Dual Sportster build

[schlepp29]

It looks high enough for clearance but low enough to be comfortable. When do you get to test ride it.?

[fabiodriven]

It looks high enough for clearance but low enough to be comfortable. When do you get to test ride it.?

Well the exhaust system has yet to cross the border from Mexico. That's my limiting factor right there.

[schlepp29]

Well that sucks. Hopefully it won't take too long to come in

[fabiodriven]

Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.

Today was a lot of hours spent with very little production. It's less than convenient when I have to stop what I'm doing to go to the hardware store, but it is what it is. Most of my time today was spent on the chain idler that I'm thinking I'm going to use for my chain tension.

The idler and bracket were not going to work because it contacted the tire, so I dicked around with it and tried a couple different ideas. Simply bolting the idler wheel itself straight to the frame bracket works, but doesn't offer any adjustment. I could consider making it eccentric maybe if I had to.

Then I put the wheel back on the arm and went back to a spring loaded configuration. I removed the plastic bushing and hogged out the hole at the base of the arm a bit, then slid in a bronze bushing with a steel collar around it so I could snug it down tight yet still have the arm free to pivot up and down. The problem was, as I tightened it all down the bushing and collar compressed and expanded, making the arm unable to pivot up and down.

After frigging with that for far too long, I thought maybe I should eliminate the spring and use this mechanical situation to my advantage. So assuming this stays put when I'm riding it, this may be my chain tensioner. We'll see how it goes.

[ATC King]

Coming along pretty good.

[fabiodriven]

ATC King had asked before about the front brake line and that was a concern of mine also. I am keeping the HD master cylinder and it's going to the Honda caliper, so standard to metric.

I had both the HD line as well as the Honda line, both in very good usable condition. I mounted everything today and then assessed what I had. My initial thought was to use a compression fitting on the hard lines to mate the two lines, and that would have worked, but then I saw an even more betterer and cleaner solution.

I ended up cutting the Honda hard line and from it I removed the metric Honda line fitting. Then I simply cut the HD line, removed the standard (American) thread HD fitting, slid the metric Honda fitting on, and then flared the line. It looks phuckin factory, wicked pissa. I couldn't be happier with the results.

I also got the seat mounted today.

I have to mail my rear sprocket and spacer back to Sprocket Specialists so they can make me a wider spacer. Initially I thought the spacer they had sent with the sprocket was going to work, but after working with it more it was clear the sprockets were still not aligned. Sprocket Specialists are going to machine the correct width spacer, but at that width the sprocket will be completely off the shoulder of the wheel hub. Because of this, we need to either enlarge the center hole of the sprocket and make a spacer with a centered shoulder on it (hub pilot in tractor trailer terms) or chamfer the mounting holes and use countersunk hardware. Either way will work, and they can do it either way. I'm not certain which I prefer yet.

Either way, I'm waiting on the exhaust system, some exhaust cones, and now the sprocket ordeal. Other than that it's mostly wiring left, which there is a lot of, and not much else. She's going to be offending people under her own power pretty soon. Everyone that's seen this bell of the ball so far has shown a lack of words lol. It's shocking to most people.

[fabiodriven]

Oh also! I found out last night that this bike is a XRH883H, which makes it a Sportster Hugger. That explains the ride height, solo seat, goofball handlebars, and all that stuff.

[fabiodriven]

Here's a question. I have these screw on covers on my primary cover. With all of my searching, I have been unable to find another example of this on any other HD. What's the story with these? Everyone else's seem to bolt on.

[ATC King]

Plugs for accessing primary chain and clutch adjustment.

Yours is a four speed, right? Just the older design.


Super job on that brake line! Clean and simple modification, like your Sportster was saying, 'Thanks for getting me off that boring pavement.'


Did you know you can get dished rear sprockets? If you didn't here's one, and there are others. I don't know if you have a reason for trying to use a spacer.
https://www.dragspecialties.com/prod...oductId=575440

[fabiodriven]

Did you know you can get dished rear sprockets? If you didn't here's one, and there are others. I don't know if you have a reason for trying to use a spacer.
https://www.dragspecialties.com/prod...oductId=575440

To answer this question, no, I did not know they made dished sprockets. I had talked on the phone with Sprocket Specialists earlier that day, and he'd suggested that a dished sprocket would probably work for me in combination with the spacer I was already using, but he wasn't aware of anyone who sold dished sprockets for that.

I read your reply here before you edited it and added the part about the dished sprocket, or else I would have looked into that a lot closer just to see if it could be another option. By the time I saw the information about the dished sprocket I had already talked to Sprocket Specialists again and decided to send my sprocket and spacer back so they could build a different spacer.

My exhaust arrived in Florida but I'm not in Florida right now.

[ATC King]

The box they shipped that in is even nice. I'd definitely be keeping that for a footlocker.

I'm guessing you got the Flying Comet exhaust?
https://gallopmotorcycles.com/index....&product_id=52


That's a sweet looking exhaust and none of that chrome business to constantly keep clean.



The dished sprockets are often used on the belt to chain conversions, although I think they've been around for a long time. I like to check Drag Specialties because they carry a lot of Harley parts, but there was some other seller/manufacturer that sells dished sprockets that I don't remember the name of. I looked online but didn't find anything the rung a bell.

I'd like to help on fitment, but I'm not that up to speed on all the rear wheel bolt patterns and sprocket sizes the Harley used over the years. Kind of like keeping up with their alphabet soup model nomenclature, which is more like their Latin species name, instead of the common name.

I mean, call it a FLSTF, and you'll get some blank stares. Say Fat Boy, and yep, they understand engrish.

[ironchop]

I ran HD dished sprockets on my hardtail ironhead build and also on my Bonneville chopper build when I was running 16" HD wheels. I recall that the hub built pattern was the same, but the inside ID of the dished sprocket was cut for a bigger hub, so I don't think they were made for HD big twins with the 16" spoke wheels. I got them at HD swap meets but they weren't marked

What model did they come on originally? I always thought it was a ironhead sportster model that used them but do you guys know which one for sure?

That bike would make a wicked hillclimber John

Also the exhaust in the picture Clint put up looks badass. I'd run that for sure. I'm guessing it ain't cheap

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[fabiodriven]

Yup the dished sprocket would have worked I'm guessing, but Sprocket Specialists is handling the sprocket and spacing. The 1979 18" AMF mag takes the same sprocket as the 89 Sportster 16" wheel, but it just doesn't line up on this bike. I'll post the pictures of the solution once I get back to Florida.

Honestly Doug I don't what came on what as far as Harleys go, haha. I don't much at all about them yet!

Yes the exhaust system posted is indeed the one I ordered. It was the first thing I ordered when I started this build and one of the last parts to arrive. Assuming everything looks good in person when I get there, these guys have done an excellent job. No it was not cheap, but it's exactly what I wanted and these guys seem to have an excellent reputation. Not very well heard of in the states which I think is cool, because there are only a handful of people in this country who will have a Gallup exhaust system. I'm really excited to get back to work and get this bike done. I'm going to start the registration process tomorrow.

[ATC King]

Dying here. Waiting for MOAR!

[fabiodriven]

Dying here. Waiting for MOAR!

Ask and yee shall receive.

I have learned to accept things happening this way, so it no longer surprises me, yet it never ceaces to amaze me. I haven't posted in a long time in this thread, but before you posted I almost did. I ended up deciding not to. I was going to address you specifically ATC King.

Tonight was actually my first night in probably almost a month working on the bike. I had to take an unexpected trip to Massachusetts (bike is being built in Florida) and I was thinking about the bike the entire time I was gone. So fitting you'd post on the same night.

ATC King I wanted to tell you that you have been an exceptional source of valuable information on this build and your insight is extremely impressive. You even guessed the exact exhaust I bought, and even with the correct finish lol! It's impressive and greatly appreciated. You get to ride this bike for sure if we ever meet.

As I said, this was my first night wrenching again. I drilled a couple holes in the kickstand and mounted a lift block to the foot of it. That was some tough metal to drill, but it worked out.

Tonight I began wrastlin' the wiring. It didn't go well. I didn't have enough wire to get the rear lights hooked up and I removed the pins from harness because you have to in order to remove the blinkers and taillight without cutting the wires. Well in retrospect I wish I'd have cut the wires, because now I'm having trouble figuring out which pins go where in the harness. Sounds simple I know, but I can't test for the brake wire until I reinstall and bleed the rear brake. I have reason to believe that's the red wire though, I'm almost positive. I'd love to confirm though.

As for the turn signal and running light wires, I have no idea which is which. Those should be easy to probe out with the meter though. I had other things going on when I was working in that area and got flustered unfortunately, and threw in the towel on the rears for the night and moved to the front. It's tough for me to keep a level head sometimes.

The fronts didn't go any better. What I'd love to find out is if the front turn signals on a 1989 Sportster XLH883H light up with the headlight when you turn the key on. Both front turn signal hot wires have constant 12v with the key on. I need to find out if that's normal or not. The front turn signals I bought have two circuits. They have a halo running light and an amber turn signal. With the signals off, only the halos illuminate, but when you switch the turn signals on it shuts off the halo for just the light signaling and the turn signal flashes. Modern cars do the same thing. They kill the running light on the side of the car that's signaling. If this bike sends power to the front turn signals and uses them as running lights, that's going to mess up how my new lights work. Unfortunately for me, I don't currently know if the front turn signals are supposed to come on as running lights.

And as I type this the solution comes to me. Hook up the factory turn signals and then work from there. It all seems so simple when I'm not there, but my brain scrambles when I have the bike in front of me. That's part of why I had to stop working. I need to learn to have clearer thoughts when I'm physically working on the bike. The devil is in the details, and that's where I am now. I'm into the tedious time consuming stuff.

Thanks for posting again because I'm not positive I would have thought to simply hook up the factory signals and work from there if I hadn't posted tonight.