Looking at a new (old) fxd, need opinions..
 

I am looking at buying a 1976 FXD...

It's a bit of a mongrel bike at the moment, it has a wide glide front end, fat boy tank, and a ducktail rear fender. The front and rear fenders and tank all have different paint, the seat is a friggin horse saddle, wide a$$ beach bars and the bike generally looks like a project gone wrong..... Perfect canvas for me!

That said, the engine is in top condition having been rebuilt from the bottom end up by a reputable Indy who is a shovel specialist. Transmission has been rebuilt as well. I personally know the Indy that did the rebuild and can trust his word on the work done. The bike is currently registered and road legal.

So, if I get into this bike it will be a cosmetic build for the most part, my concerns are more centered around parts for this bike, is there plenty of after market and OEM sources for parts for 70's model dynas out there or will I have a hard time getting things? I don't plan on going down the "return to stock road", but I am guessing there may be some OEM parts needed.

Thoughts and opinions?

8's

sounds like a good start on a Rat bike.

I am hoping to save it from becoming a Rat bike...Its a mongrel already, well on its way to becoming Rat, I wanna stop that before it too late and expensive.

There's plenty of stuff out there for that bike. Not a lot of one-stop shopping opportunities, but most everything you need can be found at the chopper shops.

There are several new old-stock sellers out there too. The only real hard to come by parts are wiring harnesses, but the wiring on that thing is very simple.


If you can get that shovel for a good price and still have budget for the build, I say go for it.

I say get it too. It sounds like the biggest expense has already been done. I'd love to find one like this. Keep us posted. And as always, pics help! Good luck!

Bumping this as I'd like some more insight, opinions, points of view....

You didn't mention price point. That can make a big difference.

PRICE! ...and :icon_worthless:

Definitely need to see a picture of this. Assuming the price is good, the frame and engine are solid I'd say go for it.

Had a '72 FX for a brief time...my first Harley...It looked good and the price was right at the time, but was one serious POS moneyhole. I could not keep it running and I had zip confidence with it completing any road trip...It was three years old and just plain wore out and needed a complete mechanical overhaul. The problem was that I was a student and this was supposed to be my primary mode of transportation and I just didn't have the means or time to constantly tinker with my primary mode of transportation. I finally got tired of working on it more than riding it so I sold it for what I owed, bought a Triumph Bonnie and didn't look back for almost 30 years.

That was a good looking engine and I love hearing and feeling that potato-potato idle when it was running right. Now that I have the time, patience, and means, I could see tackling another shovel project...make an old school '70s chopper or whatever...