Ironhead Was a AMF ironhead as good as a '81 HARLEY ironhead?

[khaskins]

The AMF bikes were still called Harley Davidson.

[bustert]

have no fear of the amf. amf actually helped hd in that they now cleaned up the way they put them together and introduced assy line mfg. before this, hd was still putting on weldments that go way back but were not being used anymore and such. the use of jap parts came and actually were better in a lot of ways but not appreciated back in those days. now, it is the chinese parts that are worrisome. my amf went 150k on the clock before unleaded fuel took its toll but after a little tlc, it is still going hotter than original. i do like the 69 900 for its looks and my k model was interesting but was a constant wrenching project and rode harsh with little performance but it was a hd.

[2007Low]

My 75 XLCH works wonderfully and I love the fact that it still has the big AMF logo on the tank.

I had a 1975 XLCH about 32 years ago too and had absolutely no trouble with it in the three seasons I owned it.

[1979XLH]

out of all the ironheads ive seen 98% have been "amf" harleys...

the real difference between a "harley davidon" and an "AMF/Harley davidson" is the AMF. label...

find what you like and buy it.

[cafe carl]

Lets not forget what was happening with the rest of the MC market at the time. The Asian invasion was on. Cheaper, more powerful bikes were eating HD's market share and in the mid 70's the Japanese companys went into the cruiser thing whole hog. It was called dumping. Japanese bikes were being vastly overproduced and dealers would commonly sell leftover bikes at even lower prices. This is what Harley and AMF were dealing with and I for one am glad they kept the doors open in crappy times. I've never regreted buying mine for a red minute.

[IronMick]

Originally Posted by nrs_nate

I have plans to buy an Ironhead. ... But what about a 1981 ironhead that was a Harley instead of an AMF..Any differences in engines with AMF opposed to Harley? What was the differences between AMF and Harley ironheads, if any? ...

I am guessing that you are asking this question because you have heard some of the traditional stories, urban myths, etc about Harley Davidson motorcycles produced while the company was owned by American Machine and Foundry.

Well, most of what you may have heard is either just urban myth or, if true, well, it may have been true 3 or 4 decades ago but it is completely irrelevant now.

A lot of guys seem to get their joy out of passing on negative stuff; it builds them up when they put someone else [AMF] down. A lot of this has gone on. You can safely ignore any of the emotionally and psychologically unhealthy dudes who continue to pass on this trash.

[jc1753hughes]

The amf years-
Negatives- more than doubled production in just 2 years after purchase led to overworked veteran employees and newly hired "rookie" employees equaled lesser quality.
-amf had a history of buying into new and unfamilier markets, but had the money to keep doing so.
Positives- amf saved Harley from being bought by bangor punta, a liquidator company that offered Harley 1 million more than amf.
-softail was patented under amf ownership(I thank a pretty big deal.)
-NOVA program kicked off and porsche hired to design the motor(now know as the VROD).

amf knew how to make money, not so much how to make bikes. The two big concerns with amf bikes are tolerances(which leads to oil leakage) and quality of the build. Tolerances are what they are and bottom line its going to leak a little oil. Secondly, the build- that bike has most like been rebuilt more than once. So the sloppy work of the stressed employees is no longer. The design is overall good I think. I agree with the guy that said the last amf bike off the line was junk, and the first true Harley bike was pure gold. In my limited experience previous owners are a bigger "what to watch" than what year. And sorry to ramble, I love reading about Harley history almost as much as riding and wrenching. 1979xlh right on, find what you like and buy it!

[ratt2y]

the thing i like about my 1976 sportster is you can do a little up grades and kick the ever liven pis out of the new harleys.buy the bike for $2000 put $2000 into it and smoke $45,000 harleys....O yes but they still have the sound we made famus. I seen a u-tube of a v-rod 30sec.to 130mph. I would race him for $1000. 0-135 mph.jc1753hughes harley are not junk they are what they are.100 year old tech. with up grades thats why a 1976 will smoke them.how the hell did i get sucked into this?.,.,,.,,.just ride,.,.,.have fun.,.and let the jc of this world think what they well good luck Bro.

[brianbbs67]

Back in 1972, which was a cross over year, just check the parts manuals, the goal of AMF was to cheapen the cost without regard for quality started. Foreign parts started to be used when foreign parts weren't of good quality. The basic platform remained, but ALL the add ons were changed eventually leading to dependability probs. Doesn't mean they couldn't run reliably, just more prone to mishaps. Remember, HD almost went out of business in early 80's! Slow rode back, but they are much better today because of it. Just my thoughts

[jc1753hughes]

Originally Posted by ratt2y

the thing i like about my 1976 sportster is you can do a little up grades and kick the ever liven pis out of the new harleys.buy the bike for $2000 put $2000 into it and smoke $45,000 harleys....O yes but they still have the sound we made famus. I seen a u-tube of a v-rod 30sec.to 130mph. I would race him for $1000. 0-135 mph.jc1753hughes harley are not junk they are what they are.100 year old tech. with up grades thats why a 1976 will smoke them.how the hell did i get sucked into this?.,.,,.,,.just ride,.,.,.have fun.,.and let the jc of this world think what they well good luck Bro.

Not junk. I agree with what donw said on page one. Forgot an lol in there. I wouldn't race no VROD though.