I bought me a Harley

[wmax351]

While waiting on my brick to make it out to the east, I did something I'd been kicking around doing for a while: I bought an old Ironhead Sportster.

Should make for a nice contrast to the K75.

It's a 1979 XLS-1000. Basically all stock, except for the carb and a set of Screaming Beagle drag pipes. Which will be muffled with some OEM mufflers from a newer sportster, ASAP.



https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10155398056375711.1073741837.592725710&type=1&l=b8f02131ac

[wmax351]

greetings...

im gonna join you... going to fetch a fxdxt super glide t-sport...

j o

Nice. My uncle has a road glide. I enjoyed riding it, but a bit heavy for my taste. Super comfy though. That looks like a nice balance. Big enough, size wise, without being 900+ pounds.

My dad and I rented a new Sportster and Bonneville for a day last month, he's been looking for something newer to replace the R75, which he isn't too comfortable riding with its drum brakes and isn't good at keeping up with the maintenance. My dad really liked the sportster, and was less impressed with the triumph, the opposite of what he expected.

The triumph is a very nice bike. It actually handles a lot like an old triumph, but it lacks the character that made the old triumphs fun. The harley is able to keep that (even with the new rubber mount ones) while being reliable. I was very impressed. So I went out and bought an old unreliable one.

Good news though: the seller called me and he found the stock exhaust. So I can get rid of those screaming beagles and have a quiet(ish) ride this weekend. Otherwise I was going to have to do some janky redneck stuff with chickenwire to make a baffle. http://westcoastbiker.net/diy-baffle-replacement/

[wmax351]

Got the ironhead running nicely. It's obviously not geared for the freeway. 4500 rpm at 70mph. Stuff falls off. Literally. I've lost a shift peg and a passenger footpeg so far. Time to swap the sprockets, and break out the threadlock.

[F14CRAZY]

My dad was into airheads and he always said that Harley riders needed to attach a basket on the rear of their bikes to catch the parts falling off...I guess he wasn't making it up after all

[johnny]

im in a town of 3 thousand... there is a little moto shop here specializing in the hardley ableson...

they gotts a 74 sportster for not too many hunderts of dollars... its the last year of the right foot shift... its kick start only... the whole things whack... its brown with a brown easy rider 2 story seat...

its calling my name...

j io

[JcJ TN K75s]

Congrats on the new bike.  I rag on em, but I think HD makes a fine motorcycle, and has made some examples that are top-of-its-class bikes. I just dont always think they are generally as superior as their operators think they are, compared to other bikes.   :riding: Then again, I could say the same thing about some Honda and BMW owners I know. 


I know where there is a '59?-'64? Panhead minus the motor for $1500.  The CO says he doesn't know what year because the serial was on the engine, and can't even swear its not a reproduction someone made later than that, but that it specs out.  I knocked around buying it and putting it up until I found a Panhead motor for >$5K and having a $8500 Panhead.  I haven't completely ruled it out. I trade things with that guy a lot.

I may end up with his 1965 Chevy 2500 LWB instead to let my son restore with his maternal grandad (Paw Paw has rebuilt a few '65 Malibu SS) so he'll have a nice old, slow, loud, granny-low gear, three seat, gas guzzling daily driver. He's eight, so we have a while to get him fixed up.