Need a little help with everything I need to buy for a powerplant

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

OK, I am far from new to building motorcycles (On bike 78 now). However I have never done a Harley. My plan to get one is to buy the engine and tranny and go from there. I want to do a hardtail (I have built frames before) with 19'' 130 wheels front and back. I will not be doing a chopper. I want short forks with normal rake angle and to build the bike as basic as possible.

The engines in my price range seem to be the FLHX these come with no flywheel, intake, carbs, or stator. After that I would be buying a 5 speed tranny. Now what I want if possible is a open chain primary. So at this point what is the shopping list to get to a running engine and tranny. Also I want to have chain final drive. Once I have the powerplant up and running I'm good the rest will be easy. Another question is how hard will it be to find a donor frame. That's not really required I have a lathe, mill, welder and all the other shit to build almost anything out of steel. I would happily build me a frame from 4130 DOM tube, but hacking into a donor would save me some time.

I have always wanted a Harley, but I sure as shit don't have the money to buy one. If I have to buy and sell a half dozen Japanese bikes to pay for it so be it.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Or should I just buy a damned sportster motor and be done with it?

[rockman96]

Building a piece-goods bike isn't cheap, or free from headaches. You'd be far ahead to find a titled runner, and then hack/weld/build from that, selling off what you don't need to buy stuff that you do need.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Building a piece-goods bike isn't cheap, or free from headaches. You'd be far ahead to find a titled runner, and then hack/weld/build from that, selling off what you don't need to buy stuff that you do need.

My problem is coming up with all the money at once. Up here in Canada cheap Harley's don't exist spending 8k+ over a year is possible for me, but spending 10k+ all in one shot not happening. Also after the engine and frame I don't plan on using Harley parts, I am the god damn master of finding cheap bike parts and I don't have any problem with turning custom axles and steering stems to use forks and wheels from metric bikes.

The entire point of a Harley to me is a ridiculous loud old school hardtail bike with no extra crap slapped on it. I don't want fiberglass crap, windshield, bags, chrome, sissy bars, ape hangers or anything that don't make the thing go on my bike. Just a striped to its core motorcycle where the rear wheel touches the ground once every four feet as I haul ass down our shitty Canadian roads, and pray some asshole in a prius don't wipe my ass out while texting another idiot.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Right now I'm looking at a 04 883 engine and this frame. It wont give me the taller thin rear wheel i want though

ATTACH=CONFIG]107231[/ATTACH]

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

That frame has different mounts that the rest of the rubber mount frames. The J&P website says it fit so do I need a different mount kit or is the website wrong?

[farmall]

Find out who made it and contact the manufacturer rather than a retailer for details.

Those are solid mounts so someone probably posted the wrong photograph. Rubbermount frames have distinctive rear side mounting plates rather than the perpendicular flat plate on traditional Sportsters. I avoid big vendors and hunt each part online separately combining research and price checking. (This works for nearly everything not just bike stuff.) Study thoroughly so you have a complete detailed mental picture of your prospective machine.

Pic shows the correct rear mount:

https://americanclassicmotors.com/products/slammed-springer-rolling-chassis-harley-sportster-rubber-mount-nightster-iron-xl

"taller, thin" wheel isn't useful information. Post the size rim and tire you prefer. They're generally so close in OD (remember a 1" increase in outside diameter only requires 1/2" more tire clearance because it only changes the radius 1/2") that it doesn't matter as frames are sized with sufficient room especially nowadays with large rear tires.

https://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/blogs/motorcycle-how-to-guides/motorcycle-tire-sizes-comparison-chart

Best to find pics of assembled Sporties that look like you want then determine what frame or hardtail was used. If going for a narrow look check 'em out from the rear and top so you don't make the mistake of buying a frame designed for a wide tire.

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

Seems easier to just find a donor sportster and outfit it with a hardtail if you have all the tools you stated. 04’ and ups can be had for next to nothing as the aftermarket is still easier on the 03’ down. Shit I have an 04’ 883 engine and an 07’ 1200 collecting dust under one of my workbenches, people damn near give them away. The frame you have pictured is definitely an 03’ down, rubbermount rear motor mount below

If your a competent welder and understand basic jig setup you could slug and weld a frame for a few hundred bucks or surf FB marketplace, Craigslist(is that thing still alive), or whatever resource you have available and find someone else’s good idea that never came to fruition, shit ya might get lucky and get something with a title which saves a lot of fuckin headache.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Up here in Canada anything Harley is fucking expensive. As long as I can sell a stupid fucking ninja 500 for 2000 once I rebuild the thing Ill be getting a engine. (shipped from USA)
I haven't been on a bike in two years because of legal problems, but I own 5 at the moment if I can include my ATC 350x. I have to live in a kind of half way house until I go home this spring, but I've been taking advantage of the winter price drop and have one bike here and another showing up this week. They watch my ass though had to pay a shit ton of fines for riding motorcycles without a license to get it back, and by that time it snowed so I got a 2012 CBR250 I got for $300 sitting plated I've never even rode once. If I get the motor selling the ninja and buy a cheap rolling frame (With a roofing job) I can sell the little honda to finish the bike.

Then the registration nightmare will begin.

Because the legal problem was me having a psychotic break and trying to burn down a police station, any sketchy registration BS will not fly. I will need to follow all the inspection and registration shit perfectly as for the rest of my life cops will be up my ass over everything. My days of painting MCs on trailer plates and ripping around are over. Hell my goldwing plate expired when I was a year old and I rode the hell out of it. That was out of province so it rarely got a second look.

[farmall]

Then the registration nightmare will begin.

There is no cold, logical reason it should be a nightmare unless you insist on making it one. Titled frames and rollers can be had online or via Facebook Marketplace (the usual source for bargains lately).

Titled frame arrives, transfer title and ride. If want hardtail install one. Join various Fecesbook groups (I use a dummy nick because fuck datamining) then see what's available in reasonable shipping range. You have time and a titled frame normally goes for hundreds less than a new MSO'ed frame.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Ya, but I live in bc and trust me there are no titled frames to be had so no matter what I need an inspection. In some parts of Canada (Ontario) it's no big deal. However BC loves to fuck you around, even with a MSO you have to get fucked up the ass a bit and smile. Say I bought an entire bike from outside BC the thing needs a fuck ton of paperwork then inspection and after as soon as a claim is made on the bike it becomes unregisterable scrap. It could be a cracked mirror for fucks sake or even I just got hurt and the bike was perfectly fine. The only way to avoid all the bullshit is the MSO frame and engine bill of sale, but no front brake and a hardtail will require an inspector that want some money and booze or one with a drug problem. (lost my option on that last one)

ICBC is the DMV the nazi's would have made if they won the war, hell even they would think it was too much.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

How hard is it to get new heads and valve train for a 80" evo a guy has one for 700

[farmall]

Evo big twin parts are plentiful making them super easy to build. Find out why that engine was removed from service and inspect the cases closely. So you don't get ripped off post pics if possible. Online decoders will tell you what the engine came from and the year (which matters for example if it's head or bottom breather).

For a chopper best to choose a Softail drivetrain (the Evo engines are the same, the Softail primary and gearbox differ) since that's got the classic HD design. There are plenty of Softail takeoff parts and (rigid or sprung) frame choices. Many failed projects get sold with MSO cheaper than buying new. Since you weld and fab even a neck with an MSO could be handy since you could seamlessly transplant that to another frame.

Can you tolerate building one with a front brake for inspection sake? If the brake is the first thing they notice it may make things easier. Since you can fab you can put a steering stem on any suitable donor then swap back (unless inspection stickers are required to go on forks, I've no idea about local laws in that respect).

If running a hydraulic front end swapping between a smooth slider and one with a caliper is painless. I dig the slight beauty difference with a spool but a 600lb motorcycle benefits from being able to stop and no possible rear-brake-only system does that worth shit thanks to physics. Having both lets ya ride then decide.

You can download factory parts books and service manuals from https://www.facebook.com/groups/1465028990466294/ so build a library early on. I keep parts books on my phone for swap meets etc but they're best viewed on a PC. If you have no PC but do have a USB OTG phone display adapters are usually under 20 bucks. (Non-OTG phones won't do external displays.) If you can tether your phone no need for separate internet service and any shitbox notebook will do to read manuals.

Pics of an aftermarket Softail style roller for reference:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/131575620417?hash=item1ea284a341:g:bcAAAOSwu-BWO4vB

What do local independent shops have available? Sometimes dead projects with MSOs end up there.

[CaNaDiAnNuTcAsE]

Well I'm buying the damn motor it has problems but fuck it. I will start another thread.