I am looking at buying a 1973 XLH. I no absolutely nothing about any Sportsters, and no very little about any Harley, other than what I have been able to learn since April when I acquired my 09 Road King Classic. So I apoligize for asking many questions and appreciate all the help I can get.

The sportster is a 1973 XLH that had the top end redone 4 years ago. It has had Disk Brakes put on it, that is as much as I have been able to discover from the owner via craigslist.

The problems with the bike are: he says the rear master cylinder needs replaced, and the speedo quit on him "yesterday."

He is asking $2000. I will need to replace the master cylinder and speedo.

Ok now to the questions....

What does the master cylinder cost to replace. From what I can tell the same master cylinder was not changed until the mid 80's, and I should be able to find one for about $100.

I have not been able to find any info on fixing/replacing the speedo. any help or advice would be great.

Is there a service book still in print from harley to fix it, or would you suggest other publishers. I am buying this for a project for my brother and I work on, and for him to ride with me.

What other things should I look for when looking at the bike to make sure that I am not buying a money pit?