Ironheads, I have had a few. They are like any other engine, if you take care of them, give them fresh, good quality oil and premium gas (I always use octane booster also) they will be as reliable as anything else. The problem is that many sporty owners are just buying one because they can't afford a big twin. When something breaks they patch it up in the cheapest way possible.... just to keep it going. This isn't the way to repair anything, much less a fire breathing dinosaur of the fifties. Many of you seem not to like Harley's...... well the Sportster was the first superbike. It came out in 1957, had four cams, high compression, unit construction, and a cassette trans. Very high tech for the time. The 900 (really 883) was one of the fastest bikes made during the fifties and sixties. There is something special about those old XLCH (competition hot) kick start only bikes. Everyone thinks they were hard to start....... which isn't true if they are tuned right. One of my friends had one and was always complaining about how hard to start it was and how bad it ran. He brought it over and I set the timing and adjusted the carb. I could stand flat footed...... ease one of the cylinders just barely past the compression stroke, and kick with my other foot..... just a nice forceful smooth kick..... and it would start on the first kick. Of course he roared off down the street and back, then said it ran better than ever before. I rode it and it was fast for an old sporty. He took it home and messed with it and the bike hasn't run good since. What can I say..... he is an ironhead rider
. Anyway, buy the bike, get the top end rebuilt, put in new valves (titanium if you want it to fly) and seats, and a set of Wisco high compression pistons and it should run great. The bottom end is pretty strong, check it but it will probably be alright. Clean and adjust the carb, file and adjust the points then you will have a good running, reliable, cool looking old sporty. Guys, geared correctly with hi-po pistons, S&S carb, HD P series cams and open drag pipes
an old ironhead will do over 125 MPH. A friend of mine in the seventies had one and he used to blow the guys on stock Kaw 900s' away on top end .......