XR 750 .

The Sportster in the photo is wearing a 'peanut tank'. When did they become fashionable ? My friend had a 1962 model Sportster, it looked like a British bike. He moved from Australia to America, in 1963. His bike was stolen within a week. Choppers have been around since I was a kid, and have always been rubbish. Harley were just being populist. I think the Sporsters were made for the fellas' girlfriends to ride. But that does not mean they cannot be made to go. The first thing would be to modify the gearbox ratios and make sure the frame handled. Top gear in the 5 speed Sportster box is an overdrive - it is designed for cruising. If you want performance, the top four ratios need to be close and high.
One of my other friends is still a Harley freak and he has raced a bit. He has a very nice late model Sportster with a two into one exhaust system. He rode it a bit fast over a railway level crossing and it spat him up the road.
 
Last edited:
The Sportster in the photo is wearing a 'peanut tank'. When did they become fashionable ? My friend had a 1962 model Sportster, it looked like a British bike. He moved from Australia to America, in 1963. His bike was stolen within a week. Choppers have been around since I was a kid, and have always been rubbish. Harley were just being populist. I think the Sporsters were made for the fellas' girlfriends to ride. But that does not mean they cannot be made to go. The first thing would be to modify the gearbox ratios and make sure the frame handled. Top gear in the 5 speed Sportster box is an overdrive - it is designed for cruising. If you want performance, the top four ratios need to be close and high.
One of my other friends is still a Harley freak and he has raced a bit. He has a very nice late model Sportster with a two into one exhaust system. He rode it a bit fast over a railway level crossing and it spat him up the road.

First peanut tank in 1948, but I get where your head is at.
Peanut tank was on the 62 sportster, your buddy probably had a turtle tank.

Either way, nothing to do with an xr750.
 
Hummer .
XR 750 .

Not a Hummer .
XR 750 .
 
Should anyone be interested, Godin in Kent has a 72 XR750 for sale 39,995 pounds at least you now know the going price!
 
Plenty of guys have tuned their motors to a standstill. Every time you make a change to the motor, you need to adjust the rest of the bike. If the motor becomes more top end, the gearing needs to be changed and sometimes the handling, to get the best out of the bike. What can appear to be an improvement, can send you backwards. What is good on a dirt track, is not necessarily good on a bitumen circuit.
 
I saw the Grand National race on "The Indy Mile" 1 mile dirt flat track race a couple of times. It always coincided with the Indiana State Fair. It would raise the hair up on the back of your neck as they came out of the last turn heading for the finish line. We had seats just short of the start/finish line. Curiously, it wasn't hard to get good seats.
 
And NEVER Shut the Throttle ! .

Godin in Kent has a 72 XR750 for sale

Same Price . Brand New .

Indian has announced that the long-awaited Scout FTR750 is now “available for purchase by all teams.” Base price is $49,900, but purchases by bona-fide race teams will be discounted to $44,900.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2020 Harley-Davidson XG750R flat tracker costs race teams $36,000 and supply is limited. H-D dealerships are given priority.
 
You should be able to build an XR750 for a reasonable price as long as you can find the parts. In Australia, I have never heard of anyone wrecking a Harley, or even selling parts. America might be very different. Old British bikes used to die a lot quicker.
 
Indians were $20,000 US when started !!
Yes, and the FTR was actually developed under Victory. They had one on display at the CW Long Beach show in Dec. 2015.
It appeared ready for production. I was all kinds of excited. The guy was very allusive as to when it would come out.
Within the year, they kill Victory and move the FTR under the Indian label....
Not a big deal I guess as the parent Corp can do whatever they want.
To me, it's a Victory racing under the Indian label.
 
Yes, and the FTR was actually developed under Victory. They had one on display at the CW Long Beach show in Dec. 2015.
It appeared ready for production. I was all kinds of excited. The guy was very allusive as to when it would come out.
Within the year, they kill Victory and move the FTR under the Indian label....
Not a big deal I guess as the parent Corp can do whatever they want.
To me, it's a Victory racing under the Indian label.
It should be Polaris. They bought out both names and slathered them on their products. If the Indian name had been for sale first, there never would have been anything labeled Victory.
 
It stands to reason, that eventually somebody in America would learn to build a decent motorcycle. At least an XR750TT road racer looked right. Functionality needs to dictate form. 'Because I can' is never a good reason for doing anything, especially if you are stuffed in the head.
 
For somebody to be a great winner, they need other competitors who go almost as fast. If everybody else is slow, a win has less meaning. Can an XR750 beat a 500cc speedway Jawa ?
 
Back
Top