I just traded an 84 Buick Regal for this Shovel. It is suppose to be a 79 FXS and the Engine is 79 FLH 80 with 5 speed trans. The tanks seem to be 5 gallon. It runs good, needs some love, but I have a question. The frame doesn't have the VIN on the neck where you usually see them. I looked around and found some numbers. Can't make them out completely yet but appears to be like 41(or 7)369 - 59 ?? it is in an area under the battery box and to the rear. I am sending a picture of it, not very clear. Does anyone have a clue to what type of frame this is?

 

it looks to have only one mounting hole for the rear pegs. that would lead me to believe it's an earlier year. 79 had two holes in the mounting block for a bracket that the pegs bolted to. look on the other side and see if it's got the gusset welded in it right below where the swing arm mounts. that would be a later frame that came witha square swing arm.

 

Need a pic of the neck area where the numbers should be and the right lower frame behind the primary where the swingarm is not to close on that one .

 

The made two models of the FXS in 1979 a 1200 and an 80. The vin for the 1200 will start with 2F the 80 will start with 7G. Both will end in H9. They will be in the format 2F12345H9. The numbers your show are just casting numbers for the frame parts and are not a vin. The numbers will be located on the neck on a flat area near the front of the right tank. There is another number on the right side near the rear tank mount, top motor mount. It will consist of a letter and a number. The letter will be the month and the number the year. Example B 9 would be a frame made in February 1979.

 

Magnut1, in your second photo could it be 47651-58? That was the forging number used for 1958–early-73 models. As of mid-73 models it changed to 47652-73.

On the left side you may find either 47653-58 (used for 1958–mid-70 models) or 47654-65 (used for later-1970–early-73 models). As of mid-73 models it changed to 47654-73.
Your frame appears to be somewhere from 1965 through early-73. But on the R-H side of the steering head do I see an unmachined boss for a steering head lock? If so then the steering head would be 1969 or later. Anyway, a clear photo of that area will probably tell us something. On the LEFT side of the steering head, look closely for two small round indents at the top of a flattened section. If the flattened section is present, stamped on it you may find small characters consisting of one letter followed by either three or four numbers. We don’t need the numbers but the letter may help with ID.
A photo of the lower left rear forging area will also help.
I can't get your second picture to cooperate with this post so I'll place it in the next one and you'll see I pointed to a round boss. That boss is a leftover from 1958–64 frames where it was drilled and used as one of the toolbox mounts. It remained there unused for 1965 and several more years. In about the mid-70s it was removed and H-D welded on a square block for the footpeg. But as of 1977 models, H-D changed from the square one-hole block to a rectangular two-hole block for the passenger footpeg bracket. Your frame appears to have a two-hole block (blue star) but your block is not original to the frame.
Eric

 

 

Eric, I think you are right on that number that ends in -58. I will look a little closer and get some better pics.

 

If that is a 5-speed, it is a 5 in a Four case...Hope it aint Rev-Tech....

 

It is a 79 FLH 80 engine and 5 speed trans by code.

 

Guess ya better show that "Code" Please.