Iron 883 neutral in all but performance

STEVE BOND/for the Toronto Star

The $9,459 Iron 883 is the sixth and latest member of Dark Customs "line," with most of the chrome removed.

Steve Bond

MOTORCYCLE REVIEWER

Less chrome. More paint.

Harley-Davidson’s Dark Custom line is a return to more traditional custom roots and is a kick in the shins to the Gods of Chrome, a thumb in the eye to the Kings of Bling and I, for one, find it a refreshing change.

The Dark Customs aren’t really a separate lineup but more an exclusive Harley gathering, and the $9,459 Iron 883 is the sixth and latest member of this club. Membership requirements are simple: take everything that’s chromed and throw it in the nearest duck pond. Replace with muted colours, preferably black and/or dark grey.

The Iron isn’t “retro,” because that would imply that over the years the Sportster somehow evolved into a modern motorcycle and that Harley suddenly recaptured the style. When the original Sportster was born in 1957, it had an air-cooled, 883 cc engine, with narrow spoked wheels, a peanut gas tank and a speedo perched up on the triple clamps.

It has been thus ever since.

The Iron 883 is awash in black and grey with bobbed fenders, traditional fork gaiters and staggered exhausts. And lots of black. Black handlebar mounts, black switchgear, black instrument pod up on the black handlebars, black air filter cover, black wheels and so on. The only chrome you’ll see is on the mufflers and pushrod tubes and the only item not black is its heart.

The lowered suspension and long 1520 mm wheelbase caused the sidestand lug to hang up on the ramp when loading it on my trailer, which is the first time that’s ever happened.

My press unit had the optional $440 security system with a proximity switch and apparently, being in the trailer, it was not in close enough proximity to the car’s cupholder, which is where the key was. Leaving Harley’s head office, the turn signals were flashing, “I’m being stolen, I’m being stolen.” Thankfully, nobody in Toronto cares about that kind of stuff and I wasn’t arrested on the way home.

The seating position is quite comfy, despite the low 735 mm seat height, although after an hour or so, I found my legs starting to feel both splayed and cramped. If the seat were higher and the pegs a little farther back, it would’ve fit me better but I doubt if many prospective Iron buyers are 6-foot-3 with an emu-like legspan.

The bars are fairly flat with a comfortable pullback and the scalloped single seat holds you place. The air cleaner on the right side intrudes a bit at first but you soon get used to it.

Some judicious fiddling yielded a barely adequate view from the mirrors — if they were mounted a couple of centimetres wider, it wouldn’t be an issue. The good news is that at most speeds, they’re relatively vibration free.

The Iron accelerates surprisingly well. There’s lots of life remaining in the old 883 air-cooled V-twin, a configuration that’s been powering Sportsters forever. The fuel injection is flawless and the punch right off idle is strong and linear.

The rubber mounted engine shakes a bit at idle and, although the levers do a little dance, nothing intrusive gets through to the rider. At cruising speeds, it’s reasonably smooth as well. The traditional staggered shorty dual exhaust gives a nice throaty tone without being obnoxious.

The five-speed box feels a little agricultural, although it shifts positively, and neutral was easy to find, whether coasting to a stop or at full halt.

I’m truly surprised that such a minimalist motorcycle tips the scales at 260 kg (572 lbs.) gassed up and ready to go. The name “Iron” must mean it’s carved from a solid block of same as there’s no way it should be so porky.

My main gripe with the Iron is the suspension. The front seems to do a reasonable job of soaking up jolts, bumps and potholes while maintaining reasonable damping and control. As for the twin rear shocks — let’s just say that Viagra the size of a hockey puck couldn’t make them any stiffer and they have less travel than European airlines after an Icelandic volcano eruption.

Fortunately, the Iron steers delightfully well and it’s great sport dodging manhole covers because with the stiff suspension, you sure don’t want to ride over them. And “manhole covers” refer to those access plates that pepper our city streets every few metres that are either raised, sunken or skewered. I guess the ability of works department personnel to use a level went out with the Trudeau administration.

The single disc brake has no problem slowing the Iron but the lever feels a bit wooden with vague feedback.

With a good set of longer aftermarket shocks, the Iron 883 would actually be quite a pleasant urban motorcycle. It’s got excellent straight line performance, the torque characteristics make it a blast to squirt around town and it’s drop dead gorgeous.

I think Harley has struck black gold.

Harley Davidson Iron 883

PRICE: $9,459

ENGINE: Air-cooled, 883cc, pushrod V-twin

FUEL CONSUMPTION: measured 7.41 L/100 km (59.4 mpg)

POWER: horsepower N/A/torque 52 lb.-ft.

COMPETITION: Honda 750RS, Yamaha Star 900

WHAT’S BEST: Torquey engine, gorgeous looks, easy handling

WHAT’S WORST: Rear suspension, or lack thereof

WHAT’S INTERESTING: Look ma, no chrome

Freelance motorcycle reviewer Steve Bond can be reached at stevebond8@yahoo.c

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