He says the motor was redone in 1998 and had 4482 miles put on it. It then sat since 2000. This guy acquired the bike in 2007 and replaced the battery, and a few other parts. Says it runs but not for long. Says the jets on the carbs would need a adjusting or rejetting.
I've been looking for a project bike for the wife and I and wanted to know what the cost of a bike this old would be?
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For the 1968 XLH I see pictured I would guess that a good price would be around $1500 to $2000 max. It depends on how bad you want it.
Take the claim of the engine being rebuilt with a tiny grain of salt. This means nothing but the seller is trying to maximize his price, and of course you cannot blame him for that.
The fact that it will not stay running is in your favor in a way. Use this to get the price down. You will need to because the fix is going to be more than fiddling with the carb jetting. I would go so far as to say the jets are fine. It has other issues most likely, and what ever it is will cost you some time and money. That is the great thing about having a project bike though. This one looks like a good one to have to me. The only butchering I can see is the fenders have been nipped on the ends and that god-awful oil tank decal, or whatever it is.
It has the original drum brake on the front and the front end looks correct for a 1968.
The fuel tank is good and the bike even has the original passenger rear foot pegs. All this tells me the bike is pretty much original and that is good!
The handlebars look like the original buckhorns with the enclosed throttle cable.
The carb needs an air cleaner on it. That is a cost, but not major.
Someone has put another seat on the bike and the sissy bar.
The exhaust pipes have also been added. They look like large open end pipes and this is going to hurt the performance unless baffles are installed. Straight pipes (with baffles) will give you a much better back pressure and low end power.
Let us know if you make the leap. The bike looks good to me as far as I can tell from the photos.........pg
Silly question, but is there a way to add electric start to this old bike? I'm just thinking that the wife may have a problem getting her kick started.
It does? I've been looking around on this bike, and on youtube, a guy is kickstarting his, and if I google a 1968 Harley XLH the results usually come up with it having a magneto and kick starting it.
I didn't even think a 68 would have electric start. :P
In 1968 the XLH came with both a kickstarter and an electric starter. The XLCH was a kick start only.
The electric starter motor is the round chrome item that sits just in front of the bend in the rear exhaust pipe. (See your photo of right side) It appears someone has removed the kickstart lever. The lever is mounted on a shaft that comes out of the rear of the sprocket cover, and can be easily removed.
Needless to say, you will have to get a factory repair manual (and learn a little more about the bike) before you do any work on the machine should you decide to buy it.................pg
ORIGINAL: piniongear
................................... \\;(See your photo of right side) It appears someone has removed the kickstart lever. The lever is mounted on a shaft that comes out of the rear of the sprocket cover, and can be easily removed.
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This is another " MAYBE PROBLEM" with this bike. The kicker could be missing because it was broke and dangling off the side! I'd look to see why it's gone.
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Also as PG points out...........take the claims of rebuilds and such with a grain of salt as THERE IS A REASON this bike ain't running or has been not running &\\; sitting \\;and being sold in this shape..........and it sure ain't cause it's peachy and in great condition. These sellers always have a million bull-crap reasons why the bikes have sat so long, etc...etc.
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It's called horse trading...........like buying off a used car lot..............buyer beware!
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Also, do you want a Ironhead for the wife ONLY CAUSE THEN SHE WILL HAVE A CHEAP HARLEY??? Or because she wants an old Ironhead and you &\\; her like to work on vintage bikes a lot???
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Reason I ask is because.........these OLD BIKES are not for everyone. They vibrate and require a lot of hands on tweaking and repairing. The brakes are not up to modern standards and they are heavy. You can't just go out and buy parts like you can for a Shadow or find qualified folks who know how to or even want to work on them...so YOU WILL BE THE MECHANIC. Make sure you realize these aspects.
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Also be aware this bike in perfect condition will only be worth $4000. You'll easily sink more than that into it to get it to pristine shape.... \\;So it ain't an "investment".
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That being said........a 1968 is a GREAT YEAR for a Sporty and I love my Ironhead. Just go at it for the right reasons and you'll be happy.
Actually, a stock 68 XLH did not have a kick start at all! \\;\\\\\\; I know, because I have one with 6,000 original miles sitting out in the garage. The 67 XLH came with both, but not the 68. \\;\\\\\\; Looking at the picture of this bike, the electric start components are there. \\; So the lack of a kick starter should not cause alarm\\\\\\; I repeat, the 68 XLH did not come with a kick start, so you should be all right.
If there's been a rebuild ask to see the receipts, and then, if possible, call the shop that did the work. \\;\\\\\\; There are rebuilds and then there are rebuilds, and as Pinion states, all claims by the seller should be taken with a grain of salt.
It's impossible to tell for sure, but from the picture, it looks like a nice bike. \\;\\\\\\; If the receipts pan out, and everything else looks kosher, and you're not intimidated by a project, I might \\;\\\\\\; go as high as $2500 on this bike.
By the way, I sure could use that rear wheel, which is stock. If you get the bike, and decide you want to go to a 16" rim, as many riders do, I would be interested in a swap.
Bike worth?
