In February 2004 I purchased this 1974 Sportster with the intent to rebuild it and drag race it. As I began tearing this “rolling basketcase” down, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Once down to the bare frame, I discovered the backbone was bent. Do I buy a replacement frame, or get this one repaired? I opted to repair this one so as to avoid having to title the bike as “assembled”.
Ron Finch of Finch’s Custom Styled Cycles made the frame repairs, as well as adding 4 degrees of rake to the neck. I then took the frame to have it sandblasted for powdercoating. It was then that the sandblster advised me of the hole rusted in the bottom of the frame… Now on to a local welder to have more repairs made.
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Geoff–please clarify for me “having to title the bike as ‘assembled’ ”? If you went with the new frame would the bike have been in a different classification–with different license fees?
Harley VIN prior to model year 1970 was stamped on the engine only. The title follows the engine. Starting in model year 1970, the VIN was stamped on the frame and engine. If an engine was to be swapped into a different frame, the vehicle could no longer be titled or registered as a Harley-Davidson. You had to provide the numbers from both the new frame and the engine for the bike to be titled. As for fees, I’m sure there are a few, but my main concern was insuring the bike. It’s nearly impossible to get full coverage for an assembled bike due to the cost, and when you can, prices are astronomical! The other reason for completing this project using the stock frame is so it could be registered on a “same year” license plate. For a one time fee of $35, my Sportster is registered with an original 1974 plate I found at a swap meet. As such the vehicle is considered historic, and I pay a much lower rate for insurance.