Topic: The best thing to do with a Harley

[ekim98]

754 you made a point about the sporty. Bored out 1/2", head work, and modify the air cleaner and exhaust. A 1200cc bike turning 12.7. Now do the same to a 750 sohc and you could probably beat that time!!! Didn't a stock sohc 750 run the quater in the low to mid 12's?
No comparison, but my show room stock DOHC 650 turned 13.06 first time ever on a drag strip by me. Shaft drive but I did have to remove the mirrors. To me not even close, considering the cc difference.
Yes, I have ridden 3 different new (less than a year old) harley's from an 883 cafe racer to the 1200 (what ever it was I don't remember which model) and I was NOT impressed with performance or handleing. They were all stock. They were all hard to start, always had to tighten things up, leaked oil, and the owners were always working on them just to keep them even running. I guess they just got lemons!  And I'll eat my own words and admit I would buy a sporty (65 thru 67) if I could find a stock one in good shape at a price that I can buy a decent sohc 750. But that will probably never happen.

And yes I got my clock cleaned by a sporty in my 64 "283" Chevelle. It was quicker than hell but he wasn't stock either.

I may not be the bike garu you and some of the other guys here are but I've been around bikes more than a couple of days and do have some idea what I'm talking about, regardless of what some people here think or say. How do you think a 1/2" overbored harley would match up against even a cbr600rr much less against a cbr1100rr or a GSX1100. I'm sure you can site examples of fast/quick harleys, but none that are stock. Even Buell saw the hand writing and is getting away from HD engines.

[754]

The point I was making is that it responded well to the simple mods, better in my opinion than a CB 750 sohc.
We did not touch the ports or the carb or aircleaner, just removed the filter & had stock pipes on it... you know what a slug they are stock..probably a 14 sec bike.

Now a 750 can and should  do mid 12, they did in the magazines.. but can you on yours at your track??

In my thinking a G note in mods that drops a bike 1.5 seconds or more is pretty good value. We were actually into it for 500 cash or so around 1990...we used stock pistons... no aftermarket parts.

Nobody cares how big it is till it beats them, then they pull the size card.. its a pushrod motor.. your superior SOHC should beat it shouldnt it??

As for an early Sporty, if you did not like the late one you will hate the old one.. it is 3 times as much work & lifespan, and way harder to get parts.. vibrates 2wice as much too..

[my78k]

I won't enter the Harley bashing argument for the same reason I won't bash any bike really. They all serve their purpose!

Trying to compare a V-twin to an inline 4 is like trying to say a Geo metro should tow as well as an F350...

Why are we having this debate again?

Dennis

[ekim98]

I wouldn't call it a debate as much as trying to keep the facts in line. I wasn't bashing harley just stating some facts that are not really debatable. With that said you could probably modify the Geo to beat an F350 in towing,but why try!!! Isn't that part of the purpose of this and other forums- talk and debate the pros and cons of our ideas, hopefully without coming to blows over "opinions."

Yes, I know a newer sporster would probably be a better choice but like the sohc bikes, there from my era. And yes, I would be willing to get out there and do the extra maintenance to keep it road worthy. I just won't pay the $ amount for that privilage. And I don't care for the image that rideing a harley carries, but thats my "opinion" and not debatable either.

[ekim98]

Don't know what all is harley stuff, but this isn't to bad to look at. The foot peg is in a bad spot between the pipes, but that probably could be fixed.

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah, it looks nice, but it also looks pretty impractical, like most cuctoms. I like all Harleys, and I particularly like Sporty's, but like 754 says, it's foolish to compare apples with oranges.

You either like them or you don't, but I suspect (on this site, at least) the bike isn't really the issue, it's all about the "Honda Crowd" versus the "Harley Crowd".

There are plenty of other bikes that don't perform as well as modern 4 cylinder bikes, and they're largely ignored, but mention the "Harley" word, and the negative reaction is overwhelming! Cheers, Terry.

[754]

It looked pretty [ractical to me, lightyears ahead of the bike i ride!!

Those FXR frames handle pretty good..looked about as practical as any sportbike..but with more torque.. it is an older motor..not a twincam.

[fuzzybutt]

thats a kit marketed by custom chrome inc, thats a rev-tech 100ci motor in it.

[Terry in Australia]

It looked pretty [ractical to me, lightyears ahead of the bike i ride!!

Those FXR frames handle pretty good..looked about as practical as any sportbike..but with more torque.. it is an older motor..not a twincam.

C'Mon mate, how can it be as practical as yours, it doesn't have a kick starter, and has those fancy new-fangled rear shock absorbers! Ha ha, Cheers, Terry.

[754]

Looks like a Thosand mile a day bike from where I been sitting...

[mgmuellner]

What about the new Harley XR1200 they have launched? -at least in Europe-

I don't get it. If you want performance, would you buy a sport HD when you can have pure japanese -or italian- performance at a fraction of the price? Do they think their customer base will die to have one XR1200? Most surprisingly, they have made it available in countries like Spain, where 99.9% have never heard about an american dirttrack, let alone a XR750, so they don't have the nostalgie factor. I foresee a sales flop.

American dirt track is better known in Spain than the US.  Believe it.  Ask any HD guy what a XR750 is & 99.99999999999999% of the time they'll look at you like my dog does when I ask her a math problem.

[Godffery]

   I worked for Eric Buell in the R&D department and I barley survived to tell the tail,  the only difference between Hardley & Buell is there even less reliable.   At least this year they Finely put in a decent motor.

Godffery
http://tinyurl.com/yoelqb

The less people know about motorcycles, the more they prefer Hardleys.

[dusterdude]

i know quite a bit about motorcycles and i prefer harley.i would rather work on 1 carb instead of 4.i would rather be able to pull my cam with the engine in the frame than pull it out to do it.i would rather adjust pushrods than have to adjust valves in the valve cover but when i get a hard on to go fast,i wear out my 750.oh,and i love it to death too,it will never leave my garage.

[754]

Kinda wonder how you ended up working with Eric?? should be lots of people that enjoy the bikes they work on..

[Terry in Australia]

Looking at Godfrey's spelling skills, I'm guessing he spent a lot of time pushing a broom. 

[Godffery]

   Ha!.....I knew I was going to get some grief for that one

[Head]

I like the looks of this one!!!  head

[DarkRider]

heh my roommate and i made a vid showing what harleys and all bikes are made for...Riding!

Thats my roommate spike in the yellow jacket and his dad Yvon (the previous owner of this old sporty)

[Terry in Australia]

That's a beautiful Sporty mate, looks just like the '84 model I had, sniff. I just sold another one of my "project" bikes, so I'm that much closer to another Sporty.......... 

[DarkRider]

take a guess what year that sporty is terry

[Terry in Australia]

84? Damn that's a nice bike! 

[754]

I could not bring up the pic other than what is showing on here.. but it is looking like 76 or 77 to me...

 did you ride in the numbbum 24 hr ??

[DarkRider]

terry is way the hell off by about 10 years lol..its a 75 XLH. The engine has been punched out to 1100 CC. Nah didnt get to run the numbbum because it was canceled for this year. Next year the Max Motorsports team (which spike and i are both members of) will be running it with at least one if not two quads.

[fuzzybutt]

damn i love an ironhead sporty

[Terry in Australia]

terry is way the hell off by about 10 years lol..its a 75 XLH. The engine has been punched out to 1100 CC. Nah didnt get to run the numbbum because it was canceled for this year. Next year the Max Motorsports team (which spike and i are both members of) will be running it with at least one if not two quads.

Sorry mate, I thought you were telling me it's an '84 model, I wouldn't know one iron head Sporty from the other, the only difference I could see between that bike and mine was that mine had twin front discs. Nice bike!