Do not ignore ANYTHING on an Ironhead. 1979 AMF Harley-Davidson XLH1000 Sportster

The damn thing pumps oil just fine, so I can ignore a failed oil pressure switch, right? Yes, and no.
On the upside, the military paint has worked well. I emptied a 400ml rattle can all over the tank, which had been orbital sanded back to bare steel with 80 grit then 320. Dry. It doesn't match the ammo boxes on the back and when I filled in 'Olive Drab' as the colour, the V5C came back as 'Green'. Bloody DVLA; no wonder they put it in Wales.

[@warrenp2022]

Unfortunately when I store something for the future I do it too well. After hours of searching I end up buying another, and yes, it does come out of hiding when I no longer need it. A cross pond conspiracy!

[@ImminghamIronhead]

It's probably one of those Illuminati things; most everything is these days 🙂

[@StarTrekBro]

I plan on getting a 1980 ironhead soon. I must assume your kickstarter was not stock. And I think an 80 would be the same frame as yours. Wondering where you got it from and if it was straight forward. Thanks!

[@ImminghamIronhead]

Mine was from eBay. It hadn't been on the road in a decade and had been at least four people's failed project. Broken crank, worn out primary, bent valves and it still ran! Five years later it's much better, but it's very old so you get things fail that you just don't expect. Replacement parts are cheap and plentiful, but can be pretty badly made. Yep, the 80 would be the same frame and the kicker can be re-installed on these; I like kickers 🙂

[@bennyrichard6537]

In 79/80 AMF/Harley was phasing out the kick to push button start and only having kick as an accessory if ordered by the customer. The thinking of that was to broaden the customer base by adding some luxury and easy engine start for the folks who wanted to start riding but well.... didn't have the mechanical ability or strength to kick a higher compression bike and to compete with Honda's nice guy image by making the bikes more user friendly, appealing, and easier to get out and ride for the general public and more money for leisure type folks here in the states across the pond.😎🏴‍☠️

[@ImminghamIronhead]

​@@bennyrichard6537 I gave it a go as electric only, but really missed the feedback you get from a physical starter (compression, for example), also I'm not a big guy, so it helps to have an easy way of turning the engine.

[@matthewnaylor4412]

Are those pressure dials you bolt in to rocker box any good? Someone told me the oil pressure on these is so low they hardly register?

[@ImminghamIronhead]

Never tried one, but the top end is fed solely by those 3/16" brass tubes running parallel to the pushrods, so probably not much to report. The standard oil pressure switch coming off the oil pump to the red warning light seems broadly accurate, but they do break down over a couple of years or so with all the oil and vibration, so keep a spare handy.

[@kelvinbolton9395]

Hi.....as an ironhead rider for over 40 years I can say that they do work. However on start up you may get a reading of about 20 or so psi when cold, once warm then it drops significantly to almost nothing psi n you wonder if you've got a pump problem. Ironheads in my understanding move the oil around by volume and not pressure. Rely on the oil light, just keep an eye on the connection n if in doubt look into the oil tank to check return flow, give it some revs n you will see it pumping into the tank.😊

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

😁👍🏍️👍

[@martincvitkovich724]

What model windscreene and how effective is it?

[@ImminghamIronhead]

It's a £40 universal one from eBay. It's a bugger to set up (I spent about a month with it slowly collapsing on me at regular intervals until I got it right) but it stops me being blown backward off the bike (I was pulling the handgrips off daily) and the buffetting happens somewhere above my head now. There are a couple of cable ties at the bottom as it tries to go flat otherwise. Highly recommended.