Correct answer.
It's like any classic vehicle.
Crap handling, flexiframe, mediocre brakes. Will need all rubber bits replaced, suspension work. Guessing the engine will need a rebuild. Potentially rims resurfaced to hold air.
But when it's done, and the electrical short begins you'll start to appreciate it character.
After you redo all the wiring to replace the brittle bits, and discover the hole.in the tank due to rust...
Harley BAAAAAAAAAAAD
Not really, I just figured I'd get it in first.
AMF bikes had their issues, but nothing that can't be dealt with. But yeah that thing is over 50 years old, like you probably wouldn't make a 1970 Camaro a daily driver, if you go into it with the right mindset it'll be fine.
Sportsters got a lot more dependable in 1986. Yours is old enough that it has a right side shifter. Overall they are really simple to work on and if you enjoy wrenching, I wouldn’t hesitate. But if you’re wanting a better “old sportster experience”, I would get a 90s model.
A 91-94 would be even better, 5 SPD trans and it still has the access door for the gears instead of having to take the whole thing apart.
That 70 would be pretty sweet when it's sorted tho
They can be a pain in the arse, and they can be a dream. A cult classic that epitomises 'cool'.Fantastic to own, cruise on and tinker with, as long as you treat it as a Sunday special, not a daily driver. The Pros outweigh the Cons ....
My buddy used to have one and your father is right. It's kind of iconic and kind of crap. If you enjoy wrenching and the style it could be fun. If you just want to ride you might want to look elsewhere.
IMO, iron head sportys aren’t worth the expense or trouble. When people say “wrenching” they’re not talking about more maintenance. Those bikes were purposely built poorly by disgruntled AMF factory workers.
They’re simple to work on and parts are easily and widely available. For a first ‘classic’, either a 60s-70s HD or Triumph is the way to go.
Build quality on both was ropey even when they were new, and they do have issues, but there’s tons of info online and aftermarket fixed for all the big issues. Both are huge fun when running just right, but expect to put in at least a weekend’s worth of work every month just to keep on top of preventative maintenance.
I started riding in 1977. I have owned a lot of old crappy bikes. I had a 78 Ironhead which I thought was lovely. Yes they require maintenance. However parts are easily available and I've rebuilt a sportster motor in my living room with no problem at all. They were built like a tractor, when you rebuild them you can make them a lot smoother and more powerful. A stock Ironhead is fun to ride at 20 miles an hour. and will be nice until you get up to about 85 miles an hour.
Counter to the doom and gloomers - if you don’t mind working on things and can inherit/buy it really cheap I say why not.
Motorcycle electrical is bonehead simple until pretty recently, and once you go through the mechanical you’ll know it’s done right.
Get that thing done up better than it was from factory and have fun.
If you’re not worried about it, fuckin do it. They’re gorgeous machines. I’d probably recommend being a bit hands savvy.
Like everyone else said, they get a bit less finicky more recent but who fuckin cares. 70s Harley’s are so so good. I was looking at a PanHead for a bit but slept on it for too long.
Harley nearly went bankrupt in the 1970's, partially due to how poor their motorcycles were. You could buy a Japanese bike for half the cost and lasts twice as long.
I wouldn't invest a ton of time into it, personally.
EDIT: I can't remember when they deleted the kickstarter. If it has one, it will maim the living shit out of your leg/knee if you aren't careful.
if you like doing work all the time, on an engine with shit tolerances, that is so badly designed that every single part of the engine and cases is made aftermarket by a 100 other brands to better spec and design... they are fun bikes, but they make maintaining my Honda from the same year a total seem like a joke.
I used to be a mechanic that worked on both. You will be fixing and replacing the most random shit you never would have imagined could fail. Its basically 1950's technology, and why Japanese bikes were able to dominate so quickly.
I had an 81 Ironhead, and it was an abysmal pile of dogshit. And when I say dogshit, I don’t mean the fresh stinky kind, I’m talking about the white dried up kind that’s so worthless it doesn’t even have a smell.
So there you go. Miserable sack of unforgivable shit. Have fun with finding reliable, quality made electrical parts, namely the generator.
My buddy just bought one for 2 grand. I laughed at him and am continuing to laugh. Once he is down 5k total I am sure it may be somewhat of a functioning bike. Seems like a lot of money for a tractor.
It's gonna have all the issues a 50+ year old vehicle would have, very nice when everything comes together and it runs right tho
Correct answer. It's like any classic vehicle. Crap handling, flexiframe, mediocre brakes. Will need all rubber bits replaced, suspension work. Guessing the engine will need a rebuild. Potentially rims resurfaced to hold air. But when it's done, and the electrical short begins you'll start to appreciate it character. After you redo all the wiring to replace the brittle bits, and discover the hole.in the tank due to rust...
But the good news is you can by one new and it will be exactly the same! /jk
more like 75 year old vehicle, my Honda from that era is a solid two generations of design ahead of an ironhead.
Harley BAAAAAAAAAAAD Not really, I just figured I'd get it in first. AMF bikes had their issues, but nothing that can't be dealt with. But yeah that thing is over 50 years old, like you probably wouldn't make a 1970 Camaro a daily driver, if you go into it with the right mindset it'll be fine.
Sportsters got a lot more dependable in 1986. Yours is old enough that it has a right side shifter. Overall they are really simple to work on and if you enjoy wrenching, I wouldn’t hesitate. But if you’re wanting a better “old sportster experience”, I would get a 90s model.
Thats what the father was saying. Thanks for input
A 91-94 would be even better, 5 SPD trans and it still has the access door for the gears instead of having to take the whole thing apart. That 70 would be pretty sweet when it's sorted tho
They can be a pain in the arse, and they can be a dream. A cult classic that epitomises 'cool'.Fantastic to own, cruise on and tinker with, as long as you treat it as a Sunday special, not a daily driver. The Pros outweigh the Cons ....
Sounds good. My 76 kz400 is my daily driver, so this one would be the special sunday as you call it😂
If you have one of the kz's the PO never brought in for the top end recall when they were new... That ironhead will feel real familiar
My buddy used to have one and your father is right. It's kind of iconic and kind of crap. If you enjoy wrenching and the style it could be fun. If you just want to ride you might want to look elsewhere.
IMO, iron head sportys aren’t worth the expense or trouble. When people say “wrenching” they’re not talking about more maintenance. Those bikes were purposely built poorly by disgruntled AMF factory workers.
Even die hard Harley riders get the shivers from an 883 Iron Head.
They’re simple to work on and parts are easily and widely available. For a first ‘classic’, either a 60s-70s HD or Triumph is the way to go. Build quality on both was ropey even when they were new, and they do have issues, but there’s tons of info online and aftermarket fixed for all the big issues. Both are huge fun when running just right, but expect to put in at least a weekend’s worth of work every month just to keep on top of preventative maintenance.
I started riding in 1977. I have owned a lot of old crappy bikes. I had a 78 Ironhead which I thought was lovely. Yes they require maintenance. However parts are easily available and I've rebuilt a sportster motor in my living room with no problem at all. They were built like a tractor, when you rebuild them you can make them a lot smoother and more powerful. A stock Ironhead is fun to ride at 20 miles an hour. and will be nice until you get up to about 85 miles an hour.
Counter to the doom and gloomers - if you don’t mind working on things and can inherit/buy it really cheap I say why not. Motorcycle electrical is bonehead simple until pretty recently, and once you go through the mechanical you’ll know it’s done right. Get that thing done up better than it was from factory and have fun.
If you’re not worried about it, fuckin do it. They’re gorgeous machines. I’d probably recommend being a bit hands savvy. Like everyone else said, they get a bit less finicky more recent but who fuckin cares. 70s Harley’s are so so good. I was looking at a PanHead for a bit but slept on it for too long.
cable plants yam terrific trees lunchroom rob weather punch encourage *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Besides being very poor bikes when new you have to undo the previous 50 years owners “work”
Harley nearly went bankrupt in the 1970's, partially due to how poor their motorcycles were. You could buy a Japanese bike for half the cost and lasts twice as long. I wouldn't invest a ton of time into it, personally. EDIT: I can't remember when they deleted the kickstarter. If it has one, it will maim the living shit out of your leg/knee if you aren't careful.
if you like doing work all the time, on an engine with shit tolerances, that is so badly designed that every single part of the engine and cases is made aftermarket by a 100 other brands to better spec and design... they are fun bikes, but they make maintaining my Honda from the same year a total seem like a joke. I used to be a mechanic that worked on both. You will be fixing and replacing the most random shit you never would have imagined could fail. Its basically 1950's technology, and why Japanese bikes were able to dominate so quickly.
I had an 81 Ironhead, and it was an abysmal pile of dogshit. And when I say dogshit, I don’t mean the fresh stinky kind, I’m talking about the white dried up kind that’s so worthless it doesn’t even have a smell. So there you go. Miserable sack of unforgivable shit. Have fun with finding reliable, quality made electrical parts, namely the generator.
🤣🤣that was basically my fathers description. Thanks for the input
My buddy just bought one for 2 grand. I laughed at him and am continuing to laugh. Once he is down 5k total I am sure it may be somewhat of a functioning bike. Seems like a lot of money for a tractor.