Getting ready to buy my first Harley this weekend (maybe) but I really need some insight from people that know what they are talking about. Its a 1968 sportster ironhead 900 hardtail.
Magneto .... good or bad? Pros and cons? ... no battery at all.
Drum brakes .... just how much worse are they than disc brakes
Kickstart only .... what do I need to do to make sure it stays in good shape where I wont have to kick it a hundred times and also, how true are the rumors of breaking your leg doing this?
Brake lever and shifter are reversed (brake is on the left side) is it really that hard to get used to? I see guys asking about flipping this, but this is going to be my only bike right now so I think I am safe with just "relearning"
4 speed tranny .... where are the gears (ie ... 1 up 3 down?)

Really looking for some help on these questions. I have tried a few other boards and I get the response of " if you dont know what you are buying and you dont know how to ride it then you cant hang with a true biker"
Come on guys remember you weren't born in a saddlebag yourself. Really looking for some answers here.
I have had a few older hondas and this will be my first Harley. Help a young one out.
Thanks

 

Mine is a '77 so I can't help with your specific questions but I thimk it's safe to say that you won't recieve that type of response from the guys in here. Mine is my first Harley also and in the time I've been here I've gotten nothing but love from these guys.

Welcome home,

Rich

 

I couldn't find it just now, but a couple weeks ago there was a good thread about the correct way to kickstart. It was under classics or one of it's subs. One of the things stresses was keeping the bike well tuned. And I think the broken leg thing is from incorrect procedures and just plain bad luck.
I've never ridden right side shift, but I believe you can do anything you put your mind too. Sure it will feel weird at first.
Sorry, no help on the brakes. I know some people convert to discs, but I think more keep the drums and once they get used to them they're just fine.
Good luck.

 

Welcome to HDF, I think the people here will make you pleasantly surprised.

I've got a 74. Rear drum brake, works well for me, never had to do any adjusting to it. As far as the right side shift, I actually like it better than left for some reason. Seems more intuitive to clutch with left hand and shift with right foot rather than lefthand/left foot. Could just be that I'm a warped individual<g>.

As far as kickstarting goes, I think most of the "broken leg" or "It threw me over the handlbars!" is an urban legend. For the first 3 months I had my 74 I only kick started it. will hurt like a sumb!tch if it's on the wrong stroke and you bang your leg on the oil can when you're expecting resistance where there isn't any (bruises will last a good week...trust me on this<g&gt

I'm assuming the gearing is the same as mine, 1 down 3 up.
If the price is right, I'd definatly snap it up. The vintage bikes are a dying breed and look/sound so much different than the new(er) bikes.
I've got more than I care to admit in my bike (got scalped on the purchase), but to be honest I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Hope this helped answer some of your questions.

Good luck,

Wolf

 

Thank you guys so much for the input so far. It's nice to be on a board where people do not mind helping a new rider. The drum brakes worried me a little so thanks for the input on not having any problems. Does anyone have anything to say about magnetos? The last time I had anything to do with magnetos was on my stepfathers Grallie (msp?) moped lol.

 

magnetos....I don't even know what that is. I'm sure somebody will help though. No help here....the only Magneto I've ever heard of was from the X-men movie, and I doubt that's the kind of help you're looking for.

 

Magnetos are good. Magnetos have the contact points of course. They also contain the condenser and coil, all in one neat little package. I wish mine were a 1969 or earlier machine and had the mag on it.
Magnetos produce their own electricity so you do not need a battery to start the engine. Just keep what you have here. If you ever need any information on the magneto just let me know and I can provide that to you........pg

 

i had an old 70 sporty and remember messing my leg up. it was funny, both me and a friend had gotten sportys in the same week and we both did the same thing, hurt our legs kick starting them. the problem is that once in a while the kicker will skip off the gear and you end up slamming your leg into the ground. we both learned to start the downward kick by starting the downward kick from halfway up. what i mean is that we only let the kick pedal come up 1/2 way then pushed down. never had a problem doing it this way and didn't get hurt anymore.

 

Thanks again guys. So far no one has really had anything negative to say so looks like the purchase if going to happen Friday.
One other thing, this is a hard tail, a bolt on hard tail. Is there anyway to add any kind of suspension to this?
Keep any other input coming and thank you so much.

 

There will be a great, I repeat great.....deal of expense involved in converting it back into a swing arm frame. To bad someone chopped the bike.
You would have to purchase:
two shocks
a swing arm frame member
the swing arm bolt and bushings needed
another rear fender
two rear fender braces
License plate holder/tailight etc, etc.
I could go on and on, but that will give you an idea of what you face doing it. I'd say the only way to convert it at a reasonable cost is if you have another machine that has been totaled out on the front end........pg