Iron Head Sportsters - Any Good ?

Bomber

Registered user
Joined
Feb 27, 2004
Messages
131
Reaction score
0
Location
Lancs
New Years Eve ,sat in a crowded Rugby Club gets talking to the couple next to us and any way somewhere along the line motorcycles comes up in the conversation.
The female of the couple says she hates motorcycles, knew someone who once got killed on one, goes on to say that the male partner has a bike in his garage which she will never allow him to ride !!My ears prick up, turns out to be in his words ' a 1978 Harley 1000 sportster , with spoked wheels '.The bike has been standing a long time, anyway he has invited me round this weekend to have a look and has said ' I am sure you could get it running '.He says he his never going to ride it and has it is getting buried at the back of the garage and he intends to move house to be with his partner wants to get shut.
Now whilst I need another bike like a hole in the head ,I have never ridden an Harley and I am strangely attracted to the thought of a Vtwin.

Right the questions :
Is a 1978 Sportster worth having, will it be fun to ride and if so bearing in mind no real idea of condition etc, what kind of money is it worth as a complete bike needing attention.

Any advice .answers welcome.

Happy New Year and all the best to you all !

Bomber
 
Entry level Harley, only one up from 883.
Known weak points >>
Chain and sprockets :eek: FS1E uses stronger one.
Back Shockers don't :(
Starters are very temperamental. :comfort

Brakes !! what are those ????? :eek:



BUT the engine sounds like the real thing :thumb2
If it has a kicker fitted, thats a big PLUS:thumb2
If it's got a BELT drive conversion it's a HUGE plus.

1978 is right in the midst of the non existent chrome finish, it'd peel off in the showrooms....:(

Just my honest opinion :rob
 
Feck it....it'll be a money pit.

Go on,..........ask me how I feckin know:blast

Proff's spot on IF... and ONLY IF it it running sweet, roadworthy and in lovely condition.:aidan

Unless you REALLY want a 1978 Iron head, and that is the bike you've been drooling over, and the bloke will take 50 quid and a few pints for it, then keep yer brass and buy a H-D you can actually ride.

Spanner Rash
(3 x Sporty's later, and now a 2008 Dyna Super Glide Custom)
 
Performance is on par with an 883, less reliable and don't handle as well. If it's cheap it could be fun.
 
They made a Sportster & a Roadster Iron Head 1000 in 78 but they also made the XLCR Cafe Racer which was all black (except for a few that were red) had a flat tracker style seat, a cockpit fairing & an all black siamese type exhaust system. I'd love it to be one of them:thumb
 
I had one of these about 15 years ago, although it was a few years older. From memory - vibrates like a pneumatic drill, sounds great (with drag pipes), bits fall off if not constantly tightened, I'm sure I had to bump start it quite a few times and it's VERY slow. But, if it's really cheap they are a good laugh.......
 
If...

...it is reasonable condition and is a runner and if he is willing to let you take it off his hands for peanuts and if you have the space, time and willing then go for it. I had a 93 Sportster which I modified over a two year period. Plus points are it is an easy bike to work on and there are huge amounts of after market parts available, I bought most of mine from J&P Cycles in the USA.

I improved the front and rear suspension and brakes and upgraded the ignition, carburettor, and fitted a 2 into 1 Supertrapp exhaust and a free flowing air filter. It ran really well, returned 50mpg easily and due the modifications it handled and stopped really well. I made a load of other changes such as stainless braided hoses all round, bar risers, bigger fuel tank (the peanut tank has a hopeless range), new clocks, small screen blah blah blah. I rode it down to the south of France with a bunch of mates for the HD European Rally and it was great fun.

Beware though, making changes can be addictive and never ending and can become obsessive and very expensive:eek:
 
OK , I get the drift, how about if its £500 and I weld a Hardtail on and make a Bobber !!!!!!!

Bomber
 
Nice and Fat, thats an interesting point.

Problem I have is given what everyone has said I don't want to offer a lot might go up to a grand depending on what it looks like and what the history is with it.
I have had a look around and can't see any similar bikes for sale so don't really know what they go for.
I know that relatively modern sportsters don't seem to bring a lot of cash !

Either way I won't be too disapointed if he wants a load of cash cause I don't want a 78 Sportster that much !

Bomber
 
its like the airhead thing a guy who wants one will pay for it

if it came cheap you could always sell it on
 
I owned an iron barrel Sportser back in 1986.

It was a 1985 model and one of the last to be built...on the same assembly line the Evo alloy engines were being assembled.

Being the last of the line,my one had a spin on oil filter and an alternator with reg/rect rather than a dynamo.

It was a four speeder with just electric start.

The model was XLH1000.


Sounded great and felt great...thanks to the 1" bars.

Brakes didn`t.

Tank range was about 75 miles before a small reserve.

Vibrated like a road drill up to 50mph then nice and smooth until 60mph when all of Armageddon was let loose.....it would smooth out again about 70mph but it never felt good trying to get there.

The choke would often vibrate out to the 'on' postion while riding.

The horn bracket fractured and the battery shook itself to pieces too.


I actually went to Switzerland on it.....TWO UP...but after wanting a Harley since a kid I actually sold it after only three months of ownership due to it not really being up to traffic conditions on our roads.

I remember being out-dragged from traffic lights by a Renault 5.


I still wonder if it`d be nice to have kept it for pottering about on though.
 
motomartin said:
i'd guess the engine alone is worth a grand - to someone
Click to expand...

I'm running a Buell at the minute with Thunderstorm heads. it supposedly kicks out around 97 BHP, handles well, stops well and is worth around £1500. Harleys are getting very cheap if you keep away from the softtail and chrome weekend warriors. They are a lot of fun for not a lot of cash and will do big miles.

The Iron head bikes are pretty awful but for £500 it could be a laugh.
 
Owned at the time by AMF & were shite, my first ride on a Harley was an iron head Sportster, it tried to kill me....:mad:
 
alimey4u2 said:
Owned at the time by AMF & were shite, my first ride on a Harley was an iron head Sportster, it tried to kill me....:mad:
Click to expand...

Eggackerly my point, the bowling ball / jukebox makers couldn't make a motor bike if they tried....
Chain adjustment every trip of more than 50 miles, new chain + sprockets every 1500 miles, gutless piece of crap......
I doubt if theres enough frame left to weigh in as scrap, they ROT from the inside out :eek
 
I swapped a nice K100RS for a '78 once.

Its only redeeming quality was that it gave me a new benchmark for badness in a motorcycle.

Every single component was badly made, poorly designed and of inappropriate material.

from memory

points cam was eccentric meaning that the points were either correct on one cylinder or incorrect on both.

timing hole sprayed oil out during strobing - special tool see through plug was opaque.

Japanese front forks were underdamped and soft - rear suspension was rock solid.

Frame was a jumble of brazed fittings

Barrels seemed to weigh more than an R80 engine

electrics were worse than Guzzi/Ducati (although I like the circuit breakers)

Carb was awful and you were expected to by and S&S one as a matter of course.

As mentioned, the vibration was appalling.

Fuel consumption was good but then it couldn't be ridden fast anyway.

Having said that, I bet your example would fetch £2000 plus if its original.

More desirable than a T140 :thumb
 
Read all the comments- thanks to you all !

Sounds like its got all attributes to be a Classic !!

Well I have now seen the machine, all be it in an unlit garage.

I am currently looking for my 70's sun glasses to be Easy Rider !!I note however from Tarkas comments this may not be an Easy Rider machine !!.

Engine apparently was rebuilt not long before it was stood away ( 6 years ago ) .The bike is very 70's , King and Queen deep buttoned seat tiny headlight, wide rear rim, straight through drag pipes and hapehangers.

Some interesting comments now make sense apparently it needs a set of points !!! The guy who has it now had it given to him 6 years ago ,he got it home cleaned it up and rode it down the street, he said he shook everyones windows so he put it back in the garage !!!
As it stands he his going to speak to the guy who originally gave it to him and will give me a call.

Watch this space
Bomber
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

solidstate100
Another tedious request for "is this a good bike" info......
2
Replies
28
Views
2,077
solidstate100
solidstate100
1250 GSA can't find key - BMW frustrating
2
Replies
33
Views
1,532
rjsmith26
Kenny
Help for a mate
Replies
7
Views
333
Nin
Nin
Wheel paint code 2017 LC
Replies
8
Views
229
Steve398
Steve398
One Last Ride....
Replies
19
Views
1,021
tis eye


Back
Top Bottom