It certainly mirrored the Frisco Look. All photos by the author.
There is an old saying, “You can always tell a Harley rider, but you can’t tell them much!”
I had wanted to make the move up to Harley-Davidson for years. Now that I was making some real money, I started looking for a likely candidate. Growing up in the late ’60s there was one bike with a magic name, “Harley-Davidson Sportster XLCH.”
At this time, the hot setup was a chopped Harley Sportster. There were numerous well known custom shops that had set a certain style. Arlen Ness was the most famous of the Bay Area builders. His bikes defined what was known as the “Frisco or Bay Area Style.” It consisted of a Sportster with an extended front end, either the stock hydraulic fork or a custom springer. Buckhorn type handlebars, combined with a raised Sportster gas tank. The frame remained stock, and the bike had a jacked up look to the front. A small contoured “cobra” style seat and short sissy bar handled the seating arrangements. Usually the rear fender was chopped short, and the rear wheel rim was replaced by a 5.00 x 16 inch full dresser tire. A set of staggered dual exhaust pipes looked sharp and sounded great. Nothing has ever sounded as good as an HD twin breathing through these shorty pipes. This configuration became an iconic Sportster look.
Unfortunately, the mirror was cracked.
I looked at a couple of stock Sportsters, but decided on an already chopped ’70 model. It had a customized, raked, and molded frame, with a ten inch over stock girder style front fork. The front wheel was a 21 inch spool hub. This meant that there was no front brake, but, Man, did it look good! The bike followed the typical Frisco template. It was also a kick start model, the vaunted XLCH. I knew that these could be hard to start, “But quien es mas macho?”
I suppose that I thought that buying a pre-chopped bike was a better idea than starting with a stock unit. It could have been. Provided the bike was styled and equipped the way that I wanted. It also could have been a good idea if the bike had low mileage and had been properly maintained, or in this case, maintained at all. Wrong on all points! I could see that this example was set up in a manner that wasn’t exactly what I wanted or needed. The front, brake-less “spool hub” was quite a difference compared to the big disc brakes that had been on the front of my previous bikes. But I thought that it looked pretty cool. And choppers are all about the looks!
I never had a Sportster before and was quite unfamiliar with them. On initial view, the bike looked quite sharp, but it was in very poor shape, with a worn out engine and poor wiring. It was much worse than I had anticipated, I later found that the tail lamp was wired with a length of lamp cord!
These Sportster motors weren’t very long lasting, even new, in stock form. The top end would usually need to be refreshed at 15,-20,000 miles. This meant a complete valve job and a new set of piston rings. At twice that mileage, the bottom end would need to be rebuilt along with the top end. Of course, the motor in my bike was completely thrashed and would need a complete rebuild.
I won’t go into any great detail about the rebuild as there isn’t enough time for that. Suffice it to say, that if ANY component could be worn beyond a useful condition, IT WAS!
This was another example of a poor choice that I insisted on making. I still hadn’t learned my lesson! At this time, I could afford to buy a much better example or even a brand new bike!
But I thought that I knew better.
More was changed than just the color.
Despite its poor condition, I performed a complete rebuild of the entire motorcycle. Once it was completed the bike was restored to a pretty reliable state, and I rode it quite a bit. I used it in the same manner that I had used my earlier bikes.
Ready to Ride.
After I finished rebuilding the Sportster I took an inaugural trip up the Coast to Mendocino. I’d been making this trip yearly up to this point. It garnered a lot of attention along the way, as most choppers like this were used only for around town “putting.” I initially thought that I could live without a front brake. The girder front end looked really clean, but as you might guess, stopping the bike was a real problem. The first time that I had to stop abruptly for a red light, I locked up the rear wheel and skidded into the middle of the intersection! Another time I was behind a car that stopped abruptly and had to skid and swerve over to the side of the street to avoid rear-ending the car. This wasn’t going to work for me. A lot of Harley choppers ran with only a rear brake at this time. Both of my cousins had Panhead choppers that ran spool hubs when they got out of the Service.
A much better setup.
There were various mini brake setups for choppers, but those really didn’t work that well. I decided to switch over to a ’73 OEM telescopic front end, which was the first year that HD had fitted disc front brakes. I had the original 19 in. rim replaced by a narrow 21 in. unit. Avon Speed masters rule! The back of the brake caliper had to be machined to provide clearance for the spokes. A set of ten inch extended fork tubes replaced the stock units. Combined with the raked frame the bike sat level. There weren’t any extended brake hose kits available yet. A length of plastic tubing, usually used to hook up aftermarket oil pressure gauges, was pressed into service, along with the stock handlebar master cylinder.
Once the brake was settled in, the bike actually steered and stopped quite well. It was very stable on the highway, though there was the expected low speed flop due to the suspension geometry. Combined with the extended wheelbase, the bike rode pretty smoothly. Believe it or not, a properly set up chopper was not a death trap, or an accident waiting to happen. The rear suspension was stock except for the rear wheel which was now shod with the latest Uniroyal tire.
I rode the bike extensively and every trip could be considered a “shakedown” run. I had always ridden Japanese machines, and I had never used Loctite, though I had heard about it. I had assembled the bike without using any. The result was that many components came loose, and even a couple fell off on the highway! All of those problems were alleviated over time.
The 21 replaced the stock 19 rim.
A few more additions were made. A stock speedo and tach set was added, a motocross style fork brace tied the lower fork legs together, and a fiberglass cafe racer fender fit over the fork brace for a tidy setup. No more having my face sprayed with rain water!
Now I had a touring bike!
My buddy Rick and I planned a trip up through British Columbia, all the way to Alaska. At least that was the plan.
We rode up US101 to the Canadian border. Then we took the Yellow Head Highway all the way to Prince Rupert British Columbia. Our plan was to take a ferry to Alaska itself and continue on to the AlCan Highway.
Hard to see, but our bikes wait for the ferry.
There were many problems and challenges along the way, but they were overcome. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it all the way to Alaska. A shortage of funds and time saw to that. I may detail my trip in a further post if there is any interest.
After the chopper, I wanted something with more performance and better handling. Despite all my problems I still felt that the Sportster was the Harley model for me. Someone at Harley must have read my mind, as the next year they debuted the XLCR. I had to have one!
I am not a bike guy, but your story of “right model, wrong example” is one I have absolutely experienced. But I did not guess where this one was going – I thought you were going to dump it and buy a better one with all you had learned. Props to you for putting in the investment of time and money to make this one work for you.
Holy crap, no front brakes! I wouldn’t ride a bicycle without front brakes, let alone a motorcycle. Every stop must have been a white-knuckle affair.
Wow! People thought we were nuts when we rode our single-cylinder dual sports to Alaska in 1987 (way before “adventure bikes” were a thing), but a chopped Sportster, now that was brave. Though range was an issue on my 600 Honda even with an oversized aftermarket fuel tank. That peanut tank may not have done the job in the Far North.
Although the FL-style customs and baggers seem to have taken over the Harley scene from choppers, I still see them occasionally. Often with a raked out springer front end rather than telescopic, sometimes no front brake and even a 23” front wheel.
You are a glutton for punishment; I’ll give you that! To go from reliable Japanese motorcycles to a chopped (up) Sportster…WOW!
I’ve had 4 Sportsters (2 883s, 2 1200s) and can still remember their horribly uncomfortable ride characteristics, and they were STOCK!! 🙁 Obviously your body structure must have had lots of IRON in it!!! 🙂
The pic is of my last 1200, after a factory “custom” repaint plu$ other work. DFO
I used to be amazed at how many of these spool-front hub (brakeless) choppers there were. And I wonder how many ended up running into something. A young man’s sense of immortality can be very strong.
I saw one of these, long girder fork, no front brake, maybe even an ironhead, filtering through heavy traffic at speed on the Bay Bridge a few weeks ago. I was prepared for the inevitable traffic snarl after the inevitable crash – but it didn’t happen!
Long time Harley rider here. I remember the 1st time I saw a Super Glide, white with red/blue trim, probably ’71-’72. Was riding a 1970 Kawasaki Mach III at the time. Late bought a ’73 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport.
A friend of mine built a Sportster chopper. Very nice looking bike, 40 mile range with the peanut tank. When he built a chopped Super Glide I thought about buying his Sportster. The local independent bike mechanic advised me against it. Very poor resale, save your money and get a big twin. So that’s what I did.
In 1982 I bought my 1st H-D, a 1980 Super Glide. The bike I should have kept. A few years later I traded the Super Glide in on a one year old 1986 FXRT Sport Glide. The Sport Glide had the then new Evolution engine and a 5 speed transmission. Handling was better, power was better, build quality much better then the Super Glide. The one downside that I have lived with is the saddle height is higher then the Super Glide.
Then one day much later in life my son decides to buy a bike. He brings it by for a look over, Its a Sportster, not chopper by highly modified. Its an old 883 iron motor. It needs work. I advise against it, he buys it anyway. 3 months later it was major engine failure at speed on the freeway. Luckily it was a fellow employee he bought it from and the guy gave him his money back. That was the end of my sons motorcycle riding.
My riding has pretty much stopped. Got two bikes to sell. Too many idiot drivers out there. I prefer driving my Mustang on the track.
Wow I would have stuck with the Guzzi V7, what a great bike, The newer re-issues are great too.
I made the mistake of going from 2 Suzukis to a ’58 Harley “74” in 1972 that I stripped and semi-chopped (I did leave the front end alone). The decently durable panhead did have 50k on the original motor but was burning oil by then. Drove like a pig, but at least I kept the front brakes. Painted it black like a ’72 SuperGlide (the ’71 was R/W/B). It was great for “profiling” and slow touring but not fun for the sporting rider, so tiring of the horrible handling, vibration, and slowness for its size, I quickly went to a Triumph 750 3 cyl and later with Triumph’s temporary demise around 1982 (the new ones are from a totally different company) went back to all 4 major Japanese brands over the years.
Really miss those amazing 2 -strokes (still have a vintage one though).
Kawa Avenger A-7 350. It’ll blow a Harley big twin into the weeds up to 70+ and down a back road at any speed.
For what it’s worth, the recent Harley bagger roadracing class has resulted in amazing performance from Harley’s. I didn’t verify this but I read at a reputable site (Cycle World) that the latest race baggers lap Laguna Seca faster than the 500cc two stroke GP bikes before they were superseded by the four stroke MotoGP bikes. So no, as cool as those rotary valve Kawi’s were, I don’t think they’d outperform all modern Harley’s, even a stock Sportster S or Low Rider S Big Twin.
No they certainly wouldn’t now, but in 1973 no Harley would keep alongside up to about 70. H-Ds have come a long way since then, but the only one I’d want today would be a pre-war antique!
Not my thing, but no denying a Harley can be pretty damn styling. You’d have to love it to put up with the quality of the engineering though. I remember not long after I got my first bike (a Yamaha) reading something about a Japanese cruiser bike that had been revised during development so that it ran less smoothly! The extra vibration through the handlebars was praised for creating a more ‘authentic’ cruiser experience. I was horrified. As for two strokes, no street bike has ever been more fun than the RZ350 my friend had. I rode it often as we swapped bikes back and forth on long trips, and because we usually left our bikes with each other when one of us was out of town for whatever reason. He had replaced the brake lines with braided steel ones, and since the bike didn’t weigh much and had dual front disks, it was almost trivial to do a major stoppie. If you also wanted to leave on one wheel, you could catwalk half way down the next block equally easily.
Still have the Guzzi. It may go on the auction block this year. I don’t ride much anymore, idiot drivers and I find autocrossing my Mustang consuming my spare time.
The XLCH is one of the best looking m/c’s of all time. At the time I was into the extended fork look. Around 1982 we were up at the Loudon NH bike week and saw an extended fork no front brake Harley and all remarked how we hadn’t seen one in years. One of my friends remarked that was because they all crashed!
First thing I thought of when seeing your bike was the cult tv show Then Came Bronson which we all watched circa 1969 or 1970. See picture. We were unaware of the Illuminati eye in the pyramid on the tank which seems to be at cross purposes with the drop out of society ethos of the show.
Another fascinating entry Jose! Definitely would like to here more of your planned journey to Alaska and travels through Canada.
I too must insist upon a complete and detailed article on the Alaska trip .
Sporties are a mixed bag, some like the earlier ones when left stock, I’d love a ’57 K-Model as a local cruiser .
Choppers I never really understood as they slowed the bike down and made them physically punishing to ride, riding a Motocycle is supposed to be about enjoyment so why make it harder ? .
-Nate
Great story, I too have fallen into the right model / wrong example trap with a 1978 Gold Wing and a few cars too.
I never got the chopper thing either but hey I ride a Versys which is one of the the ugliest & most useful bikes ever. As with all bikes if you ride and enjoy it I don’t care what it is.
+1 on the Alaska trip story please,
I’m glad that I worked my way up to my Honda 750 and HDs. with a series of smaller bikes. I learned how to extract the maximum performance from a small displacement motor. You have to ride small bikes wound out all the way, just to get by in traffic.
Harleys back in the ’70’s were a different thing. Sportsters had been the fastest and quickest bikes in the ’60’s.Their main competition was the British 650 twins. The Brits brought out their 750 triples, the Trident and the Rocket Three. Honda debuted the 750 Four in 1970 and Kawasaki had the MachThree 500. This ended the era of the XLCH as being the Top Dog of stockers. Dedicated HD fans could hop up them up with strokers, cams, big carbs, etc etc. and they could out perform the newcomers. But that only lasted for another five years or so.
But the Sportster performance was adequate, and they did look good, so they were sold more on style. Whenever someone builds up a machine with the emphasis on style, there is usually a compromise in function. It could be a hot rod, chopper, or LowRider/Kustom. Surprisingly, they can be driven more than you might imagine, you just have to keep them within their limitations. Once my chopper had a good front brake, it was fine to tour with. The raised tank only gave me a two gallon capacity, with a max range of 70 miles. Usually I would stop every 50 miles. There was a 120 mile stretch going into Prince Rupert. There was no way I could make that, so two empty anti freeze containers came to the rescue!
If Rich agrees, I’ll put together some travelogues, I now found lots of photos. There are four more entries in this series.
Owning a Harley to me is similar to owning a classic Cadillac from the late fifty’s early sixties. You didn’t buy it for carving apex’s or stop light drag racing. You bought it for cruising, maybe road trip, loads of low end torque. Simple bike to take care of. Held their value fairly well. No different then all the other irrational decisions half of us make when buying cars, trucks, vans, RV’s, lawn mowers, etc. The Harleys after the AMF debacle are very good bikes. But as I mentioned in my post before I really miss that 1980 Super Glide, warts and all.
As far as reliability goes, my Guzzi ate its aluminum cam drive gear at around 15,000 miles. Trash circulated every where, by the way, 73 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport engine does not have an oil filter, only “protection” was a screen on the oil pump intake pipe.
Funny coincidence, the XLCR is the only classic the only classic Harley I liked. I saw one in the dealer around 1990-91 and it looked coll but not as nicely finished as my BMW. I’ve ridden various Evolution ad Twin Cam models but they never clicked with me. I hate forward set controls and like to leaned forward over the front wheel. Harley just doesn’t do that. I also tend to use too many revs, the first time I rode a Harley Ishifted when it sounded right and realized I was Redlining in every gear