74 Sportster Restore and Upfit! AWESOME Classic Harley Davidson IRONHEAD XLCH
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- So here is a little different video- I got a 74 Iron head XLCH 1000 Sportster from my dear father-in-law and WOW. Wow. Minor repairs and she got going! What a cool machine. Learned a lot getting her going.
Thank you to Kemimoto.com for the goods to outfit.
Tail bag: www.amazon.com/dp/B085997KQJ
Tool bag:www.amazon.com/dp/B0928P9ZCL
Saddle bag: www.amazon.com/dp/B092LMZQZ9
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It's a beautiful bike. Please don't ever modify it. These older bikes are getting harder to find in unmolested condition and we motorcyclists need to understand that we are caretakers of these vintage motorcycles so that the younger generations can enjoy them too. You're a lucky man and thanks for posting. Have a good day. John in Indiana.
Thank you sir, I am going to keep it bone stock just like dad has told me to!
The old Iron Heads are the very best motorcycles to ever grace the earth!
First of all, the easy rider bikes were panheads, not sportsters, not even close. I had a 74 xlch kick only. Always had trouble starting it hot. After having it for a year I finally found the issue with it. When it was hot the push rods would expand and hold the valves open a tiny bit lowering the compression. Adjust your push rods with the engine hot so they just spin in the sockets. If you can't spin them, they are holding the valve open. Mine was so bad that I wouldn't shut it off to refuel, otherwise I would be kicking it for 20 minutes. Found that it only had 20 pounds compression when it was hot. Adjusted the push rods and instantly had 120 pounds hot. The only other thing that I had trouble with was the Kickstart occasionally disengaging part way through the stroke and turning my knee inside out when I hit the bottom of the stroke. And you never knew when it would happen. Still makes me wince thinking about it lol. Nice bike, looks amazing condition. Wish I could get my old one back
Sportsters weren't even being produced when those bikes were made lol. They were late 40's,early 50's. Some were ex police bikes.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid, that very same color and paint scheme. He used to take me to my baseball games on it. His was electric start. I felt like the coolest kid on the planet.
Awesome
I have a 1978 Ironhead chopper. Fantastic bikes. Definitely full of their own personality
Right on!
Nice. I also have a 74 XLCH
I read that an F-15 Eagle requires 12 hours of maintenance per hour of flight. My Ironhead sporty only needs about four hours of maintenance per hour of riding.
This guy knows.
I worked in a dealership when the bike was new. The XLCH model has what the factory called constant velocity cams where the bike runs best accelerating on a track or twisty road. When cruising the bike will vibrate and have an odd feel because of the slack in the chains and the motor running a little off. The XL models with electric start, some had an optional lager tank and saddlebags had a milder cam more suited for cruising. The carb leaking gas when parked is part of the starting problem when hot. The routine is exactly like vintage aircraft. If it wont start and you smell gas, switch off, throttle open 2 real kick throughs to clear the cylinders always keeping the kick lever all the way down until the engine is not kicking back. Then switch on, throttle just cracked open and go again. Having kick only encourages you to keep the bike in top running shape and in this day and age a brave soul kicking the notorious XLCH!
That was a pleasure and joy to read. Thank you for the lesson and instruction. Thank you for sharing. Sincerely, thank you
Kicked a 1974 for years.
Very nice , it has some meaning behind it .I still have a 1977 XLCH that i purchased new as a leftover , in 1978 at a dealership on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington CT. The owner of the dealership name was SAL , We took the top of the wood crate off and there it was a 1977 xlch in blue , but it was the 1978 color and tank decals . and still looks the same after 45 years and a lot of miles.
THE BIKE IS AWSOME.
IRONHEADS RULE!!!
🤘😎🤘
YeeeeeHawww
Thanks for the video! Those are my absolute favorite bikes. Keep that beauty original! Nice luggage!
Great bike, a real keeper. I have a 1973 XLH. One point of disagreement however. Maybe, I suppose in today's light the Sportster is considered a cruiser although technically, it's not. Originally, they were designed to be raced. The foot pegs and controls are not forward which typifies a "cruiser". They were one of the fastest production bikes of their era, one of the first true sport bikes, hence the name Sportster. The big twin bros were jealous of the smaller, faster and better handling Sporties and started to call them girl bikes, etc. I've owned big twins (namely shovelheads) and for me, the sporties are much more fun to ride. I also believe the Sportster is the second longest running model in motorcycle history. Great video!!!
This is a great piece of history, thank you for sharing!
Those bags look good. Nice work.
I have the same blue 1974 XLH, love it.
Beautiful! I’ve had several Ironhead which included a 1974 exactly like this except XL-1000 (electric start). It’s awesome it was kept original.
Very cool!
It’s neither one the Easyrider bikes.
Just saw your video. I have a '65 Iron bobber parts bike built by a Harley guy in the early '80s. I completely disassembled the bike, restored it fixing many garage hacks. Of course it's a kick only bike. I had to laugh at your comment about when the bike is hot and you don't get started after the 3rd kick, you might as well take a 15min break. So so so true!!! Great time capsule Iron you got there and excellent video too.
Awesome, thank you for the comment!
Awesome bike!! In the early '70s, two of my riding buddies bought brand new XLCHs. We were in our early 20s at that time, and kickstarting was not a problem. And if I remember correctly, an electric start XLH was about $125 more, and, for us, $125 was a lot of money. A month's rent. The 1972 XLCH was $2200, and the 1973 XLCH was $2300, which we attributed to the '73 having the disc brake on the front. The luggage is great, too!! Have fun, and be safe!!
Very cool!
1) The electric-start XLH had a frame that was slightly longer than the kick-only XLCH, probably because the XLH needed space for the bigger battery. For a time, you could add a kicker to the XLH, but I don't believe that you can add an electric starter to an XLCH. 2) Sportsters famously (infamously?) have a 2.2 gallon gas tank. Properly tuned, you can get anywhere from 45 to 55 mpg. So good luck getting 120 miles per tank! When I had my first Sporty with the 2.2, I would plan on 90 miles between fill-ups. Pro-Tip for getting better gas mileage? DON'T BLIP THE THROTTLE! I know that it's tempting, and most Harley riders do it, but every time you do, the carb squirts a shot of fuel from the accelerator pump. So resist the urge. 3) It is true that Sportsters have little capacity for baggage, which means that when you want to take a trip you have to be creative. I am an expert at bungee-cording things. But H-D never intended the Sportster to be a tourer; they had the Electra Glide for that. 4) Those bags look great, but they **will** wear the chrome off of everywhere they touch. Beware! And have fun ;-)
L O L. Yeah I can tell you’re not a Harley guy by the way you’re trying to kickstart that thing. FYI, the bikes, in easy rider were chopped Panheads not sportsters, Absolutely beautiful bike so man, you are blessed brings back memories of high school to me, FYI they’re only 54 hp not a lot but fun to ride, Have fun Fonzie.
Beautiful original bike. Keep it as original as possible, not many around like it.
Gorgeous bike. Don't change a thing!
That's the plan!
Very cool. I have yet to take a trip on my 76 sportster, but chompin at the bit to do so.
Go for it!
The two bikes from easy rider were two custom FL panheads.
Built by Suga Bear a
Southern California
Bike builder chose by Peter Fonda.
@@milmex317th Those bikes were not built by Sugar Bear! They were built by Ben Hardy and designed by Cliff Vaughs, two black bike builders who did not get credit for the Captain America and Billy bike at the time.
Greetings from the End of the Earth in Tasmania. Good to keep it stock as it is so nice. Thought I would share what I did about the poor front brake on my ‘78 XLCH. I grafted a complete ‘92 front end on with a set of after market steering bearing adaptors but kept my original aluminium rimmed front wheel. I used an early Buell disc rotor which bolted right up to my hub then swapped my handle bar switches and levers for a set, again from a ‘92 model. This provided a master cylinder of the correct size to drive the single 6 piston Performance Machine Caliper. Brakes now work great, handlebar switches are much better and the suspension is light years ahead of the original type. The catch was that ai had to swap the orientation of the front wheel to use the hub disc holes on the other side. Now I had to find speedo drive that was the mirror image of the stock one and I also swapped the relative positions of the speedo and tachometer to match the change in side of the new location of the speedo drive unit. All this using largely HD original parts which sort of make it look nearly a factory fitment. I did change the seat for an Italian dual seat from the AMF era when HD owned Aermacchi??? Period original and nearly identical to some seats used on the Italian brand. I used a low rise English Touring type handlebar from some late model sportster. It all now looks very much like one of those ‘Catalina’ scramblers from the ‘60s. Cheers Stephen.
Nice! Stay safe out there!!
AMF kept the Motor Company from going under. Yes, they cut corners, but that is what saved Harley in the end. The Evolution engine was being designed under AMF leadership, so when the mid managers bought out AMF they were set up for success. Buy the way, I have a ‘74 XLH 1000 hardtail. Still running points, mechanical rectifier, factory exhaust and wiring. These are fun bikes and do draw attention.
If we could race bad mother in laws MINE WOULD WIN! Great bike! I can't wait to get my 75 XLH going! Thanks for sharing!
I have a 76 Bobber soft tail bobber has beautiful designs on the engine engraved 21 front but no disc brakes, ape hangers been restoring it was in a fire and before that both jugs have scuff marks from seizing, she will quite nice when I am done but she looks like the classic Bobber from the 70's early 80's
Nice bike, you are lucky to get such a fine parts dropper. LOL
It is a fine scooter! I couldn't tell from the camera angle but it looks like the tool bag is resting on the front sliders. If it is, every bump will wear the chrome off the fork tubes or the sliders may damage that nice bag. I have a 1981 FXE with a Pan motor and trans and the same front end. I attached the bag to the fork tubes just above the lower triple tree so it is just under the headlight, better airflow and no movement against the chrome. Seems to work, I've had it since 1998 with no abrasion. If my old eyes are deceiving me then disregard the advice.
I also have a 1978 Sporty Cafe Racer, heavily modified ex drag bike with different body work, hasn't run in 8+ years, engine was put back into original rolling frame which hasn't moved in 30+ years, brand new 1990 tires on it. It is my current project. Good luck to both of us!
thank you for the tip
I've owned 2 of these 1974 XLCH Harley's. Here's a tip for easy starting when cold. Ignition & fuel off. Open throttle wide open and kick through one time to clear carb. Now turn on fuel and ignition. Give 2 shots of gas with throttle grip by rolling it on twice. Your carb has an accelerator pump. Now turn the throttle to 1/4 open and give the starter a good kick. Never fails. When starting warm just turn on gas and ignition and set throttle to 1/4 and kick. Your bike is an AMF made product which had many issues. The stock clutch is very poor qhality and can be hard to adjust. The motor tends to use lots of oil because Harley went from a 3 piece to 2 piece ring system. Feel free to ask questions if you need more info. My first XLCH in 1974 was bought new for $2425 out the door and was same color as yours.
This is golden, thank you.
You are welcome. I would suggest going to a Barnet clutch. They are far superior to the junk stock clutch and will stay in adjustment. S7S carb is also well worth the investment.@@BackDraftBikes
that's a beautiful Sporty - and doesn't it go well . . . . those panniers may well wear the chrome off of the shocks, bars are available to prevent that - ditto the front tote bag, it may make contact with the fender and damage the paint . . . Great video, you are lucky to be given such a machine 😀
Good tips, thank you
@@BackDraftBikes 😊👍👍👍 . . .
Hello, Very nice sportster. Harley Davidson made plastic saddle bags for Sportsters. Very similar to Electra glide bags but a little shorter. When you are ready to part with it let me know.
You should be able to put an electric start on that bike. Nice motorcycle. The bike has a reserve position on the petcock to let you know you're low on fuel.
I had the electric version of that exact motorcycle. They are wonderful motorcycles, primitive to be sure, but a real machine
Electric? I need more info, that sounds amazing
@@BackDraftBikes I meant to say electric START version of the same bike. Harley offered both kick-only and electric start-only versions during that era.
@2:31 Homie....the Easy Rider choppers were 49-52 Panheads (depending on the bike) in Rigid frames....and the movie was made in 1969 just before AMF acquired the company....
Sorry. You're right Holmes. I should stick to movies that were made after I was born....
I have a 1974 XLH BLUE, 15K MILES
After the magneto fired (no battery) Sportsters of the 1960s your '74 XLCH is the next best thing. She's a real beauty!! Get rid of the front bag. It blocks air flow to the engine and will ruin the paint on the front fender. How about an update?
It's an air cooled motorcycle. Maybe to reconsider blocking cooling air with your bag in front of the heads.
That is not the Easy Rider bike. In the movie they were Panheads not Iron Heads.
That is an awesome '74 Sportster! I would work on keeping it 100% original. Once you add the electric starter, the value will drop right off. Other than that, the little red lenses for the oil pressure and generator are not original, the air cleaner trim is missing Part #29205-69. And an NOS front brake line should be located and installed. They are only original once. Let's keep it that way.
Wow thank you for the tips! I really like it
Hi there, nice bike! Where did you get the parts to rebuild your front brake caliper?
Ebay!
Licked & Subscribed!.... I respect and enjoyed your accurate review!
Welcome aboard!
Never could understand the guys that call a sportster a girls bike....my guess is that they never rode one,especially from the 70s...beautiful bike!!
3 primer kicks then turn ignition on and kick all the way..she should start everytime
Thank you for the tip!
@BackDraftBikes some are different. like women..I have a 74 also, no where as nice as yours..good luck and keep the rubber side down..
I have a 78 xlh. I like how your exhaust sounds. It seemed nice and quiet (maybe it's louder than the video lets on, though). What kind of muffler do you run?
It’s the factory ones nothing has changed. I love the way it sounds.
😎👍😎
Kick only, was the best version. There's an old quote, you don't know, that you don't know.
How's your kicker clearance with the saddlebags on?
Awful, they came off
The bike from Easyrider? Not even close.
The bikes in easy rider were made when sportsters weren't even being produced yet. Early 50's.
“This is the bike from Easy Rider”?! I think you need to see that movie again, both were Panheads, not Sportsters. BTW, I own a 1974 XLH, so I’m not dumping on your bike, just the silly reference to the movie.
"I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND CORRECT MY MISTAKES" - Confucius
Question: Whats the top speed?
I start to pray at 75mph. I don't know if I would want to be on it past that speed.
I’ve owned several ironheads over the years, there a lot of little tweaks one can do to make them start and run great.
One thing you can’t do though, is make them reliable. If you ride it, something will always break or fall off or whatever.
If you keep them 100% stock/ original, that will be especially true.
A Mik round slide or a Harley CV carb are GREAT upgrades, for starting and performance on the road.
The charging system is always a crap shoot. A cycle electric regulator is money well spent, getting rid of the mechanical regulator. Also, I’d money permits, cycle electric makes an alternator conversion that goes in place of the generator.
Money well spent. Properly adjusting and maintaining the clutch will prevent common trans issues.
As to electric start, there are conversions available, none cheap, VTwin has a kit.
My wife had 1977 XLCH, she asked for elec start after a few years. I found a OEM HD NOS kit on eBay.
You still need either the battery box and oil tank off a XLH, or, as I did, a wrap around oil tank that a battery can fit inside, maintaining the look of the XLCH for the most part. You’ll be several hundred into it before your done.
I have the swingarm from a 79-81 that bolts right on, and a brand new GMA rear disc brake kit. I was going to put rear disc on the wife’s, but she ended up getting an 82 FXR and selling the sporty. The brakes suck for the most part. The rear drum is not a performance unit to be sure.
These are fun bikes, but you need to stay on the maintenance. If your wrench shy, pass it on.
thank you for the info bud!
They are called saddlebags not luggage
You can roll it down a hill to start it too
Ha! I had to!! Too funny!!
Ross corner?
You know it! Where you at?
@@BackDraftBikes Sanford
those old ironheads ...one or two kicks...if that is too much for you get a VW
It isn’t a utility cruiser, they aren’t suppose to have saddle bags. Put your stuff in a backpack and get going.
Funny thing is I took the bags off as soon as I was done shooting, agreed, rip it!
that new S isnt even in the same league as a right foot sift real SPORTSTER they put a chevette radator on the front looks like crap HAPPY TRAILS
Bikes in Easy Rider were Panheads…NOT sportsters…cool bike anyways…
I wish I could change this
those were bar hoppers....rebuilding 73 for my daughter....NO PLASTIC on it...don't believe half of what he says about gas etc....obviously not a true HARLEY fan.
%100 original and I want ta preserve this bike? You evidently don't have much of a personality aside of the clueless sheeples out there! Harley Davidson themselves revealed that adding 4" over fork tubes would increase handling performance, as would lowering the rear, add an oil cooler and thermostat, oil temp gauge, plus there are several other mods that HARLEY DAVIDSON themselves suggested, but I'd just leave it alone if I were you!
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