The Dirty Little Pig

[Shacknasty]

A couple of pics of my 1982 Ironhead Sportster after a minor cosmetic makeover. The last bit of work to finish was the saddle. Got 'er done today and thought I'd show ya what I'd been workin' on...





Here's the seat I made from the pan to the hand-tooled cover. It was a lot of fun putting it together.



See ya!

[jwhughes3]

nice work

It turned out looking great!

John

[fredintoon]

A couple of pics of my 1982 Ironhead Sportster after a minor cosmetic makeover. The last bit of work to finish was the saddle. Got 'er done today and thought I'd show ya what I'd been workin' on...

Hi John,
nice looking bike. I have to admit that I've always sneered at the North American practice of putting tiny little gas tanks on large capacity bikes but really, how far can the Ironhead go on a peanut tankful of gas?

[crazy steve]

...but really, how far can the Ironhead go on a peanut tankful of gas?

85 miles before switching to reserve, asssuming 50 mpg (typical mileage would be in the 55-60 range if the motor is reasonably stock and in good tune)....

[fredintoon]

Small tanks is dumb.

85 miles before switching to reserve, asssuming 50 mpg (typical mileage would be in the 55-60 range if the motor is reasonably stock and in good tune)....

Hi Steve,
so, say ~100 miles and the reserve is sucking on empty, just like a Special?
When I'm touring I like to plan the trip between places of interest rather than between gas stations.
Also, in rural Saskatchewan it can be a lot more than 100 miles between open gas stations, especially on Sundays and Stats.

[xsroadrunner]

Is that one of them AMF bikes? I had a buddy back in the late 7o's who had an AMF Sportster. Not the best yrs for HD. But yours looks really like rolling art...very nice. Love the seat

[Shacknasty]

Not an AMF. 1982 was the year the Factory was bought back from AMF. I got nothing against American Machine and Foundry. If they hadn't stepped up at the last minute to buy an American company that no one else wanted. All other negotiations had failed. AMF kept Harley alive and paid for the Evo which kept the new version of HD in business.

This bike isn't my first choice for long rides. I guess you would say it is mission specific, mainly for running around town and riding the fire trails in the Angeles Nat Forest. It's a fun, lightweight bike. I have run outta gas before, pull off the tank and start walkin. The motorcycle gas tank usually gets me a ride from a good samaritan, but if not, I don't mind walkin. Gas stations are pretty plentiful in SoCal. Guess if I lived in the hinterlands of Canada I would view it differently, but I look at it as a good excuse to stop every ninety minutes or so and stretch my legs.

I do have a couple of spare fuel canisters that fit in my throw-over saddlebags for longer trips that give some peace of mind.

Ride on...

[b1lock]

83 sportster

I had a 83 sportster I bought new.It broke down once a week before it was a year old. All I got from the dealers was a shrug of the shoulder. The little tank was just right because at 85-90 miles ya needed a break from riding it anyway. I miss that bike sometimes!

[Shacknasty]

1983 was the year the Ironhead got an alternator and everyone seemed to have trouble with '83 and'84. You must have a bit of an Ironhead addiction if you still miss it...even a little! Mine has been trouble-free, but I enjoy routine maintenance and even a bit extra, like Ironheads seem to demand.

I would really like to get a hold of a late sixties or early seventies Sporty. I really like the old style frame. The Evo style, like mine, is great cause it is very strong and light. But the old ones look sooo much cleaner and classier.