My in-between project.....

[Sonik]

So,

The better half decided to have an early mid-life crisis and decided to buy a Harley having never ridden a motorcycle in her life. My first response was aint no fu#$^% way in hell....well that didn't last long. I also told her that we really can't justify having 2 money pits (other being my Viper) and still live within our means and continue to save a bit. So she comes to me with a bike found through her brother...a 1991 XL 1200 Sporty with some Screamin' Eagle parts, S&S shorty carb, drag pipes, yadda yadda yadda for $2K. Being the apparent pushover I am, she had me talked into it before we even drove up to look at it but agreed that a 3 day bike safety class and helmet were the only ways I would agree to it. It was rough, ugly, and needed some work but it was all there and ran really well. We decided since this was her first bike and had never ridden on the street before that we'd just fix a few little things and just let her ride it and get used to it.

Fast forward 2 months to present day and countless hours hanging parts she refuses to stop buying, its almost done and ready for some enjoyment. Its pretty amazing what lowering, a set of drag bars, some chrome, paint, and lots of cleaning and resealing can do. I knew exactly jack about harleys before we started this project and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my daughter and the misses learning and working on the bike.

I know there are a bunch of harley haters running around here and thats fine but if theres a point to be made out of this, I would have to say it matters more WHO you spend time with, than actually what you spend that time doing.

All in all, its been a fun side project while waiting on my boat to come back and will be a great starter bike for her. This winter the motor comes out for a reseal, some pretty parts, and some go-fast parts. Enjoy.....

Before....

http://i41.tinypic.com/jpc4nk.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u5tlp0.jpg


And After...almost back together

http://i43.tinypic.com/9fpj60.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2m5xrva.jpg

[samari]

Looks way better, time well spent!

I had to take a class to get my motorcycle licence at 16. I was amazed how much I learned from the class. Also check with your insurance company many give a discount for taking the class.

[afr]

looks better silver forsure
rock on little lady

:D
beside,s you got a harley babae now right

[oldskier]

Gonna be nice when you're done. I hope the King and Queen seat found it's way to a dumpster and a solo pad is on the way....it'll look like a non-blacked out Nightster bobber when it's done. I LIKE bobbers!

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x10/bernieallan/lakeprofile-1.jpg

When that Viper comin home?

Bernie

[RNM018]

Bernie , Is that your Boobed BSA . That thing looks Sweet !

Rich Martin 018:thumbsup:

[oldskier]

(Boobed? Fruedian slip?)

Thanks Rich.

Not mine anymore...I built it a couple of years ago and discovered how old I am...so naturally I sold it when I had 4 motorcycles and 1 boat. (Needed parts for the Viper.....)

Now I got 2 motorcycles and 4 boats.....sheesh, I think I am compulsive. :eek::D

My son and I built this one for him a couple years before the BSA

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x10/bernieallan/dadsideview.jpg


Bernie

[Sonik]

looks better silver forsure
rock on little lady

Its actually not silver....the garage lights and camera make it look that way. Its a 2004-05 nissan sea mist green metallic. She chose it because I said I didn't like it :D but its growing on me now...its different.


Gonna be nice when you're done. I hope the King and Queen seat found it's way to a dumpster and a solo pad is on the way....it'll look like a non-blacked out Nightster bobber when it's done. I LIKE bobbers!

When that Viper comin home?

Bernie

Nice lookin bikes Bernie..if and when the lady and I ever make it down thattaway I might just have to bring her bike so we can get our horsepower fix 2 different ways. :thumbsup: The seat is going to meet a bitter end at the hands of a garbage truck. We talked about a solo but decided if we ever, for some unGodly reason, decided to ride 2 up, we could. Full shootout gel seat..... its not a corbin so if she changes her mind we're only out some small change.

http://demonscy.ipower.com/ebay_pics/seat_7_2.jpg

http://demonscy.ipower.com/ebay_pics/seat_7_3.jpg

Boat is coming home very very soon :thumbsup:

[oldskier]

Its actually not silver....the garage lights and camera make it look that way. Its a 2004-05 nissan sea mist green metallic. She chose it because I said I didn't like it :D but its growing on me now...its different.



Nice lookin bikes Bernie..if and when the lady and I ever make it down thattaway I might just have to bring her bike so we can get our horsepower fix 2 different ways. :thumbsup: The seat is going to meet a bitter end at the hands of a garbage truck. We talked about a solo but decided if we ever, for some unGodly reason, decided to ride 2 up, we could. Full shootout gel seat..... its not a corbin so if she changes her mind we're only out some small change.

http://demonscy.ipower.com/ebay_pics/seat_7_2.jpg

http://demonscy.ipower.com/ebay_pics/seat_7_3.jpg

Boat is coming home very very soon :thumbsup:



Cool, I bet you are ready to get the Viper out for a ride! Good choice on the seat, Corbin is overrated as well as overpriced. I have one on my Harley and it looks great, but I call 'em CORBIN CONFORMING CONCRETE COMPANY!

[oldskier]

btw, this area is the BEST riding available east of the Mississippi IME. Pick a road, any road (except interstate) and you will find miles of smiles (and twisties).

[RNM018]

Sonik , Nice choose for the seat . How are you going to finish off the back half ?

Bernie , That a good looking Triumph also . I see you have a thing for the Britt Bikes .

I'd like to do a bike biuld again some time . Just need the right project to come along a the right time .

Till then , I'll just keep playing with the Buell .

Rich Martin 018 :thumbsup:

[Sonik]

Nothing fancy this year Rich....keeping the factory rear fender and 130 tire on it until she decides next year to trade it on a lowrider or a softail. :rolleyes:

Jeff

[Riverman]

I like that style of bike Bernie, kind of like a street tracker but a bit more choppery.

[RNM018]

I've wanted to do a Sportster for several years . just haven't got around to it . Perhaps when I get tired of the Buell ,I'll hack it up and turn it into some sort of a SportCrusier . The Buell motor is a bit more compact then a traditional Sportster motor ,so who knows what could come of it . I've always been a Street Tracker fan ,and thought alot about searching out an XR750 for one of those also.

Rich Martin 018:cool:

[RNM018]

Bernie , I use to do some work with a guy down in Ft.Lauderdale who did alot of British Bike Retro Projects . Last I knew he had moved to the Tampa area . His name is Bob Day , if ya'll have ever crossed paths .

Rich Martin 018

[Sonik]

So the end draws near and only have a few little odds and ends left....tank emblems, LED turn signals, etc etc.... Its still on the cheap more or less thus far and hopefully can keep it that way.........

Ya I know the road bar doesn't look right but forward controls are out.....shes too short so I need to stretch my legs when I ride it...lol


http://i40.tinypic.com/2uzw66x.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/rjjl84.jpg

[RONNIE]

that doesn't look like a short shaft????

[Capt.Insane-o]

Right... enough pictures of the bike...now where's the tits and chaps shots? :D

[RONNIE]

yeah what he said!!!!!

[Sonik]

Yes, I'm dusting off this old thread because I need some help from the Harley guys that lurk 'round these parts. And with that....to the story....

Bike nosed over on me a few miles from home early this year (lost power...not fell over.....for the record :D) so I limped it home at low rpm. Bike still ran and idled but had an obvious change in sound of the front cylinder. Fast forward to last Friday night when I pulled it down....90psi on the front cylinder, 135psi on the rear. Popped the rocker box and when I pulled the cylinder head I found this.....paths from combustion chamber to both head bolt holes (bottom of pic)

http://i53.tinypic.com/2dhip85.jpg

The base gaskets had been leaking for a while but I assumed they were just old ( bike is a 1991) but seeing this...its obvious compression was traveling down the head studs and pushing out the base gaskets.

I felt pretty good about now since it looked like all I needed to do was drop in a new head gasket...and base gaskets while I had it apart.....until I found this.....

http://i55.tinypic.com/33kd37a.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/e19m42.jpg

The piston pin retainer worked its way out, making a mess of the cylinder and piston skirt. Yay....so now I get to break the case and find the broken pieces rambling around in the crankcase. Sad part is, this is a 12,000 mile bike.

Any of you guys have a stock 1200 evo jug and matching piston/pin laying around?? What the best way to go about fixing this keeping $$$ within reason....this is an inexpensive bike and not worth $1K of motor upgrades to me. I've seen alot of parts floating around on Ebay but i'm leary of buying junk...Thanks for the input....

Jeff

[njj502]

Resleve it. Done! :D

[oldskier]

Jeff, Sorry to hear about that. I am not a Harley wrench but my son was for 5 years. One thing about em is, they don't like half rebuilds. Just never saw a re-fixed one that lasted. Tear it all down and look it over GOOD! If the bottom ingested some metal it ain't a good thing..... JMO....

Bernie

[Karsten]

Humm, I have a 90 HP 883/1200 Conversion 98 Sportster and a 06 SB going in for a new upgrade from 88 to 95 inch this winter.

My 1st thoughts would be as to how much you can do yourself and whether you just putting good money to waste keeping the bike going.

Look up Vee Twin Preformance and they may have a pair of jugs with matching pistons.

My guess would be around a $1000 to make it right so you would have a clean 91 with 12000 miles and a lot of pride into it or you could dump it for say a grand......and buy something newer.

If it were me....I would go nuts and buy cams, Pistons and make a little sleeper out of it....Either way you aren't gonna get your money back but ya sure have fun and you have a classic to boot.

Something about the old Sportster...classic until the mid 2000's.

Karsten

[njj502]

what happened with this thing jeff? i dont recall ever hearing about it getting going again.....???

[Sonik]

On hold brother....like everything else right now...:(..going to find a matching jug and piston and then split it for a rings, bearings and oil pump. Have a buyer for it once its put back together so its all good.

[bulletbob]

So....does the wife still want to ride? Has she dropped it yet? If so hopefully no damage to her. I built a custom softail ( my first custom build) in 2000. I really like the simplicity of the engine and ease of maintenance and repairs. I had no idea what I was getting into with performance boats. Makes the 14k I put into the bike seem reasonable! Bob

[baja200merk]

Nothing fancy this year Rich....keeping the factory rear fender and 130 tire on it until she decides next year to trade it on a lowrider or a softail. :rolleyes:

Jeff

Looks awesome jeff!! I dont like sportys but thats sharp :cool:

Tell her I can strap this to your lower unit and send both up there for her:D My mom's sellin her low ride she got a soft tail :thumbsup:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp163/hondacr8288/IMG_20110106_155343.jpg

[njj502]

On hold brother....like everything else right now...:(..going to find a matching jug and piston and then split it for a rings, bearings and oil pump. Have a buyer for it once its put back together so its all good.

Gotcha buddy. When you are ready to do it look me up.... I've never done one... :rolleyes:

If it were me I'd inspect bearings and if ok reuse. You are going to be very suprised at how these things are put together and actually live. Same goes for the oil pump... it more or less circulates oil as they don't hold jack for pressure. If you found all the pieces and they didn't get into the oil pump I'm not even sure I'd split the case.... :thumbsup:

[Sonik]

So....does the wife still want to ride? Has she dropped it yet? If so hopefully no damage to her..... Bob

She dropped it once, at a stop sign, through really no fault of hers..I should have spent more time testing it before she rode it......transmission had been jumping out of second so I pulled it down and found a bent shift fork and a damaged shift drum (locator pins were banging in the drum slots when it would jump out of gear, which caused high spots along the drum and kept the forks from sliding properly). Replaced those and all was good but it got hung up one day when she was stopping and when kicking it trying to find 1st gear she lost her balance and dropped it....damage was a mirror and handgrip...no biggie. Ended up needing a #1 countershaft gear as well....now its fine.



Tell her I can strap this to your lower unit and send both up there for her:D My mom's sellin her low ride she got a soft tail :thumbsup:


I need another money pit like I need another hole in my head...to go along with the other 3. :D I do like the lowriders though.....


Gotcha buddy. When you are ready to do it look me up.... I've never done one... :rolleyes:

If it were me I'd inspect bearings and if ok reuse. You are going to be very suprised at how these things are put together and actually live. Same goes for the oil pump... it more or less circulates oil as they don't hold jack for pressure. If you found all the pieces and they didn't get into the oil pump I'm not even sure I'd split the case.... :thumbsup:

Its going to be sold to a friend of Midges, so I want to go through it and know where it stands before we sell it to her. I'll give you a call when I dig into it more Nick. :thumbsup:

[Robby321]

Gotcha buddy. When you are ready to do it look me up.... I've never done one... :rolleyes:

If it were me I'd inspect bearings and if ok reuse. You are going to be very suprised at how these things are put together and actually live. Same goes for the oil pump... it more or less circulates oil as they don't hold jack for pressure. If you found all the pieces and they didn't get into the oil pump I'm not even sure I'd split the case.... :thumbsup:

Wow, that sucks. Have you taken a good look at what the oil filter looks like? If it aint fulla crap, I would just slam a new slug and jug on it, and run it. Splitting the cases a PITA, and gets expensive fast. Never did a Evo Sporty, just Ironheads, but not much diff. Probably would look at the oil pump though. HD bottom ends are pretty damn tough, seldom hear one going south. Probably could tell ya more of what to do, but would need to see it in person. Ya talk with any the local wrenches there about? Ya got a dealer there in Bloomington. ..(use to live Illinois). Ask if they got a line on a motor from a wreck. Anyway, hate to hear a trashed HD motor...good luck with it...Robby
PS..on whomever that wants to buy it after fixed? Ask him what he will give ya for it now. Sometimes easier to bite the bullet, sell, move on.

[rock]

Can ya bore em and get oversize pistons? Ya know the bore job is free.
Rock

[njj502]

Can ya bore em and get oversize pistons? Ya know the bore job is free.

Jeff told me the lockpin for the wristpin ate the bore up pretty good. Can't you get .080" over slugs for 1200's tho?

[Robby321]

I think they sell 1250 kits ...don't how far out that would take ya though

[rock]

I doubt you can bore them much. I have the kids 3.50 bore Evo jugs out in the shop and they are barely .100 thick at the bottom of the sleeve. Maybe the 1200s are a lot different.
Rock

[njj502]

mmmmmm jugs.......... oh I mean Evo's!