I need advice. I have an 89 Sportster and want to buy a second bike to fix up. Dude has a 74 Ironhead XLCH 'rat bike' for sale and I've got him down to $1200, maybe even lower. Says the generator is bad and no battery so can't start it. Also says the rear drum brake has some issues with locking up, but could be due to being poorly set up when they hardtailed it. It's pretty hacked on and ratty with a bunch of weird customizations, but I'm still intrigued bc of the price. He's moving so what I get is what I get, no contacting him after. Here are some pics, I need advice on whether to get it or not! Like, today!









He kept warning me that it'll "puke a buncha oil when ya fire it up" but that it runs strong otherwise. He's selling cause he's moving. He said he bought it 2 years ago with some teeth in the tranny broke, had that fixed and rode it for a year. Once the generator and battery went out he just let it sit. Not much more info, the dude is crispy.

 

the price sounds about rite.. you really should start it unless your planning to do a lot of work.. the bad battery is no problem.. you can just jump it off another battery, or even your car. amperage is irrelevant with a kickstarter. the bike doesn't care where it is getting the 12volts from. the gen is easy enough to rebuild or replace..
talk him down to $900 or lower. say it needs a battery and would be suicide to ride with a 40yo rear drum and no front brake..

 

i'd pass. as a harley its probably worth millions. as a motorcycle its worth $250 if it has a title and most of its parts.

 

I guess it depends on how much you will like to wrench on it. It is undoubtably a project bike, and they can be fun if you enjoy working on them. The XLCH is the iconic Sportster but my druthers would want the sprung rear end. The bike will be more a hobby than a rider for a while, just depends on how much attention you want to give it. IMO, I agree that the price should be negotiated downwards from $1,200 if possible, but still a fair price at what he's asking.

Let us know what you do!

 

Looks like it could be a fun project bike for sure. Like j1mmy said, jump it off and listen to the motor. $900 bucks would be a starting point, especially if your doing your own work. Tear it down and rebuild it from the floor up, and go over every piece on the bike so you know without a doubt how every piece is going to respond once it's back on the bike. You will have a real piece of Americana in your garage that you will be able to ride whenever the feeling hits you.

Many a bike have been found this way, back in the day, that turned out to be great projects, although it should be a true love affair and not just a whim/passing fancy.

 

That's exactly the kind of bike I'd be looking for as my next (much longer term) project bike. Great opportunity, if that's what your into. $1000 or less, take it right down to the crank and rebuild everything exactly the way I want it with no constraints. I might take two or three years, working on it as time and $ allow. Would be great fun. If it's still available, and as long as most of the major parts are there and the engine isn't majorly screwed, I'd say go for it.

 

Offer $750 and haggle from there ...what the guy is telling you and what actually is true are two very different things. Regardless, looks like a real cool project bike.

 

Look cool id get it if I had money