I went over to the dark side. Update: Betty rides again!

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Highpower

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Yep, I drove two hours to pick up a Harley yesterday. I have a penchent for rescuing forgotton bikes if I find one that interests me and the price is right. It is a 1990 Heritage Softail that the seller had inherited from his uncle a few years ago. This 36 year old bike only has 11,294 original miles on it. The original owner obviously cared for ir and had put new tires on it before he passed away, they still have the mold tits on them.

It needs a battery and a good detailing, but other than that, it's in really excellent condition. One of the reasons I decided to buy it is that it is totally original as came from the factory except for the mufflers, which are H-D but sold as an aftermarket ad-on. For 3K I couldn't pass it up. The Evo motors are about as bullet proof a motor as you can get, back when I worked in a dealership I saw several with over 100K miles.

My motorcycle background is in Harleys and I had my first Harley when I was 17. I worked for dealerships as a factory trained mechanic nearly 30 years I have owned something north of 30 Harleys as well as nearly the same number of non H-D's. Several years ago I had a '97 Softail and while I would never want to tour on one, they are fine if you keep your day at under 500 miles or so.

My Goldwing carbs are still out being rebuilt and it looks like I won't get them back until after the 4th of July, so I will be cruising this around instead. Certainly not the worst fate a guy could have.

IMG_1786_Fotor-XL.jpg


IMG_1787_Fotor-XL.jpg


These pictures were taken as I was picking it up I had removed the seat and original saddlebags, I removed them to prevent them possibly flying off on the way home. Currently it is up on the lift waiting for the day to cool down a bit before I get out to the shop and give it a service.
 
Last edited:
Highpower said:
Yep, I drove two hours to pick up a Harley yesterday. I have a penchent for rescuing forgotton bikes if I find one that interests me and the price is right. It is a 1990 Heritage Softail that the seller had inherited from his uncle a few years ago. This 36 year old bike only has 11,294 original miles on it. The original owner obviously cared for ir and had put new tires on it before he passed away, they still have the mold tits on them.

It needs a battery and a good detailing, but other than that, it's in really excellent condition. One of the reasons I decided to buy it is that it is totally original as came from the factory except for the mufflers, which are H-D but sold as an aftermarket ad-on. For 3K I couldn't pass it up. The Evo motors are about as bullet proof a motor as you can get, back when I worked in a dealership I saw several with over 100K miles.

My motorcycle background is in Harleys and I had my first Harley when I was 17. I worked for dealerships as a factory trained mechanic nearly 30 years I have owned something north of 30 Harleys as well as nearly the same number of non H-D's. Several years ago I had a '97 Softail and while I would never want to tour on one, they are fine if you keep your day at under 500 miles or so.

My Goldwing carbs are still out being rebuilt and it looks like I won't get them back until after the 4th of July, so I will be cruising this around instead. Certainly not the worst fate a guy could have.

View attachment 373399

View attachment 373400

These pictures were taken as I was picking it up I had removed the seat and original saddlebags, I removed them to prevent them possibly flying off on the way home. Currently it is up on the lift waiting for the day to cool down a bit before I get out to the shop and give it a service.
Click to expand...
Not at all a Harley guy, but I can appreciate the $3K purchase.
 
Spent the last two days detailing and servicing the Harley. I suspect that it had last been serviced a very few miles ago, probably when the new tires were installed. While it looks okay from a distance, up close it's rather crusty. Most of the mung cleans off, but there is some pitting on various chrome bits that isn't going anywhere no matter how hard you rub on it. There was a chrome cover on the rear belt pully that passed well beyound saveable, so it had to go. I am not fond of all the ghey chrome add-ons that Harly owners are prone to installing as I don't like my bike looking like a carnival ride.

My shop is most definately NOT climate controlled so a 91 degree day combined with 85% humidity means that I can only work for a couple of hours in what amounts to a sauna before I have to go in the house and cool off. This makes it take longer to do things, but I'm retired and I can't ride it until the battery shows up and I don't have the new fork seal yet.

Some much needed love, sorry for the crappy pics, I didn't realize the camera lens was fogging up:shrug: :
IMG_1789_Fotor-XL.jpg


IMG_1791_Fotor-XL.jpg


The fork sliders are really corroded and I will polish then out when the fork seals show up next week. I have decided to cosmetically leave it as a survivor bike, only cleaning the chrome and buffing out the paint and the forks. It does show the effects of time, it is after all 37 years old, but I am kind of liking it the way it is.

While I am not prone to naming my machinery, I have decided to name this old girl "Betty".
 
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JJames said:
How much does Betty weigh. In metric tons.
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Something like four of five. Just kidding! listed weight from Harley says curb weight with fuel and oil is 698lbs. Fat old ladies on the back will tend to raise that up a bit. The weight is down low, as is the seat height, so they don't feel quite as heavy.

Heck, my 1979 naked Goldwing weighs in at a hefty 603lbs and the seating position is much higher, so it feels roughly the same when paddling around at slow speed in a parking lot.

I love my '68 Bonneville, weighing in at a svelt 375lbs.

Don't ask me to do metric.
 
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Highpower said:
Something like four of five. Just kidding! listed weight from Harley says curb weight with fuel and oil is 698lbs. Fat old ladies on the back will tend to raise that up a bit. The weight is down low, as is the seat height, so they don't feel quite as heavy.

Heck, my 1979 naked Goldwing weighs in at a hefty 603lbs and the seating position is much higher, so it feels roughly the same when paddling around at slow speed in a parking lot.

I love my '68 Bonneville, weighing in at a svelt 375lbs.

Don't ask me to do metric.
Click to expand...
Hey, I love all of 'em. How many complete '68 Bonnevilles can you find for 3 grand? BAMBALAM!
 
So, the battery finally arrived yesterday after being lost for a couple days in the DEI black hole that is the Memphis USPS distribution center. Betty started up almost instantly and idled after a brief warm up. No adjustments were needed on the carb which needless to say is very unusual. Bless her heart, she wants to be on the road. Not bad at all for a total investment of under $3500 all-in.

It was another scorcher yesterday so I only put about forty miles on her before I noticed a rather large strom heading my my way and I managed to beat it home by about 30 minutes. Good thing too, as it rained about 1.5 inches over the next hour or so.

Today the early morning weather was perfect and I was out the door by 6:30 and put another 70(ish) miles on her. As is usual with a bike that has been sitting for a few years, the longer I rode, the better Betty ran.

You can make all the fun of the carnival rides that most Harley owners seem to turn their bikes into (and in large part it is justified.) But a nice stock bike like Betty is a joy to ride, reasonably smooth over rougher pavement and they handle better than you would think. The weight does exact a penalty in tight corners, but if you slow down a bit and enjoy the ride, they are quite pleasant.

Later today they are having a ceremony at the Shiloh Battelfield park and I'm riding over for the event. They are shooting a couple of the Civil War cannons and I love the smell of blackpowder.

Betty at the river:
IMG_2166_Fotor-XL.jpg
 
A really like the look of those bikes with the calliope stuff removed. The look even better with the pillion pad and panniers removed.

Do you live near the Memphis metro area? My USPS packages enjoy long stays at the Memphis distribution center as well. Sometimes a week or more.
 
jetmechmarty said:
A really like the look of those bikes with the calliope stuff removed. The look even better with the pillion pad and panniers removed.

Do you live near the Memphis metro area? My USPS packages enjoy long stays at the Memphis distribution center as well. Sometimes a week or more.
Click to expand...
My taste runs more towards RZ50 but to me that's a classic Harley. The bags are synonymous with that era, but I would like to see Betty wearing a little less if you know what i mean.
When I see theese Harleys, I think highway cruiser. I know this motor was considered an improvement but will it hold 80mph for hours?
I've always been a fan of the USPS. Wanted to be a mail carrier but my mediocre Cybyl Servis Exam score wouldn't cut it. I can't spell for S#%@ and vets and others get +10 as they probably should. Anyhow I think it's a shame the have been neutered as they have. I order online as a last resort even if it's cheaper, but recently ordered a tank vent for a Stihl weed eater . It was coming from a small town in Missouri, 145 miles away. Estimate was three days. Took three weeks. The seller issued a refund the day before it got here but this was more than a $20 pain in the Ass. I could have walked up there faster. Guess I'm livin' in the past. Happy Sunday all. Going for a ride to check out the piles of spent fireworks in KCK.
 
I too, like it better with out the passenger seat and Betty no longer wears hers. I personally need a way to carry stuff and would like the bags for that reason alone if I didn’t like the looks. But I much prefer them over having things strapped on in miscellaneous places. Soon to come is going to be a curved pre war style rack.

As for the Evo motor, they really were a significant upgrade over the previous generation Shovelheads. I rode my last Heritage, a ‘96 model from Bend Oregon to Pismo Beach California in a 15 hour stretch, about 700 miles. Speed limit on I5 is 70mph and I seldom went under that. I can tell you that the bike was is much better shape when I finally shut it off than I was. I used to ride fast, but I don’t beat on my equipment and as such I never had any issues with any of my Evo motored bikes. Last time I talked to the guy that bought my ‘87 FXRS, that motor had 130k on it with a top end at 110K.


PS, Memphis is the distribution center for my neck of the woods, and they screw up often enough that I am always surprised when things get here in a timely manner and aren’t destroyed when they arrive.
 

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