I knew the very second this clown said Patina ...This was likely a Hipster wearing stove pipes with about as much incommon with a socket set as OBL did with 9/11 .
Just a couple of things: Sportster’s built before 1/1/1973 came without turn signals and the ‘55 style tail light; this machine has both. This Sportster also has the late cylinders and heads, with the updated head bolt pattern and 12 point head bolts. This machine also has the ‘74 and later throttle control.
1974. When men were men, women were women, and potatoes were potatoes. Still have mine, same color, same shape. Although I'm not. Now I'm an old ,fat bastard.
My FIRST Harley ! I bought it off my sister , in 1979 . I was 19 . Last year of the “ right hand shifter “ . Mine came from the factory with red white & blue graphics , with a red white & blue 1” stripe running down both fenders . At the license plate holder - a factory alarm system that “ chirped “ when the mercury switch senses movement , operated by independent batteries inside the plate holder .
Das war mein erstes Bike 1978, allerdings in schwarz mit den goldenen Streifen am Tank, schöne Erinnerung. Habe nur ein Fehler gemacht, das ich das Bike nach 4 Jahren verkauft habe, wäre heute noch schön damit zu fahren.
I bought that same color sportster new in 74 ,seeing this video brought back a lot good memories-thanks for sharing, wish I knew back then how to hook up the electric start
Turn off your gas, Homer ! If your float needle sticks ( quite common) from a piece of dirt, you'll wash off the oil from your cylinders ! I shouldn't need to explain what happens from there ! But you spell it in $ +$+$ !
Had a 75(xlh) in same color,my 2 friends had the same a 74(xlch kickstart) which has same right side shifter & the other a 76(xlh) ,we all repainted them after wards,most people dont notice the right side shifter on the 74's
Now see, to me, the '72 was the quintessential Sportster. First year for that Cobra-style seat (that all the moto-journalists hated), and first year for the 997cc ("1000") motor. Yet it still had the drum front brake, and the gauges on the back side of the bars. Old school! Black springs on the rear shocks, too. And that lower triple-tree cover - awesome! What a beautiful machine. Don't know why, but Harley's always look good in black and chrome, even though it's not my favorite color (which would be fire-engine red like my '86 883). The '72 was not the first Sportster that I ever saw, but it was the one that really hit the right notes with me. Just gorgeous! :)
Nothing like a sportster. Other manufacturers tried to make similar and improved models, all a flop. These are the real macoy if you want a cool machine. Riders will look at my old machine I'm riding walking past new 20 to 30k machines.
I bought one new in 1980 [£690] in the U. Mine was blue, alloy wheels, discs both ends. A great bike, had it 2 years and did 16000 miles on it. 95mph top speed and di 65 miles per gallon.
