Back in October of 2000, I needed a modern bike to replace my finicky (putting it mildly) Buell Lightning as a daily. I wanted an HD, but didn't have cash to step up to a Dyna. So I had the choice of buying a Sportster outright, or financing half of a base Dyna. I also didn’t have a garage at the time, so something too nice would just get weathered (or stolen). I went with the cash option, and took a brand new 2001 XLH883. Black with mags, no frills. Just how I wanted it. OK, I kind of wanted laced wheels, but at the time, you took what you could get. HDs were still selling over list, and mint late model used bikes (even Sportsters) sold at new prices. So long story short, I bought a new Sporster. And loved it. I'm not the type to go on weekend leisure rides. And on the occasion I do, it's on a classic. The Sporster was my commuter, and A to B mule. And fit the bill perfectly.
I didn't do very much to the bike: I had a friend lay down some groovy retro flames. I lowered the front fender. I chopped off the left mirror head, bent the stem down closer to the grip, and put on a 2" x 4" Emgo clamp on head. I removed all decals, reflectors, right mirror, and turn signals. I cut down the stock seat, so you could see the frame rails. I punched out the stock mufflers (sounded really well, actually), added S/E airbox, and jetted accordingly. Basically, I wanted a bike that looked older, but was dependable for daily use. I did plenty of frantic kicking on my other rides. And the Sporster was just that. More than once I had people ask me what year it was. And the look of surprise when they found out it was still under warranty validated my efforts. Not that I do things of this nature for the approval (or disapproval) of others. But it was nice to know it wasn't all in my head.
Fast forward two or three years later: Met a girl, got married, and moved out to the suburbs. Plan was to save every dime, and move to the next stage of life. So I found myself carpooling to work. And I had a small, one car garage. Condensation from the car led to pitting on the pipe shields. And the registration had long expired. Without thinking things through, I thought it was time to sell the bike. A co-worker had a son who was interested, and a deal was struck in August, 2005. Now, looking back, I see that I made decisions that didn't fit my lifestyle of two wheels. As opposed to the two wheels not fitting into my lifestyle, as I had then thought. Live and learn.
Present time: I took a job even farther from home. And I'm not carpooling now. I also have a less efficient car. Gee, maybe I should think about another bike to daily? Well the 1968 Vespa Rally 180 I'm currently restoring is pretty quick, but it's not going to hang on the highway. And even if it did, 100 miles per day would mean I'd be wrenching all the time. Cash flow isn't great, so I have been scanning the local classifieds for a nice middleweight UJM. I love all bikes, and am not a brand snob. Anyway, this has gone on for months. Until last Monday, when I happened to see my former Sportster for sale. And at a pretty good price. I had to have it. And now I do. I paid almost $1,500 less than what I sold it for. It has a newer rear tire, and probably $2k in added accessories, mostly genuine HD. Funny that I never wanted chrome when I couldn't afford it. But now that it's on the bike, I dig it. I've got mega stuff going on, so I'm not going to reg it until the spring. I need to get all new riding gear anyhow, especially cold weather stuff. The bike itself needs a few things as well. It rides awesome, but I can't keep subjecting my neighbors to open drag pipes (although I kind of like them). It also needs a front tire, and the fuel line looks sketchy. So I'll do those, plus vacuum and oil lines for good measure. Plus some real mirrors (ones on there are too short), flush the brake fluid, fork fluid, primary/trans, and engine oil. And that's it, unless I need to rejet for the pipes. It came with the OG crossover head pipe, and the HD accessory baloney cut slip ons. I'll try those first before going back to stock. And the guy I bought it from rigged the wrong size battery, so a correct genuine HD AGM brick will go in at some point.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
I believe in second chances.
Back in October of 2000, I needed a modern bike to replace my finicky (putting it mildly) Buell Lightning as a daily. I wanted an HD, but didn't have cash to step up to a Dyna. So I had the choice of buying a Sportster outright, or financing half of a base Dyna. I also didn’t have a garage at the time, so something too nice would just get weathered (or stolen). I went with the cash option, and took a brand new 2001 XLH883. Black with mags, no frills. Just how I wanted it. OK, I kind of wanted laced wheels, but at the time, you took what you could get. HDs were still selling over list, and mint late model used bikes (even Sportsters) sold at new prices. So long story short, I bought a new Sporster. And loved it. I'm not the type to go on weekend leisure rides. And on the occasion I do, it's on a classic. The Sporster was my commuter, and A to B mule. And fit the bill perfectly.
I didn't do very much to the bike: I had a friend lay down some groovy retro flames. I lowered the front fender. I chopped off the left mirror head, bent the stem down closer to the grip, and put on a 2" x 4" Emgo clamp on head. I removed all decals, reflectors, right mirror, and turn signals. I cut down the stock seat, so you could see the frame rails. I punched out the stock mufflers (sounded really well, actually), added S/E airbox, and jetted accordingly. Basically, I wanted a bike that looked older, but was dependable for daily use. I did plenty of frantic kicking on my other rides. And the Sporster was just that. More than once I had people ask me what year it was. And the look of surprise when they found out it was still under warranty validated my efforts. Not that I do things of this nature for the approval (or disapproval) of others. But it was nice to know it wasn't all in my head.
Fast forward two or three years later: Met a girl, got married, and moved out to the suburbs. Plan was to save every dime, and move to the next stage of life. So I found myself carpooling to work. And I had a small, one car garage. Condensation from the car led to pitting on the pipe shields. And the registration had long expired. Without thinking things through, I thought it was time to sell the bike. A co-worker had a son who was interested, and a deal was struck in August, 2005. Now, looking back, I see that I made decisions that didn't fit my lifestyle of two wheels. As opposed to the two wheels not fitting into my lifestyle, as I had then thought. Live and learn.
Present time: I took a job even farther from home. And I'm not carpooling now. I also have a less efficient car. Gee, maybe I should think about another bike to daily? Well the 1968 Vespa Rally 180 I'm currently restoring is pretty quick, but it's not going to hang on the highway. And even if it did, 100 miles per day would mean I'd be wrenching all the time. Cash flow isn't great, so I have been scanning the local classifieds for a nice middleweight UJM. I love all bikes, and am not a brand snob. Anyway, this has gone on for months. Until last Monday, when I happened to see my former Sportster for sale. And at a pretty good price. I had to have it. And now I do. I paid almost $1,500 less than what I sold it for. It has a newer rear tire, and probably $2k in added accessories, mostly genuine HD. Funny that I never wanted chrome when I couldn't afford it. But now that it's on the bike, I dig it. I've got mega stuff going on, so I'm not going to reg it until the spring. I need to get all new riding gear anyhow, especially cold weather stuff. The bike itself needs a few things as well. It rides awesome, but I can't keep subjecting my neighbors to open drag pipes (although I kind of like them). It also needs a front tire, and the fuel line looks sketchy. So I'll do those, plus vacuum and oil lines for good measure. Plus some real mirrors (ones on there are too short), flush the brake fluid, fork fluid, primary/trans, and engine oil. And that's it, unless I need to rejet for the pipes. It came with the OG crossover head pipe, and the HD accessory baloney cut slip ons. I'll try those first before going back to stock. And the guy I bought it from rigged the wrong size battery, so a correct genuine HD AGM brick will go in at some point.
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