I am completely OCD about research, especially when tackling something I've never done before. My day job is in IT. Basically I troubleshoot computers, servers and networks and keep them running smoothly. The job requires a good troubleshooting skillset. Even though I've never worked on a motorcycle before, to me troubleshooting is the same no matter what you are trying to fix. The biggest aid in troubleshooting is knowing how the machine works in the first place. If it went together, it will come apart and if it came apart it will go back together...most of the time. Research is a huge part of the process. Thankfully, we live in an age where information about virtually anything one is interested in is available at the click of a button. We take it for granted, but this is truely amazing. I'm 44 years old and can remember when you had to buy books and go out and find people that knew how to fix what you were working on, then coax them into helping you out. You were pretty much limited to your general area. Now, you can type a question into a forum and connect to thousands of people all over the world.
Having said all of that, I also believe you need to know your limits. Know when you are over your head. I do alot of maintenance on my own cars, but I would never attempt to rebuild an automatic transmission or replace the timing belt on a DOHC four cylinder engine. I simply do not have the knowledge or the tools. Also, I cannot afford to bugger up my daily driver learning how to perform these tasks.
Here is a list of resources I've found on the Internet while researching this project:
www.xlforum.net
This is a must join forum if you own a Sportster, especially an older model. Anytime you Google "how do I..." regarding a Sportster, at least three links will pop up from this site. The ironhead group is indispensible. There is a ton of collective knowledge and experience in this forum and everyone is willing to answer your questions.
www.debrix.com
Great parts site. Very reasonable. They have alot of parts for the older models. Ironhead parts are getting harder and harder to find. I went to the local Harley dealer asking about a speedometer and they had to pull out an aftermarket catalog to look it up. Truth is, the dealerships really don't want to deal with the older bikes as they have so much business with the newer lines.
www.zoomcyclellc.com
This site was a fantastic find. They have all the parts for the ironhead line as well as later models. Site is a bit tricky to navigate. The catalog pages display as PDF files in the right pane. You also have to click the "Price Guide" button to bring up the price guide pop up window. Then you cut and paste the numbers from the catalog into this window to look up the price and availability. Having said all of that, this site has it all as far as parts go.
www.sportyspecialties.com
Another good parts source for older model Sportsters
www.toolsource.com
Good source for tools. They have a good selection of tools needed to work on Harley's. Tools like the clutch adjustment plug removal tool and the clutch spring compression tool. Their prices seem to be a bit cheaper than most of the other sites.
www.harborfreight.com
A great source for all general purpose tools. If you have one in your area, you can get decent hand tools at a very reasonable price.
www.leatherup.com
Can't ride without proper riding appearal, right? Very reasonable prices on jackets, boots, helmets and all other riding gear.
www.ebay.com
It never hurts to check ebay to see if someone is selling the part you need. Chance are you will find what you are looking for here. Also, check the motorcycle section of your local craigslist page.
More to follow. I will keep updating this list as I find more resources.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
7/31/2012 - The Sportster arrives
The bike arrived around 9:30 am. Ed from Yellow Dog Shipping picked up in PA on the 26th along with several others. I spent three days cleaning out my garage, which had collected five years or so of crap. It's amazing how much crap one can accumulate without realizing it. The garage had become a catch all for anything that didn't have a proper place in the house. It's July in Texas and working out in the garage was a nasty, sweaty affair. Seven giant lawn and leaf bags and a pickup truck bed full of garbage to haul to the dump later and the garage was finally clean.
I helped Ed unload the bike from his trailer. It was like Christmas in July! He helped me push it into the garage and I paid him. I then went back into the house to finish my morning coffee and text my brother that the bike made it here safely.
I decided to go out and fire it up and see how it ran and sounded. My brother gave me a few tips on starting it as it is a cranky beast. Petcock on, choke up, ten twists of the throttle, key on then hit the starter button. Oh, and make sure you turn the petcock off when done or it will piss gas from somewhere around the carb (something else I need to check into). Followed these steps, hit the start button and it kicked over, started, then died. Hit the starter again - clunk. Tried again - clunk-click-click-click-click. Hmmmm. Maybe the bendix is not engaging correctly. Tap on the starter with a rubber mallet while hitting the button. No dice. Put the bike in gear and roll it forward to rotate the flywheel (or whatever they are called on a Harley). Hit the starter and same result. After several more attempts, I figured the battery did not have enough cranking amps to get the engine turned over. Time to buy a battery charger. I've been needing one anyway for my lawn tracter. Hit the web and found a reasonable charger at AutoZone that would not only perform a slow and fast charge but also had a 50 amp start function to jump a car if needed. All for $59.00!
Get back with the charger and proceed to pull the battery off the bike. Had to disconnect the ground cable from the Primary case where it is grounded to get it out. Hooked the battery up to the charger on the 10 amp fast charge setting and watched it's progress while taking time to clean the battery connectors and zip tie what I believe to be the turn signal flasher unit so it doesn't get in the way when I put the battery back in.
After 45 minutes, there was no change on the charger. Hmmm....fast charge should be working quicker than this. I pick up the manual and read through the instructions and find that the fast charge is not recommended for motorcycle and other smaller batteries. Flip it to the 2 amp slow charge setting, keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't damage the battery. Lesson here is read the manual before using the product!!
Three hours later and the charge light is green. Reassemble everything and go through the start proceedure - petcock open, choke up, 10 twists of the throttle, key on, starter button pressed and the engine starts right up! Now I'm completely jazzed. The bike has that classic Harley low growl and lope we all know and love. The drag pipes sound amazing.
I helped Ed unload the bike from his trailer. It was like Christmas in July! He helped me push it into the garage and I paid him. I then went back into the house to finish my morning coffee and text my brother that the bike made it here safely.
I decided to go out and fire it up and see how it ran and sounded. My brother gave me a few tips on starting it as it is a cranky beast. Petcock on, choke up, ten twists of the throttle, key on then hit the starter button. Oh, and make sure you turn the petcock off when done or it will piss gas from somewhere around the carb (something else I need to check into). Followed these steps, hit the start button and it kicked over, started, then died. Hit the starter again - clunk. Tried again - clunk-click-click-click-click. Hmmmm. Maybe the bendix is not engaging correctly. Tap on the starter with a rubber mallet while hitting the button. No dice. Put the bike in gear and roll it forward to rotate the flywheel (or whatever they are called on a Harley). Hit the starter and same result. After several more attempts, I figured the battery did not have enough cranking amps to get the engine turned over. Time to buy a battery charger. I've been needing one anyway for my lawn tracter. Hit the web and found a reasonable charger at AutoZone that would not only perform a slow and fast charge but also had a 50 amp start function to jump a car if needed. All for $59.00!
Get back with the charger and proceed to pull the battery off the bike. Had to disconnect the ground cable from the Primary case where it is grounded to get it out. Hooked the battery up to the charger on the 10 amp fast charge setting and watched it's progress while taking time to clean the battery connectors and zip tie what I believe to be the turn signal flasher unit so it doesn't get in the way when I put the battery back in.
After 45 minutes, there was no change on the charger. Hmmm....fast charge should be working quicker than this. I pick up the manual and read through the instructions and find that the fast charge is not recommended for motorcycle and other smaller batteries. Flip it to the 2 amp slow charge setting, keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't damage the battery. Lesson here is read the manual before using the product!!
Three hours later and the charge light is green. Reassemble everything and go through the start proceedure - petcock open, choke up, 10 twists of the throttle, key on, starter button pressed and the engine starts right up! Now I'm completely jazzed. The bike has that classic Harley low growl and lope we all know and love. The drag pipes sound amazing.
My 1980 Ironhead Sportster Project
The Sportster was bought by my father who sold it to my brother. My brother recently purchased a newer and bigger bike. He also owns a 1200 Sporty. He put the ironhead up for sale. I jokingly told him that the bike would make a great birthday present. He decided to give me the bike rather than sell it to keep it in the family.
I had the bike shipped from PA to TX and it arrived on July 30th. If you ever need to have a bike shipped, put up an auction on uShip. You will get alot of bids and the shippers are very competitive.
While I was waiting on the bike to arrive, I starting researching these old ironheads and the general concensus is this is not a bike you just get on and ride like the newer Harley's. If you own one of these, you better not be afraid to turn a wrench. Ironhead owners love their bikes and spend a lot of time keeping them on the road. This engine was introduced in 1957 and phased out in 1985 giving it an impressive 28 year run. Many purists consider the ironhead engine to be the last true Harley engine. It was designed and manufactured by Harley Davidson with no outside consultation.
I knew the bike had some things that needed to be addressed to make it road worthy. It is missing the speedometer, mirrors and turn signals. I also knew the bike would need a clutch adjustment right off the bat so I started researching that as well. My brother also put drag bars on it and told me that I'd probably want to change them back to the orignals. He shipped the original handlebars with the bike. Gas had been spilled on the tank and caused the paint to haze over in spots real bad.
I decided, as I start to get this bike in road worthy condition, I would keep a record of the journey. As a complete novice in motorcycle mechanics, I'm hoping that I'll pick up tips along the way and share what I've learned with others.
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