History of the Harley-Davidson Sportster XL - Ep.8.2: 1980-1985 The End of the AMF Era
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- As AMF leave the stage, Harley-Davidson begin to fight the good fight as an independent company once again. The Sportster soldiers on even as the Motor Company struggles.
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As a US serviceman, I arrived in the UK in 1981 and spent the next six years in east anglia. It was a very unique perspective living in the UK. You might say I was on the front line as much as anyone in the UK. I very much enjoyed my 1985 XLCH and it lasted until 2023 when in suffered a catastrophic unscheduled disassembly from a broken connecting rod at 87,000 miles.
Morning Mark - many thanks for your post (and service to both out countries). I remember that F-111s were posted to Norfolk, back in the day. Was that your commute vehicle? Or did you bolt on the bits?
Good to hear that your XLCH offered such great service... until that conrod situation. Did you keep it? It'd still be a great project.
Cheers,
Chris
This is a great series with lots of interesting information for those interested in the history of H/D!
Afternoon Ron - thanks for the kind words. :-) Glad you're enjoying my efforts.
Cheers,
Chris
I have had my Sportster for 25 years and I love her. My daily driver as l don't have a car.
You had me till the end… Joe Biden… seriously?
Afternoon Lynn - thanks for commenting again. You don't think Joe Biden would be a good Prime Minister here?
Cheers,
Chris
Biden is pretty good at crapping his pants in front of the world to see, and he is excellent at not being able to finish a coherant sentence.
@@chrisoftheot6272you can have him!
You can have Joe. 🙄
You're quite the historian Chris!, great vid 👌
Thank you Terry, it's nice of you to be so supportive. :-)
Cheers,
Chris
Harley farmed out many components on the Sportsters, not just the ones on the fake racer. In 83 I purchased an XLX, I liked the minimalist styling. The only option I did purchase was the matching pillion pad, I made my own passenger pegs. Only after a few miles the bike started to vibrate worse than your typical Sportster, it also started smoking and using oil. The dealership dismissed it all as my imagination, and a conversation with a Harley rep went nowhere, he claimed I had abused my bike because of my "lifestyle." (I was patched at the time.) In frustration I wrote Willie G and told him he should be ashamed his name was on such junk. Long story short, I did get an apology, and my engine was replaced. It turned out that the cases were made by an outside contractor that had improperly cast them. The steel sleeve supporting the flywheel bearings failed, causing the entire flywheel/rod/piston assembly to run out of true. That was it for me and Harley, my next bike was a BMW R80, that in twenty years of ownership never skipped a beat.
Wow - you wrote to Willie G.? Did he, or his office, reply with the apology?
I was 21 and the AMF years are the best
Amf was the best ? That is the absolute first time I have heard that.
That’s some good peyote rich
The family told the bankruptcy court that they wanted AMF to buy HD because Bangor Punta was an asset stripper who would kill HD. AMF put 7 million dollar into HD. Lots of quality issues were employee sabotage. AMF made the EVOLUTION motorcycles that were the best ever made. I have had my Sportster for 25 years and 400,000 miles on the original engine. I have had 37 back tires and 18 front tires , and 3 belts in 25 years. Best $7,000 I have ever spent on my 1999 883 XLH. Outlasted all of my Hondas put together.
Chris, I finally subscribed! Thought that I had done it already. Enjoy your video content. Glad that you are up and about. Prayers to you and your wife.
Question: What type of handlebars do you have on your Sportster Custom? I ride a 2013 with the stock bars; feel like I need a bit of a lift up and back. Thanks!
Morning Spike - nice to hear from you again, and many thanks for the prayer support: it's much appreciated, thank you.
The bars on my old Sportster were Khrome Werks Stretch Heritage Bar (Dimpled and Drilled): 300043. Alas, they don't make them any more. (I mention them in my pathetically over-optimistic M8 Sportster video: th-cam.com/video/SOpKDOjEkhM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0kESwcEd0aqubeDb) Before that I had the Drag Specialties Dragster Wide Handlebars (Chrome): 0601-0570. And, these are also not made anymore (as far as I can tell). These drag bars were the best looking (I done another vid, innit? th-cam.com/video/DlocDxMOAyY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=4TC6DnV36Ci1RTRl) and they did have a good amount of pullback. I have seen them on eBay, so you may be fortunate.
Cheers Spike,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Thanks for your reply Chris. My local bike shop suggested a Heritage bar. I will keep looking.
No problem Spike - I'm guessing the shop is recommending the Softail Heritage bars (not the Khrome Werks Heritage) and they do look like they have some good pullback.
From memory, the Khrome Werks bars had about 13" of pullback, I've no idea how much the Softail bars pullback though.
Cheers mate,
Chris
Morning Spike - I've put some files into Google Drive: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jN3Bzq0bVU-xIFlRprYks46O7IXuoe1e?usp=drive_link
The H-D handlebar guide is for all models, but the rest is Sportster specific. I hope something is useful to you.
Cheers,
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 Thanks Chris, That information was very helpful.
XR 750 was twice the price of a Sportster. $7,000 was a fortune back then. Evolution Sportster was much better than a iron head Sportster. Mine is still on the original engine.
Afternoon Frank - nice to hear from you again. You (and your bikes) are real troopers: good luck to ya'!
I don't know what to say about your medical plight; it's awful. I know Anna has a terrible time - next hospital appointment is four days away - and all I can say to her is that we have to 'trust the office', rather than the doctor (who can be... a bit 'iffy' sometimes). But the office they represent is 'hallowed', if not 'holy'... So we try to trust that.
I think of you often Frank. All the best Bro'.
Chris
@@chrisoftheot6272 thanks Chris for the kind words best wishes for your wife.
Thanks Frank - I'll be sure to tell Anna. Thank you.
A separate comment...... I make it a policy not to comment on the politics of other countries, and I find your comments on the past, and, current politics of the US offensive. I would NEVER voice my opinion on the British monarchy to my UK friends, it's just not proper. So, please do shut up about my nation, thanks.
Afternoon again Terry - first, I'm sorry for offending you, it was not my intention; I'm sorry.
I've looked over the script carefully, what was it specifically that you found 'offensive'?
Cheers,
Chris
Offensive? Goodness!
Crap