Hey guys. New to the forum. Did a little searching and can't come up with a decent answer. I found out recently my boss has a 96 sportster 1200 he bought brand new. Rode it for a few years and laid it down and scared him. The bike has 3k miles. According to him it broke the foot peg and clutch lever off. It's been sitting for 15+ years in a heated garage under a cover. I offered him a thousand bucks for it the other day just joking around and he seemed very interested in off loading it. Is 15 years too long for a bike to sit untouched? What is the chances it's seized? What are some things I should expect to have to buy besides the basics, tires, battery, etc? Thanks in advance guys.

 

1K is a hell of a deal on a sporty evo. as far as what need to go in to making it road ready. for sure battery,tires,fluids, new gas, plugs, maybe a carb cleaning. If its in a heated garage, I highly doubt the motor seized up. Pop a new battery or chage the old one, put some new gas and plugs and see if it starts. Spary some gas or starter fluid in the card and that may help with ignition

 

I wouldn't exactly call something this new a "barn find" (suggests really old/really rare/really valuable).

If it runs and drives and the cosmetic damage is minor, that's a $2k bike at best. As it sits, I'd charge $250 to haul it away.

 

i agree to disagree. I had a 96 sporty, had not ran in maybe 10 years. Did a little work on it and it was a champ, sold it for 8K few years ago. Let me find a pic of it

 

It's worth the thousand if it's not seized up. That said, it's not a factory 1200, it's either an 883 with a 1200 kit or an 1100. A lot of those early kits were sketchy if they weren't Screaming Eagle, I've seen rings broken because they clipped the head at high RPM.
Still, it's worth the money but expect to spend more, all fluids, tires no matter how they look, basically you need to do a 10,000 mile service because all of the lubricants are dried up, cables, wheel bearings steering head etc.

 

Thank you for your fast reply. I'll post back on here within a few days hopefully after I check it out. Just wanted a second opinion on if it would be worth anything after sitting so long. Coming off racing dirtbikes, something that sits for this long needs a full overhaul. Never owned a big twin. Hopefully if all goes well I'll be on the road in no time.

 

Evo sporty's are fun little bikes especially if it's a 1200. Here's the one I sold a few years back. Did some work on it as you can see. All doable in your own garage

 

Ummm, wrong, Harley made a couple of 1200 models in 96 and before.....

1990:

new paper air filter and paint options
40mm Keihin carb - constant velocity w/accelerator pump
Production Information:
XLH 883 (5,227) $4,250
XLH 883 (4,040) 'Hugger'
XLH 883 (1,298) 'Sportster Deluxe'
XLH 1,200 (4,598)

1991:

5 speed tranny replaced the 4 speed
belt drive replaced chain on 883 deluxe and 1200 models
hydraulic lifters were replaced with automotive type units
oil pump given internal cast feed lines
breather system moved from the crankcase to the heads (umbrella valves)
alternator moved from behind clutch to the crankshaft
primary cover redesigned
new foot peg mounts
old Dunlop k-291 tires replaced with K402's
Self canceling signals
right side timing hole
tappet blocks, rear motor mount, oil filter integrated with case
one piece push rod tubes
Production Information:
XLH 883 (4,922) $4,359
XLH 883 (3,487) 'Hugger'
XLH 883 (3,034) 'Sportster Deluxe'
XLH 1,200 (6,282) $6,245

1992:

Hugger model made even lower
standardized hand controls
Production Information:
XLH 883 $4,499
XLH 883 'Hugger' $5,075
XLH 883 'Sportster Deluxe' $5,559
XLH 1,200 $6,400

1993:

belt drive now on all Sportster models
Production Information:
XLH 883 $4,775
XLH 883 'Hugger' $5,420
XLH 883 'Sportster Deluxe' $5,820
XLH 1,200 $6,800

1994:

Oil tank revised (visually identified by relocated oil drain line which now runs to the frame instead of nipple on underside of battery tray)
Derby cover revised from small cover over center of clutch to large 4-bolt cover (with this came a new quick-release clutch cable)
Revised rear struts with chromed steel covers.
New electrical system (wiring harness/weatherproof electrical connectors, new electrical component tray under the seat)
883s got an aluminum lower triple clamp which was previously stock on only the 1200’s

1995:

New Larger standard gas tank (3.25 gal) on 1200 models
Vacuum operated petcock added to Sportster line
Ignition switch moved to steering column (because of petcock)
Switched to electric speedo
Production Information:
XLH 883 $4,995
XLH 883 'Hugger' $5,700
XLH 883 'Sportster Deluxe' $6,120
XLH 1,200 $7,200

1996:

Switchgear revised, more rounded style
First year for 1200 Custom and Sport models
Production Information:
XLH 883 $5,095
XLH 883 'Hugger' $5,760
XLH 1,200 $7,360
XLH 1,200 '1200C Custom' $7,910
XLH 1,200 '1200S Sport' $8,360
1997:

New Larger standard gas tank (3.25 gal) on 883 models

1998:

Revised ignition system (single fire)
1200S gets dual-plug heads (along with hotter cams)

 

Either way 883 or 1200 I just took a quick look at listing for a 96 Sportster the asking price range was 3200 to 5000, if its not seized then you have a great deal, clean it up, lubricate, replace dried seals, remove rust from inside gas tank if any, new tires and you have a great ride.

 

Worse case scenario, you could part that out and make more than $1,000. If you don't want it, I'll give him $1,000 for it!