I think I'm jealous of Geeto's Sporty, I wish I still had my 1984 XLH1000..........
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thanks Terry! What do you think of the paint? I did it in a garbage can (not kidding).
Ironheads in america are two things:
1) the cheapest way to have a 1950's motorcycle experience
2) A great final exam to test how good of a home mechanic you are.
They are literally despised by everyone. Big Twin people hate them because they are sportsters, Old bike guys hate them because they are usually traps filled with problems, mechanics hate them because they are often cobbled together and abused and a lot of parts are NLA, and dealers hate them because they are so cheap you can't make any money off them. I actually use the bike as a litmus test for talking to people about bikes: If I tell them I have an old ironhead and they don't respond with disgust, then I know I am talking to someone that doesn't know about bikes, LOL.
And yet they carry almost all of HD's modern performance legacy. Funny how that is.
They are so cheap they often serve as "my first harley" for people that really have no business working on motorcycles. I traded a running 1973 cb750 for my 1974 and I think the guy got the better deal. If you can't find a running one for $1500 you aren't trying. Mine was wired end to end with brown lamp cord. Every wire. It burned up on it's first ride over 15 minutes. I've probably sunk $5K in parts in the thing and if I put it on CL right now would struggle to get $3500. But that's ok, it's one of the most fun bikes to ride I have ever owned and I have no intention of ever selling.
Ha ha, thanks mate, I might have to import one, people here are still asking silly prices for them, more than I paid for my 2 year old XLH1000 when I bought it in 1987! As you've mentioned, there are those turkeys who think that owning a Harley instantly makes them a Harley mechanic, so most of these bikes have been pulled apart and "rebuilt" by folks who shouldn't be allowed to own tools.
That's why I love my '94 XLH1200. The PO bought it new in the US, rode it around and imported it into Oz when it was only a month old, and I don't know why, but when I bought it in 2015 it only had 4000 miles on the odometer. I had it serviced by the Harley shop in Canberra before I rode it and they couldn't believe that a 21 year old bike had been pretty much untouched from new, and was just having it's second service!
Anyway, importing an old bike to Oz isn't that expensive, so if I can find a nice clean XLH or XLCH on ebay or CL etc, I think will. (I'm supposed to be "thinning the herd" so I might have to sell off a few first) Oh and yep, I like that paint, very cool! Cheers, Terry.