Ironhead Before & After Pics Harley Sportster Ironhead Discuss Ironhead Before & After Pics in the Harley Sportster & Buell forums; Originally Posted by crazy n.y. Hey Great Bike! I just bought 1975 Sportser and want to talk some shop talk. It's my first bike in ten years so I'm a ...

[nwpaironhead]

Originally Posted by crazy n.y.

Hey Great Bike! I just bought 1975 Sportser and want to talk some shop talk. It's my first bike in ten years so I'm a little rusty. I'm trying to get my hands on a owner manual so I can do some repair myself. Let me know what is going to breack down first!
crazy n.y.

Hello . I'm just about finished with my first bike. A '73 XLCH. Still have a few little things here and there, but I'll post some pics now and when it's officially complete.

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As for what break most often? Like I said, this is my first bike, but here are some of the that I have had happen , that I was given the impression are rather common.

1: If you have a Bendix Zenith carb, consider swapping to a Mikuni or S&S for reliability purposes. If you choose to keep and re-build your Bendix, the tail of the float spring actually sticks out of the carb, between the float bowl and the carb body. I chased my tail for over a week on that one. Guy on another forun got me all straightened out. Phew!)

2: if you run into a glowing pipe situation, your springs on your advance are probably malfunctioning. ie. broken,frozen up.

3: Check your points gap. Should be .018 on both lobes and shouldn't vary more than .004 from lobe to lobe. You may have to split the diff. (.017 & .019 or something)

4: pushrods out of adjustment will cause popping and carrying on.

5: Take pride in ownership! These bikes were made during a time when everyone did their own oil changes and tune ups. When we prided ourselves on our ingenuity! They, in my opinion are the original American Muscle Bike. They exemplify what everyone has been trying to imitate. They may have some quirks, but they are the real deal!

[street bob]

Those points always gave me greif for one reason or another. Always moved after long rides.
I currently ride a 07' street bob(sorry for the long wait on my response).
Definitely buy a small mikuni carb for that bike. I had a tillotson and it was a bear to start(kick only). Once I put the mikuni on it, first kick every time.
Just remember, things will rattle loose no matter how many times you tighten it up.You will always need to be checking items for coming loose. I used to call it my once a week "nut and bolt session". But I did ride the daylights out of it.

[nwpaironhead]

'07 street Bob. Sweet Bike! Thanks for the reply and input. Mines a kicker only also so a one kicker sure would be nice!

[Chris Maida]

I love my Ironheads! That's what I worked on rebuilt when I had a custom bike shop back inthe 70s and 80s. I still have a '68 and '73.

I use a Trock reworked CV carb on my '68. it works very well.

Yes, a tightening session is a must after any long or hard ride. Blue Loctite does a good job of keeping things tight, but you still need to check everything. That is, if you want to keep it on the bike!

[street bob]

True enough.........

[street bob]

I'll tell ya something else. That bike was always having something go wrong, it was just a bastard bike, for one reason or another.
But I loved that machine and had my heart and soul in it.

[Chris Maida]

Yeah, those Ironheads can be bastards sometimes!

One of my favorite upgrades for the early models was on the tranny. I would pull the gearset out and weld in an aluminum collar where the countershaft low gear speedo drive gear would go against the case. Then I’d swap out that low gear for a '73 and later gear, which didn't have the worm gear. That strengthened up that corner of tranny, since it would always blow out if a metal chip got wedged between the worm gear and speedo drive.

[nwpaironhead]

I have been working on cars and trucks since I was about 13 and man I tell ya I wish I had bought a bike sooner. I just love the simplistic design of stuff and the freedom you have to really make it your own. If ya really start cutting up a car it seems to lose its original beauty, but this bike... I have been able to go over every piece as I went and do to it as I thought it should be. It may not be appealing to all, but 'all' isn't who I'm tryin to please. I have had a blast building it. I love the way it sounds, and MAN does that thing rev quick. Not to mention, when it was still in pieces, I had to move the frame, so I picked it up and moved it. Try that with an old truck!
I realize that there will be 'tightening sessions' and I'll probably be setting the points gap and adjusting the pushrods rather frequently. But as I said earlier on. These old ironheads were built during a time when we did it ourselves. We can take pride in the fact that we CAN do it! Take a basic , simple design and improve on it as we see fit. Make it our own , and keep it runnung too!
I have come to like this bike so much that I just drug home another one. Another 73 XLCH! This ones gonna have 4 over fork tubes, tanks off an old suicide shift (with the shift pattern still on it!) and some mini apes. Dropped in the rear, of course. And I'm thinkin flat black with some cool old flames. Maybe not the most original, but it'll suit my eye. Can't wait to get started!

[street bob]

Or missing when racing someone and...... BLAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. No more case!