So as i'm seriously looking at getting a sportster finally, I'm just wondering how the maintenance is on one. As it's an old school bike i'm guessing it's pretty simple for the most part. And do you have to mess with those accursed valve shims like the rice-burners?

 

Pretty simple and straight forward. Make sure that you have the service manual. Good information there for sure. If you run into a snag......there is good information here as well. Good luck with your purchase. You'll have a permanent smile!

 

No valve shims, we have hydraulic lifters.

 

Are modern Harleys old school? Don't be fooled! They have all the same hi-tech stuff that any modern vehicle comes with, they just look old school. All the normal maintenance is indeed straight-forward, helped greatly by probably the best factory service manuals available. They're great, so jump aboard.

 

Thanks for the info! Been looking at trading off a Vulcan for a while now, tearing it down to the valves every 6k miles is finally getting to me!

 

Pretty simple machine, videos on youtube for about anything you would want to do on it. Thinking new or used? Used, stock clutch is the weak point, anything over 20,000 miles I'd sure want to pull the clutch plates and make sure it doesn't have the stock riveted plate (rivets fail, you have a mess), plenty of good aftermarket plate sets without that potential problem. Most used ones seem to have loud mufflers, if any, and they won't run quite right without carb tweaking if they're 06 or older. Old low mileage sporties are common, and some of them still have original tires, check tire dates on used ones, don't just go by tread.

New... just ride it, change oil occasionally, enjoy it.

 

Very easy to maintain , definitely get a factory manual for sure.
Just grab an oil filter end wrench for a Dodge Sprinter van and cut up an old half gallon milk bottle for a mess free oil change.
The valves only sound like they need an adjustment , just ignore them , it's normal.
The newer Harleys don't even leak anything which is nice.
Much easier than my Brothers 1100 star Classic , that was a pain .......
The sportster is even easier than the twin cam bikes for routine tasks.
Mick