Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Yet another new addition.....

Dramatic improvement......!!!👍🏼
Looks good.
I can see why you want to change the seat....😁

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Never knew that no front guard was an MOT fail ... but then never had to have one on my Harley as it's a '47 (of sorts) 🙂 .. There's 46 years between the oldest and newest of these pics ... that a lot of facefuls of mud and gravel!!! 😆



K

Just googled, and no, it's not. Yet another urban myth thing that's propogated over time!

EDIT - although it is required via construction and use regs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/63

"every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be equipped with wings or other similar fittings to catch, so far as practicable, mud or water thrown up by the rotation of its wheels or tracks."

Forthwith I shall identify as a 'wing' because I've been the principal 'mud-catcher' for decades! 🙂

K

Ps .. in really bad conditions we used to tie a bandana between the fork legs in the hope of intercepting at least some of it

I think front mudguard fitment is about road safety and whether in the eyes of the MOT inspector/PC plod the lack of a mudguard is considered unsafe to ride eg water spray, or sharp edges remaining after removal of mudguard etc. It's always interesting to see what the Insurance company position is and whether lack of fitment of a mudguard (especially if not declared and was standard fitment on the bike when new) may invalidate the insurance. I always send pictures to the Insurers of anything unusual or divergent from original specification, so they are aware at the outset of the policy, what the bike looks like.

NIce bike, a sprung solo saddle would improve the look and ride of the bike, old ironheads are great bikes, but can shake your fillings out. I'm sure you will enjoy it to the full.

I've now tracked down my next Harley a '97 Heritage Springer with all the fringes, saddlebags, wind sheild and gaudy Live to ride emblems just about everywhere.........fully loaded. It had lots of engine uprating work over the years but hasn't been ridden by its last 2 owners for years......just been sat in conservatories, garages etc as a static display......absolute shame but not uncommon for this particular sought after first model year Harley



I intend to take nearly everything off the bike and get this more streamlined and considerably lighter look and get it being ridden again. I'll have to wait a while before I can collect as the owner is now away..............which gives me an opportunity to track down the original fitment parts to bring it back to standard........less of the 'live to ride, ride to live' all over it whilst it ironically languished unused in private collections.
So this is the look I will be aiming for, still pretty standard, but they come with solid engine mounts, springer front end and softail rear (emulates a hard tail look but with hidden read suspension under the frame), so still an interesting period ride..-

Hopefully will enjoy, first shakedown run today - no sprung saddle - they're only allowed on hardtails

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Nice looking bike without all the bling - good plan to remove it all. I have a box of 'live to ride' stuff in the shed - stuff I've taken off both of mine. Should stick it on ebay, there's obviously a market for it!

Ahh..! The Springer softail, I remember ogling over the pics of them in HOG magazine when they were first introduced.... Happy days, though when I bought a bike again, I went all sensible and bought a BMW R800R...!
Hope you derive loads of pleasure out of your "new" bike John..

Sprung saddles don't cost much these days. might save a few of the fillings, but any solo seat will improve the look of the bike. A common fix for alleviating handlebar shake is putting lead weights inside the bar ends.

Period live to ride junk I'm sure is very suitable for EBAY.......

I remember putting live to ride on my new first Harley and felt such an idiot after a while.....mind you it was fortunately all lost in amongst all the chrome bling on the Ultra Classic Electra-glide with its quad stereo, cruise control and intercom system even in 1990. Harley chrome and paint was so thin back then, I used to not keep my bikes over winter, as the salt air around here destroyed everything, so I'd sell in the fall and buy another in the spring..

Not quite sure what I'm going to do with the Springer over winter, I may put it indoors...........especially when SUE's not about to hinder progress.

I do remember you typing of living by the sea John, and given all the Chrome springs and kit on a Springer, my guess is that you will need to be extra specially precious about cleaning it regularly... Which may be fun for some, but not for me..

Lead weights in the handlebars...!!! How very Porsche, given in the sixties Porsche seemingly put lead in the front bumpers of the then new 901 to off set the supposedly wayward rear end...? Could be no more than fake news... but..? (-:

This will be my second SPringer, I've had the standard Springer with the skinny 21 inch wheel, (Heritage version has 16 inch front and rear.) Great bikes, really comfortable to ride.just vibrate a lot once you get upto 70mph plus with the solid mounted engine......and the handlebar position makes you into an enormous sail.