How hard would it be....
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Road Master
Joined: May 2006
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From: Tony, WI
How hard would it be....
Hey ya'll,
Gettin on to winter time up here and I'm thinking about doing some fairly drastic mods to my poor ol gal.
'74 Sporty.
What I'm thinkin' I want to do:
New 5 spd tranny
Belt conversion (from that friggin POS chain)
Drop it down a bit and rake the front end out to level the bike. (almost lowrider)
Other'n that I'm planning on ripping into the motor and throwing a rebuild and new carb on it (I'm gonna get rid of that fouling rear plug somehow dammit!), powdercoat and paint the frame and repaint my tins.
I'm not worried so much about the paint, I can shoot just fine. It's the rebuild, rake and trans that has me worried. Never dipped into a HD before so I'm not real sure what to expect.
Wolf, also thinkin new rims and tires may be in order, the spokes on this one look truly chitty.
Gettin on to winter time up here and I'm thinking about doing some fairly drastic mods to my poor ol gal.
'74 Sporty.
What I'm thinkin' I want to do:
New 5 spd tranny
Belt conversion (from that friggin POS chain)
Drop it down a bit and rake the front end out to level the bike. (almost lowrider)
Other'n that I'm planning on ripping into the motor and throwing a rebuild and new carb on it (I'm gonna get rid of that fouling rear plug somehow dammit!), powdercoat and paint the frame and repaint my tins.
I'm not worried so much about the paint, I can shoot just fine. It's the rebuild, rake and trans that has me worried. Never dipped into a HD before so I'm not real sure what to expect.
Wolf, also thinkin new rims and tires may be in order, the spokes on this one look truly chitty.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,033
Likes: 29
RE: How hard would it be....
- I've never heard of a 5 speed gear set for an Ironhead. That doesn't mean they don't exist. But if they do, I'll bet they aint cheap.(I'd keep my 4 speed)
- Chain to a belt? Another gonna be hard and expensive to do venture. You'll need a new rear wheel and new brakes, too, I reckon the drum will have to go. Then, the front pulley won't fit under the sprocket cover. That is if you can find a pulley to go on the shaft. Then, of course your gonna have to ditch your brake light set up for something else, because it won't fit in the stock place anymore. (I'd keep a chain. Just buy a quality nickel plated Tsubaki. You don't have to run heavy lube on them. Just wipe it down with WD-40 every now and then to clean it and keep the pins from rusting.)
-Cutting on the frame and raking ain't gonna be cheap.
- Total engine rebuilt, top to bottom. Better get out about 2k.
Personally, I'd just spiff her up cosmetically. Fix what is wrong and save that pile of cash that you are gonna blow on an newer bike.
- Chain to a belt? Another gonna be hard and expensive to do venture. You'll need a new rear wheel and new brakes, too, I reckon the drum will have to go. Then, the front pulley won't fit under the sprocket cover. That is if you can find a pulley to go on the shaft. Then, of course your gonna have to ditch your brake light set up for something else, because it won't fit in the stock place anymore. (I'd keep a chain. Just buy a quality nickel plated Tsubaki. You don't have to run heavy lube on them. Just wipe it down with WD-40 every now and then to clean it and keep the pins from rusting.)
-Cutting on the frame and raking ain't gonna be cheap.
- Total engine rebuilt, top to bottom. Better get out about 2k.
Personally, I'd just spiff her up cosmetically. Fix what is wrong and save that pile of cash that you are gonna blow on an newer bike.
RE: How hard would it be....
I don't know about the 5 speed, I've seen pictures of a softail trans on an ironhead, there's a thread in this forum where I asked about it. I know that belt drive is possible. I know a guy who helped do it with his nephew but I haven't seen it.
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Road Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,162
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From: Tony, WI
RE: How hard would it be....
Well, I've got a bud who builds custom bikes who can get a 5 spd that's supposed to be able to bolt up to my bike and I'm told that I'll need to widen my primary to accept a belt setup. I'll talk to him tomorrow (if I can remember that far...<g>
to see what his price is for the trans. Same with the forks, but, I've never done this before and was hoping someone here had done some of the same mods so I could have an idea of the difficulty level.
Part of the reason for this work is a: my forks on the bike are shot already so if I can rake it I'd like to do so now instead of replacing 'em later after buying new stock forks.
Trans is having some issues, definatly got some sort of fork issues and the clutch basket's had it so figure I may as well get me something that'll run a lil easier at highway speeds.
Wolf, not saying I've gotta do the conversions, but, sure would like to do it if it's possible while I'm rebuilding the bike anyways.
to see what his price is for the trans. Same with the forks, but, I've never done this before and was hoping someone here had done some of the same mods so I could have an idea of the difficulty level.Part of the reason for this work is a: my forks on the bike are shot already so if I can rake it I'd like to do so now instead of replacing 'em later after buying new stock forks.
Trans is having some issues, definatly got some sort of fork issues and the clutch basket's had it so figure I may as well get me something that'll run a lil easier at highway speeds.
Wolf, not saying I've gotta do the conversions, but, sure would like to do it if it's possible while I'm rebuilding the bike anyways.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 407
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From: georgia
RE: How hard would it be....
I'm not by any stretch more knowledgable than any one here,yet my shade tree instincts tell me that your money would better serve you on a bike already done,w/ poss a newer wider frame. Stability issues, especially on longer forks, come into play bigtime when dealing with speed and everyday traffic issues. Ive been told an ironhead can have three top end jobs to one full rebuild. Find you an old schooler and discuss the real issue,you ve grown tired of maintainance. And that back plug sounds like it could use a better insulated plugwire,cleaned connections,inc at the coil,and possibly an upgrade on the charging end. None of these things are very expensive,use the money for gas and go ride. respectfully Ladyhawke
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,441
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From: Heart of Dixie
RE: How hard would it be....
If a 5-speed gearset is manufactured, that and a belt drive conversion are certainly possible, but I sure wouldn't spend the money it would take to do it. Those types of mods usually end up costing more than you plan on, and don't work as well as you think they will. As for the fouling rear plug, if your carb has an accelerator pump, the pump nozzle may be aimed toward the rear of the intake manifold, which will shoot a stream of raw gas into the rear cylinder ONLY, every time you twist the throttle. Take the air cleaner off, and twist the throttle without the engine running to check this. If this is the case, you can gently twist the nozzle tube with some pliers to aim it more to the center of the manifold. You may have to do this from the float bowl area - I seem to remember a hex on the bottom of the tube (it's been a long while since I've done this, and I don't remember all the specifics).
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