Call me crazy..... but I need an Iron Head

[letsride]

I'm looking for an old Iron head Sportster. I hope to luck into a pre AMF HD if I can find one. I've always wanted one of them old birds. And why yes I know all of the things folks say about them,. I have pig mat spill pads to put under it when I park it . I think it would be fun to tinker with one of them old birds. I used to have an EVO Sportster that I put a truck load of money into, but boy was she fast, but she didn't require the amount of attention one of the old Iron heads will.

[JerryHawk250]

OK, You're Crazy!

[GypsyR]

Agreed. I bought a basket case of an AMF one in 1987 and it's still my main ride. Insanity runs in my family though, and we know it.
Back in the 1990's a guy swore all old Harleys leaked oil and I bet him twenty bucks mine bigod did not. And it was on. I left a newspaper under it a week and he had to pay me. Not true these days though. I was speed shifting and shot second gear through the bottom of the case about ten years ago. Got the second best aluminum welder around to weld the cases back up and it's had a drip there ever since. I'm kind of over tearing it all the way down just for a tiny leak these days with too many other projects but it still bugs me that I couldn't win that bet anymore.

Wife's been bugging me to take her and it out for a ride. Says I've been spending too much time bouncing around on the Templar.

Needs repainting again but I don't want to tear it down for that either.

[Bruces]

I have been known to make from scratch and -or repair damaged aluminum boats and sometimes it’s just impossible to get the last spot to stop dripping ,old aluminum and it’s tough to get the contaminants out of the crack just makes it tough to weld .Anyways ,a little 2 part epoxy has saved the day countless times and I am sure it would work on your Harley tranny case .Drain it for a week or more ,shoot brake cleaner at it several times in that week ,and try some 2 part 5 minute epoxy and you should be just fine .Success is totally dependant on you cleaning it correctly so if it fails try it again .

[letsride]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

Agreed. I bought a basket case of an AMF one in 1987 and it's still my main ride. Insanity runs in my family though, and we know it.
Back in the 1990's a guy swore all old Harleys leaked oil and I bet him twenty bucks mine bigod did not. And it was on. I left a newspaper under it a week and he had to pay me. Not true these days though. I was speed shifting and shot second gear through the bottom of the case about ten years ago. Got the second best aluminum welder around to weld the cases back up and it's had a drip there ever since. I'm kind of over tearing it all the way down just for a tiny leak these days with too many other projects but it still bugs me that I couldn't win that bet anymore.

Wife's been bugging me to take her and it out for a ride. Says I've been spending too much time bouncing around on the Templar.

Needs repainting again but I don't want to tear it down for that either.

GOOD GARDEN PEAS!! That thing sure is pretty! She looks well kept too. Thanks for sharing the pic. I would love to find one in close to stock trim and do a little something. I think it will be a cool addition around here and I don't really care how much attention it will need.

[J4Fun]

The forks don’t look like Harman! GypsyR there for looks right?

[GypsyR]

Originally Posted by Bruces

Anyways ,a little 2 part epoxy has saved the day countless times and I am sure it would work on your Harley tranny case .

You might be right. I keep epoxy around and have used "Marine Tex" in years past to plug actual gaping holes in the case of race bikes before. OK, and at least one jon boat. In the case of my old bike, nope. I can live with that it drips a tiny bit over knowing I have gooped some putty on the bottom of it. That's just me. 30 years ago my ex-wife called this bike my "first born child". Epoxy might work and no one would ever know it's there. But I would, and it would bug me. I'm not a perfectionist or anything, that bike has a ton of issues. Just certain things I can't quite deal with. But thanks for taking the time for making the well thought out suggestion, I do appreciate that. If I wasn't weird about this bike I'd do it.

[McQueen216]

Don’t we all… don’t we all…

[2LZ]

Late to the party here.

Rode my 1974 IH to hell and back multiple times. Almost two decades. My brother in law now has it and still rides the piss out of it. Here's what I learned from that experience.

1- AMF bikes are fine. It's a myth. They are still built by the same people. My old AMF IH STILL has original clutch, primary, and bottom end in it. AMF saved Harley Davidson, and they lost their financial ass keeping them afloat. The average Harley rider should get on their prayer rugs and bow in the direction of AMF every day.

2- The old joke is true. I'm proof.
"You can always tell the Ironhead rider at a party. He has a limp or a cane."
The IH had THE WORST kickstart mechanism ever built. HD would be sued for it in today's society. MY XLCH had the higher compression pistons, as well. Nothing like putting your entire body weight into one leg.....just to have the mechanism jump out of its ratchet half way through the down-stroke. That's when your knee folds backwards and the soft white underbelly of your leg hammers into the top of the shock, creating chicken skin.

3- The rubber intake o-rings are garbage. Change them over to the rubber bands immediately before you melt-down a piston. Don't ask me how I know.

4- The swingarm bearings constantly loosen up. Nothing like having an extended front end and your bike is flexing multiple inches in the middle, while flying into a corner. Makes for quite the rodeo moment.

5- Yes, it will leak. Even if you shut off the chain oiler. Get over it.

6- Absolutely I'd buy another one. The bike had more personality than any bike I've owned.....but it will have an electric start this time. One bad knee and one hernia (yes, hernia) is enough for me.

[letsride]

Thanks for sharing that 2LZ. I think you're right about point #1. I guess I never really thought about it like that. Surely they didn't move Motorcycle production to the back of a bowling pin factory. . I've been looking around to see whats out there. I'm going to snatch one up sooner or later.

[GypsyR]

I always had a hankering for a "cafe" since they came out. Almost made the deal for one back in the mid-80's. About killed me that I couldn't quite swing it. A few months later I found my '74 and moved the earth to make it happen.
Nowadays I don't think I'd have one of those cafe bikes. Got old, outgrew them, got too many bikes already, other excuse? I think I could still get sucked into buying an original 1981 Sturgis though.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by letsride

Thanks for sharing that 2LZ. I think you're right about point #1. I guess I never really thought about it like that. Surely they didn't move Motorcycle production to the back of a bowling pin factory. . I've been looking around to see whats out there. I'm going to snatch one up sooner or later.

LOL! I forgot a couple things.....

7- The rear drum brake is for visual, cosmetic, purposes only. Even after I had it turned, then ark'd the new shoes myself, it would either barely slow you down, or go into a complete, unannounced, lock-up. Nothing in the middle, ever. You have no idea how many times I went skidding past turns or driveways, sideways. Thank the HD gods for the front disk on the '74.

8- The Ironhead is known as the Harley-est of the Harley line-up back then. Just like the Siamese cat is the "cattiest of the cats". If Harley's were hard to start, the Ironhead was by far the most temperamental of the lot. It didn't matter which carb, plugs, jetting, or air filter I ran. It would decide not to start and flood whenever it felt like it.
Kick back? Oh! Even when I slightly retarded the timing after changing it over to electronic ignition. One time I was under the garage door firing it up. It thought it was a great idea to try to stuff my head through the door above. Mind you, that's the ONLY time the kick start ratchet would hang on through the entire stroke. I thought I was going to need neck surgery after that one. I swear, I heard the bike chuckling to itself after that incident.

I could go on and on and on. In short, my Ironhead was like the girl Rob Thomas sings about in the video. She's so mean......but you can't help yourself. That's an Ironhead.

[GypsyR]

Errr, in the picture of mine the FRONT brake is for cosmetic purposes. I went from a spool hub like 15 years a go with the idea it would be nice to have a bit of hill holding ability with a front mini brake. Never did hook the cable up though. One day I was going for a ride and it wouldn't roll out of the garage. Turns out the mini brake shoes had debonded and fell off the backing plates. So I tossed them and since then the front brake has REALLY been just decorative. Been riding with only a rear drum since 1987.

I got in a kickstart contest at a meet once. Came in second behind a guy with a Panhead. Other than being an easier bike to start his main advantage was he had a kill switch where I had to turn my key off. Beat me by two kickstarts in a 60 second run. That was long time ago and I'm sure I was a lot healthier. But still today, every once in a while on a hot start it will kick right off with barely a touch of the kicker. Makes me grin like a possum every time.
Mine's an XLH so is supposed to have an electric starter also. Never did. I bought a used starter some 30 years ago. Never put it on the bike and don't even know if it works. I have it though.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by GypsyR

Errr, in the picture of mine the FRONT brake is for cosmetic purposes. I went from a spool hub like 15 years a go with the idea it would be nice to have a bit of hill holding ability with a front mini brake. Never did hook the cable up though. One day I was going for a ride and it wouldn't roll out of the garage. Turns out the mini brake shoes had debonded and fell off the backing plates. So I tossed them and since then the front brake has REALLY been just decorative. Been riding with only a rear drum since 1987.

I got in a kickstart contest at a meet once. Came in second behind a guy with a Panhead. Other than being an easier bike to start his main advantage was he had a kill switch where I had to turn my key off. Beat me by two kickstarts in a 60 second run. That was long time ago and I'm sure I was a lot healthier. But still today, every once in a while on a hot start it will kick right off with barely a touch of the kicker. Makes me grin like a possum every time.
Mine's an XLH so is supposed to have an electric starter also. Never did. I bought a used starter some 30 years ago. Never put it on the bike and don't even know if it works. I have it though.

Your Ironhead is badass! You did a lot that I wish I could have done at the time, like the Big Twin tank setup and the deep, double-decker chopper seat. Back then, my X was doing her best to make my life miserable, and any form up personal upgrades on my part were seen as more meat on the bone for her to gnaw off. ;-)

My brother in law has changed mine up a lot since the olden days. He's a tinkerer and it always seems to be in some form of tear-down. Now he's talking about making it bone-stock, if he can find all the parts. He'll have to completely redo it though since neither rim is stock size.