Hello everyone. I am brand new. I glanced over a few chats and believe this site will help me in my dilema.

I own a 1986 Harley Sporster 1200 (converted from a 883). This bike needs some major cosmetics. I purchased this bike last year from a friend who thought it needed a new transmission. All it needed was a new clutch cable. BONUS! I got a steal of a deal. I rode it ALL last summer and love it! Now I want to take care of her and give her some much needed TLC. The bike has been left outside for the past 4 years.

Does anyone know a reliable, trustworthy place in the Washington, DC metro area that can fix my baby for a reasonable price? I have a budget of $1800.

 

Welcome to the forum. I'm not familiar with the area, but I think you're going to need to be more specific about what you want done, if you want to get the most help.

 

Welcome from SOCal

 

Thanks for the advice Art.

Me and a buddy are going to take the bike apart to get to the frame. I would like to have all the visible parts of the engine either chromed or polished. I don't know if this helps or not. I am a novice Harley/motorcyle owner and no very little about the parts.

 

Welcome to the forum,I don't know how far $1800.00 will go

 

Hello & Welcome! I can't help you with fixing her up but I'm sure there are folk around here that can. There are some very knowledgeable guys on this forum.

 

Howdy Icky, welcome. I'm sure that someone here will be able to give you the info that you are looking for. Enjoy your visit.

 

Welcome from TN. Do as much work as you can yourself and that will stretch that 1800.00 a little futher and make the bike more personal. Post on the general tech, if you have questions or need advice while updating your scoot. Good luck.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Cheers!
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The more you do yourself, the more you'll save. I would suggest that the first thing you may want to invest in is the factory service manual. When you take it down, inevitably you will have questions about how to put it back together, fix this, fix that, etc. If you know little about the parts and how they go together, such a manual can be a lifesaver.

Then, I suppose the first money you spend should go to making sure you have all of the tools you'll need to do the work on the bike. To do it right, you'll need (apart from the standard screwdrivers and allen keys) a good quality set of sockets (3/8" and 1/2" drive if you have both is nice), and at least two torque wrenches (inch-pounds and foot-pounds). The service manual for your particular bike can give you an idea if there are any particular tools you'll need in addition. You don't want to end up halfway through taking something apart only to find out you need a special $300 tool to complete the job. That can quickly add up and cut into your budget.

Keep in mind that if you do a complete tear down, it is likely that you will find other things you want to do, add, chrome, repair, upgrade, replace, etc. That can make for a pretty lengthy overhaul process, particularly if you're working with a limited budget.

One other possibility is to do the project a step at a time, starting with the most obvious, and most easily removed parts of the bike (i.e. the tank and fenders, primary cover, various other covers, etc.). Keep in mind that it might be cheaper to simply buy new chrome parts from Harley or some aftermarket source versus taking them off, cleaning them up, having them chromed, then re-fitting them (remember, chrome makes parts thicker/bigger, and fit won't necessarily be the same). Do some careful research on a part-by-part basis and you can save a ton of money, or a ton of grief, or both.

Finally, the most important components of any such build are 1) a good, deep kitchen sink to wash and prep parts in; and 2) a wife who won't kill you for #1.

Good luck, and how about some pictures of the bike?

Brien Crotty