So did you buy it from Rita?

What can she tell you about it?

So what did you pay for it?

 

Never understood why people can't just throw a couple of old blankets over a stored bike. I think the peanut gallery has pretty much covered it. Tires and rubber hoses replace. I would remove the carb and completely clean it out. Battery, oil in cylinders, turn it over without fire a few times. Only 9000mi, nice find right there if the jugs aren't full of rust.

 

The speedo is in kilometer per hour. The bike was repainted because the frame is the same color as the tins?

 

Pretty good list. One last thing to do is pull the outer primary and take the clutch plates out and clean them. They are probably stuck together. Otherwise when you fire it up for that first big ride and put it in gear it's gonna just lurch foward 2" then die.

carl

 

The speedo is in kilometers becasue it is located in Canada. The conversation into mlies is roughly 5500 miles.

 

The speedo is in kilometers becasue it is located in Canada. The conversation into mlies is roughly 5500 miles.

 

I did buy the bike from Rita. I paid $2000.00 for it. Rita is now 68 years old. She last rode it is 1981. She bought it in Saskatchewan (Canada) and she gave me the original bill of sale. Her and her husband went to Sturgis back then and she rode that bike there. She had a little Honda Twinstar back then but couldn't keep up with here husbands big bike so they bought the Sportster for her. Her and her husband have been married for 47 years (their 47th anniversary May 19/2019) and they are long time riders and were really active in the local antique motorcycle scene where I live. Her husband painted the bike for her. The tins and frame are painted a light metaflake called "mother of pearl". It was her choice of color. The paint color and style is correct for the period and I should leave alone. It tells the story of the bike. .

 

The best part of these types if bikes, for me at least, is the story that comes with it. That is priceless!

 

FWIW, the '78 Sportsters were offered in white or black with the old style Harley Davidson script and logo, in red, on the tank.

 

Throwing my engineering background in here

Create a simple project plan - Task/Budget/Team (If you need help with the step)

Make it Functional
Make it Safe
Make it Pretty

In that order then add subtasks - Itll keep you in line and on budget.