A.M.F were they good or bad
.I'll have to find an read it
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,336
Likes: 67
From: SW Minnesota
This is a Trick Question . . . . Right?
Actually the AMF and Harley "relationship" is/was much like the ownership of a Boat. The two happiest days of your life are the day you bought it and the day you sell it. It was a damn good thing AMF bought Harley when they did . . . and it was an equally good thing AMF sold it when they did.
I had an AMF '79 Low Rider Shovelhead that for all the noise I've heard over the years about AMF and Harley quality, ran perfectly for me. Absolutely no problems what-so-ever. It did so for a bit over the proverbial AMF/Harley Terminal Mileage of 30K. I wish I still had it. But like Harley and AMF when my first wife and I split up . . . some things got sold off . . . and I've been running just fine now, for over 30 years ever since. A coincidence? I think not!
Actually the AMF and Harley "relationship" is/was much like the ownership of a Boat. The two happiest days of your life are the day you bought it and the day you sell it. It was a damn good thing AMF bought Harley when they did . . . and it was an equally good thing AMF sold it when they did.
I had an AMF '79 Low Rider Shovelhead that for all the noise I've heard over the years about AMF and Harley quality, ran perfectly for me. Absolutely no problems what-so-ever. It did so for a bit over the proverbial AMF/Harley Terminal Mileage of 30K. I wish I still had it. But like Harley and AMF when my first wife and I split up . . . some things got sold off . . . and I've been running just fine now, for over 30 years ever since. A coincidence? I think not!
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 594
From: Alabama
Read Well Made in America. Good read. I worked at the York plant in 79 and the quality was crap. I was a final QC roller rider. I rarely passed a bike on the first ride.
Read the book.
If someone had the AMF bike it would be good after lots of work.
I walked into Hannums HD near Philly one day and there was an AMF bike on the showroom with several quarts of oil under it; new bike.
This was typical.
AMF wanted to get as many bikes out the door as possible as fast as possible. They could not meet demand.
Read the book.
If someone had the AMF bike it would be good after lots of work.
I walked into Hannums HD near Philly one day and there was an AMF bike on the showroom with several quarts of oil under it; new bike.
This was typical.
AMF wanted to get as many bikes out the door as possible as fast as possible. They could not meet demand.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,389
Likes: 26
From: Windham,Maine
Back in the day I bought three new AMF SuperGlides 76, 78, and 79. We heard all the rumors but my bikes never showed any lack of quality for that time period as far as I was concerned. Without AMF and it's shot of money in the arm really have to wonder about what Harley might have been.
Before AMF waiting for an ordered Harley could take years.
Before AMF waiting for an ordered Harley could take years.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,510
Likes: 13,768
From: Pa.
Read Well Made in America. Good read. I worked at the York plant in 79 and the quality was crap. I was a final QC roller rider. I rarely passed a bike on the first ride.
Read the book.
If someone had the AMF bike it would be good after lots of work.
I walked into Hannums HD near Philly one day and there was an AMF bike on the showroom with several quarts of oil under it; new bike.
This was typical.
AMF wanted to get as many bikes out the door as possible as fast as possible. They could not meet demand.
Read the book.
If someone had the AMF bike it would be good after lots of work.
I walked into Hannums HD near Philly one day and there was an AMF bike on the showroom with several quarts of oil under it; new bike.
This was typical.
AMF wanted to get as many bikes out the door as possible as fast as possible. They could not meet demand.
Right from the horses mouth. No doubt AMF saved HD with it's financial backing, but most HD Loyalists didn't like the corporate take over and that HD Motorcycles were just another product.
Not sure how the factory workers were treated after the AMF takeover, but it's always been said that a bad attitude from the workers also resulted in much of the quality problems.
That being said, I've owned a number of AMF built bikes and loved every one of them. I did buy all of them used, so any problems (if there were any) had been taken care of.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,807
Likes: 1,488
From: SW Washington State
I have had three AMF bikes, all were good bikes. Back then Harley had a bad rep, It was my observation that folks who had trouble for the most part were the cause of the issues themselves. I could spend hours telling you about bikes I have seen brake down only because the owner screwed up the bikes. An example would be when my 78 quit running going down the freeeway, I had to run down the hill to an auto parts store to get a new set of points to replace the recently installed ones. Seems I forgot to put lube on the cam and the rubbing block gave up. Not the fault of AMF at all. but tell that to the thousands of people that passed the broken down Harley on the side of the road.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,825
Likes: 15
A few of us bought bikes in 1976 ,three Sportsters one Superglide all AMF built. Pretty much garbage compared to today's bikes . I had a lot of problems with my Sportster cost me thousands to get mine safe and running good . I had more into it than what the bike cost me new . $3200. If Harley did not buy it back Harley would be long gone . When I see guys buying old AMFs today for top doller I say really why ?
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,485
Likes: 1,140
From: SW Missouri
I remember my dad and his riding buddies complaining about the
AMF's coming into the picture back then and how they didn't like it.
I had a couple AMF bicycles back then and so did my friends and
we were experiencing the same poor quality with the AMF bicycles,
poor breaking welds was our biggest complaints.
AMF's coming into the picture back then and how they didn't like it.
I had a couple AMF bicycles back then and so did my friends and
we were experiencing the same poor quality with the AMF bicycles,
poor breaking welds was our biggest complaints.
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,210
Likes: 3,040
From: St.Louis Mo.
i bought a new 79 low rider and rode the **** out of for 13 years and then sold it to my brother who's still rides it today. best bike ever this bike has never had the push rod tubes off of it, no motor problems or trans problems. throw out bearing was replaced and didn't even need it several years ago. lots of miles on this thing and it's getting alittle tired now and the rear cyl. is starting to smoke a bit. people can't believe it wheni tell them this, but there are alot of people that have known this bike since i bought it in 79 and they know that it's true.
