iron 883

Harley-Davidson launches new Iron 883

Click above for a gallery of the 2009 Harley-Davidson Iron 883

Most motorcycles are, by definition, luxury items. In the United States, a very small percentage of motorcycle riders use their bikes as daily transportation, instead choosing to take the "cage" for the various day-to-day trips that are a necessary part of life. This being the case, as fewer people have reserves of money left over to spend on discretionary items in a recession, sales of Harley-Davidson's Big Twin models are suffering.

Enter the new Iron 883, which is based on the Sportster underpinnings and features a fuel-injected 883cc V-twin powerplant. Besides the smaller displacement engine, the rest of the bike mimics the bobbed look of its larger sibling, the Nightster 1200, right down to the blacked-out color palette, front fork gaiters, solo saddle and side-mounted license plate holder. This cost cutting has allowed Harley to place a $7,899 price tag on its Iron 883, neatly undercutting the Nightster by a full $2,000.

Gallery: 2009 Harley-Davidson Iron 883