2G = XLT-1000 Touring (Had Saddlebags and Windshield) Special Order Model. Some Dealers had in stock for Floor.
3A = XLH-1000 Highway Model (Electric Starter, Kick Optional) Oil tank went across center of frame, Small battery on side.
4A = XLCH-1000 Competition Hot (Kick Starter, Electric Optional) Oil tank on side with Large battery on middle frame
4E = XLS-1000 Sport Model (Rare and a short run)
7F = XLCR-1000 Café Racer (We all know about these rare models)

 

Thanks Sepixlh......
I stand somewhat corrected,..... again!
I appreciate the better information provided on those later serial numbers.
pg

 

Here is a link to the page for the gentleman selling correct Harley colors by year. Click on the link, and then click on the year you are interested in and it will show all available colors and has pricing as well.

http://www.freewebs.com/colorwrite/hdyear.html

 

As far as I know the colors offered in 1975 on a Sportster were:
Birch White
Vivid Black
Sunburst Burgundy
Sunburst Blue
Sunburst Orange

Now there is a guy up in Michigan I believe, who claims to sell original Harley Davidson color paints.
I bought a pint can from him at one time. My advice on that......... Do not bother to waste your money!!! As I did. The paint was just a can of crap and was not worth the postage to ship it to Texas in my opinion.

Get yourself some PPG or other brand of urethane and do it right.
The names of the Harley colors are just that.... only names. There will be no record of what these colors actually are (were) so if you want to restore it to original, then pick a shade of white, black, burgundy, blue or orange that you like and spray it.

I can tell you that the original burgundy was a deep wine color.
The original blue was a deep blue.
The orange was a solid orange, about the shade you still see on Harley advertisements.
Black was black.
Birch White was a clean white and not a particularly bright white.
The Birch White was very close to what I used on my tank panels which is called a Ford Bright White in the PPG book.
None of these colors were metallic.
pg

 

Hey everyone... thank you.

For reference, this bike has a "4A" designation and ends in "H5" and all of the serial number info posted I had found in research so it all confirms that I have a 75 XLCH with an electric start addition or conversion.

For PG... your advise worked wonders. A little cleaning, TLC, a new part or two, and she drove herself down the road today with no "drivetrain" problems at all. Engine ran fine... blew the pipe off the rear cylinder. All four gears worked; generator is not putting out so we're gonna run that down before starting the teardown. Funny thing... the clutch actually worked well and we didn't have to push at all. Only issue is a tough to get into neutral position, but I chalk that up to a crappy forward control linkage and worn bushings in the cross-frame shifter arm.

Mick, PG.. thanks for the paint info. I will run that down. Got any suggetions on what colors appeal to folks more now? Also, a good source for the period correct decals?

Since this original thread was about whether to buy the bike or not, and I've got lots more questions to ask, I'm almost tempted to start another... but there's so much good info here I'd hate for folks not to see it.

So, on to the next thought. Some previous owner (can I say dumbass on this board? 8^) ) CUT OFF the frame bracket that holds the front of the seat down. How would you guys fix this? Fab a new bracket? Buy one and R&R? See the pic.

Also, anyone know a dealer selling stock style exhaust pipes? This one has drag pipes and I want to take it back a bit.

Lastly, thought I'd share. Had to pull the clutch and needed a compression tool. Catalog said between $99 and $107... BS! Son in Law grabbed a piece of scrap bar stock and drilled & tapped a hole in the center and drilled a couple of holes outside of that based on measurements I gave him. My measurements weren't exact so I had to open the holes about 1/4 inch with an air grinder. End result? About $5 spent on bolts and washers and a couple hours of time to create a home made tool. It worked good. ;^)

 

Glad to hear it runs fine now. I thought at first the clutch adjustment may have been done incorrectly but you had it nailed down good.
That only left running it and getting it into gear. Most people who first get an ironhead are just not used to the tractor crudness of such an old bike and think something is broken, when in fact it is not.

Paint color is your choice. I do not know which the majority favor right now. Myself, between the colors that were available for 1975 I would choose Black with White panels on the tank or Blue with White panels.
Not factory, but I like the look of tank panels for some reason.

A White tank with Gloss Black panels would look good too. Again, not factory but it may appeal to some. I have always liked the contrast between a really clean white and any other dark color.
You can twist in the wind over making this kind of decision on the paint. Almost drove me crazy with mine.

Clutch tool looks good! That is exactly what you do to prevent spending big $$$ for a tool that is fairly easy to make. The last rebuild I did on mine I even made the pinion gear removal tool instead of buying one. This has a left hand thread 5/16-18 thread and all I had to buy was a tap and die. Threads right into the end of the right side crank shaft.
Tractor technology! I just love it.
pg

 

Oh, I forgot to address the dumb *** who cut the frame seat bracket off. DUMB ***!!!

Here is a pic of my frame showing what the bracket looks like.



It consists of two fairly heavy metal pieces on each side (1/4 inch thick) and has a roll pin going through the holes at the top of the ears. That pin is removed from mine in this pic as I was painting the frame at the time.

Just use this as a guide to make yours and weld them on. Use the seat to locate where the bracket needs to be located. Your bracket may not need to be made as heavy duty as the original, but I would use 3/16 material myself to make it.
pg

 

...go for it! It will be a fun build, and the finished bike is well worth it. I have a 1980 XLH in worse shape and less original parts than yours. I'm still working on piecing out unwanted parts, and customizing it to my style of riding. The engines are strong, the OEM/NOS parts are readily available and there's plenty of XL builders and books out there to provide added information.