looking at a 71 xlh that has not run in years. starter spins but doesnt crank engine looks rough flat tires rust and corrosion all over. the bike has been covered and in california so rust not too bad mostly cosmetic. engine and frame #match last reg in 96 no title but has calif plate. no carb. looking for project bike and im a good wrench but no harley experience. do i need another 1500 for parts? I know its hard to say but what kind of dough do ya need to resto the most ironhead bikes in rough shape thanks.

 

Well it sounds like you have found a project to do. I would say $1500 is about $500 too much, from the description you gave. Without seeing the bike it is my best guess.
I have a 1971 XLCH that I bought in 1973. I still have it today. I have rebuilt it twice.
The last restoration I did to it began in 1995 and I finished in 2000. I did all of the paintwork, engine work and all mechanical work myself. Every nut and bolt came off it, so it was a worst case senario.
The bike had sat in my saltwater boat shed for 13 years prior to me deciding to bring it back to life. To say it was corroded and rusted is an understatement. You can check out my gallery to see what was involved with the restore.
The cost for parts and paint was about 5 Grand by the time I finished. Compare your prospect against what mine looked like to see what you may face. Assume the engine will need some work at the very least, or may have major issues with the internals. The carb alone will run you about $250, plus controls to hook it up. My engine got new pistons,valves and rod bearings with crank pin.
Make sure the engine will turn over before you buy it. If it is frozen, RUN, don't walk away as fast as you can.........pg


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thanks for the heads up on that.ill look at your project I offered the guy a grand and he didnt take mabe he wil call me back.any idea why the starter would spin but no crank engine.

 

If the starter spins....that is good news. It means that (1) It works and (2) The battery has some life in it.
The reason it will not spin the engine can only be one thing....The starter bendix is not swinging out to engage with the clutch gear, which would spin the engine. This may be from a sludged up internals in the primary if the bike has sat for 11 years. Make sure the engine is not frozen. That has nothing to do with the starter, since the starter is not engaging.
I am amazed that the battery has any life though. Perhaps the guy wanting to sell it got a new(er) battery?
It is difficult to diagnose the problem without more info however.

 

we hooked up a car battery direct to starter and cranked it that way. we then took off the starter and looked inside at a gear that the starter gear looked like it went into. that gear i could turn by hand easy. is the bendix hidden in there somware? the bike has flat tires but mabe i could try to bump crank the engine in high gear. is there a good way to try and crank the engine with a wrench to make shure its not froze. I was hoping to see the bendix when i removed the starter and mabe work it free.

 

I have included an exploded view of what is inside the primary case related to the starter parts.
I called the item the Bendix but what I meant was the solenoid (item 13). This pulls in the lever and pushes the gear on the end outward to engage the clutch gear on the backside of the clutch hub.
This gear should spin freely in one direction only. When you hook electrical power to the motor to make the starter rotate, this gear should rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the gear end. If it rotates counterclockwise.....then that sounds like 2 brushes in the starter motor have been incorrectly hooked up. Unlikely, unless the owner has had the starter motor apart at some time. This is what makes the motor run backward. It will free spin against the ratchet feature if the brushes have been reversed.

I would not try to start the engine because it has been sitting so long. Well, there is no carb...sorry, I forgot about that.
Pull both sparks out of the engine. Do they look oily?
With the plugs out, put the transmission in 4th gear. Roll the bike forward for about 10 or 12 feet. The engine should turn over easily. If it does, and the plugs are fairly free of oil....I'd say you might have a good project bike. I would still press for a $1K purchase price, or meet him somewhere in the middle on the bike. If he asks $1500 you can bet he will take a bit less.
Good luck and let us know how you make out........pg


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piniongear thank you for all the advice. Ill contact the seller and se what we can work out. Im looking for a scooter to play around with get on the road and slowly fix up. what would you do to it before fire up? mabe some mouse milk in cylnders. Ill deffanately check for engine rotation before i buy. Nice bike you built by the way and thanks again for your help

 

hey piniongear how do those drum brakes work for you. I noticed you turned threm yourself. are they cheap to get going? I have accsess to a lathe where i used to work.

 

[color="#0033ff"][size="4"][font="arial"]The drum brakes work fine. People say drum brakes are no good. Wrong! They are not as good as a set of discs of course, but they have been used on motorcycles from day 1 to the 1970's.
Just apply both front and rear when you stop and they work very well. I have a South Bend 10 inch metal lathe. It is the light 10 lathe and the front hub just fit in the chuck, clearing the ways by no more that a quarter inch. Once you get the hub centered, the turning is easy. Take only the minimum amount off however. This will be the only time you can do it most likely. Next time may need a drum replacement.

For what you should do to the bike engine:
At a minimum I would pull the spark plugs and squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil down in each cylinder. Not too much, just enough to get the oil to go around the compression rings.
I would drain the oil tank, if there is any oil in the tank. Since the bike has set such a long time there is likely a good chance that much of the oil tank contents has drained into the lower end.
Inside the oil pump is a ball check valve. The ball is held into it's seat by a spring. This is to prevent the oil from draining into the lower end. This is all accessable from the outside of the engine.
After a Sportster has sat for such a long time oil gets past this ball. The way to empty the crankcase on a 1971 is to start it up and let all of the oil blow out the breather tube onto the ground (this is the tube coming out of the bottom of the timing case where the generator sits).
I would next drain the primary case/transmission. The transmission and primary share the same oil and take approx 1 1/2 pints to refill. Best way is to remove the oil level screw on the primary cover. Set the bike upright and pour oil into the primary plug hole until oil starts to flow out the level hole.
There is a breather on the crankcase primary side that breathes between the primary and engine, so to some extent the engine and primary/trans share some oil together. For that reason, you must use the same oil in both engine and trans/primary. That will be Harley Davidson 60wt from your dealer as a first choice. Castrol 70wt is the other choice. There is no 3rd choice. DO NOT USE AUTOMOBILE TRANSMISSION FLUID UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. There are some out there who will tell you can use it, but they are dead wrong. That stuff is for far newer machines than what you have.
I would pull the wheels off and check to make sure the wheel bearings turn without a bumpy sensation. While you are there look at the brake drums and linings for wear. Replace as needed.
I would next buy a new battery. You will need this to check the ignition and lights.
I would next check to see if the engine is getting fire through the ignition system. If you have a good blue spark jumping an 1/8 inch or better air gap you are probably good to go. I will not get into what you need to do with the ignition system here, but if it needs something we can tackle that later.
Next I would get a carb. Myself, I would just buy a brand new 38mm Bendix. They are a good carb and easy to work on. Get this from J&P, or somewhere else if you prefer.
That pretty much covers what I would first do if the machine were mine and I wanted to get it running. Still left for later is the clutch condition, what condition is the primary chain and rear chain in? The generator, voltage regulator may need to be checked for charging as well as getting a new battery. When you install the battery, be sure to flash the field on the generator BEFORE you start the engine up. I can tell you how to do that when the time comes.
A Harley-Davidson Service Manual will be needed also, so you may start to scout out Ebay for one if you decide to buy the bike.
Do not get a Clymers or Haynes manual.....they are too

 

the info youre sharin with me will help a bunch. I post some pics of the bike if i end up with it.thanks again!