The Myth of the 1979 Sportster

[Tin Man]

The Myth of the 1979 Sportster

It comes up time and again. The unknowing espousing something someone told them. A firmly held but unsupportable belief based on a false premise. The myth? The 1979 Sportster was built with parts used only one year.

1979_Sportster_XLS_lf.jpg

On that face of it that would, if you use logic (something many fail to practice) illogical. Could a small manufacturing company like Harley-Davison manufacture a whole motorcycle from scratch and then abandon those parts in a years’ time? Not if they wanted to be profitable.

• 1979 Production Information:
• XLH (6,525)
• XLCH (141)
• XLS -(5,123)

Let’s look at the basis for this myth. Many aftermarket parts catalogs will show exhaust systems and then say fitment does not include the 1979 models. Not internal motor parts. Not suspensions, brakes, fenders, wheels and the list go on. Just exhaust systems. One need only spend some time in the service department repairing bike professionally to know the list of parts one year only is rather short. In fact, there was once a group called Fames on the Yahoo pages dedicated to “Fits all models except seventy-nine”. A clever but somewhat misleading moniker.

Many of the 1979 parts were recycled design components from the failed XLCR model. A failure to find traction in the market left it with a very-short model run. The exhaust design was used again in 1979 on the XLH and XLCH but was never appreciated at the time for its excellent power producing and balanced look. The ignorant abandoned it for drag pipes which as an all too common circumstance of the OEM designed exhaust. It required a different and unique bend to clear the rear master cylinder. Hence the aftermarket assigning the “fames” declaration to the exhaust systems page of their catalogs.

1979-XLS roadster .jpg

So, to be clear if one hasn’t worked on that model professional and I regret to say there are few who have you are erroring to say it is an orphan or is the “bastard” year. If you do you may find yourself open to ridicule from those who know better. One only needs to spend time with an OEM Harley parts book to dispel the myth. That includes the 1979 models that after it is all said and studied have only a handful of parts that have no interchange with other model years.

[Architect]

My first bike was a 1979 XLH I bought used with my brother and father in 1987. It was equipped with the last year kick start and electric starter. I can attest that whenever I entered NYC Harley Davidson for parts (I was only a teenager at the time) the ribbing from the parts counter staff started immediately about my choice of year bike.

That said, with the kick starter exhaust pipes where hard to find that fit, but they did exist then. I also had an issue with the clutch hub being a one year only part, but freely admit those are the only parts I recall. And maybe a review of yours parts book will change my mind on the clutch hub. Regardless they are great bikes, particularly in stock form, thanks for posting the pics.

PS that full cover over the oil dipstick looked great but was a total PITA in practice. My bike in about 1989.1979 crop.jpeg

[chuckthebeatertruck]

My first bike was a 1979 XLH I bought used with my brother and father in 1987. It was equipped with the last year kick start and electric starter.

To be clear; there was only one year that the FACTORY fit both electric and kick start to any ironhead. That is the 1967 XLH.

From 1968-1979; if an ironhead has both electric and kick; it means one or the other was added by the owner or by a dealer, but it didn't come that way from the factory.

Hence you can't go by what was in your bike's primary . . .it was modified :-)

[Tin Man]

1979 was the last year HD made the XLCH model the kick start only bike. It was small last hurrah as only 141 were assembled. A lot of the XLH or XLS models had kick starts added after the fact as they left the assembly line as electric start only. . I worked service in a dealership in that era. I can recall us installing the kick start components on several bikes every year for owners who worried about being "stuck" if the battery was low.

[Architect]

To be clear; there was only one year that the FACTORY fit both electric and kick start to any ironhead. That is the 1967 XLH.

From 1968-1979; if an ironhead has both electric and kick; it means one or the other was added by the owner or by a dealer, but it didn't come that way from the factory.

Hence you can't go by what was in your bike's primary . . .it was modified :-)

This is literally the first time I ever heard it was not a factory kicker. Bike was pretty stock and low miles when we bought it, it was only 8 years old at the time. Previous owner was not someone that was going to be messing with the bike for sure, but I don't think he was the original owner.

We had a friend with a kick only 1979 that he ordered and bought new, so I can concur that those bikes did exist.

Interesting.

[chuckthebeatertruck]

Yep, this is one of those subjects which makes many owners of 70s sportsters scratch their heads. It just doesn't seem possible to many that hd only offered kick/electric for one year only. And they all know at least one guy who ordered a kick only CH in the 70s. So, yes, kickers were offered. It is the combination of systems that was dropped.

the other challenge is the use of the word factory. The parts used to add either kick or electric were oem/factory parts and fit to kick Only bikes. But as tin man points out, many had a kicker added at the dealer prior to delivery using those same parts. Hence someone will say they ordered a bike, and they aren't wrong. They did order a kick/electric sportster and the dealer did the final install. To that owner the "factory" did it because that's how their scoot was delivered.

It becomes a fun discussion among old bike enthusiasts.

It also makes zero difference, except for some reason 70s sportster enthusiasts get real, real excited about kicking. Not sure why. ;-)

[vph-d]

There was a near mutiny at the dealer level when the first 79s were delivered. The combination of frame change, mag wheels and exhaust system was just too much to handle at one time. Many/most dealers cut back on orders. In addition to the horrible looks, the 79s were the worst XL model quality wise, many many warranty claims, more than any other year, as I remember.

The factory responded with the Hugger model, equipped with wire wheels, and a 16" rear tire, that had a lower saddle height. These bikes were a big improvement over the earlier machines, and we were actually able to sell them. We changed out the air cleaner, and exhaust system on probably all of the 79 models we sold.

As was stated, only the 67 XLH had both kick and electric start, though many owners pieced together the parts necessary to add the kicker. IIRC, there was a kicker conversion kit for the 79 model.

I saw one 79 XLCH at our shop, it was a Military Sales bike for a guy getting out of the service, so we were the dealer he chose to prep/deliver his new bike.

VPH-D

[ihrescue]

We changed out the air cleaner, and exhaust system on probably all of the 79 models we sold.

VPH-D

When the dealer changed out an item like the 1979 dual crossover exhaust what did they do with them? Just saw one with just the crossover header piece for $399 on eBay. Imagine having acquired a truck load of them back in the day? A fellow member from my chapter basically gave me a whole 1979 exhaust system last fall and it included all mounting hardware.

https://www.ebay.com/p/1325355691

Mike Love

[Rubone]

When the dealer changed out an item like the 1979 dual crossover exhaust what did they do with them? Just saw one with just the crossover header piece for $399 on eBay. Imagine having acquired a truck load of them back in the day? A fellow member from my chapter basically gave me a whole 1979 exhaust system last fall and it included all mounting hardware.

https://www.ebay.com/p/1325355691

Mike Love

Most went to the scrapyard.The dealership I worked in started a policy of taking warranty, wreck repair, and other miscellaneous parts and filling used oil drums, then welding the lid back on and selling for scrap price. Lots of good stuff went away.

[vph-d]

Mike,
We threw them out, along with all the 2 into 1 FXE exhaust systems we removed.
VPH-D

[Jerry Wieland]

Well I might as well chime in. I was also working around HD dealers in 1979 and my experience is that 1979 model year HD's had 2 major issues. #1 was that just about every 1979 XL we uncrated needed to have the transmission pulled and the shifter re-shimmed. Apparently a new employee was found to not be doing it. #2 was that both XL and FL had problems with spinning the left engine case race insert especially the Shovelheads. Factory told us that apparently the aluminum foundry was pouring the aluminum at the wrong temperature. I also assume that upping the cubic inches to 80 did not help.

Jerry