Hi all, this is Maurizio from Rome, Italy.

My current ride is a 1995 FXDX with the 80 cu.in. EVO2 motor.

Nice, does the job, about to get a Stage II conversion for Easter
(Mikuni 42mm.carb, Andrews EV27 cam, Stage 1 air filter and S.E. silencers)

The point is I have always lusted for an FXR, but FXRs are expensive toys this side of the ocean.

Then, what do I find ? An advertisement for a 1982('84?) FXRS with the 80 cu.in Shovelhead engine.

Hmmm... bike certaily looks nice, an upstate NY import.
Speedo in miles, dual discs up front and bar-mounted instrument pod with tacho... etc.

Question: just how delicate or problematic is a Shovelhead ?
Unlike the Evo I have, the Shovel would never get any upgrades beyond the basic Stage 1,
and she would stay "as standard as can be", I like her looks as she is.
Upgradeability? Such as 39mm forks from a Dyna donor, revised CV carb off the Dyna, etc.

But I am v e r y concerned about reliability...

Opinions and advice, gentlemen ?
PS I know I should ask this question in the Shovelhead Forum, I did but only got one reply...)

 

Shovelheads are old enough that there is a fix for anything that could potentially go wrong. I would mostly worry about not paying too much for the bike.

 

Hard to make that call not seeing the bike in person. Evo are old and shovel older. Being from up north could be full of rust from salt roads. I would not buy a bike that old without seeing it in person.

 

It depends on if you want a bike to ride or a bike to work on.

 

IMO the shovels win the cool factor an the evo wins the reliability factor...I had an 83 shovel an I always had a slight oil leak between the trans an primary. I pulled it apart an replaced the seal an it came back fairly quick (I may have done something wrong) but it was a cool bike...I developed elbow problems an the heavy vibrations made my hand go numb so I sold it. the later shovels had a lot of the bugs worked out compared to early ones but def need more tinkering than a EVO.



mine was a belt/belt so that helped...I wish I'd held onto it an bought another bike an owned 2 but she's gone now.

 

Hi Maurizio from the UK. Like you I have the challenge of owning an older Harley and keeping it going, from outside the USA. In the case of my 1990 Evo that hasn't proved a problem, due either to parts being available through dealers, or from the aftermarket. The same comment will probably apply to a shovel IMHO, especially an '80s FXR.

The Evo is generally a more robust engine than the shovels. The shovel is from the same era as the British parallel twins, which were in a very low state of tune when first designed and put into production, then as the years rolled by they were tuned for increased performance, beyond their designed levels. Reliability tended to suffer as a result and while the British industry disappeared, H-D designed the Evo!

On the other hand, I bought a new FX in 1974 and did over 40k miles on it. The most unreliable feature was its disastrous wiring! Hopefully by 1985 H-D had sorted that, certainly the wiring of my '90 Glide, owned from new, has been fine to date. As a second bike I'm sure that '85 will be fine.

 

If you go shovel head, buy a factory HD manual and dig in deep learning as much as you can about these engines. They were\are dependable power plants but keep in mind the last shovel rolled off the production line over 30 yrs ago so they will need tinkering and gentle loving care.....kinda like a wife of 30 yrs... Here She is when I sold her watched her drive away.

 

If we buy any Harley we should do that! Great reading on those sleepless nights and the best info available.

 

Shovels need more work and upkeep than do Evo's.
I'd stick with the Evo myself and pass on the shovel.

 

IMO.....Get the Shovel....put Made In The U.S.A. parts on it get it were you want it and a Shovel is just as dependable as anything else, way cooler and nothing sounds better! I have a 2007 Street Bob that I bought in 2006 brand new and since I bought the Shovelhead it sits in the corner of the garage collecting dust until the wife wants to go for a ride .