Flat track Harley ?

C

captain

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Hi Guys
I saw a really impressive Harley that was on one of the owners club stands at last years Welsh Motorcycle Show at Builth Wells.
It was the factory production road version of the XR750 but with a 1000cc motor,twin carbs etc it was very nice and had all the factory promotional info with it on display,I believe it was from the mid eighties and I guess pretty rare,it was up for eight grand.
Does anyone know what model this would be as I cannot remember(yet another sign of old age),I really should have bought it last year,but will be going up to this years show on Saturday hoping that it will be there again
so if anybody has any info I should be most greatfull as I would like to study up on it before maybe making an offer.
Many thanks
Captain
Count down to Calafell 2 weeks day,see you there!
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

see you at Calafell indeed!

Yes mate that was the XR1000, which the Moco made in 1983 and 1984 only.

There have been a couple of these regularly ridden to club events over the years.

Minters have fetched ?8,000 in recent years but they do not come up for sale very often.

Motor parts very rare now.

They were sold as a brutal high-powered racer for the street, based on something like 20yrs of overwhelming flat-track success.

But they were very costly - especially compared to the XLX-61 bare-bones Sportster which the factory was pushing hard at the same time for just $3995.

The **really smart** guys quickly realised that you could buy an XLX-61, hot-rod it and still save a couple of thousand dollars on the list price of the XR1000 ...and have the SAME performance.

That's why it flopped and production stopped.

http://www.allenmotorsports.com/xr1000.htm
http://www.ironharley.com/xr1000.htm
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

Spot on there Dave. They also suffered from reliability problems, mainly due to the poor build quality which was endemic at the time ;hence the oft-repeated myth that AMF bikes are unreliable.

The extra power inevitably exacerbated handling problems, and there was no doubt that they were also under-braked.

Like many "factory specials" (not just from Harley)it was not cost-effective to "go the whole hog" if you'll forgive the pun; it's a great pity they didn't, though, would have been a helluva bike! What you actually got was a hot engine in what was basically a stock Sporty rolling chassis. The exhaust/carb set-up ruled out a pillion seat and pegs, and they were prohibitively expensive too. I remember seeing one for sale in Andy Bone's shop in Nottingham about 1990, and even then it had a price tag of ?6500 when "ordinary" Ironheads were selling for about 3 grand!

Having said that it's still an amazing machine, and if you ever get one that has the optional Branch tuning mods on it, grab it........


..... but FFS don't tell me first, I'll be in with a better offer even if I have to re-mortgage me house! :D :D

BTW I'm going to Builth Wells tomorrow, i'll look out for it; but I think i'd better leave me cheque book at home!
 
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Re: Flat track Harley ?

harley.jpg


hd_xr1000_1983.jpg


Came stock with two 36mm Del'Orto accelerator pump carbs and massive air filters, bet those carbs were bastards to balance!

Still have a piccie of one stuck on my tool box at work from over 20 years ago!

A nice touch was the red strips on the wheels.
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

With the100BHP kit installed how far do you recon you would get on that peanut tank of fuel......... 40 maybe 50 miles to reserve!


Not one for long distance riding that's for sure!!!!! :p
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

Nice pix - thanks. I am pretty sure those were the FXB Sturgis wheels...........
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

Thanks for all the info guys,very interesting I seem to remember the bike at the show being a bit more full on ,it was most probably a pukka flat tracker not a road bike at all,I shall be at the show on Sunday and will make a beeline for the stand it was on last year,here's hoping!
If you went to the show last year you may have seen my S+S lo-rider I have attatched a piccy. I would have liked to have taken this to Calafell but it is definitely not built for comfort,so have wimped out and will be taking the sporty.
Cheers
Captain
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

nice bike mate!!!! :) !

And I can't remember the last time someone said or wrote: ''cant take the big twin, not comfy enough, riding the Sporty to Spain instead!!'' LOL!!! Worth a beer that, Cap'n!!!! See you at the bar
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

SJC69 said:
With the100BHP kit installed how far do you recon you would get on that peanut tank of fuel......... 40 maybe 50 miles to reserve!


Not one for long distance riding that's for sure!!!!! :p
Click to expand...

Name me an Ironhead that is! :D

I'm sure that's one reason many of them are so bloody uncomfortable as stock; you've GOT to stop for gas so why worry about your ass suffering, it gets a break every other service station! :D
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

That'll be a standard 1200 sport with a badly fitted fibreglass seat the frame rails have not been cut off as you have to with these seats,nice pipes,less said about the paint the better,In my book it's worth?3500 tops if I bought it I would put it back to standard apart from the pipes, I had a very nice 1200 sport the same year as this and it was a really good bike I was going to do a flat track conversion but using Storz parts but someone took a shine to it and made me an offer I could not refuse,still got the chain conversion kit so maybe I will do one in the future.
Hope this helps
Captain
 
Re: Flat track Harley ?

Thanks
Sinced noticed that the bike was mentioned in another posting months ago and was on ebay then! As you say, overpriced.
 
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