Question:

Sportster 883 Carb or Spark Plugs? Need help before I buy.?

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I am going to look at a 98 sportster 883 with 5600 miles today to potentially buy. the seller came down $500 to a price of $4000. bike overall looks nice in pictures, but the seller said it has been sitting for a while but runs and can be driven. he also says that the carb needs to be cleaned out or new spark plugs put in (or both). if you were driving a bike, what type of problems would occure if the carb needed to be clean or spark plugs be replaced (how would you know it is one of those two things and not something else?) how likely could it be that it is something more serious than a carb or plug problem, and he is just blaming it on one of those things? any ideas what a hidden problem could be that i should look for? is that why he came down? to just get rid of it? i guess i dont know everything about bikes, but really want to learn more, and really want to be a smart buyer when it comes to this stuff. thanks a lot, any help is appreciated.

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  1. $4000.00 is all blue book on it is to start with.For a bike that's not running right that's too much.If it runs ok with the choke pulled out chances are good it just needs some carb work and some fresh gas.A dose of Seafoam in the tank might make it run right.It would be better to disassemble the carb and clean it though.It's running lean if the choke needs to stay out and air cooled engines shouldn't be run lean.I would offer $3500 tops and if he says no just walk away.There are lots of Sportsters out there.Myself i'd rather have a 1200 anyways if i was buying a Sporty.

    By the way if he uses the arguement about any extras on the bike don't be swayed by it.You never get the value of all the extra stuff you add.It adds very little to the worth of a bike in most cases.


  2. take the $500 and buy an S&S carb for it, problem solved plus it's a better carb,

  3. if it wont run without choke ill bet it wont accelerate well either

    the diaphram in the accelerator pump is likely dry and split too

    figure on 200 for dealer service if doing it yourself aint your thing

    4000 is all a 98 883 is ever worth in good running order

    it aint no deal its average

    offer 3500 as is

  4. Never fall for that "it's easy to fix, I'm just too busy" bull. If he fixed it up, he could get more money. Of course, he either knows it's worse than he's telling you, or is afraid to find out and would rather you take the risk. I know it's hard to resist the image of yourself blasting down the road on your harley, but that is NO bargain price under any conditions, and certainly not a nike that needs work. You'll only be angry and disappointed if you buy it. Honest.

  5. you can get a new one for around $5,000

  6. Have the seller do a tune up before you commit to buy it. That would be the simplest way .

  7. with only 5600 miles on it, the plugs should not need to be changed. also unless he has been running very dirty fuel through it, the carbs shouldn't be very gummed up.

    you need to find someone knowledgable about these things to take with you to look at it.

    if it runs and can be driven, there is likely not anything major wrong with it.

    if it runs rough, try some fresh fuel before you make a decision. the fuel in it may be stale, if it has been sitting for a long time.

  8. That price is on the high end for a 10 year old 883 that isn't running right. If you got him down another $500 though, I would probably buy it without getting too worried about it.

    An 883 Sportster is one of the easiest bikes in the world to work on. The plugs take literally 5 minutes to replace. The carb takes 15 minutes to remove, and probably an hour to totally rebuild. I think it sound like a fun project.

    I would start by draining the tank and the carb float. There are tons of sources for directions to do that. Then fill up the tank with fresh premium. Put in a fresh pair of plugs ($5.00) and try to fire it up. You might get lucky and have it run perfectly.

    If it is better but still not quite right, then the carb is easy to rebuild. There are a bunch of sources for information. I always buy a factory manual, but there are tons of options.

    The guy could always be trying to cover something up, but I am willing to bet that it's a minor issue.

    If you get into wrenching, there are TONS of performance mods you can do to the bike that will teach you to great mechanical skills. It is NEVER going to beat anybody on a crotch rocket, but you will be having so much fun I doubt you will care.

    Good luck.

  9. 883 Harley's are junk when new. Bike has about 30 HP when running right and you will be blown away by engines 1/2 the size.  He already knows its junk. Walk away and don't look back. A smart buyer does not buy a 883 Harley ever. If you fail to heed this advice plan on becoming a mc mechanic to keep it running.

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