BIKING expert checks out the Harley 883R and finds it worthy of any Christmas wish list.

What does £5,695 buy you new these days in the large capacity motorbike market?

Not too much and probably way down on the list would be a Harley Davidson motorcycle, but yes, for the price quoted above you can be a member of the most enigmatic motorcycle manufacturer’s club on the globe.

The Foundry at Canterbury loaned me the 883R for a few days’ riding and I was fortunate the weather held fine.

What does five and a half grand buy you? Well, there’s the famous air-cooled v-twin motor, nestling in a tubular frame, rubber-mounted, so no longer do your teeth rattle as the motor bursts into life; revised fuel-injection for cleaner/leaner emissions; twin front discs; and good-looking spoked alloy wheels.

The riding position is typical Harley with high-rise bars, some 28in (71cm) wide; and a saddle height of 30in (76cm). Surprisingly on this model the footrests are relatively high-ish giving a reasonable amount of ground clearance – after all it’s labelled as a sportster!

You have to ride this model to appreciate the amount of grunt that is produced from the motor (52ft lbs of torque). Couple this to a 5-speed gearbox and the permutation is impressive.

I rode from Canterbury to Maidstone and as a test put it into top gear as soon as possible. Apart from three traffic islands en route I did the whole journey in top gear, dropping down to around 30mph before the motor started shuddering and then accelerating up to about 70mph on the motorway.

That says an awful lot about the flexibility of the engine; quite frankly who needs 5-speeds?

Finished in black, this new Sportster has twin front discs with a single rear, very effective on twisty roads.

There’s also masses of front fork movement – not too soft and spongey – just effective in damping out the road undulations.

The rear suspension only appeared to have two settings on the conventional dampers and while riding two-up did bottom out on a couple of occasions. So that was jacked up to the highest setting and resolved the problem.

But if you’re going to have a companion on the back fairly constantly then the seat will need to be changed: it’s just too small for passengers.

Sticking to simplicity, the 883R has just a single speedo mounted between the bars with a low fuel light in the shape of a pump which comes on when going on to reserve. I managed 99 miles out of the first tankful and 106 on the second; long distance is not its forte!

There are two trip gauges, clock and total mileage counter within the speedo. The Milwaukee company still insist on putting the other warning lights behind a smoked black panel which is quite hard to see in our UK climate beneath the speedo.

Switchgear was minimal, although Harley still retain their indicator switches one on each side of the grips; when cancelling you just press the button again. Although to look at the headlight appears to be an afterthought, surprisingly it gave out a reasonable amount of light on main beam.

True it’s not Blackpool illuminations, but the cut-off is really abrupt, but hey, no one’s speeding!

I really like the new proximity alarm fitted as standard. Basically providing the keyfob is within six feet of the machine the alarm is passive; once the rider walks off more than two yards the alarm automatically sets, you do not have to do anything to arm it, and when you return, the alarm goes passive again. Simple but brilliant.

The cable-operated clutch is light to use and the gearbox, although just a bit on the clunky side gives good ratios for all types of road conditions. Fitted with Dunlops the feedback and roadholding on dry tarmac was good.

As ever the 883R is fitted with a belt-drive final transmission, no greasy chain adjustments required. It has been in use on Harleys for years and proved its longevity, so much so that the new 800cc BMW twin has copied the idea.

As an entry level Harley at the price quoted you too could become a member of a growing but exclusive club!

FACTFILE:

Harley 883R Sportster

TECH SPEC: Air-cooled 883cc 45deg 4-stroke v-twin; 5-speeds; Fuel injection.

DEALER: The Foundry, Broad Oak Road, Canterbury. Tel: 01227 378430; Fax: 01227 454726; www.robinsonsfoundry.co.uk; email: sales@robinsonsfoundry.co.uk