Okay, so I finally got my hands on a Harley XL 883. It’s been a dream of mine for a while, and I was stoked to start working on it. First thing I did was give it a good wash. It was pretty dirty from sitting in the previous owner’s garage, so I scrubbed it down, making sure to get all the grime off.
After that, I changed the oil and filter. This is pretty standard maintenance, but it’s super important, especially on an older bike. The old oil was pretty dark, so I was glad to get some fresh stuff in there.
Next Up: Customization!
- Handlebars: I swapped out the stock handlebars for some drag bars. I wanted a more aggressive riding position, and these definitely delivered. It took a bit of fiddling to get the cables routed correctly, but it was worth it.
- Seat: The original seat was pretty uncomfortable, so I replaced it with a solo seat. It’s a much lower profile and looks way cooler, in my opinion.
- Exhaust: I couldn’t stand the quiet stock exhaust, so I installed some short shots. They’re loud as hell, but they sound amazing! I might need to get some earplugs, though.
After all that, I took it for a ride. Man, what a difference! The new bars and seat made it feel like a completely different bike, and the exhaust just screams. I’m so happy with how it turned out. There are still a few more things I want to do, like maybe change the air filter and get some new mirrors, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy riding it.
