r/Ironheads

I fucking love this bike

I sold this bike 20 years ago, I regret it every day

First time here just wanted to post a photo of my 74 XLH Ironhead that I've owned for 42 years I got it when I was 22 years old

Did someone have an oil leak on the little starter crank gear stop? Mine seems to have some play in the axial direction and very, very small play in the radial. I had a pretty bad oil leak when the engine didn’t run. The primary chain cover gasket is new (James gasket), with 0 miles on it. No. 27 in the second picture.

thanks

While working on my ‘81 sportster project, I decided that it was time to turn my attention to the fork. The bottom tree cover is rusted and needs replaced. The issue that quickly became apparent though is that the top tree feels welded in place. To remove the fork from the head tube I was able to hammer the bottom tree down until there was enough clearance, but the top tree doesn’t move even slightly with a firm hammer blow. I’ve tried removing the caps on the shocks as well, and besides having springs come flying out at me, it made no difference.

Advice would be much appreciated. I don’t want to buy a new fork, as that would blow up the budget for this project.