Good afternoon all,


Thank you Harley Forums for providing me a way to ask all of these experienced Harley folks in the Harley community for advice/help.

Short story -

In 1982 my father bought a brand new black and red Harley Davidson FXRS motorcycle. My father is a fairly conservative guy and it was not really in his nature to own a bike like that so I was happily surprised to see him get it. I was 11 years old and fell in love with it. He used to take me for rides on the back and even tumpt it over with me on it when I was a kid. Didn't hurt they bike which was all I cared about! As I grew up I was "in" to anything with an engine and went from a bike to a mini bike to a moped to a Honda Shadow to a crotch rocket to another crotch rocket. I always wanted a Harley but I just couldn't afford one. My dad and I would talk from time to time and he promised me that one day when I grew up he would give that bike to me. Because of that, I was never really bothered by not being able to own one because I knew he would leave me his one day.

He used to go on rides with his friends all around the surrounding cities in Dallas/FtWorth. My dad and mom would go on weekend cruises and just enjoy themselves. I started street racing (69 Charger R/T and 77 Dodge Aspen ) at the local cruises. Folks from the Dallas Tx area in the racing scene should know Forest Lane, Emerald Street, Manana, California Crossings, and more in the 80's and 90's. I was still into motorcycles all the while I was racing and wrenching on cars and growing up. My father came home and was talking to my mother about a cruise he was going to go on with his friends and that he was looking forward to it. He left that weekend and was supposed to be coming home on Sunday. He ended up coming home a day early and was very shaken up looking and didn't want to discuss his trip with me and my brother. I didn't think much about it, but weekend after weekend he would not ride his motorcycle. Again, that seemed odd to me. I asked him about it in passing but never really got a answer and he would just change the subject.

One day I came home and my mother told me he had sold the Harley. I was floored!!! I couldn't believe he would sell that motorcycle after all the discussions we had had about him passing it down to me. I got really mad and I was about to lose it when my mother explained to me what was going on. She told me on his trip he was riding with his friends in a pack and they were riding on a winding road where you couldn't see very far ahead of you. They were riding single file and my father was second in the pack. She told me a car came around the corner on the wrong side of the road and hit his friend head on. It was very very bad (instantly killed and dismembered) from what he had told her and it shook him up. So much so he decided that he was done with motorcycles. In addition, he did not want to pass his bike down to me because he felt like he was handing me a death warrant. Because of that, he decided to sell the bike and be done with it.

I really didn't have a good relationship with my father growing up. We never saw eye to eye on pretty much anything. We used to fight and argue about everything and I ended up moving out of the house early because of it. I'm not going to lie, I was a wild one so a lot of it was my fault. I eventually got over being mad about the bike and just forgot about it. Over the years I have thought about that motorcycle and how much I wish he wouldn't have sold it. I loved it, I loved the sound of it, I loved how American it was, and it fit my personality perfectly. As I grew up my father and my relationship got better and better. Everything is good now between us. I have settled down myself and just race dirt track cars now.

I still day dream about the bike from time to time. My father is getting up there in age. I started thinking about even though we are so different, that motorcycle was the one thing that we both loved and it was really the only common interest we ever had. A month ago, I had an idea that struck me like lightning! I thought, wait, my father was the original purchaser of the motorcycle. He had bought it from a local Harley dealer (at that time located on Harry Hines Blvd) in Dallas Texas. The dealer is now located on 35e in Carrolton. I figured I could just trace the bike down to who owns it now, assuming its not totaled and see if the person who owned it would sell it or at least give me the opportunity to buy it if they ever decided to sell it. So I called the dealership and they sincerely searched for any information on it but they said their records did not go back that far. They suggested I call the main Harley Headquarters and talk to them. I did, and the person I talked to looked on their microfish and could not find anything on it. So im kind of at a stopping point. I was hoping maybe someone in the Harley community could point me in the right direction or even say "hey wait a minute, didn't this guy we know buy a bike fitting that description/location". I know its a long shot, but maybe someone knows how I could find it.

Here are the details I can provide: 1982 Harley FXRS. It was black and red originally. My father sold it to a guy from Arkansas in 1999. It was purchased at the Harley dealer on Harry Hines Blvd, in Dallas Texas in 82.

Again, I know its a long shot, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks for readying my story. That bike is the one link to my father I would like to have the rest of my life. Please message me or email me with any information.

Thank you,
Burt W

 

Long shot, long story. You must be a good typist.

Any V.I.N.?

 

Chances of finding that bike, is dang slim to none.

 

Best of luck to you. Hope you find it!

 

Good luck, needle in a haystack story.

 

TLDR, good luck in your search.

 

Free post!

 

Hello SophieM? Kathy? xx

 

If in a little time nothing comes up before it's to lait and you can afford it, buy a newer Harley as close to that one looked as you can. He might get a nice feeling seeing his son on a Harley now that you and him are closer. Good luck.

 

Does your father have any paperwork (or pics) with the VIN or the plate. If so, in some states the DMV can provide current ownership info.