Sweet Sounds of a Stock Shovelhead

Fresh paint, a freshly rebuilt engine, and that classic V-twin sound — what more could you ask for?

One of the things we love most here at H-D Forums is finding cool new YouTube channels and sharing them with you. When we’re not riding or writing, we like to kick back and soak in motorcycle culture though our computer screen, especially over the cold, lonely winter.

Pacific Mike is a Harley-Davidson mechanic from out in California. This guy knows Harleys new and old, inside and out, and he shares a lot of great information with his viewers.

In this video, he shows off a beautiful, classic Shovelhead that’s mostly stock. This particular bike is a ’79 Super Glide. As Pacific Mike says, “I think, if I’m not mistaken, it’s an FXE model.”

Most Shovelheads we see are modified mechanically in some way, as they don’t have the greatest reputation for reliability. Many owners have upgraded theirs to run better and faster.

The logic makes sense — if you’ve got the thing apart, why not hot rod it a bit? Even this bike has pipes and an S&S carb, but it’s more or less stock on the inside. The ignition has been upgraded as well to improve reliability.

Brown is Beautiful

As Pacific Mike explains, “The motor is pretty much bone stock, but the whole bike has been restored.” He should know — he’s the one who built that motor!

The bike sounds great. It starts right up and soon settles into a nice idle. That trademark classic V-twin sound is captured well in this recording, and the idle gradually decreases in speed until you can practically count off the RPM on you fingers.

Pacific Mike gives it a bit of throttle and it roars to life. This bike has surprisingly good throttle response for a carbureted bike.

We’d be happy to own this classic Harley, and we’d ride it as often as we could. It sounds sweet, runs great, and looks incredible. What more could you ask for?

After shutting off the bike, Pacific Mike says “I hope you enjoyed that! I certainly did.” We sure did. Thanks for sharing!

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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