Harley-Davidson Sportster: 50 Things To CHECK BEFORE You Buy

Harley-Davidson Sportster: 50 Things To Check BEFORE You Buy
The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a classic, timeless, motorcycle. It's also one of the most popular motorcycles ever sold, especially in the United States.
Unfortunately, not all Sportsters are well taken care of by their owners. If you're looking to buy a used Harley-Davidson Sportster, you should be familiar with these 50 things to check out before you buy a Harley.
This video will help you become a more informed buyer by letting you know what to look for in the following areas:
0:00 Intro
0:34 Body
4:39 Front end
7:13 Rear end
8:08 Controls
9:40 Tires, wheels, etc.
14:00 Engine & transmission
17:30 Electrical
20:33 Fueling
22:21 Other

[@YouMotorcycle]

Hey guys! Here's the video on 7 ways to tell if your motorcycle tires need replacing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpDaapmVfqecjck

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

My Sportster is a 883. I have had my Sportster for 25 years and 400,000 miles on the original engine and 37 back tires and 17 front ones and 3 belts in 25 years and used every day as it is my daily driver as I don't have a car. I am extremely satisfied with the bike.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Holy cow, that's amazing.

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@@YouMotorcycle There is a website for Sportsters with over 250 K. Harley Davidson most reliable motorcycle unlike the big twins Twin Cam and M-8 as well as the Rev Max. I am so glad the Chinese came out with the Stormbreaker 1200 EVOLUTION Sportster.l like my solid mount carburetor model.

[@ritotron5752]

Holy shhhhiiiit

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@@ritotron5752 l just ordered a new set of tires for the bike. Now it's 38 back tires and 18 front ones. I just keep putting on the miles!

[@MrMikeDao]

Jesus Christ I swear I've seen you comment this exact thing in like 10 other sportster videos

[@geraldscott4302]

I HIGHLY recommend a carbureted bike. I have a 2002 Sportster 883C (non rubber mount) and a 2006 Sportster 1200L (rubber mount, and LAST year for a carbureted Harley) If you are buying a Sportster, or any used Harley, hopefully you are a gearhead, and actually like working on your vehicles. Carburetors are cheap and easy to work on and tune, EFI is an expensive nightmare, and it will need to be tuned, all EFI bikes come from the factory set so lean the engine gets hot enough to melt down, and it will sputter and hesitate. Jets and needles are about $5 apiece, an electronic tuner is at least $500, and some are over $1000. Also, if you want that Harley sound, you won't get it from an EFI bike. If getting gas and oil on your hands bothers you, then internal combustion powered motorcycles are probably not your thing. A big thing you missed, which is an issue for ALL EVO engined Sportsters, is the clutch "grenade plate" In their infinite wisdom, H-D decided to put what they call a "spring plate" in the clutch. A "spring plate" consists of 2 plates riveted together, with springs between them. I really don't know why they did this, I've heard a lot of different things, but H-D has never explained it. Over time and mileage, the rivets tend to break, and then you have a real mess. That's why it's called a "grenade plate" There will be lots of little pieces of metal floating around in your primary and transmission (unlike the big twins, on a Sportster, the primary and transmission use the same oil) and can cause a lot of internal damage. Around 15,000 miles and later is when these things tend to fail. Both my Sportsters had well under 15,000 miles when I bought them, and the "spring plates" were still intact. I replaced them with a Barnett "extra plate kit" which eliminates the spring plate. I can't tell any difference in the way it works, but it is a VERY important thing to do. It does require a special $50 tool to remove the pressure plate. I got mine from Motion Pro. It's an easy job if you are mechanically inclined, if you're not, again a Harley may not be the right bike for you. They tend to be a "do it yourself" bike. Some things I did when I bought my Sportsters are things I do with pretty much any used vehicle. In addition to the clutch upgrade, I replaced the tires, brake pads, changed the engine oil and filter, primary and transmission oil, Removed, cleaned, and retuned the carburetors (the PO had installed great sounding aftermarket exhausts, but had not tuned the carburetors for them) Both still had the stock air cleaners, which I kept, but replaced the element. I lubricated and adjusted the clutch and throttle cables, drive belt, rear wheel alignment, and replaced the grips. I replaced the batterys. I gave them a good cleaning and detailing. One tool you will need is a platform type scissors jack that can lift both wheels off the ground at once. Neither one of mine had all that corrosion on the engine or forks, but they were both original Arizona bikes. Don't expect a used Sportster to be ready to ride coast to coast, unless it is really almost new. I strongly recommend joining xlforum.net/ and getting a genuine H-D service manual for whichever model you wind up buying.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Re: Carbs vs FI... I plugged my Power Commander 3 in to my laptop and tuned my FI in about 30 minutes on my 2007 XL883 as a half-dumb 23 year old. First time ever doing anything like that. It's a lot simpler than taking carbs apart and a lot cleaner too. I hear people worry about what happens when an injector goes bad, etc. but I can't answer that... because I've never had anything fail in a fuel injection system. I've bought lots of carbureted motorcycles that were neglected by previous owners that needed to have their carbs taken apart though. Different strokes for different folks. Good tip on the clutch plate, thank you! Maybe a good idea for a next video is the typical sportster "first mods" like you mention. I've done a lot of those too (Stage 1 kit, throw away the rear shocks and the OEM Dunlops, etc.) XLforum is a great resource. Some of the people on there are like a lighthouse to a sailor lost at sea. I've also encountered some complete nutjobs on that site. It's kind of funny seeing the two sides coming together lol

[@user-bf2vm8uq9y]

Got a 2004 XL883C it has 15,000 mls. or it will have by tha time you get this ! 🤣 I got it with 10,000 an all I have done is replaced mufflers w/straight pipes that it (no adj.)but needs some somewhere someway !? hickup, cough, spit sputter you know & changed the oils ; ( motor, tranz, pri.) 20-50 all tha way , { Good or Bad }? { Rite or Rong }? Can you give a ole beginner some Do's N Don'ts ?! I'm in Mississippi so for tha mostest it stays pretty warm ! Many Thanks 🇺🇸🤙✌️

[@leesire]

I have a 2005 sporty 1200 c. What’s the best tires for it? I put a new plate in, my grenade plate was beginning to explode.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Depends on what you want to do with it

[@leesire]

@@YouMotorcycle ride safe on the highway

[@the.tattooedkitchen]

I just bought a 2005 Sportster for my 1st bike. Its been sitting for years and needs a complete going over. This video is so informative, can't thank you enough for sharing !!

[@YouMotorcycle]

Woah that's awesome. Congrats on the first bike, welcome to the club, thanks for the kind words, and check out this video on how to change the oil yourself if you're into that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIabn4iaebZ_Z8U

[@chrisbolton5461]

Just found your channel. Great video and well presented.

[@xanderneyra2187]

Great video, super informative. The length of the video was perfect. You explained everything thoroughly, which was much appreciated. I definitely subscribed to this channel. Thank u!

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks very much!

[@kitkimbrough1145]

Very meticulous, I would hate to have someone do this if I was selling a questionable bike, so great as a buyer, Thanks !!

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks very much

[@HarleysDinersRides]

Good video Adrian, this is quite the list, well done. cheers Dave

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks for the visit Dave. Sorry I didn't make it to Port Dover to meet you guys!

[@vitoraimondi2626]

Awesome video - thanks!

[@YouMotorcycle]

Happy to help!

[@user-bf2vm8uq9y]

Great Video , Thanks for your time & know how ! What tha Scooter you have in the back ?

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks very much! That's a Vespa GTS 250i. I ride it on the highway to show what it's capable of in an earlier video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5TCp62GjbeKhKM

[@ThatThrottle]

Excellent video! Great information here. Thank you for making this video.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@richcolgate8929]

Great vlog bud, excellent advice,, Rich from the UK 👍

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks 👍Glad you enjoyed! Please like and subscribe for more!

[@KonaCommuterMotorcycles]

TYVM for this video.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Ride safe!

[@reddogroad2120]

Excellent Video. Now I can look like I know what I'm doing when I go to look at a 1999 Sportster that's for sale. Thanks!

[@YouMotorcycle]

Happy to help! Thanks for stopping by and good luck with the purchase.

[@David-og7di]

Buy a 2004-2006. Better bike

[@bradleyhanlon]

@@David-og7diI’ve had both and I have to respectfully disagree. I love the simplicity of the rigid evo and it’s significantly lighter than the rubber mount. They don’t seem noticeably rougher to ride either

[@gailsmith9835]

Clutch hub mounter alternator rotor magnets falling apart is worth mention. Even the stainless wrapped ones can be bad. My bad one caused slow cranking was not the starter motor wrapped ones can be bad and appear OK at glance.this is a major flaw worth mention

[@YouMotorcycle]

Hey. Thanks for the info. How would you recommend someone check for that before they buy a bike?

[@jonbond1644]

Some rim's are balanced with dina beads which would account for no weights on the rim.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Woah, you're absolutely right. I totally didn't think of that. Thanks for chiming in!

[@h.wayneb3495]

seat base pans (plastic) are broken many times also, Thanks for sharing

[@YouMotorcycle]

Good to know. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@carbonEYE007]

Picking up an EVO in two days, stoked found a killer deal on a 1200 C

[@YouMotorcycle]

Congrats! Hope you love it!

[@cheval1951]

merci c est vraiment bien et complet pour moi vraiment bien

[@Rogg33k]

Thank you

[@stewpit57]

I've been working on my wife's 2013 xl 883. It had a map sensor code. I changed that. The bike runs great but the engine light stays on. There is no codes and the motor cuts out while riding. I changed the filter and screen with no change. I am convinced it is a fuel problem and wonder if I should change the quick disconnect even though there is fuel flowing from it. Any suggestions would help. I am close to bringing it to a shop which will be costly. The only other thing I can think of would be the injectors. Thanks

[@YouMotorcycle]

@@stewpit57 have you tried leaving the battery disconnected over night, and what have you tried to clear the code and seen it it comes back?

[@DanGoodShotHD]

Thank u comment

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thank you reply 😃

[@BuddyMeredith]

The steering stop should prevent that gas tank damage. Are the steering stops broken? If the steering stops are not broken, I have found that corner tank damage is caused by a windshield bracket or some other add on attached to the handlebars in the triple tree area. it only takes one screwup to get that chip.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Don't forget the steering stop is designed to stop that damage on the OEM handlebar. The minute the handlebar is changed, all bets are off

[@BuddyMeredith]

@@YouMotorcycle Okay, not trying to argue with you. That may be your experience. I've got a 2002 Sporty. that I've changed the bars on four times. Never had a problem. I also have chips in both corners of my tank. They came from the aftermarket windshield that I very carefully installed with the brackets set to make it look sleeker. Oh well, they're small chips!

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

For $5,000 you can get 2 Evo Sportsters. I have seen them for sale as low as $1,600.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Absolutely. There are always good deals out there for someone willing to be prepared, be patient, and travel a little bit :)

[@exexpat11]

That is a lot of iron for low cost!

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

@@exexpat11 You betcha!!

[@michaellooijs531]

Not in the Netherlands😢

[@jamesbennett9654]

Missing the cylinder head brace between the two heads

[@nekochristmas]

I have a light ticking sound when ridding, but it stops when i pull in the clutch when getting to a light, it's a 07 sportster i rebuilt and ice changed all the fluids and stuff is that something to worry about?

[@YouMotorcycle]

What do you mean by you rebuilt it

[@nekochristmas]

@YouMotorcycle bike was sitting from 08, has only like 5k miles on it, got it last nov 23', I had to take apart and replace anything fuel related (new fuel pump, spark plug, fuel line quick conects, gaskets, clean tank etc) and to rewire from the wire harness (in fact it was still shorting till i found my postive lead had rubbed off some insulation and was shorting) fixed the front suspension new tires, etc (other stuff to like breaks etc, but i dont want to write every step i took ) New fulid and flushed, of course , it runs really well, and it doesnt have any issues, but i keep hearing this light ticking/tapping sound when ridding, but when i pull the clutch in it stops, or quites down to the point i dont hear it, i changed out the clutch fluid thinking maybe something was rubbing , but it was amber gold still with no metal flaking But then i keep reading online "harleys just make noise " so idk, but everything runs, clutch clicks solid into gear, and the bike doesnt hesitate or anything Next on my list is the change the motor mounts but to be honest I'm holding it off because they are not bad (I'm just being preventative at this moment) But like i said, that tapping is making me so paranoid 😫

[@exexpat11]

Temperature changes. I get something like this on my 2019. Air cooled. Old design. Get it sometimes on deceleration or in low speed zones. Like a clock.

[@nekochristmas]

@exexpat11 thats 100% like a ticking, hahaha, ive learn to just ignore it 😂😂😂 maybe thats bad, but it drives so well, so idc hahaha

[@djangor4969]

Number 51 thing to check is the condition of the cam chain tensioners.

[@YouMotorcycle]

Would you let someone open up the motor of a motorcycle you were trying to sell? You're a better person than me. I'd tell them to get lost lol

[@djangor4969]

@@YouMotorcycle Agreed. But I would at least ask them if any maintenance had been done on the cam chain tensioners and ask to see garage maintenance records as back up and peace of mind.

[@hrobo]

Top

[@YouMotorcycle]

Thanks!

[@theodavies8754]

A battery can have 12.7 volts but be cr**ped out for CCA. Most likely will start from cold or on choke while the compression is down. When the engine is hot is going to be another story,as when fuelling up. CCA is not about the engine being cold, it's the current the battery can supply in amps, don't cheap out on a replacement battery either,so if it's not going to be a free fix. Discs get spendy as the pads shouldn't be reused. Wheel bearings definitely can give out at low miles. Always be set up to walk away, no matter how far you have travelled. It's usually cheap for a reason, don't spend your whole budget on the bike, there will almost always be issues that will need extra money early on.

[@Josevic666]

I want to buy a 1997 Sportster 883 with 100,000 miles. It's priced at $6,500. Is it a good deal?

[@YouMotorcycle]

Nope!

[@Josevic666]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@YouMotorcycle What’s a good price?

[@YouMotorcycle]

@@Josevic666 for 100,000 miles??? There are so many great used sportsters out there, why would you want one with so much wear on it? I'm not saying it's junk because it's high mileage, some of these things last FOREVER, I'm saying the Sportster isn't some kind of rare motorcycle, you have so many to choose from, there's no need to get one with that much use, and if you really had to I wouldn't pay more than $1500.

[@Josevic666]

@@YouMotorcycle I live in Chile, and there aren't many Sportsters from that year. Considering this, could I raise the price?

[@frankcastle5294]

XR1200!!!!!

[@user-fu5ws7sn2b]

Worst bikes ever.they suck

[@YouMotorcycle]

There's always an anonymous guy leaving this comment on every video lol