Original Paint 1975 Harley Ironhead Sportster XLCH Kickstart Only 

I rode an 84 Iron head for 23 years. Had a lot of fun on that one. Now my grandson has it. Been riding a 99 Softail Custom for the last 10 years. A little easier on these old 78 year old bones. lol

Sportsters...the heart and soul of Harley-Davidson for more than 60 years!

Omg what a beautiful bike. The true HD. Love that sound. Thanks for being a HD restorer. Keep them going forever.

Dude that's one sweet bike,! I love the AMCs too. Had a 79 Roadster and 79 Sportster. I have a 72 Sportster basket case now. Thanks for keeping it real!😊

My 77 sportster that I bought brand new was a pain in the ass but I just loved the looks of that bike. That's one reason I bought my 2018 Iron 1200. Me and that 77 butted heads several times. 3 starters went out on it in the first 6 months. Oil coming out of the oil tank and down my right leg at stop lights. Contacts plastic peace that rides on the lob broke on the way back from Florida. I had it for a year and that I had enough. That was my second bike that I ever owned. I'm 67 now and have owned so many bikes and I remember everyone of them. Love motorcycles. I have 4 bikes now and don't see ever living without one. I think I might have some old editions of Chopper.

Dude, love the video! I spent all afternoon tinkering on a 76 XLCH that my wife inherited from her dad, a month or so ago. Finally got it to fire and run for a few minutes today. Bike means the world to her and all I want to do is get it up and running reliably. Your videos have been a huge help.

That is a nice looking bike ... I love my '75 XLCH .. Those old kick starts are a bear sometimes LOL .. Pain in the ass when they slip their gear .. Sportster Knee is a real thing :)

Tugs at the old heartstrings bro. My first Harley after I got out of the Marines was a brand new 1975 XLH. A blue one exactly like yours. I punched out the baffles and hung Z bars on it with the same highways pegs you've got. A low rise trident bitchbar, a stepped seat, laced up a hog back wheel with a steel rim for the front and I was King of the Barroom cruisers. I sold it around 1980 cause I needed the money and road an old parts pan until my new 1987 FLST. Yeah, sorry I sold it. My buddy bought it from me and many years later I tried to buy it back. I told him it had sentimental value as it was my first Harley. He broke my heart when he said he'd never sell it as it was HIS first Harley. Bastard, heheheheh. I eventually bought a 1992 Heritage then my new bike, a 1997 Road King which I still ride to this day. Subscribed.

Great memory, I remember that same kick start method from when my brother had one just like that one...his was black..amf...was on tank as well..it's been over 40 years since I seen what you did..same sound and all...really neat..that God for people like you to relive my memories...thank you again.

Awesome bike!!! It's so rare to find one that original. Most of them have either been parted out or chopped. Also, the helicopters are CH47 Chinooks. I have spent tons of time in them. Awesome machines all around in this video!!!

I love to see the "old"ones kept running .well done ,nice work on the deal.ride safe frosty.

Sweet ride Man 🤙 ironheads forever, forever iron heads!

Nice bike Jay. Still searching for a set of original pipes for my 1975. Glad to see this bike as original as it is, keeping mine like that pretty much.

My first Harley was a blue 1975 XLCH , Bought it new from Lomita HD in S Cal. I was 18yrs old and the first few days was hell trying to start it but after I figured it out it was the best starting harley. Cold start 2 kicks , warm start 1 kick every time. Nice bike J Frost !

You're a lucky dog! Original paint - and my favorite color , too. All you need to bring it back to stock is the seat and the bars!!!

never have seen any of your videos until today you seem to be very knowledgable about older harley my first in 77 was a 72 xlch sporty hated it 84 got a 79 xls sporty got hit and again got the itch and got a 04 dyna with 5500 miles love it and like all your videos keep up the good work

How beautiful is it to see original bikes that haven’t been butchered. That sporty is really beautiful ❤️

After watching you “one kick” soooo many bikes it’s a relief to watch you have a little bit of trouble getting one to fire/idle... and it’s a ‘75 like mine to boot... must be the year 🤷‍♂️🤣

I LOVE the original graphics on the tank. Absolutely killer!

Sometimes the good things find you , just got a 74 sportster , yea Brandon, you made my dream come true brother

Same bike I rode fore 28 years happy for you man great bike.

Had a step dad promise me his 75 sportster. Never happened. I will be addicted to that sound forever. Great vid. New subscriber.

A man she's a beauty, in a few hours I'm about to take a ride to Maryland to go pick up 70 rigid I can't wait to see it, two weeks ago sold my 88 evo heritage wich I dearly regret and miss nut I finally found my next bike it's been a rough couple of weeks

Another beauty! I had a couple of the 125 AMF Harley's back in the day. I always liked that paint scheme as well on the big ones. Been through some hard times lately and have sold a lot off. I am hoping to be back on the upswing and looking to possibly get my first Harley. I have had Triumph's and many Honda's, Kawasaki H2's, etc. Might be 'bout time!

Beautiful bike! You just can’t beat an old ironhead Sportster !! Thanks for Sharing!

took my test on a '75 xlch. Had to kick it to pass. it's all about the prime cold. Full choke, full throttle, ignition off, 3 kicks. 1/2 choke, crack the throttle, ignition on, potato-potato.

that's a sexy bike, the only bike I have ever had to kick start was a tw200. that big of a motor must take quite a bit of power

Used to have a 71 1000, when cold, key off, full choke, full throttle, kick it three times. Then with the key on, back off on the throttle, pretty much one kick got her stared each and every time.

Finding an old HD that stayed mostly original is one of the hardest things out there. You can really appreciate that classic look. After all, stock never goes out of style.

Man that sound...flawless

That AMF paint job was the reason I bought the retro 1200 Iron. I've been watching your channel for a few years and now want to build a hardtail Sportster. Thanks for feeding the addition. Lol.

Good to see someone kick it like a man and not someone that hops on it like its the hardest thing in the world!

Love the 1972-76 tank graphics on the FL's, FX, and XL models.

wow beautiful bike! that brings be back..

Sounds great!

Awesome bike!! So rad to see an Original man. I need a few parts for My '71 ironhead right side shift chopper, ill be checcin out your store bro! Keep up the rad vids n thanks man!!

Dat idle THO what a nice bike man i want new videos of it 😁

Dam nice to see! Got a 72 XLH rolling basket case mostly all there. Project I'll get to someday.

Nice sporty with great sound! I used to have a bone stock 1975 XLH and still kicking myself for selling it. Actually, they handle and hug the road very well! A very stable platform. Nothing sounds better then the stock staggered duels. Should be a very fun project. I ran across a 1970 Sportster XLH at a local garage sale, I immediately recognized the hamburger front brake drum sticking out from under the tarp. Made the owner a offer and he dropped it off a few days later..One day I hope to go through it and get it back on the road. It runs, but not ready for prime time yet. Good luck my friend!

Back in the days kickstart only bikes were still pretty common we always said the CH and XLCH stands for charlie horse. Also I keep telling the young guys a kick-start Sportster will not start until your left foot goes at least 2 ft off the ground.

Like helos too. Those are chinooks, cargo helos from marines. Some very brave people on those machines.

May be here for the bikes, but to see and hear the CH47 Chinooks is really cool, too!

Very lucky to get that beauty.. nice one..!

Looks great. Reminds me of my first new Harley a 1973 FX SuperGlide.

I know you'll do that XLCH right....but, get rid of those apes, lol. That bike is such a great survivor that it needs stock bars. Besides, I hate apes on Sportsters, lol.

Cool lil’ scoot man!

I love sportsters man this is a very nice bike

Great video buddy awesome motorcycle!!! 🤘😎🤘

Nice. Love the original tank stripes, as for the yellow and orange plug wires...not so much. That is probably the only thing I'd change on this sporty old beauty, switch them out for good old black Harley Davidson plugs, with the nice H-D emblem formed into the large flared rubber ends. You know...to complete that rare original look. By the way, the helicopters you saw were U.S. Army or National Guard, Boeing CH-47 Chinooks.

You did good bro happy for you .

Nice Never had an ironhead but have been considering it only ever had big twins

Great video and ty for sharing !

kool bike glad to see ya back ... needs a little tweaking but it will be all good .. †

Beautiful classic motorcycle ❤️❤️❤️

I always say "if it won't start it can't break your back !"

Nice bike & video and I use to read them chopper rags .. I’ll hit them up as well. 😊

My first Harley was a 74 XLCH . Too old for kick start but I miss that bike

Damn man, great video! Love them old Ironheads! So great that you found one so close to stock. Looks like it's got some late-model shocks on the back. And I do think you're right about the valve guides ;-) As a high school kid, I used to buy "Choppers" and "Big Bike" magazines every month. The editor (of both, I think) was a guy named Chris Bunch. Funny how things stick with you. Can't remember what I had for lunch today, but I can remember the guy who wrote for a magazine back in 1972. Weird. Take good care of that bike!

Great video, Thanks for Sharing.

Sweet Sporty!

Wow this is a great bike 👍🏻

Other than the handlebars, that is a sweet bike, good job man. love your videos.

Hell yeah dude good to see you back at it. Gonna have to swing by when i get the chop done and grab me one of them hats

Nice find just found your channel, love the original ironhead sportsters, was lucky enough to find a 74 from the original owner.

I hope that you will have one for sale soon if possible and i love your videos please keep them coming

Nice ride love them can't beat an old Harley that hasn't been modified so much it really isn't a Harley anymore oh hey brothers cowboy here I need to reach out to y'all for a little help I'm needing front brake lines for my 68 Sportster with dual front calipers and a set of forward controls I'm an old disabled vet with cancer and I get leg and hip cramps I can't hold my legs out for very long so I don't get to ride as much as I'd like expecaly since I don't have front brake lol thanks always keep the dirty side down and remember be safe healthy and happy God Bless 🤠

Nice man cool find

Nifty blast from the past scooter.....be nice if that exact scooter was around today.

Awesome vid💯

Had a 1972 Sportster 40 years ago, it had a kick start. The problem with kick starting the Sportster, is that it turns a little on one kick. You have to have the pistons right before top and then pedal hard. I improved by modifying the drive that engages at start. I cut away with an angle grinder some of the plate that is stuck to the drive, then bent out the plate and now had 2 extra teeth to turn the engine around. The bike was much easier to start after this modification.

Wow she runs smooth I like that! I'll do a video fkr my chanel on my limited edition soon. Mine definitely has a little more clunking in the motor I'm always told that's how they sound. It never gets louder and I keep the oil full. I'll probably end up tearing into it someday to freshen it up.

Sweet sounding bike!

I have the '81 XLH and love your videos. I'm a luddite when it comes to bikes and it would be great if you did some explanation videos on how these older bikes worked and fit together. Keep up the great and interesting work 👍🏼

Nice bike dude!

Nice bike! Love the old Sportsters....The closer to stock the better, in my personal opinion. Its funny how that changes, though. I had a 1970 XLCH when I was a kid, and I did everything I could to make it "not stock". What was I thinking!?! You may want to keep the apes, but take that sofa and put it in your living room for the whole family to enjoy on movie night!

WOW blast from the past had one same color and graphics, had buckhorns road that bike everywhere loved it Now I'm getting older and ride a dresser easier on the back

Nice bike!

20+ kicks. Sounds about right.

I had a '76 XLCH that I bought new. You're right about the '75/'76 XLCH shift/brake fiasco. The feds ruled that all motorcycles built from 1975 and on, had to have left side shifting and clutch. So, in order to sell bikes, Harley made a Rube Goldberg quick fix. They just turned the long ass brake pedal into the shifter pedal. They used the brake cross shaft and a collection of rods behind the kicker cover and part of the cam cover where the original shifter used to be. Most folks I knew of that bought these two years, converted them back to right side shifting. You have to buy the original pre-'75 parts. You might have to buy and rivet the ratchet gear on the back of the clutch hub. I did. If you are a decent mechanic with the appropriate tools and have some knowledge of earlier Sportsters, you should be able to do this yourself. The difference between the long shifter '75/'76s and all early right side shifters is day and night. Anyone who has ridden an earlier Sporty can tell you this. The '75/'76 bikes were the crappiest shifting bikes I have ever ridden. Good luck trying to find neutral. Also, sometimes a bunch of bikes get a bad name for quality control, Like HD in the AMF years after they bought the company. Maybe some of these bikes were ok, but I think most of them had some kind of problem. My '76 XLCH burned holes in the rear piston. Three pistons burned out, thankfully before the warranty expired. On the way home from picking it up, brand new, the bolt holding the front caliper broke causing me to tap the bumper of the car in front. It dented my brand new fender. I turned the bike around and rode it back to the dealer. They must have been shitting a brick thinking I was going to sue them. But they repaired the caliper and found a brand new, same color, front fender. They did that all in about an hour!!! I tried everything for the piston problem. When the warranty ran out, I had the engine rebuilt to specs by a local guy who specialized in building HD engines. Then, I put a Mikuni carb on, and that solved the problem of the burning rear piston. The problem with the shifter, besides not being able to find gears, also wore out and chipped gears in the tranny if you put a lot of city miles on it. Clunk!!! Clunk!!! I would avoid these two years unless you are a mechanic and got a great deal on it.

Awesome and cool. Sweet.

woot! welcome back.

Like the sporty nice looking bike. I’d like to have one in my garage just for others to see it next to my bike. 66 now so chances are looking slim.

YES that is my favorite bike and the paint is good I love it.

Bowling ball bikes are popular again.

Great bike

Nice score!

Damnit bobbyyyyyy

Owned one of these in 78 different paint same damage on the front mudguard Australia

Looking at that bike makes me think of the FXE from '75 in blue.... always did want one but never found one ! I got later bikes now ('06 XL1200R and '10 Streetbob both hot-rodded) but if you ever find one for me.... I'll try to win the lottery to pay for it !

Great video brother , 😎😎👍👍

That twin prop helicopter is a Chinook Boeing 47, it got nicknamed "shithook" in Southeast Asia. I had an old 72 XLCH, my first Harley. I later got a 78. If you are careful, you can saw the lens off the gauge and make a replacement out of plexiglass. Nice ride. I would look for the original buckhorn bars.

IRONHEADS RULE!!!! ✊

That sweet music @9:30 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 wonderful old girl there

Beautiful

five thousand eight hundred and sixty nine miles, boy them harley's last forever

Great score! Gotta luv an ol’ironhead !

I found your channel from Saddle Tramp I subscribed nice older bike

I would be too tired to ride it after I got it started. Lol

Just got a 65 xlch. Been setting for almost 30 years. Needs some tlc!

Those hilos are what we call two palm trees smacking a dumpster (aka the Chinook).