That it's a very sweet Ironhead...

 

It's all stock too except for the pipes, windshield and a Phase III primary belt under the cover and the oil cooler. Now with the correct jetting it truly runs every bit as good as it looks for a stock Sportster.,

Thanks for the compliment too. I appreciate it. It has 25K miles on it and had an oil and filter change every 1000 miles. Transmission has been dumped every 4,000. It's truly in great shape. Probably better shape then this old lady. :-)

 

Nice touch with the chrome tank!!

 

For future reference, this site has a lot of good historical information on Ironheads along with a history and links to parts listings etc:

http://sportsterpedia.com/doku.php

 

Thanks... Though maybe you'd like to see the complete ensemble..

 

Beutiful!! And the whitewall front tire is a nice touch too. It's great to see this old iron survive with such style!

 

Thank you, you're very kind. And yeah it is nice to have something as old as that looking as good it is. As well as yours.. They're a great conversation piece, aren't they....

 

Great conversation pieces for sure and they are the true foundation for the new Harley's today. Nice examples of the older technology are getting harder and harder to find.

 

NEVER drill carb jets. NEVER!

 

I know today that is the advice that is given but back in the day that was the way it was done. You had a pin vise and carefully opened them up to what you needed and everything worked fine; there were even factory service bulletins that told you how to do it. The low speed jet was opened up forty years ago and worked great with the predicted results at sea level. But now the bike has been moved to 4100' of elevation and it was just too rich. We used to drill out metering restrictions and jets of Holley carburetors too and they worked just fine.

Today fuel metering is handled way more precisely with fuel injection controlled by mass air flow sensors, O2 sensors and fancy computer programs. We get great performance, fuel economy and improved emissions but when these components go south you're dead in the water looking for a tow.

I remember when electronic ignition first came on the scene and we didn't want it either as if our old Harley died on the road we could always regap the points and get "her" home. But everything has electronic ignition today and we don't even think about it any more. So times do change and so do maintenance practices. I appreciate your advice "NORTY FLATZ" but the old saying "you never say never" holds here too.