Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Here is the newest addition to my stable.

I teased this photo a while back.
It's from the CraigsList for sale posting.

A 1999 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail.

Seek and Ye shall find.

Good advice, again.

I didn't waste much time once I decided that I wanted to get a Heritage Softail. I started looking on Craigslist and on Facebook Marketplace. As I have said, these are popular bikes so there were many offered for sale. 

A notable point is that many bikes were offered by guys that stated that they were "aging out" of riding. The other large group was offered by people that had "inherited" their Father's or even Grandfather's bike! Geez, I guess that my generation is getting pretty darn old!

One of my biggest requirements was that the bike had to be equipped with the original exhaust system. This eliminated a lot of bikes, but wouldn't you know it, like pennies from Heaven, one with stock mufflers popped up right in front of me.

The seller claimed that his bike was completely original, which wasn't exactly true. It looked really good in the photos, bright red paint with silver side panels, a very nice combination. The mileage was right also, at 33K.

When I saw the bike in person I noticed a couple of things.

For one thing, the headlight "tins" had been swapped out for a chromed Electra Glide style headlamp nacelle. The passenger seat had been swapped for a lower profile pad, which I thought looked better than the original, so that was an improvement. The license plate mount had been swapped for a lower profile unit, which was again an improvement to me. The rear turn signals had been replaced by smaller aftermarket units that had a smoked lens. That's not an improvement in my eyes. I'll replace those with the stock lights later.

The bike was equipped with a medium sized handle bar mount windshield, which offers a good degree of wind protection.

Overall the bike made a good first impression, though it was clearly dirty in the places that were hard to reach. After a test drive, I determined that it was running and shifting fine, and once I got a little used to it, I was amazed by how easy it was to ride. The bike is very well balanced and it feels easier to ride than my Sportster.

I apologize for the pictures but this was the only 
opportunity I had to photograph the bike.

It's a BIG UN!

The 1999 Heritage is powered by the last of the 80 inch Evolution motors. By this time, the Evo had earned a reputation as one of the most reliable of the Big Twin motor configurations. These 1340 cc engines are mated to a five speed transmission with belt drive. The frame has the "hard tail" look with hidden shock absorbers. This model debuted in 1986, and it was intended to resemble the 1949 Hydraglide models, which were Panhead powered with a new telescopic front fork. 

The tank graphic is very attractive.

This is also the last of the carbureted engines as EFI replaced them on the new Twin Cam engine. The engine is solid mounted to the frame, unlike my current Sportster and the Big Twin touring models. The look is very vintage and classic and being a replica or homage model, it hasn't changed much in appearance over the time that it's been in production. I also like the original round air cleaner.

1949 HydraGlide
The template.

The vintage appearance is why I chose this model, it satisfies my desire to own an antique bike, but it is one that has all the modern riding capabilities while also being quite affordable.

I do love big white walls.

The bike features wire spoked wheels with big whitewall tires. Combined with the traditional valanced fenders, it presents a strong classic appearance. Wire spoke wheels were a reason that I chose this model. When I chose my Sportster I also insisted on wire spoke wheels.

Another important consideration was that this bike is still wearing it's factory exhaust system. Most older bikes usually have replaced the OEM system years ago, with some type of noisy aftermarket exhaust. The little fishtail staggered dual mufflers are a nice touch. The bike is certainly much quieter than my Sportster with the Vance and Hines long drag pipes. It's remarkable how quiet a stock Harley is. I really like the way my Heritage sounds, it doesn't make a big commotion, it just allows me to go about my business relatively unnoticed. 

Well as much as big Sunglow red and bright silver, highly chromed bike can fly under the radar! 

The appearance of the Hertitage garners a lot of favorable comments as it's looks just seems to draw people in. Most of those onlookers and commenters, aren't even motorcycle people.

The color combo is another thing that caught my eye. At first I thought that the bike was red, but after seeing it for the first time in person, I realized that it was more of a reddish orange color.

The seat is the original, with conchos and silver studs, It is wide enough to be quite comfy. The passenger seat has been replaced by a lower, flatter pillion. I like the lower pad, but the seller included the original passenger seat with the bike. The studded leather saddle bags are in great shape and they are big enough to hold quite a bit of stuff. The sissy bar can also be used to tie things onto.

The engine is finished in black wrinkle and chrome,

Evolution engines are reputed to be long lived, This bike currently has 33,000 miles on the clock. I have seen many articles on the web that claim that there are many bikes running around with 100,000 miles, or even more, on the original engine. Without any major repairs or rebuilding!

That's quite impressive, My '77 Sportster only went a bit over 15,000 miles before it needed a valve job and a set of new rings. After a top end rebuild using better quality parts, I put another 35,000 miles on it before I sold it. 

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm not likely to be adding many miles per year. Consider also that I've got another bike to put miles on. If I put 500 miles on either bike in a year, I'd be pretty satisfied.

The seller had only put 600 miles on the Hertitage over his three years of ownership. I don't think that I'll be wearing out that Evolution engine in my lifetime.

At one time I thought that it was kinda silly to buy a motorcycle that I was unlikely to ride very much. It seemed like a waste of money. Now that I'm an old guy, I feel that whatever enjoyment I can get out of these machines, is worth it. I'm really not spending a lot of money on my hobby, but I weigh that against how many years that I have left to enjoy my machinery. I'm going to take what I can get!

It is equipped with what we used to refer to as the "small fat tanks."

The windshield mimics the OEM screen and it mounts to the handle bars with two mounts. I've put a couple of hundred miles on the bike and found the shield to be securely mounted. It also is big enough to provide a fair amount of wind protection. I rotated the bars back a bit to get them in a comfortable position. Harley Big Twin riders generally like their hands in the "thumbs up" position. That caused a problem initially that I'll discuss in a future post.

The rear turn signals have been changed to these smaller smoked lens types. I will locate a set of the original signal lights and change them back to stock. That chrome cover over the tail light is a geegaw that I removed from my Sportster. It looks much more appropriate on the back of the Heritage. The lower, forward canted license plate mount is not stock, but I think that it looks okay. I'll probably get one for my Sporty, if I don't change the rear fender.

The gas tank capacity is four gallons, and the tanks are slimmer than those that were on my '81 Electra Glide, which held a full five gallons. There is some gingerbread on the back, like the rear bumper.

Up front we find a set of driving lights with the 
turn signals suspended beneath them, a busy but traditional touch.

One thing that I initially overlooked when I saw the bike, was that the original 1949 style HydraGlide headlamp and "tins" had been replaced by a chromed Electra Glide style alloy headlamp nacelle. That made me look online into finding a replacement. I discovered that this change is a "thing" with some Heritage guys to make their bike different from a stocker. I like the Electra Glide unit, but if I can find the original parts at a swap meet I will probably change it back. 

photo taken in 1983.

The nacelle reminds me of my last Big Twin, my '81 FLHS. One thing that impressed me in comparison, is how smooth the solid mount Evo engine is. It's quite smooth, with the mirrors very clear from low speeds to over 70 mph. This is a big improvement over the 80 inch Shovelhead. It shows how much progress Harley has made over the years.

Classic looks never go out of style.

Overall the bike exudes a charming classic vibe, and it satisfies my desire for a real antique bike. While it would be nice to have a genuine antique bike, even something kinda funky like the blue Knucklehead that I saw in Dixon this Summer, I admit that I'm not about to spend that kind of money. My Heritage was available for a reasonable price, 4,000 bucks, which allowed me to afford to buy it now, without a lot of sacrifice. Like I've said, at my age doing something "right now" is important. Who knows how many Summers are left in my future.

This was a very cool bike.

Nonetheless, I can't imagine being any happier with any bike, old or new, than I am with my "new" Heritage.