Hey guys, all of a sudden I have the desire to own a 77-79 shovelhead. My question is, if I follow the maintenance by the book, should I still expect to be on the side of the road no matter what I do? They're so simple I just don't see how they could be unreliable if properly maintained.

What needs to all be done for maintenance on these? Replace/adjust points, adjust valves and carburetor, service spark advance unit, is there anything else? How about converting to electronic ignition? A lot of guys say points get you home no matter what, but why couldn't a guy carry a spare ignition module with them?

Thanks a lot in advance for any help/advice!

 

Keep on top of the maintenance, don't flog them, and a Shovel is reliable. I think any real lemon AMF ones must be weeded out by now.

 

Holy ****!!!
Considering the fact that they are all at least 30 years old, I don't think going by the maintenance schedule will matter much at this point...
If you have not spent at least the last 15 years [half the age of the machine in question] doing maintenance on an Antique motor vehicle of some type at least...You're gonna need an accelerated learning Curve.
Lucky that nowadays, there are places like this to go to...
You have started the right way at least. Good Luck.

 

Why a 77-79? Why the limit on the years? If you go 78-1/2 they are electronic ignition and not points.

Like Racepres said maintenenance schedule is really out the door at this point. If you are looking for one, closer to stock are harder to find and will cost a few bucks more. What you want is a title that matches cases and frame, and receipt for work done.

There were "issues" with AMF bikes but the one with those problems would not be on the road today if the problems were not resolved (or if it is a true barn find that had low miles and simply put away).

 

If you are doing your own wrenching, pretty simple to make a shovel as reliable as an EVO. The big trick is finding one that hasn't been fubared by past owners to the point of being a money pit to get there.

 

agree as well with all above - BUT you need to be in it for the long haul its not bad as some will tell you but it can be a thing as said above - if its a labor of love and you have the time and extra money to invest it will a great experience to own and work on

if you are the type every time it does something you freak dont buy one

 

Strange title to start a discussion. How bad can they be? Well, the fact that so many are still on the road after 35+ years kinda answers that question.
I recently purchased my first Harley - a 1983 FLT. The PO had it for 20 years and took good care of it. It runs well and is a bunch of fun to cruise on.
Nevertheless, mechanical things WEAR OUT. I just replaced all front fork and front brake internals due to leaks and poor function. Also replaced the rear shocks and did a bunch of 'cosmetic' work on paint and aluminum. Will replace the clutch next.
If these kind of projects are not a challenge and fun for you, you should not get ANY vintage motorcycle.
my two pesos...
tomas

 

They are what you make of them and how you treat them. No better, no worse. Would you expect to be given the same service by a C2 Corvette as opposed to a C6 Corvette? The correlation applies to any and all "mechanical masses" as well. The older they are the more attention they might/should require ( Gee I have a better half that resembles that remark ). Part of the pleasure of owning an older scooter is the enjoyment of having others admire it and the appreciation you derive out of knowing that your efforts are what keeps it on the road.

 

It all depends.. are you looking for a cheap one? one that needs work? A restored one? What's the budget?
As everybody says, they as reliable as they are maintained.
Things wear out, 30+ years later a bunch of oem parts may be gone, lost, replaced etc
You might find an awesome deal and 2 weeks later out of nowhere your clutch goes out, starter stops working, fork starts leaking, etc etc... so it is all relative

 

http://northernwi.craigslist.org/mcy/5356569219.html

There's the link to one that I was looking at. I'm not too worried about the money, its just that my main riding time is before my work shift, and I don't wanna risk being on the side of the road all the time. I was just wondering why so many people say they're so bad when I don't see much that can go wrong with them, so as long as what they do have on them is taken care of properly. My general opinion was the older vehicles are more reliable than the newer ones, but I could be wrong.