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28 Posts
Thank you. Say hello to the 'Prince of Darkness' (Lucas) for me.
Hello
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5,080 Posts
Funnerly you should say that I've never had the pleasure or should I say the misfortune 🤣 🤣
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28 Posts
LOL. I owned old Triumphs back in the 1970s. Good bikes, easy to work on. Didn't find Lucas electrics to be as bad as people said. I owned a HD 45 trike in the 1980s, regret selling it.
Welcome from CA. Nice project you have there. Good to see an older bike get a chance to be on the road again.
Glad you said that. I'm a little slow and was befuddled at first. But eventually, from time to time I get there periodically.
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28 Posts
Iron is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. Seemed appropriate.
Welcome from Minneapolis Minnesota. Nice sporster, my first Harley was a 71 XLCH that was chopped and kick only. High maintenance machine she was.Hello. New here. Bought a '72 XLCH Ironhead last November. Semi-basketcase. Fortunately the engine was intact and in the frame. The bike had been sitting since 1984. Put it back together, got it running, new brakes, shorter shocks. The paint was toast, did flat black wet sanded with 1000 grit paper, rubbed out, looks like old paint, fits the bike.
Three Bendix carbs came with the bike, finally put one together that works. Nothing fancy, just an old looking bike. Kick start only. I believe it may be ready for a test ride.
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28 Posts
Thank you. Yeah, all of the old bikes are high maintenance compared to the newer bikes. This bike does have an adjustable, automatic chain oiler though. LOL Seems to be having carburetor issues right now. It never ends. I kind of have to stick with older bikes, I can't fix the new ones with the computers, EFI, ABS, GPS,, etc...don't know squat about that stuff. I owned 1960s Triumphs and air cooled VWs in the past, same thing, constant maintenance and repairs. This bike has it roots back in the 1950s, it is what it is, stone age technology.
I would trade my 2001 Fatboy in a second for another older bike. I don’t mind the maintenance that much. I would like to get my hands on a basket case big twin pre 1980
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28 Posts
I'm thinking of selling or trading this bike for something with electric start. I owned many kick start bikes back in the day but I was much younger then. I wouldn't recommend getting a bike from the AMF era, 1969-1981. AMF made fine bowling equipment but they weren't so great when it came to building motorcycles. They did save HD from going bankrupt though.
![Font Building Magenta Entertainment Art]()
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5,886 Posts
IDK, had a '80 FXE80 that I had rebuilt, balanced everything possible in that motor... It was a fast SOB! Just had to constantly adjust the timing and a forever fight with intake leaks... That I could thank the PO for, he converted it to points (the timing would slip on a near daily basis) and put some weird intake manifold on it. I called it the O ring intake! IIRC there were 6, O rings on that dumb intake. They always would leak.
Still miss the sound of a carbed HD! It could idle so slow you could almost hear the valves open and close...
Cam, intake and exhaust made a rocket! Oh the simple days... (I plugged that damn chain oiler) It works weather or not the bike does...
Yeah AMF did have a bad rep for Harley. I had a78 superglide though that I had zero trouble with but it had been rebuilt and stroked out, which I think most of those AMF bikes have probably had some type of work done to them and hopefully had the issues that came with the motorcycle dealt with. Ideally I’m wanting a 69 FLH
Yeah AMF did have a bad rep for Harley. I had a78 superglide though that I had zero trouble with but it had been rebuilt and stroked out, which I think most of those AMF bikes have probably had some type of work done to them and hopefully had the issues that came with the motorcycle dealt with. Ideally I’m wanting a 69 FLH
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28 Posts
Yeah, intake leaks and ignition system, two problem areas. I'll never understand why HD eliminated the distributor and put the points and advance unit in such an inaccessible location down in the side cover. Probably a bunch of executives in suits at AMF made that decision because it was cheaper. LOL I replaced the stock intake manifold O-rings with rubber bands and made a solid support to keep the carburetor from bouncing around and causing leaks.
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5,886 Posts
I had not wrenched on one that was built before the cone motor. So i can't say the points were in a bad locale or not. But It did a damn good job of helping me teach my 5 yr old son (at the time) what electricity is!
I had him holding the timing light for me while i was messing with the timing. He kept on creeping in closer and closer with that chrome timing light... I warned him 2X. Then let him learn. When that arc shot between the bike and that timing light, he did 3 azz over head rolls across the garage. Jumped to his feet and hollered "WHAT WAS THAT!"
I was laughing so hard the tears were streaming!
He saw no humor in it a toll...When i finally caught my breath. I explained that was electricity. That was 2000 volts at nearly zero amps. So it just bit you! Those sockets in the house are 120 volts with 20 amps pushing them... Volts bite, amps KILL.
Momma ask him to plug in her vacuum, his eyes got big and took off for his room... No way in hell to get him to plug in anything for months!...
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28 Posts
They put the points in a very difficult place to access on these engines, I don't have a lift table so the points are about a foot off the floor, a lot of bending, sitting on the floor, difficult to see in there. The timing hole is on the other side of the engine so that complicates the process.I had not wrenched on one that was built before the cone motor. So i can't say the points were in a bad locale or not. But It did a damn good job of helping me teach my 5 yr old son (at the time) what electricity is!
I had him holding the timing light for me while i was messing with the timing. He kept on creeping in closer and closer with that chrome timing light... I warned him 2X. Then let him learn. When that arc shot between the bike and that timing light, he did 3 azz over head rolls across the garage. Jumped to his feet and hollered "WHAT WAS THAT!"
I was laughing so hard the tears were streaming!
When i finally caught my breath. I explained that was electricity. That was 2000 volts at nearly zero amps. So it just bit you! Those sockets in the house are 120 volts with 20 amps pushing them... Volts bite, amps KILL.
Momma ask him to plug in her vacuum, his eyes got big and took off for his room... No way in hell to get him to plug in anything for months!...
It doesn't seem ease of maintenance was a priority when they designed these engines. From what I understand these engines had a lot of problems with the centrifugal advance unit, not great quality.
I can't remember how many times I've been zapped by ignition coils working on old cars and bikes.
Doesn't feel good at all.21 - 34 of 34 Posts
