[Znabb]

Better make room in your garage then Perry.
The exhaust is only for passing registration but I don't like my bikes beeing too loud. At the same time I want to hear that it's a bike I'm on so I'll experiment with the new exhaust system, that will be mounted after registration, to find a sound level I like. Strong enough to sound like a motorcycle but not so strong I disturbs other people or cause fatigue on longer rides.

I know this is a forum for Honda twins so that's why I ask you guys if there's there are any interest in following the work I'll be doing on the Harley?

 

[Znabb]

So far I've only made one longer (100 mile) high speed motorway ride on my Sportster so I can't say much about it's reliability. Harley was owned by AMF (the bowling accessory company) between 1969 and 1981 and the bikes produced during this period is regarded to have really bad quality due to bad quality control (mine is a 1976 ).

When I mentioned to people (this forum excluded) that I was going to tour Europe on a 1968 Honda 450 I was thought to be mad. I was predicted not even to be able to leave Sweden before it broke down. After a problem free 7000 km ride across Europe I've stopped to listen to what some people say. If you take good care of a bike and make some small but essential modifications you can get almost any old bike reliable.
I might be a bit unorthodox as I actually enjoy the uncertainty of not knowing if I will reach the end of my journey without the bike braking down. It's when the bike has let me down or I've got totally lost I've seen really stunning views and met the most interesting people.

With the Harley I'm happy as a bunny just to get it started (1000cc and kickstart only) and ecstatic if I get all the way without problems with the bike. It has some modifications as f.ex. a modern screw on oil filter kit, upgraded front brake, S&S Super E carburettor and iridium spark plugs. I'm planning to replace the points ignition with an electronic one to make it easier to start.

I just love this bike! It has way better handling than I expected and the engine pulls like a train so it's very fast and enjoyable to ride.


Heres a video from a ride by during this fall (never mind the running man).

 

[Znabb]

The 450 is still parked outside my house Perry and there are days every now and then with acceptable temperatures but I haven't had much time to ride this fall and winter due to a sick family member and building the new workshop.

 

[Znabb]

May I ask for an Admin to please help me rename this topic "Harley-Davidson Sportster XLCH 1976".

 

[Znabb]

Gotcha fixed-up Ronny.....

You edit the thread (in administrative) instead of just the name in the first post.......

Thanks Steve!

 

[Znabb]

Haven't updated this topic for a while. Didn't have the time I would have wanted to work on my bikes last winter but still managed to get some modifications done.


Front wheel had rusty spokes that was painted silver and the hub was corroded so I polished the hub and relaced the wheel.

Ripped off the rear end...

...and mounted a bolt on rear frame I found in the US. Made a mock up with a fender and a taillight I bought at a swap meet.

Experimented with sissybar design using an iron rod and ended up with this shape.

I had a really bad week after that and my friend Jorgen knew that so when I walked into the workshop on Friday he had spent a whole day on making a sissybar in polished stainless steel based on my model and mounted it on the bike. Really good friend who cheers you up like that and the sissybar is exhibition quality.

 

[Znabb]

The bolt on rear frame was actually possible to just bolt on without any modifications. Very rare. The upper mounts was a bit flimsy though so I welded a bracket across the frame that also would serve as a mount for the seat.

Since I was going to have a pillion seat and also go on long rides with heavy packing on the rear fender I welded in a reinforcement inside the fender that was also used to house and protect the wiring to the taillight.

I got a black painted exhaust when I bought the bike and it turned out to be stainless steel so using stainless pipes and bends in the the same dimension I managed, with Jorgens help, to modify it to the shape I wanted and mounted tulip scilencers.

And here is the finished result, well at least the first version, at the Danish meet The Castle Run in June.

 

[Znabb]

That's the nice thing about those old Sportster frames - a hardtail is a bolt-on proposition.

Exactly. I wasn't sure that I would be able to ride a bike with a rigid rear end with my arthritic back so it felt good to have the option to go back to the sprung rear end. Actually though the springs in the seat is not much worse than the stock shocks on my CB450 K2.

 

[Znabb]

Looks good stock too.