2003 Harley-Davidson reviews

My wife purchased our 2003 Heritage Softail April 2003 for my birthday. It has been a great ride. I have the Carburated model and the only problem I had was that in cool weather I had to run with the choke out. I found a dealer who said "let me put a sound package on" The cost $100.00 That was considerably less then I had been quoted. Other dealers talked about different pipes, air filters etc. all for $600 to $900. What I didn't know is that anytime you modify your bike, even with H-D parts, you essentially void you warranty. The dealer assured me they will stand behind the warranty. What they did was bore out the baffles, and re-jet the carburator. The sound is great, not too loud, and the performance is greatly improved. The down side is I get around 40 mpg. It is worth it for the added performance. Also I have a service plan with my dealer. For a flat, up front fee of around $1600 I have free life time service on all my maintenance. It will pay for itself if you are sure the bike you have is the one you want to keep. Mine is!! I started looking this Spring at a touring bike, but after test riding and talking with a number of individuals, some salesmen, they convince me the the Heritage Softail is the best all round bike in the Harley line up. Show less

After years of riding vintage Japanese bikes and seeing these 883R's in magazines, I ran across one for sale at my local Kawasaki shop. Freak chance? Nah. It was bound to happen. After years of riding two stroke RD's, and vintage CB350's it was a new machine to me. Surprisingly, the myth of the H-D shakes isn't that true. The bike is the best money I have spent on a motorcycle. It is fun, VERY reliable, nimble and fairly light (530 pounds). The brakes are a big improvement over the single front disc Sporties. The suspension is okay for the bike, but non-adjustable. The ride is twant, and you will feel the bumps, as it's firm. The seat is comfortable, but on a longer 4-5 hour trip you will want to stop and get off for awhile. The riding position makes you lean forward a little bit, and is not the typical "cruiser" seating style. Stock power from the bike is pretty good. But you can modify these bikes for pretty cheap to perform much better. Riding the bike through town, I get waves and thumb ups. Stopping for gas involves people asking what year the bike is, and 20 other questions. Most people think it's a restored classic. The checkered flag and orange make you stand out in the crowd. If you don't want attention, this isn't the bike for you. Over all a good first Harley, but I would not suggest it for a first bike. Weight is up high and forward. Slow corners, and parking lot moves you notice it. I love mine to death and will probably not buy another bike to replace it. Show less

Out of all of the bikes H-D makes, this one definitely takes the minimalistic approach on overall looks and lines. Before Choppers became the perversions that they are today, it was all about taking a motorcycle and making it unique to the bare minimum. This bike fulfills that image. Well, this bikes has the lines, an attitude, and a unqiue feel from all of the other H-D bikes. A low rise (seat height) of 25.2 inches, a decent rake, drag bars, and sleek, long profile makes this a monster on just about any type of riding environment. Strong curves, open roadway, etc. You take it there, it will eat it up. Bottom line, it's more of an around the county and surrounding towns kind of bike. If you're going to go the distance, medium height apes might do you some good. It has a killer, low maintenance sleek look. It won't disappoint, I unofficially guarantee it! Show less

I love it, I just recently purchased it and have done a few upgrades (hypercharger, Vance&Hines pipes, chrome accessories, rejetted carb) and it runs great and looks awesome. This is my first Harley and I have ridden my Father's Dyna and Softtail, and although it is not as loud considering it's half the engine size it still sounds like a true Harley. I recommend this bike to anyone who is considering the buy. It's a 2003 883 Sportster Classic. I hope all of you have as much fun as I am having with my bike. Show less

I have owned my share of Yamaha's and Kawasaki's back when I was into dirt bikes and even owned a couple "metric" street bikes, but I gotta tell ya, the only way to go on the street is Harley. I recently bought a new '04 Heritage (June of '04) and feel like I am reborn when I ride! I feel like a kid on a new mini bike. I started riding some 35 years ago (46 now) and I know what I'm talking about, so don't even try to argue. Show less

Here's what my 883R did for me: A few nice looking women waved. A bunch of little kids laughed and waved. A trooper let me go..enough said. A kid on a Ninja, who went by me at 150 said: " Yeah, you know, like a vintage Harley, man, that's where I wanna be at". I explained that it was an '03. He didn't get it but, hey, he showed respect. Show less

I've now had this bike a little over a year, and it's the best of both worlds. Full dresser or add a chopped windshield, low profile seat and you got a nice boulevad cruiser. Show less

It takes riding, better yet, owning a V-Rod to fully appreciate how special this motorcycle truly is. I happily own a 2003 V-Rod and the riding experience gets better and better every time I get on it. I look forward to riding it each and every day. I dislike when it rains and when winter comes, because I have to park it in the garage and drive my SUV. The V-Rod is unlike any motorcycle that I've ever owned. I previously owned a Japanese Motorcycle, nice bike, but the V-Rod is much nicer to ride. Not because it's a Harley-Davidson, I'm not into the name on the motorcycle. I'm into the joyful experience that the motorcycle brings. Before, I was a part-time weekend rider. I would go a couple of weeks without even touching my previous motorcycle. The V-Rod is smooth and powerful. Not only does it look good, it rides better than it looks. Harley-Davidson hit a grand slam home run when they created the V-Rod. The liquid cooled Revolution engine is way ahead of its time. With Porsche's assitance, Harley-Davidson changed the way everyone will look at the forgotten Cruiser market and motorcyles in general. With 115 Horse Power at the crank shaft and 106 RWHP, 0-60 in 2.8 seconds with the stock motor on pump gasoline. Anyone wanting to the experience V-Rod should visit their local Harley dealer and see about taking a test ride. Guarantee it will be an experience that you won't soon regret. Show less

I have put approximately 3000 miles on my new 2004 Dyna Super Glide. With each passing mile, I am ever more pleased with the performance of this machine. Yes, I have boosted the performance of the EFI engine with the "Harley Tax" stage 1 upgrade (bigger air intake and filter, bored out the stock pipes, and remapped the EFI). The results in increased torque were worth the money, particularly with both me and my wife on board. The only negatives I have about this bike is that I feel the front forks could be a little beefier and the ignition key definitely needs to be moved somewhere up to the console versus underneath the rider's right side seat area. The key is very difficult, almost impossible, to insert while sitting on the bike! By the way, for your next oil change, switch to the Harley synthetic Screamin eagle lubricant... it costs more and it doesn't extend the miles between oil changes, but the bike runs about 15 to 20 degrees cooler with the synthetic versus the standard Harley oil... in my book that spells longer engine life. Also, the synthetic can be used in the primary chain case and the transmission making it a "one size fits all" choice. Overall, I am very pleased with my choice in the Super Glide versus the other Harleys I looked at, which included most other models. This bike is super responsive when you crack the throttle no matter if you are solo or if a passenger is on board. Show less

Not counting the 2 months I rode the 1200 Sport, the '03 FXD is the best first Harley I have owned. I find it impossible to stay off the throttle for very long. It could use more brakes like the FXDS and a steering damper if you ride the way I do. Even then I still get 33 MPG making black lines from light to light. The bars seem a little low but then it is a sport cruiser. I cruised from the LA Harbor to Fresno with one stop at about 85 MPH most of the way. My girlfriend was falling asleep so we made a coffee stop just before Fresno. Show less