Go Sportsters

i would suggest riding it.

a bike ridden often is much better than a bike that sits. that goes for you, or the next owner. letting anything automotive sit neglected is a bad idea.

Sweet! That is a beautiful bike. Hope you enjoy it.

Harley's....sheep....theres a joke in there somewhere........

+1, it's like marrying a super model and not touching her so you can save her for the next guy.

and the ATGATT rider thats never tried anything even somewhat risky and that waited for the sheep to cross, instead of just crossing the minor ditch and riding on.

Minimizing risk is how you keep your deductibles down and maximize your return on investment! ATGATT won't protect you from an investment degrading series of grass stains.

If that was a 74, then they removed all the linkage to switch the shift lever and the rear brake around. 74 was the first year that HD sporty's switched over to meet the mandate that all bikes in the US would have the shifter for the left foot and the rear brake for the right foot. I only remember this because mine was a 74 XLCH and I kept all of that funky linkage when I built it up from a basket case. After riding enduros and dirt bikes for so many years, I did not want to relearn just to ride the sporty comfortably.

Regardless, it is a awesome looking sporty and I really like the mags on it. Hope you enjoy the hell out of it.

Monoshock build on chopcult

1975 was the first year of the left side shift. They routed the linkage around the back of the engine. I had a 1974 XLH back then and it was right side shift.

Where is the Harley in that picture?

That may be why yours had a left side shift.

Just picked up my first Sporty (and Harley for that matter) this afternoon. Man, I get it now...this thing is a blast! At the risk of being premature, this is my 7th bike, and I've never felt quite this way about a motorcycle before. Couldn't resist riding the tank dry this evening.


Since I bought it right down the street in the neighborhood, I let my son ride back to the house. This was his first ride ever and I don't think I topped 15 mph. He loved it! Mommy's helmet is a bit big. We will need to go shopping for a complete outfit before he goes anywhere else.




Specifics: 1997 XL1200C with about 16k miles. I am the third owner since new, and it looks even better in person.

I hope that is a ride your son never forgets!

that is a fantastic picture. you need to save that pic somewhere safe, or print it and keep it in an album. that photo reminds me a lot of my dad and me, but i don't have any photos. i wish i did.

Believe me, he won't.

My first ride on a motorcycle is the clearest memory I have of my early childhood.

Aaaarrr, Matey, we we all know what you'd be doing with those sheep, eh?

hey, no one mentioned anything about 'sheep stains,'

Got any more info ??