Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Early versus late Sportster designs. Part One.

Why do I find the design of the '78 and earlier Sportsters to be so desirable?   

This is a '75 XLH electric start model. Note that the line of the shock absorber,
mirrors the front downtube of the frame. The mass of the vehicle is centered between the wheels.

The basic frame of the Sportster was used from 1957 all the way to 1978. The frame had forged cast connectors for the steering head, motor mounts, and the rear shock absorber mounts. The swing arm had forged ends to hold the axle and the pivot. The big shock absorbers were located forward on the swing arm and attached to the forging that also held the fender struts. This was done to provide a secure mounting position for the available HD saddle bags. Sportsters were not known to be good curvy road handlers, but for years they held the advantage in acceleration and top speed. 

Note the narrow twin rear down tubes 
and the bolt on ( non OEM) fender support struts.

Whatever the effect that the willowy frame had on the handling of the bike, the resulting machine was very slender, and the rear wheel was almost completely exposed and visible. The XLCH gas tank, ( we never referred to it as a peanut!!!) taken from the lightweight 125 Hummer model, was very popular and it was mounted in a manner that prevented electrical items from being hidden underneath it. There was a larger oval tank used on very early models, but by the late 1950's, the new large touring tank, used on the XLH was referred to as the "turtle tank." Not very sexy! 

Early 60's XLH touring model.

The Sportster has often been described as a machine with two big wheels and an engine that barely fits in the frame. It is a very elemental and basic motorcycle. The Sportster adopted a certain "look" and it continued that appearance through twenty years of production. The XLCH gas tank, buckhorn handle bars, low seat, and staggered dual exhausts were very strong identifiers of this model. 

  

The Siamese exhaust is the most noticeable change,
but the triangulated rear frame section is the most important.

In '79, HD switched to the frame that had been used previously on the XLCR cafe racer model. This frame featured a rectangular section swing arm, a triangulated rear frame section, with shorter, more upright shock absorbers positioned further back on the swing arm.  This was an improvement over the old frame functionally, the wider frame section improved the bikes torsional rigidity which had always been lacking. The oil tank and battery were now housed completely within the frame. While this look seemed appropriate to the XLCR, I was very surprised when HD adopted the chassis to the regular Sportster models. Even more surprising was the adoption of a chromed dual Siamese exhaust system that had also been used on the earlier XLCR. This is probably one of the best designs for power as well as the quietest exhaust ever used on early Sportsters. However it was a complete break from traditional aesthetics, and Sportsters are all about aesthetics! 

Harley struggled long and hard to bring the Sporty back to a more traditional and acceptable appearance.

This is a latter model frame. Note the triangulated rear section.
The shocks mount at least a foot behind the rear down tube.
The forged sections are eliminated.

The fender supports are now a part of the frame,
 this area is much wider than the earlier type.

Could I find a later model 2015 or so suitable for my purposes?

I feel that the best looking model of the recent past is the 2015  "72."

The "72" model pictured above illustrates the final evolution of the original Sportster design. These bikes featured modern improvements like fuel injection, a five speed transmission, rubber engine mounts, belt drive and a healthy 1,200 cc engine. Forward controls were well integrated into the chassis along with effective brakes. HD also did a good job in locating all the components under the seat and out of sight, keeping the bike very clean and uncluttered looking. An important Sportster trait.

The rear frame still sports the rear located upright shock absorbers, but I give Harley credit, the protruding oil tank and battery box of the past, the voltage regulator and various components that give the bike a pieced together look, have been completely integrated in a very clean design. This model also sports a bobbed rear fender, so I think that it is as good as the design gets. It suffers only in comparison to early models. I would imagine that functionally, these are much improved machines. In all honesty this would be the recent HD that I would buy for everyday riding. 

This wrecked bike is offered at 1,800 bucks.
Lots of what I want here.

Harley Davidson being Harley Davidson, there have always been a lot of interchangeable parts between the various years and models. The engine is available in both 883 and 1,200 cc displacements. The 21 inch wheel, and forward controls, have been used on various "custom" models. There is a larger 4 gallon tank that is available also. It is not as iconic as the XLCH model, but it's quite an improvement over the old "turtle" design. The Custom models and the very popular, later "48" design come standard with forward mount controls.  Some models even feature rear set foot pegs and controls, while most are equipped with the basic center mount foot pegs. This also means that there should be a good supply of used parts available. 

So it would be a fairly easy matter to find a suitable base to build from. While I like the design of the "72," I don't need all the chrome and fancy paint. I don't need the forward controls, buck horn bars, 16 inch rear wheel or the peanut tank. But I need laced wire wheels for my purposes, I do not want mag type wheels.

So far, I've primarily been discussing the modern models. While I would prefer the classic design, they are a bit harder to find. Complete running bikes seem to be pretty scarce, I've seen many more as "projects," usually in some state of disassembly or poor condition.  There are a lot of old choppers out there. Many are advertised as not running. However these are pretty simple machines and I have quite a bit of experience with them, so I wouldn't be afraid to start with something that needs a bit of work.

As with all vintage machines, the best find would be an unmolested original, but I don't know that I will be able to find one at an affordable price. These bikes are now considered to be classics, and they command a premium price from enthusiasts.

The early bikes are powered by the original Ironhead engine design. (We didn't refer to them by that name back in the old days!) The later 1970's models feature 1,000 cc displacement instead of 900ccs. These later bikes are much improved over the earlier bikes in many areas. By 1986 the Sportster had adopted the Evolution engine which is the ultimate evolution of the original Sportster design. The Evolution had a very long run, production extended into the early 2020's, and there are a lot of used models in various configurations to choose from.

It will be interesting to see what's available. I've been out of the Harley Davidson world for quite a few years, so I'll be learning as I go.