Bought a '78 Sportster that was parked for 38 years. What now?
#11
05-17-2019, 09:55 PM
Road Master
Just went through this. Make a list.
Brakes: lines, cylinders, calipers and pistons, pads
New tires, check spokes and wheel bearings.
Head bearing grease and bearings checked
Clutch and throttle cables lined or replaced.
Check swing arm
Clean and adjust chain
Gas tank clean and likely a new petcock as low $
Clean and rebuild carb
Probably needs rocket gaskets.
May need new oil lines
Fuel lines
Mystery oil in the cylinders for a day or so
Drain all the oil from case and bag by removing the return oil line at pump. Case probable full and bag empty. (Important!!)
Drain and refill primary, adjust tension
Adjust clutch
New battery and check wiring and grounds.
Clean the hell out of it and bring the chrome back
New oil filter and air filter that is washable as you will likely puke some oil out at some point.
Add a quart of oil and crank it over with the plugs out to blow out the oil of the pistons and reprime the oil pump so the pressure light is off.
Check cold compression with and with out oil to ensure good rings.
New plugs or clean the old ones for now, top the oil off and fire it up. You can run it a 1/2 quart low until it’s warmed up as over filling is common.
If it runs, shifts and stops you are a winner. Peek into the oil tank when it’s running and make sure you have good return pressure. Should be able to see it pumping back in.
Please post pix and good luck.
Subscribed.
Brakes: lines, cylinders, calipers and pistons, pads
New tires, check spokes and wheel bearings.
Head bearing grease and bearings checked
Clutch and throttle cables lined or replaced.
Check swing arm
Clean and adjust chain
Gas tank clean and likely a new petcock as low $
Clean and rebuild carb
Probably needs rocket gaskets.
May need new oil lines
Fuel lines
Mystery oil in the cylinders for a day or so
Drain all the oil from case and bag by removing the return oil line at pump. Case probable full and bag empty. (Important!!)
Drain and refill primary, adjust tension
Adjust clutch
New battery and check wiring and grounds.
Clean the hell out of it and bring the chrome back
New oil filter and air filter that is washable as you will likely puke some oil out at some point.
Add a quart of oil and crank it over with the plugs out to blow out the oil of the pistons and reprime the oil pump so the pressure light is off.
Check cold compression with and with out oil to ensure good rings.
New plugs or clean the old ones for now, top the oil off and fire it up. You can run it a 1/2 quart low until it’s warmed up as over filling is common.
If it runs, shifts and stops you are a winner. Peek into the oil tank when it’s running and make sure you have good return pressure. Should be able to see it pumping back in.
Please post pix and good luck.
Subscribed.
#12
05-17-2019, 10:30 PM
Seasoned HDF Member
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Ben221 (05-17-2019)
#13
05-17-2019, 11:00 PM
Club Member
Change anything rubber on it like tires & oil & fuel lines lines.
Repack the wheel bearing while the tires are off.
Flush out the gas tanks, pull the petcock and clean the screen.
Don't mess with the carb yet, wait till the bikes running to play with that if needed
Change all the fluids and re bleed the brakes.
Pull the plugs, squirt a little Kroil in the holes and let sit a day or 2. Clean all the grounding cables & contact points.
Lube the clutch cable and all pivot points like the handlebar levers and brake pedal.
New battery, run the engine over a bit without the spark plugs, install and fire it up.
Tweak and adjust as needed, it'll need some love and it will show you where and what.
Enjoy.
Repack the wheel bearing while the tires are off.
Flush out the gas tanks, pull the petcock and clean the screen.
Don't mess with the carb yet, wait till the bikes running to play with that if needed
Change all the fluids and re bleed the brakes.
Pull the plugs, squirt a little Kroil in the holes and let sit a day or 2. Clean all the grounding cables & contact points.
Lube the clutch cable and all pivot points like the handlebar levers and brake pedal.
New battery, run the engine over a bit without the spark plugs, install and fire it up.
Tweak and adjust as needed, it'll need some love and it will show you where and what.
Enjoy.
The following 3 users liked this post by TwiZted Biker:
#14
05-18-2019, 01:43 AM
You'll need the clear plastic plug that screws into the engine case just below and between the cylinders in order to check the ignition timing with a timing light. You'll also need feeler gauges, a circuit tester, point cam lube and some emory cloth or a point file to clean the ignition points, if necessary. You'll also need to check the valve pushrod adjustment. You can make a pushrod tube holder-open from a coat hanger. I did this stuff about once a month on my '78 XLCH. If I got an old bike with breaker point ignition, I'd do a static timing check before I fired it up. If the bike is a keeper, you might want to look into an electronic ignition setup.
Make sure you get any stock parts the seller might have because they ain't cheap to buy.
Make sure you get any stock parts the seller might have because they ain't cheap to buy.
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mctraveler (05-19-2019)
#15
05-18-2019, 06:49 AM
Banned
Cool bike. Agree with others - keep that patina. I like Twisted's list - keep it simple and go from there. The main issue you'll have is the gas tank. It's going to need a good clean out. Hopefully it's not badly rusted. My guess is, once you clean the tank out and turn on the petcock, it'll leak like a sieve. Dry gaskets and hoses. Just replace as necessary.
Those Ironheads sound great. Like a Harley should sound.
Those Ironheads sound great. Like a Harley should sound.
#16
05-18-2019, 07:09 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
..
#17
05-18-2019, 09:13 AM
Stellar HDF Member
Awesome.
Yes, I would remove plugs, pour regular motor oil into cylinder (an ounce each) and manual turn over the engine by the crank.
Let it sit while "absorbing" (for lack of a better word) this fresh turn over cylinder lubing and move onto the next steps.
Gas tank remove inspect for gunk and reinstall & add a 1/2 gallon of fresh gas.
New battery (have re-charger/ tender ready)
Reinstall spark plugs with new plugs.
New engine oil and filter.
Go for a start.
If it starts, I'd go with the fuel system cleaning first (jets, float level, etc). Then he ignition/ electrical (points, harness inspection. bulbs, etc), drivetrain/ suspension (fork oil, primary change adjustment, drive chain lube/ test, tires & tubes, axle & steering head bearing lube, etc), the follow the service manual major service check list with critical fastener check and lastly a cleaning.
All FWIW.
Just awesome story, good luck.
Yes, I would remove plugs, pour regular motor oil into cylinder (an ounce each) and manual turn over the engine by the crank.
Let it sit while "absorbing" (for lack of a better word) this fresh turn over cylinder lubing and move onto the next steps.
Gas tank remove inspect for gunk and reinstall & add a 1/2 gallon of fresh gas.
New battery (have re-charger/ tender ready)
Reinstall spark plugs with new plugs.
New engine oil and filter.
Go for a start.
If it starts, I'd go with the fuel system cleaning first (jets, float level, etc). Then he ignition/ electrical (points, harness inspection. bulbs, etc), drivetrain/ suspension (fork oil, primary change adjustment, drive chain lube/ test, tires & tubes, axle & steering head bearing lube, etc), the follow the service manual major service check list with critical fastener check and lastly a cleaning.
All FWIW.
Just awesome story, good luck.
#18
05-18-2019, 09:17 AM
Banned
#19
05-18-2019, 11:34 AM
Join Date: Nov 2010
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If it's rubber, replace it. Drain everything and flush several times (especially brake lines) with proper fluid for that item. Lube everything that calls for getting lubed in the FSM (especially brake, clutch and throttle cables).
That's just to get it running again and usable. A wash will be next, since it probably has had mice and rats build nests in it in all kinds of places.
That's just to get it running again and usable. A wash will be next, since it probably has had mice and rats build nests in it in all kinds of places.
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Ben221 (05-18-2019)
#20
05-18-2019, 07:30 PM
Road Master
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