I just bought an '01 Sporty. It has a slight leak in the front engine head (see picture below). Is this the headgasket? Is this a common problem? any advice/help is appreciated.

 

Yep looks like head gasket. I Have seen casting defects that will leak but not very often.

 

Yeah,,don't run It,,
That leak can cause a cold valve and piston top
and that could lead to carbon build up to the point of a broken valve or piston.

 

Like everyone else said, looks like a head gasket. Fix it yourself if you have the know how. It can all be done with the engine in the frame and is relatively simple. If you think you would mess it up, it's better to have someone else do it. You can make some things go terribly wrong if you screw up.

 

Head gasket! When you either fix it or have it fixed, insist on using Harley steel gaskets or Cometic steels for best reliability and do or have the rear cylinder done at the same time. There is probably a fiber gasket with a fire ring in there right now.

 

Can anyone give me the torque specs on the headscrews? In the manual it says to tighten them to 12-14 ft-lbs, then to "continue tightening".

Thanks.

 

I don't have a book for that year,,
Do yourself a favor,,go get the HD service book