Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

The California 1000 lay dormant for a few years. 

That's my set up with the Pony Express style bags.
My buddy Rick's new XLS is to the left. Behind me,
you can see the headlight of my buddy Boyd's new Low Rider.

Then it was back! Sometimes in the early 1980's. 

Just a reminisce. Please indulge me in my rambling memories.

Rick and I went down to LA and found that the 1000 was cancelled at the last minute. So Rick and I decided to do our own 1,000 mile ride. 

Then the California 1000 was back. I signed up for it immediately.

Rick couldn't make it this time. So I ran it solo. At this time I was riding my reconfigured XLCR. It had a three and a half gallon, "King Sportster" tank, HD compact windshield, along with the compact hard bags and a sissybar. With an XLS seat, highway pegs, remote oil filter and "Lowrider" oil cooler it was perfectly set up for long range touring. Without any photos or  "journaling" to chronicle this trip, memories are kinda vague.

Back then I was ready to ride anywhere, at any time.
Ahh.... youth!

I remember the ride out to Amboy, then down into Death Valley. I didn't carry any extra gas on this trip and I remember running out of gas, at least three times! I remember feeling very uncertain if I was going to make it into Amboy for the first stop. I had to lay the bike on it's left side and jiggle it so that the fuel trapped below by the tunnel in the tank could slosh over to the petcock side. I had to do that three times. Three and a half gallons wasn't quite enough. However I was still able to take an around the country ride with that set up.

As on most runs, I met up with a couple of guys and ended up riding with them. One guy on another Sportster and the other was on an old Honda 750. I remember that the Honda rider told me that he had to sell his Harley for financial reasons, but that he had managed to scrape up enough money to buy the Honda for the trip. At this time I couldn't understand how anybody could sell their Harley, for any reason except buying another one. However, I was still just a young single man, with no responsibilities at this time, and really didn't know the realities of adult life.

The rider of the Honda Four said that my Sporty was set up as a fine little rig. He said that with genuine appreciation. My preference has always been to set up my bike a road bike, something practical and comfortable for long rides.

Whenever I made any changes to my bike's set up, I always kept the parts after I removed them. I kept the sissy bar, compact windshield, hard saddle bags, different styles of handle bars, instruments, fenders, air cleaners, seats, exhaust systems, and various other items like the crash bar. I would mix and match them over the years along with new paint jobs. 

For example, I have never liked the look of the bike with the windshield. But when I had a lot of long distance riding planned, I would bolt it back on. The shield attached to four mounting points on the fork triple clamps and could be installed or removed in minutes. Since this was a OEM accessory it was solidly built and mounted securely. 

My Buddy Boyd turned me on to a source of leather saddle bags, an Army Surplus store in Fremont. They were actual equestrian saddle bags and were much better and cheaper, than the types sold specifically for motorcycle use. I went through several sets over the years.

Hard bags make the most sense.
Photo taken in early '80's Whittier Ca.

I was still running the full fender and "beehive"
tail light used on my last build. That would change.

If you build it, you should ride it.
All the way to British Columbia.

                             

I found my Sportsters to be suitable for long distance touring. Even my chopped '70 could go the distance, though it wasn't the easiest bike to ride. I just learned to live with the compromises. Rick and I rode all the way up to Prince Rupert British Columbia one Summer. My interest in riding a full chopper declined after that ride, but I customized my '77 XLCR until there wasn't much "CR" left. However my '77 was set up the way that I wanted, and was quite successful on cross country trips. 

On a dealer sponsored "Redwood Run." 
The bike was new and almost stock.

I initially thought that XLCR would be a great road bike, all the magazines crowed about how great Cafe Racers were. It did have a four gallon gas tank which was big advantage. But it was not a comfortable bike. I had added a pair of LowRider handle bar risers which repositioned the bars and improved the seating position a bit. I kept making changes until I got what I wanted. It ended up a long way from stock.

Although if you take a look at the photo below, the process was not initially successful, or smooth. But I kept at it.

Not my proudest effort, compare it to
the photo of the final product.

My Sporty remained in this configuration for the longest period.
This is a photo taken just before I sold it.

Nowadays all you hear about Sportsters is that they are a beginner's or "girl's' bikes." As if they are just a step up from a moped! That's just a lot of disdainful chatter from Big Twin owners. Yes, Big Twins are more comfortable, with more "spread out" space and more space for a passenger. They also come equipped with bigger gas tanks, and much larger and more comfortable seating.  And, they are more prestigious and desirable than Sportsters. 

But that wasn't really true in the past. In the 1960's and mid 1970's the Sportster was considered the more desirable bike. 

It was the fastest stock bike during most of this period. It was a slender, stripped down, performance machine. The FLH was a loaded touring bike, that could be stripped down and cut down into a chopper that resembled a Sportster. And that's what owners of old Big Twins did.

During this period, full dress Big Twins were reviled as "garbage wagons." Even stripped down dressers didn't get a lot of respect. This was well before the "Fatbob" became the hot set up. The motorcycle scene changes over time, and Fatbobs became more popular as the long, slender traditional full chopper began to fall out of favor. 

The popularity of the Fatbob led to renewed interest in FLH big twins. At first they were ridden in an undressed condition but as the 1980's progressed many bikers began to ride fully dressed Big Twins.

Good low speed handling, but not much ground clearance.
My 80 incher was also quite a shaker. Note how high high the foot pegs are positioned.

I got in on that movement when I bought my '81 FLHS. As it turned out I still preferred the Sportster. But at least I got to experience what the Big Twin was like.Later I would ride the rubber mounted Evolution FXR models. They were a big improvement over the Shovelhead.

But I still loved the Sportster.