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Cool bike, but I don't think I could get used to the right-side shifter/left side footbrake.
Muscle memory would having me pressing the foot brake when I wanted to shift....
Hi Steve,
while searching for more information about the 1973 HD models, I stumbled across the following website, which I'm sure you'll find interesting:
Link: https://britaly.ch/bildgallerie/
The 1973 XLH 1000 pictured there is not completely original, but the photos are still worth seeing...
The paintwork at the time was certainly typical for those years, and I unfortunately don't understand why someone here has spoken negatively about it, sorry.
It would be interesting to know, assuming the paint is original, what the factory designation for this color was back then?
I hope you enjoy this unmodified original, and leave it as it is, under no circumstances "chopping" it in the slightest way!
Mike
PS If I remember correctly, helmets and other accessories were also offered in the same color during those years...?
Unfortunately, I only have official accessory brochures from the year of manufacture 1977 onwards, which is quite rare material nowadays.
The page above is quite typical for fans from Switzerland, who are known for being very "pedantic"...
Last edited by Mike1956G; Feb 24, 2026 at 10:16 AM.
When I think back to how much we ruined in previous decades with polishing and chrome plating, it still feels strange today...
Engine casings, gearbox casings, cylinder heads, carburetors, you name it, almost everything was ground and polished, and then often electroplated to make it shine...
This "attention to detail" is probably a thing of the past, but it still occasionally resurfaces in some projects.
Soda blasting and matte black paint would be my choice today; as they used to say: "Chrome won't drive you home!"
Tell us those are not the original tires? And you can still obtained maintenance parts like brake shoes and pads.
No, the tires are not original. The back tire is some sort of Asian tire. There are a few things that are not original but typical changes to keep the bike running. Of course, the ignition is not original. The carb has been rebuilt but I think it's the original. The generator may be a replacement along with a few other things.
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