this looks cool on the chopped fender bikes like the Iron. Denim Black is the commonest colour in the Iron and is hard to maintain.



Here's the BLUE Iron that I tried out when I went to book my Superlow which was available ready stock with the stock seat which is same as the Superlow -

Most Iron's I've seen are in the matt black and while it goes well with the all black-n-chrome look, other colors such as the red I mentioned look great as well.

Do you have any pics of the colors you have listed? I'd love to see how the Iron looks in these shades.

I would suggest the Vance & Hines full system. It's louder than the Screaming Eagles and sounds wonderful.

:uncontrol I personally know a couple of tattoo artists. I can refer them to you if you need. :D

Aditya - - This link gives you the different colors for the 2014 models http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...-883.html#!pnw

They said camel white. it is actually Sand Cammo Denim. I like the Amber Whiskey shade too.

Regarding tattoo - I didn't say there are shortage of body artists. I was only talking of shortage of muscles for the body artist to work upon :P