1966 Sportster XLCH

Please read all of this before you throw any money down or start throwing questions that are already answered here. The motorcycle offered here is beautiful. runs great. is in excellent condition. It is not a restoration. It is not a particularly good candidate for a restoration. The primary reason for this is that the notorious weak spot in the right-side case where the speedometer drive was installed has been eliminated with a welded-in repair section at some point in the past. I don’t know if this was a preemptive action or a repair after the case cracked. but the work was very well done. The result is a sound transmission case with no remaining provision for the stock speedo drive. The speedometer present does not work and cannot be made to work. All the other factory features and controls are present and function properly. It is an otherwise fine example of a 1966 XLCH Sportster. Fresh . 030 over top end. rebushed rocker assemblies. new valves and guides. rebuilt lower end that trued up as nicely as any I’ve ever done. transmission refreshed and properly shimmed to specs. new clutch pack and hub/drum seals. new wheel bearings and seals; tires. chains. wiring. all low miles. There is also a buddy seat and Turtle tank painted to match included if one wants the added capacity of that other factory offering. I did not install the often problematic Tillotson carb on this one. It has the earlier DC Linkert instead. A Tilly and Ham can air cleaner assembly comes with if the new owner wants to fight that fight. It is a kick-only magneto sportster and retains all the cantankerous nature of the breed. If you have experience with them you need no warning from me. but if not. don’t assume that riding one of these will be the same as riding an electric start EVO. I have no trouble starting the bike. but I have no idea if you will be able to start it in one or two kicks. I acquired this lovely machine a few years ago in Tempe AZ. It had been “built” by someone with a profound love for acorn nuts and bright red paint. Everything that couldn’t be easily chromed or polished was painted red. Sheet metal. frame. alloy rims. brake drums and hubs. even the heads and cylinders had to be stripped and attended to. It’s all in factory colors now. but the acorn nuts remain. The carb assembly. chain guard. rear rim. rear shocks. license plate mount. saddle and side stand are not “correct” for 1966. I suspect the rear fender may be aftermarket and there are a number of pieces on the bike that are chromed which weren’t originally. The neck races and bearings are Timken rather than the factory ball bearings. The 2 gallon tank is early without the vent provision for the Tillotson and I’m sure there are one or two other things that would cost you points in AMCA judging. This does not mean the bike is unsound. it just ISN’T a restoration . . . neither is it a “barn find” or a cool old school chopper. The case halves bear the same line numbers and the frame has an early ’66 date code. so I feel reasonably certain that these components have all been together through the years if that matters to you. When I brought the bike into California the California DMV insisted that the frame be assigned a CA ID number. so there is a Blue Tag on the seat post casting and the bike is registered under that number rather than the engine number. I am happy to answer any intelligent questions regarding this offering and I am intimately familiar with the bike. As always. there is no warranty either expressed or implied. If you win the auction I will expect a non-refundable $500. 00 deposit through PayPal within 48 hours and full payment within 7 days of close. Shipping or pickup is the sole responsibility of the buyer. I will make the motorcycle available to the buyer or their agent. as is. where is. at the buyer’s convenience once payment is secured. Good luck and thank you for your interest.