hey all, getting ready to tear into a new, er, rather old sporty i picked up. I have never owned a bike this old and it has it's original magneto. The guy I got the bike from says it has spark but lost the key for it(the mag has a key tumbler for switching it on). Is this a tumbler set up that i can have replaced or is there a way to get around this to check for spark...bike is right shift kick only xlch 1967 sportster,this bike has been sitting since 1976 and has been untouched, it does kick over and was oiled down good, also the advance retard lever on the bottom of mag that i believe hooks up to throttle cable? is frozen up...any info or tricks to this old girl would be helpful and thanks in advance.

 

I had a 66 sporty with the same set type of set up. Ended up setting the mag to set position, just a little retarded. Had the B grind cams and 12.5 pistons. Key was left on, and used a button as a kill switch, lol. It was a bitch to start especially when the temps were in the 60's and lower. You can probably take the mag apart and jump the key switch or get the tumbler redone.

Heed this warning. Be extremely careful with the kicker. They have a poorly designed ratchet system. The small teeth that are used with the weak bushings cause it to slip which cause the kicker to drop through. Those years are famous for this problem. I have a a bad knee that came from kicking the 66. When it drops through your knee hyper extends. Try and kick with a straight leg, I couldn't but some can. Good luck