1970-1989 harley sporsters

im thinking about buying one of these bikes as my first harley i would like to know any information on these years and that model. like which engine was the best one. how ahrd are they to fix and just old war storiys of those bikes.

I would suggest one with an Evolution engine.

im thinking about buying one of these bikes as my first harley i would like to know any information on these years and that model. like which engine was the best one. how ahrd are they to fix and just old war storiys of those bikes.


Harleys in these years are relatively easy for the backyard mechanic to fix, compared to many other brands of similar vintage. Parts are EASY to find and most repairs and rebuilds can be done with common tools (with a few exceptions, but then you're getting into major rebuilds which require pullers and such).

With that said, how mechanically inclined are you? Ironhead Sportsters (1985 and older) can require a bit more tinkering to keep on the road. I have a '77 and when it runs, it runs great, but it has gremlins that pop up from time to time, and it seems like every week or so I have to tweak or wrench something. Nothing major, just a P.I.T.A. that not everyone likes to deal with. The 1986 and later Sportys are much less problematic because of the newer EVO motor, which made a lot of improvements over the Ironhead.

Ironheads can be picked up for probably $1,000 less on the average over an older EVO, but you might end up putting that money into the bike to get it running well.

Also keep in mind that for not that much more money, you can get an even newer Sportster, possibly even up a 1997, that will have much less wear and tear on it. Shop around, and get the newest one you can within your budget.

But the Ironheads are cool. :D

I would get a 2007+ for EFI and Rubber mount.

ive had my 1200 89 for 19 years, 108.000 miles, and never been in a worcksop for repairs, easy bike to maintain, and cheap now as well

I would get a 2007+ for EFI and Rubber mount.

because harley dosnt exactly give there bikes away and these older sportsters are cool looking have a ton of after market parts out for them. and are cheap and in my price range. i just dont want to go and spend what i could on anther jap bike for teh same displacemnt on a jap bike i want to get a harley worse that bad and there are a ton of them out there in this year range.

anyone else have any imput on this subject i was looking for a evo motor or a shovel head.

2004-2006 you have the rubber mount and no efi and price is reasonable...
although I don't have many miles on my 05' 883 Its a lot of fun to ride

My first Harley was a 1969 Sportster XLCH. Man, I loved that bike.

2004-2006 you have the rubber mount and no efi and price is reasonable...
although I don't have many miles on my 05' 883 Its a lot of fun to ride

ok that post has nothing to do with what i was asking. for one its not in the year range and those bikes are not resonablely priced they are still priced high enough to go and buy a honda davidson brand new off the show room floor. and the 883 is just to small.

from what i can tell with a bit of leg work the year in queistin harleys are nicly priced at about 1500-3000(the higher the price is something that has been choped and bobed already which kinda defets my proups in buying this bike. they also have the ironhead engine and the EVO which from what i can tell is a really good engine and can basicly run for miles and from waht my uncles have told me has alot of hot rod parts. which is cool but im not much of a hot rodder. and it comes in a displacment close to 1200 CC which is the ideal displacemnt for my secound bike.

i was jsut wondering what else someone could tell me about this year of harley sportsoter and NO OTHER YEARS. i dont want to hear about the 07 models with electonic fuel injection or your 05 883 sporty. and if you must tell me that you had a sporster in this year range and you really miss it because you sold it please tell me waht you miss about the bike what where your likes and your dislikes. please no more useless posts if you have soemthing to say about this topic please back up your thoughts with some facts so i can get a better idea about these bikes.