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I got a chance to take it out a few days last week. There was a day where we had some pretty hard rain that washed away all the salt, and the next couple of days the temperature was in the upper 30s, which to me is pretty warm. Having the clutch on the right side was interesting. Between that, the suicide throttle, and having to use hand signals, it was like learning to ride all over again. At first, it kept stalling when I put it in gear, so I figured the clutch plates were suck. I rolled it down my driveway and popped it in gear. That fixed the problem, and the clutch has been fine ever since. I'll tell you though, it was A LOT of fun. the bike has some power to it, and it handles really well for a bike made 40 years ago. I do plan on riding it through the years. I was thinking about keeping it down to about 1000 miles per year or less, changing the oil every 3 months or so. I think that is reasonable. What do you think?
Cool. Clutch is on the right hand handlebar? I would beleive right hand shift and left hand rear brake (or more correctly, foot rather than hand) but I have never seen a bike that had the clutch lever on the right hand handlebar, at least not stock. Someone could have done that in the past, although as original as this bike looks I would doubt it's been modified much.
I think you got a *really* good buy on this bike. Really good.
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I bought a new naked Gold Wing in 1975(?). Not even a windshield. Actually it was a great bike but no personality. No vibration, no sound and according to my girlfriend at the time no excitement. I actually bought it with her in mind because I thought it would be more comfortable than riding on the P-Pad on my Sportster. After one week end she wanted to go on the Sportster the next trip. I sold the Gold Wing after just a few weeks.
Cool. Clutch is on the right hand handlebar? I would beleive right hand shift and left hand rear brake (or more correctly, foot rather than hand) but I have never seen a bike that had the clutch lever on the right hand handlebar, at least not stock. Someone could have done that in the past, although as original as this bike looks I would doubt it's been modified much.
I think you got a *really* good buy on this bike. Really good.
Sorry for the confusion. I must have been in a rush when I posted. The clutch lever is on the LEFT. The foot shifter is on the RIGHT. The front brake (hand) is on the RIGHT. The rear brake (foot) is on the LEFT. And if you think it is confusing now, you should try riding the bike.
They were kind of inefficient back then. I also have 3 plugs to drain when I do an oil change, yet it is a dry clutch. Go figure???
Sorry for the confusion. I must have been in a rush when I posted. The clutch lever is on the LEFT. The foot shifter is on the RIGHT. The front brake (hand) is on the RIGHT. The rear brake (foot) is on the LEFT. And if you think it is confusing now, you should try riding the bike.
They were kind of inefficient back then. I also have 3 plugs to drain when I do an oil change, yet it is a dry clutch. Go figure???
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Yes it was a dry clutch on the 1970 XLCH but the clutch was sealed inside the hub. The chain from the front sprocket to the clutch hub ran in an oil bath. On mine I added extra plates to the clutch so it could handle all the extra horsepower of the 77 cubic inches. It was still a dry clutch but it had two extra plates in it, one metal and one of the fiber (asbestos?). The stock cases on the Ironhead Sportsters were prone to cracking with a stroker. The transmission could pull right out of the cases if you didn't beef them up. I remember adding an extra inch or so on the worm gear on the right hand side that pushes the internal clutch rod against the clutch stack to release the clutch. It made clutching a two finger operation. Once after I had suffered a sprained wrist in a dirt bike accident it made a huge difference. Damn every time I see your bike I want to get a basket job to build another stroker. With some of the ignition and fuel injection systems available now I'd bet you could build an old Ironhead into a high ten second street machine. I would probably lose my license and be the laughing stock of the geriatric crowd at the coffee shop LOL.
I just got my NJ "Historic" license plate in the mail. It adds a nice touch, I think, and now I dont have to get the bike inspected. I was surprised that they required pictures, and said that it had to be completely unmodified. I guess I passed.
Wow , i wished i had it..... Enjoy it. And be safe riding...
Janey
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