stop laughing folks---and consider this---way back in the late 1950's, sportsters were actually used as dirt bikes. Now raise the suspension a few inches, add off road tyres and you have another duel-purpose bike. engines air cooled, gobs of low end torque, weight about 500lbs---less than BMW, parts available everywhere except 3rd world easy to work on, simple electronics reliable chassis, will accept heavy loads. think about it---it will make sense.

Back in the 30's and 40's all bikes were duel-purpose. But then there were not as many paved roads.
"Then came Bronson" TV show (1964-1965)? amend 1969
He rode his his Sporster all over the US.
On the road, hare and hounds, motocross.
The only safety gear he had was a jacket and a black wool watch-cap.

[This message has been edited by John Ferris (edited 18 June 2002).]

Sure , if you want , why not .
Can you get the tyres you need in the wheel sizes you have ?

And will the motor have thermal problems ? Some times , you will be travelling very slowly over long distances and this gives some bikes danger of overheating .

See http://www.classicharley.com and look for "world tour" at the bottom of the left column. Couple half way around the world on Sportsters.

Remeber - ANYTHING can do it, just some are better than others, and it depends on what "roads" you are willing / want to ride on.

------------------
Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

__________________
Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------

Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

thanks grant, idm

The evolution 883 would do. Add a decent carb and filter and stick to roads. Any roads, tarmac or not but roads. No way will it manage terrain with the standard chassis/susoension and modifying is too much. Better strap the engine into any proper double cradle enduro-chassis.
But again a pretty much standard 883 would do. Slow but would get there.

Hi!
I rode a XLH 883 for 11 years, and also used it for touring (Norway - SE Turkey). I even used it one winter here in Norway. It's was great both on paved roads and gravel, and the low seat-height made it easy to handle even on snow. OffRoad-tire for the front (19") is no problem, but the drawback is the 16" rear wich have a limited tire-choice.
Parts is no problem in Europe (but was i SE Turkey in '96..)
The reason I sold the bike was that the engine broke down twice, and ruined my middle-east tour.

Regards
Mads

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Mads/Norway
http://www.geocities.com/mads-are

__________________
Mads/Norway
http://www.geocities.com/mads-are

Looking for anyone (English or Spanish language OK) in Buenos Aires, who is familiar with 1986 Harley Sportster 883, and who is QUALIFIED to provide a complete mechanical/safety check and maintenance/repair "advice."

Pleasant, safe and secure work space and absolutely no rush. I will purchase tools and source necessary parts and reimburse you for your time and effort, for specifics.

I need to learn everything about the 1986 Harley Sporster 883. This bike is set up for touring and has quite an overland history.

A CLYMER: SERVICE,REPAIR MAINTENANCE manual is available with QuickSilver Carb Instructions..... Inquire here or post private message to me. Thanks xfiltrate

I once saw an Electra-glide, two-up manage 45 km of sandy gravel-filled, ruttage that had my 1150 GS struggling!

Tell a lie, the GS was fine: I was the one struggling!!

Anyway, I can believe that you'd manage, but it would be a big compromise, given some of the options readily available out there!!

On a technical note that I know little about, would the steering angle of the front forks not be prohibitive (the rake or trail: can never remember which).

Off-roaders tend to have a pretty acute angle from the vertical, where as harleys tend to stick the front wheel well and truly out there, no?

__________________
Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

I thought all Harleys were dual-purpose - you can load them into a truck or take them out of a truck....

Hell you could even put TKC 80's on a big 1150GS and say that it's the ultimate adventure bike, oops, someone already has!

They are fine cruising along a paved road. The low seat height makes them -much- more manageable off road than many so called off road bikes. The only down side is they seem to have a high first gear which might make walking pace riding, hard on the clutch. Maybe fuel range might have to be addressed. ( Installing a Punsun V twin diesel engine would fix this )

Hey Guys, This thread is nearly 6 years old!. Should we be resurrecting it or sending it to primary school?

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'

Officially now in a minority living in London!

OK, thanks, I'm already learning. It would be great if you guys were here in Buenos Aires. and could take a look at this bike.

Imagine all of a sudden a 1986 Harley Sportster 883 appeared and you became the responsible for it. You know it had a complete engine rebuild sometime last year, about 1500 K ago. You know it has been just sitting for 4 - 5 months. You know the rear break pedal is disconnected, that there is no speedometer, that the the battery is dead, but taking a slow charge.

You know it died, for some undetermined reason, in a remote area.

You don't see any major cracks in the frame, the front break works, the clutch works and you can at least find neutral, the tires are up, The chain and sprockets look warn, but OK for test ride at least. The front forks OK and the rear suspension good.

The throttle "seems" to work with the carb as it should.

A spare part or three came with, one is a new black electronic box that looks as if it could replace the same under the handle bars.

You think it might be a good idea to at least drain the old fuel out and maybe the oil and replace. Best way?

What do I do first? I have no experience with Harleys. I am most concerned that I do whatever I do in the right order, properly and that I do not cause more problems than already exist.

A friend will be arriving in 2-3 weeks who can help, but is there anything I can carefully do in the meantime. I have the 1986 Harley Sportster CLYMER: SERVICE,REPAIR MAINTENANCE manual, but it doesn't help much with starter button, kill switch, starting procedures etc etc locations. It kind of assumes that the reader knows the basics.

Any help appreciated. This is a beautiful bike and deserves to live again. I'll deal with where to ride, highway or off road later, once it mechanically safe and running as it should.

The registration process (from USA registration to Argentine registration) for this bike will be documented in my thread how to Buy/Sell in Argentina.

Hopefully the information provided will enable others to transfer foreign titles to Argentine titles. Any help appreciated, bike has to be presented to customs for determination of value and assignment of % of import tax. thanks, xfiltrate

I just gotta jump in on this one.

It wouldn't be my first choice, but this guy did it.

Harley Sportster at A Day In The Dirt - Harley Sportster at A Day In The Dirt - Motocross Videos | Vital MX

There must be lots of harley forums with quite a few people that could give detailed answers to your questions--I wish I could help but I don't know if this is the best forum for technical questions about harleys!