I have a 1976 Sportster XLH-1000 and I'm the 2nd owner and I bought it in 1990 from the first owner.... She was my first Harley I have ever owned and I never got rid of her! She still has the original paint and the original carb. I had to change out the starter twice and the battery 3 times but she is mine and I will pass her down to my son ! I have had other bikes but I am holding on to her.....

Ride a 77 myself. You're right about it all. But she's mine!!

I bought one new and it was great. Very dependable but did need to be looked after to keep it that way. Beautiful bike.

I rode my old 80 kz1000 up and down old highway 141 a million times back in the day. Best ride near Sioux City!

Awesome video im 64 was raised on points and carb I currently own old and new I prefer old any one can push a button but not everybody can fix a iron head you bond with a iron head if I had to choose only 1 bike it would be my iron head my dad taught me how to use tools don't ever sell that bike

In 1984, I had a 1983 XL(last Ironhead year) while stationed in Jacksonville,NC(USMC). Had a Mustang twin cap tank, cast rims, flat bars and risers, quilted seat and Raised White Letter rear tire...,. Good looking bike ,fun to ride and looked very cool. Many a summer night rolling her around town.You are correct on maintenance. Needs to be a near daily affair. I had a second job working in a full service gas station and the mechanics would let me access their tool boxes. I could tweak and tighten all thru the week. I got discharged, took it home, got an apartment. Would chain it up outside every night and head upstairs, and in a month,without the constant attention, she just started coming apart. Had to let it go and got an 82 Virago 920.........Many bikes(20 total,15 BMWs) and lots and lots of miles since then, but those days and that bike remain memorable..

I own a 75 xlh, She was junk when i got her and built her from scrath, but built to the hilt now, Took many years to get the recipe right. Finally achieved perfection on this one of a kind ironhead. I got a Bike In A Box and built her from scratch with about 20 percent help from other harley enthusiests. She is always ready for a trip as i continuously check on her mechanics. Truly a great running machine and absolutly reliable unlike other AMF junk !

I always love hearing the impressions of those who are just discovering these motorcycles. I've been riding Ironheads since 1976 and went through three of them before 1980, when I found the one I have kept to this very day, my 1976 XLCH. Having "grown up" with these things, I just always took their many idiosyncrasies for granted - it was "just the way it was" if I wanted to ride a motorcycle. I never owned anything else until 1993, when I bought my new Ducat 900 SS (which I also still own). I've since been through a few Evo and Twin Cam Road Kings, and still ride the 2013 I bought brand new eight years ago. So I guess what I'm saying is that I never really knew any better, I never knew there was a "better", or "more reliable" way to enjoy motorcycling for many, many years. But you know what? I still ride the wheels off that old Sporty. Over 200,000 miles and several rebuilds later, it's still the one I enjoy the most. It's fun to see others beginning to discover their charms - they have truly been a "forgotten" motorcycle for far too long.

Glad it still has points. Not a fan of electronics. I would put an S&S carb on it. Vibration and noise is part of the Harley riding experience. It's what makes riding a Harley so much fun, and riding other bikes so boring. I finally got an '06 EVO Sportster 1200 after decades of riding dull, bland, and boring Japanese bikes. I will never ride a Japanese bike again. An Ironhead is next. It is a bike for a REAL rider. Real riders don't mind working on their bikes and dealing with a few problems. Modern bikes are to much like cars. You just get on, push a button, and go. All smooth and quiet. Before the Sportster, my one non Japanese bike was a 1966 Triumph Bonneville, and it was also a blast to ride. It also vibrated and made a beautiful sound. It was so "mechanical". Not the most reliable bike around, but one of the most fun. It was kickstart only, and had a certain starting drill. Get it right and it would start right away. Get it wrong and you could kick it all day. To me that should be part of riding. Riding a motorcycle should not be easy. As for grease on your hands, I'm a car/truck/equipment mechanic, and spend every day covered in grease. I love it.

I'm in CB,Ia so howdy! My 72 XLCH sat for more than 20 yrs. I put jumpers on it and it started 3d kick, with the 20yr old gas; but the flywheels were out. After I rebuilt it, and I had a genius at Columbus,ne HD redo the bottom end, it's my most reliable machine. I put a Liion battery in it so it's ready to go anytime I am. It's been 5 yrs and no maint, no greasy hands. I just keep changing the oil & plugs (Bendix carb). About the old carbs, bendix & keihn. Check the operation of the float valve. Yeah, you put a new needle in it...good luck. I have, like, 5 bendix & 2 or 3 keihns. The float valves fail in every one of them because the valve seats are bad. The way to check is with a clear line. Fill the carb and some of the tube. Mark the tube and check back later. I had one carb that would empty the line before I could walk away (with a new needle). The internet fixes with ball bearings and polishing sticks made them worse. I made a guide on the lathe and drilled the seat out one number larger to fix my bendix. As long as you're leaking less than the bike uses at idle, no problem. There's no overflow tube. If you leak more than idle the bike will go rich and die at idle, usually at a light, in traffic. If it leaks over a 2 hour lunch all that gas goes into the crank and then the oil tank. Pretty soon you have 10wt oil, a really clean motor and, later, failed bearings. The main problem with the old ironheads is the oil pump. With warmed up oil, idling at less than 1000, the top end isn't getting oil; the crank rod bearings are getting all of it. Keep the idle up. Some winter night pull the front rocker off (the back one usually needs to come out with the head) and have a look at the tips of your rockers that push the valve stem. If they're gouged or scraped it's because of oil deprivation. The other main problem is detonation. Use good gas and make sure the intake is air tight (NOT easy), and keep the carb brace in place. There are no more shops that understand these machines, so the owner MUST know them. On the west coast of Ia there is Columbus Ne HD and there is Butterfields in Omaha (they know EVERYONE! that can work on these and they have PARTS!, even on Sunday). When places like this are gone, your garage officially becomes a museum and you're the caretaker.

These were the AMF years dang near put the HD Company out of business.

I had a 77" Sportster. It had a lot of problems. I was always working on it. I learned alot and I had a great time when she was running right.

Cool bike got a 1980 ironhead ride wrench repeat wrench and ride love it your right for sure

I just got a 76 sportster .some one dumped a lot of $ on it..so many upgrades...I'm still floored by how bad ass it sounds..the 2 owner sold it for $1800..

Bought one new and put 30,000 miles on it. Sold it in 1980 and bought a 1981 Wide Glide Flame.

ive got a 76 and luv it! Most of the bike I can repair in my garage. Parts are readily available/affordable. It isnt rocket science. Keep your rides short (1hr oneway at a time). check it when u stop. bring a small bag tools. Great fun!

Oh yeah beautiful Sportster

Interesting video, thanks. I went to an estate sale 5 yrs ago to buy tools, came home with a 1978 XLCR in disguise. I finally got my 88 inch Pan off the lift and started working on the Sporty, the frame hasn't moved much in the last 25 yrs but the engine was kept busy 1/4 mile at a time. I pulled a spark plug and it looks new inside stroke is about 4 1/4 inches. Wiring is a mess and some small parts are missing but I think I can handle most of it. Wheel and neck bearings are dry as are both master cylinders, something to work on, and from your experience I will get a lot more practice.

Very cool bike,same year I was born,love it thanks for sharing.

My first Harley!

I currently have a 72 xlch but my first Harley was a 76 Sporty just like yours. The feature that stands out the most to me on the 76 is that funky shifter linkage. I would just about crack my chin with my knee going from 1st to 2nd.

I am looking for a 76 Sportster, they are hard to come by. I realize I will be busy keeping it running as I have owned few early Sportsters but sold them. Appreciate your video.

Blue Magic metal polish...the paste/cream...not the liquid "headlight lense" stuff...will clean up those instrument lense nicely. Did my 07, and my best friends '82 (both Sportsters). Little bit (fingertip amount) is more than enough for each guage. Nice looking Sporty...wish it were mine. Looking for a '76 Ironhead.

Very nice scooter. I have a 75 iron had to adjust clutch and rebuild carb. All stock . And yes need to work on it all the time.

I've had a '69 XLCH and I now have a '74 XLH. Ironheads are a bunch of parts that almost fit. Ironheads are like having a stripper for a girlfriend, high maintenance for high reward(sometimes) If I had to give up all but one of my motorcycles I would keep the Ironhead. I run a CV carburetor adapted to the stock manifold. I also machined an adapter to run the ham can on the CV. The CV makes her run real nice. Yours looks nice and original, good that she's in caring hands.

Riding a slow bike fast is more fun than riding a fast bike fast

I just pick up a 78 ironhead chopper that's been sitting for a few years. She has a lot of gold leaf on her. I am thinking about selling her do to not having a space to tear her down. With bad gas the guy started her right up as I had plan to change gas before she was started but he beat me to starting her. Ran strong. Needs TLC. She is 9ft long I am just getting to old to do all the up keep as I had forgotten how much work to ride her it is. I am a disable Veteran at 66 years old. I am in high desert St.Johns AZ. I have had a few guys that say it looks like a Ness as he use a lot of gold leaf. Wish I could show a picture as you would fall in love with her.

1.8.22. It finally hit me @ the 9:27 mark……… you bear a resemblance to Jerry Garcia™️ Lol. 🎸.

XLH => Electric Start XLCH => Kick and Electric Start XLC => Kick only (I could be wrong on this one)

And women riders don't seem to complain much about the vibration at all!

Great video I have a 77 stock just changed the seat but have the orginal and the end of the pipes are 2 to 1 but I have the orginal looking to sell will post a video to my channel

I remember a guy i worked with in a machine shop (EDO) in NY bought one new. And we just couldn't believe what a piece of junk it was. Leaked oil so bad the guy couldn't bring it home " don't park that POS on the driveway"

59 horsepower

I have a '79, and there's always something wrong with it; I think everything that can fall off has at some point.

Im getting my dads old 1976 Sportster motor 1000 for my 18th birthday do you have any suggestions on what maintenance to handle first and what to check sorta a does and donts

Really nice and helpful video man! I had the idea of buying an ironhead for my first bike and you really changed my perspective, due to the fact that i wouldn’t enjoy it as much if i constantly have to be fixing stuff. I noticed you recommended the evo instead, maybe this is a dumb question, but how can i tell if the sportster it’s an evo? I always have a hard time identifying them, any details i need to look out for?

What rpm does it do at 70? I have greasy hands every day anyways. What weight oil would you recomend?

54 Hp

Ironheads are small? Then what about Triumph Bonnevilles 9 Of that era or even now? Are ypu talkind displacement or physical size.....if it is physically too small, stretch out with a new frame/hardtail. Man, riders today? Not how it use to be!

Cool bike got a 1980 ironhead ride wrench repeat wrench and ride love it your right for sure