harleyKmodel

Greetings, those that know more than I, very interesting Sportster frame up on ebay right now, seller thinks its a 57, the date stamp is 6L which would be right and it has the tabs below the seat for an XL I believe which would also be right.Seller also says however that the casting code on the neck is a -58 code, which I thought was right for 58 and on, so thought a 57 would have a lower number year code?
Nice frame minimal work to bring it back to pristine, bid is just over $200 now, it ends in 19 hours
Heres the link have a look

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-L-EARLY-4759 ... 1438.l2649

Does appear to be a pre 67 XLH frame. But 6L would make me scratch my head with a -58 casting number. I THINK I can see the small hole on the right side of the neck for the speedo cable bracket which would rule out a 57 frame as well.
If it were a 66 frame I would expect to see the lunch box style racket on the seat casting.

The frame has all signs of a 57 frame ... the number on the neck casting is sometimes very hard to differentiate. I have both, -56 and -58 frames and the -56 looks a lot like an -58 if you dont have a frame for comparison. But the neck looks also a bit twisted!

Deffo not a 76... Nor a 66...

So it's a mid 56 ready to house a 57 XL...

I agree it's a 6, not a 8 on the casting...

Patrick

Hi All,
As always this is what I think not necessarily what is true. I STRONGLY believe this is a 59 frame with the 9 upside down on the casting. I have a frame just like this one with the upside down 9. First the date code. There is a belief by some that there is a system that indicates if the frame is a 50s or 60s by the order of the letter and number, this is not so. The order is random. The 50s and 60s frames can be easily identified by physical differences. For example 67 and newer frames have a large hole in the top motor mount bracket and in about mid 64 went to an asymmetrical bottom of the seat casting. This 60s casting has a boss on the right side in preparation for the relocation of the regulator in 65. Ferrous-Head is correct about the small hole on the right side of the neck casting. It came out in 59 to hold the speedo cable when the speedo got relocated. I have seen frames with the date code letter and number in any order and even sideways. The neck casting is the interesting one. It is my belief that as much as that neck casting may look like a -58 it is not. I believe they are all -56 castings. There are 2 different neck cast used on the 56Ks, an early and a late. The late casting has a bit of a ridge running up on both sides and the early 56K neck casting is smooth. This later casting is what I believe was used on all the Sportsters up until about April of 69 when the casting changed to incorporate a flat spot on the right side for the VIN starting in 70. There are a number of 59 and 60 frames that do have a different neck casting, They have a large letter and number that I call a birth mark. Having said all this let me summarize by saying the only difference I am aware of in the XL and XLH frames between 57 and mid 64 when the seat casting changed is the small speedo bracket hole on the right side of the neck casting.

Another thought about the frame. It appears to have a gusset welded across the top of the rear downtubes. The rear downtubes were prone to breaking at the top where they enter the seat casting and sometimes at the bottom where they enter the lower casting. This is repairable but requires some effort.

Yes twisted frame maybe, it does look a bit wonky, but the light isn't good for accuracy as its off to the side, its like looking at two piece bars in pictures and trying to figure out if they are matching sides .Its good to hear that all short frame neck castings might be -56, cause my frame, ostensibly a 62, seems to have a -56 # on the neck casting.
thanks for putting up the pics Jerry, especially the neck pic of the XLCH with the -56 casting # and the stamp H6, im thinking this is a 67 frame? its got a nice antitheft # there, which I understand may or may not exist on my 62 under the heavy paint

OK - and now that would make sense.
I think perhaps the date and month codes were stamped in at different times. Probably went through them a batch at a time. That would explain why they hardly ever line up. Often in different places and sometimes upside down.
It could well be the year was stamped first as a 9 and then sometime later they stamped the "L". That answer would make everything else fit.
It just doesn't fit to think it's a 56 or a 66.

A 56K frame would have a different top motor mount and a 66 would have a different seat casting.

just to ad ... and a -58 (or XLCH) frame would not have the XLH Oil tank/coil mounts and a hole in front of the seat casting for the gas tank. So a late 66 XLH frame would be the electric start frame ...