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Welcome Area OnlyNew Member Welcome Area Only. Be sure to pop in here and introduce yourself & let us know what Harley Davidson you own. Save your bike related questions for the proper area.
Joining the forum as a first-time HD owner. I got my '95 XL1200 about two years ago as a neglected basket case, stripped it down to just the frame and engine, and put it all back together the way I wanted it. Since then, I've put about 5k miles on it, including a 1000-mile trip from Salt Lake City to the Grand Canyon and back. The Sporty is by far my favorite motorcycle I've owned. After owning a couple Japanese cruisers, she's my first HD, but certainly won't be the last.
I'm mainly joining for advice on some engine work I'm thinking about doing. The bike runs good now, but it does have 47k miles, and the previous owner(s) clearly didn't take good care of it. I do not know what kind of internal condition the cylinders and heads are in, so I want to get into the top end this winter. I am thinking about doing cams and high-comp pistons while I've got it apart, but that will be another thread.
Besides the Harley, I also have a '92 Yamaha Virago bobber and a couple of Honda restoration projects (a '74 MT125 and a '70 SL175). I have a YouTube channel where I document some of my wrenching (https://www.youtube.com/@BareMetalCustoms). Most of the videos are about the Japanese bikes, but I hope to upload more HD-related content in the future. I'm active military and on the road quite a bit, so time can be an issue.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
New from UT
