1972 Harley-Davidson XLH Sportster
Older Restoration - Classic Looks &
Performance
NUMBERS-MATCHING FRAME AND ENGINE!
Restored some years ago and carefully maintained
since, this 1972 XLH Ironhead Sportster runs and rides very well with that
classic and authentic vintage Harley feel. Not a big Harley fan myself,
I found myself rather in awe of the acceleration rolling on the throttle
from the big 1000cc V-Twin - pretty awesome indeed for a 40-year-old machine
of any stripe.
Few details were overlooked at the time of the
total disassembly and restoration this bike received. The engine and gearbox
work as flawlessly as they did when new and have received regular care and
maintenance since that time.
You will notice that the frame is as carefully
finished as is the tank. Behind that big chrome air cleaner is an S&S
carburetor with adjustable main and idle jets - a bit of extra fiddling
is inevitable, but tearing into the carb to make it run better is really
quite nice by my estimation.
More importantly, the frame number...
... matches the engine number ...
... which matches the title.
Most if not all of the chrome was replaced or
redone - pipes, oil tank, air cleaner, even the license plate bracket. The
rear shock absorbers are brand-new, having been replaced just last month;
the restored originals had more-or-less seized!
A beautiful machine from any angle!
The older Dunlop tires hold air well enough
but are rather dry; a new set of Avon Roadriders would make a drastic improvement
over these.
How about that for one of the largest batteries
on a motorcycle - ever!
The crankcase and engine are very clean; as
most Harleys are wont to do, this one will mark its territory a bit. Call
it factory-installed rust prevention!
Running here at a fast tickover. It should be
noted that the speedometer no longer functions - we just noticed this but
it apparently has been the case since the bike was titled since the mileage
hasn't changed. I imagine that the tripodometer was reset once too many
times while the bike was moving...
The front wheel, like the rear, would benefit
from a new Roadrider - Avon's classic sports tyre is among the best ever
made for classic bikes. We sold a '60 XLH last month that behaved very well
on a set of Roadriders that had been fitted. I also run them on a selection
of classic machines in my stable.
The inevitable collection of parts here is rather
impressive. None of these indicate any deficiencies with the bike, just
preference in some cases. The bike comes with the correct seat fitted to
it in the above photos, plus the popular Aermacchi seat (left) and an aftermarket
solo seat if that is your preference. A set of different bars, kickstarter,
a spare front fender, gaskets, cables and more make up the residual. Should
your shipper not be able to take this stuff, I'll ship it to you for my
cost at the conclusion of auction via UPS.
who am I / why am I selling
I'm Chip
Lamb, vintage car and motorcycle enthusiast - I run a small
collector automobile parts business and consult to the collector
automobile and motorcycle auction industry on a variety of different
levels. I write for a handful of publications including Keith
Martin's Sports Car Market & Corvette
Market magazines, Classic
Motorsports and more. I have a nice little collection of my own and
on occasion other collectors ask me to handle the odd consignment to move
out an unusual bike or car so they can move on to something else. This is
one of those cases.
Given this situation, I am not interested in
any trades on this bike - it is strictly being sold for someone else on
a clean and clear Virginia title as described above without any warranties
or guarantees given its advanced age.
payment/shipping/pickup
Payment is due within seven days of auction
close/Buy it Now option unless
alternate arrangements are made with me in advance of any bid. If you
cannot pay, do not bid. I am not a bank, there is no in-house installment
plan. Accepted forms of payment are cash or cashier's cheque. I am always
amazed at how many people seem not to read or comprehend these terms when
I write them.
Shipping/pickup must occur within fourteen days
of auction close unless alternate
arrangements are made with me in advance of any bid. You can come here
and ride it home, come with a trailer and pick up or hire a good transporter
like Jim Vangelakos who runs
up and down I-95 all the time with his enclosed trailer rig. Overseas buyers
are not a problem either provided you comply with the above terms and hire
someone to take it to a nearby port, such as Baltimore or Norfolk. I will
not make container/shipping arrangements for you, but I could even be persuaded
for a fee to trailer the bike to one of those ports as I occasionally send
cars overseas.
Bid with confidence, see my feedback, thanks
for looking.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?
E-MAIL
ME OR CALL 804-357-4926