Hi folks,

New here, thanks for the add.

Here’s a bit of a different barn find story:

On Labor Day I was with a friend at a picnic with his family and the subject of motorcycles came up. Our 80 year old host mentioned that his 74 year old wife’s 1971 Harley was rusting away out in the barn and he was going to “take it to the junk yard!”

Intrigued, I asked him if I could see it. It turned out to be a 1991, not a 1971, Sportster 1200 with 10,000 miles on it. It had been in their barn under a tarp for 11 years. His wife learned to ride in her fifties and someone convinced her to get this bike as a beginner. Needless to say it was too much bike for her despite attempts to make it rideable for her. A Tow Pac InstaTrike kit was mounted on it, and a Velorex 562 side car they had tried was sitting beside it.

I’ve had many metric bikes, but never a Harley. I asked them if I could have it to tinker with to see if I could get it running. He just wanted it out of his barn, and we agreed on $750 for everything. I took it home the following week.


My efforts so far on the ‘91 Sportster


I didn’t realize there was such a demand for used side cars. I listed it on Marketplace while driving home, and sold it for $1100 the next day.


The Velorex 562 side car


I took the Tow Pac trike kit off and put it on Marketplace too, for $500.

Tow Pac InstaTrike kit

It got no inquiries for a month. Then last week, a disabled guy from out of state with a 2003 Sportster 1200 contacted me and was desperate to get it, as he’s unable to steady his bike and my trike kit would be a direct fit for his Sportster.

The only problem was that he currently had no drivers license so he couldn’t come get it, and he had no cash, being on disability.

He said if I would deliver it out to him, he’d give me his second Harley, a 1980 Sportster 1000 project bike, in even trade. He sent a photo of the bike and the clear title, and his story checked out.

It was an 850 mile round trip, but Friday I came home with my second Harley Sportster.


‘80 Sportster 1000


This one is going to be a LOT of work, and I have a LOT to learn about these bikes, so I joined up here to follow along and learn as much as possible.

Fortunately a custom shop two hours south of me had just stripped most of the body parts, headlight, handlebars, gauges, wiring harness, seat, rear fender rails and other parts off a 1984 Sportster to build a chopper, and sold me all the parts for $200. I researched everything and they should be a direct fit on my 1980 (but I could be wrong!)






This should be all the parts I need to restore my 1980 back close to original.


But now I’ve got both the original barn find ‘91 Sportster as well as this 1980 Sportster, and because of the original barn find, selling the side car and trading the trike kit, I have a net investment of zero dollars for both. I fell into this barn find. I wasn’t looking for a Harley, but this is a great way to start.

I’m going to attempt a frame up restoration of the 1980 - or at least as much as a rank amateur on a shoe string budget can - this winter.

I’m really looking forward to learning anything and everything I can about these bikes here!

 

Nice, every once in a rare while lady luck smiles on you.


Welcome to the hood.

 

Thanks. Nothing like this ever fell in my lap before.

The ‘91 wouldn’t start when I got it home, but it would crank and was getting spark. I took the CV carb off and took the float bowl off but it was too gummed up and corroded inside to even consider rebuilding. I found a replacement CV carb locally on Marketplace and I did get it running with it, but gas started pouring out the carb and I knew it needed rebuilt too.

I ordered the factory service manual from eBay but when I started tearing that carb apart to rebuild it, I realized all the pages in that manual related to carb servicing/repair were torn out. So I took it to a local independent shop along with the front and rear wheels, to have that carb rebuilt and Shinko 777s mounted.

In the meantime it’s cleaning up remarkably well.

 

Awesome story, congrats on the two bikes! And for only $750!!!

 

Thanks.

Since I sold the side car for $1100, I was actually up $350, but spent almost that much in gas, trailer rental and hotel when I went to get the 1980.

Because I was a friend of the family and planned to get it running and use it, not just flip it, I think the older couple sold it to me that cheap. If I had just planned to clean it up and flip it they wouldn’t have let it go for so little.

 

What did you use to clean your primary chaincase cover?

BTW, I have a 1991 (original owner) if you ever have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Nice scores!!!

John

 

Great, thanks.

On the primary cover, I used a brass wire wheel on an angle grinder to remove the peeling clear coat Harley uses on aluminum, then a felt flap disk buffing wheel on the angle grinder with polishing compound. I used a couple smaller cheap Harbor Freight buffing wheels on a drill for the harder to get to areas.

I’m mostly using the buffing compound bars that came with the Harbor Freight buffing wheels, but I also have Mothers aluminum polish.

 

I’m still not sure how to clean/buff between the engine fins. That’s got me stumped.

Any recommendations?

 

Congrats on the new find and welcome to the Harley world and from NC!

A bit of "elbow grease" on the fins for sure. If they are not painted, you could use those 3M scour pads cut into strips and then fold over a metal putty knife to get between the fins. WD-40 could work, but I find using Flitz Metal Polish works very well also.

There are also brass brushes for drills but that can get pricey as they do wear easily.

 

Any reason not to use a handheld sand blaster on the engine to get rid of 40 years worth of crud?

I have the small Harbor Freight pistol grip soda blaster, which is supposed to work well with fine dried sand. Play sand usually works well from what I’ve read.