Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

I am looking into getting a 1975 1000cc sportster but the first thing I heard someone say is that those engines are not good when it comes to long highway trips. The longest I would be doing is 400 miles in a weekend (200 miles on both Friday and Sunday). Can this engine handle it or should I look for something else?

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

I know my '74 can handle the miles/hours. It's more a question of can your butt handle the beating. For some reason (and a friend who owns a '69 agrees with me) our old Ironheads ride like a meatwagon.

I personally would say go for it, I've put upwards of 150 on at a crack (in between changing my constantly fouled rear plug<g>) and haven't noticed any problems with the motor.

Wolf

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

cstiver.......Ol' wolf is correct. The engine will have no more problems than any other model. The problem is going to be your numb butt after about 150 miles. Another issue if you have the 2.2 gallon gas tank will be the need to stop many times for fuel on such a long ride. However, that helps the butt gain some feeling, albeit slight.
The longest ride I can remember doing on my '71 Sporty was something like 500 miles. I thought I would never recover from that one! I was also much younger at that time, so I figure had I been older, then I would have been smart enough to get a hotel room for the night and break up the ride into a 2 day affair.
To compare, I have ridden my TwinCam88 500 miles in a day, but I was ready to get off it after that trip and yes, my butt was numb as well.

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

In my opinion its not the motor that will restrict you from highway speeds its how the transmission is geared....its the same thing with the evo sporties too....the 4 speed just wasnt meant to do highway speeds

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

Rode my 1974 from Phoenix to Orange County once. Went via Yuma and San Diego. The bike did not skip a beat. I was younger then so it didn't bother me much either. Except for the huge bug that hit me dead in the forehead at 70 mph. Ouch.

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

As a follow up question, How many miles should one get inbetween rebuilds?

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

My motor is over 35000 now and still running good id say id at least get 50 out of it

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

I just road my 77 ironhead on a 260 mile trip, all went well except for I lost my speedo cable half way back. only filled up once on the trip. left with a full tank, and put six bucks in on the way back. good ride. throttle hand fell asleep a few times though.. you gotta get em out and run em hard for a bit. get all the crap out.

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

As some others said, the length of the ride will be more likely determined by the rider's ability to handle it. I have a 1976 XLCH that I've ridden across the USA a few times, and make regular 500+ mile (one way) runs. So far, it's got just over 300,000 miles on it (3 rebuilds and annual top end jobs) and she's still running strong. If it's built and maintained properly, then you won't have any problems. An oil cooler is a good idea, though. Make sure it has a thermostat so it doesn't get the oil TOO cool (under 160 deg).

The best thing about them is if something breaks on the road, it's usually easy to fix. If your points crap out, you can use older 6-cyl Chevy points. Actually, that's all I run in mine. They are cheap and very reliable. I was even able to fix a cylinder base gasket leak on the NY State Thruway once using an inner flap from my saddle bags. You don't need to carry many tools to tear into the bike if you need to. I used a hose clamp to compress the rings. I always carry one with me now.

RE: Are Ironheads up for long highway rides?
 

I've put over 10K miles on my '75 XLH. The motor was well loved before I got it. A valve job has been done recently but motor and tranny are fine. If you check all adjustments before a long trip (pionts, chains, push rods) then go for it. My gearing is for better highway rpm. 21 tooth trans sprocket / 52 tooth on brake drum. If I had disc brakes on the rear I would have more chioces. It runs 70 mph @ just over 3500 rpm. Try to run over 4500 rpm long and it feels like 2 chainsaws fighting under the seat. Over 45 mpg highway riding 2 up. Get the Ironhead....be ready for lots of little maintenance items.........Ironheads need loving homes too.