A guy I worked with has had this bike for 28 years and hasn't been riding it much. It started giving him problems, and last year he said he'd sell it for $5000. I looked at it then and it needed too much work. The guy isn't all that mechanically inclined and just let everything go to pot, and rode it anyway. The bike is just plain worn out - every piece of rubber, every pushbutton is worn down. Every finish is dull.

The other day he called me saying he got fired from work last month and would sell it for $3500. I picked it up today. I was surprised when I got there and he said he had a bunch of parts in his basement - original pipes, carb and air cleaner. Plus a bag with a camshaft and oil pump, a starter, solenoid, leather saddlebags, and a bunch of other random stuff. I haven't had time to look thru it all carefully, but it is a real bonus. I think I will restore this one as original!

Here it is in my garage. One of the cars is outside for now:





This is my second '82 FXR, it's my favorite bike ever. The first one I bought off another guy from work in the early 90's. He had started to build it for his wife but they were getting divorced so he sold it to me as a total basket case. The frame was already powder coated that color, so I had to go with it:

 

the S&S is a better carb so we adapt the ham cam or the oval even the round to the S&S to get an original look

the choke is a creative thing we do in the shop but I am sure you will come up with something if you go that way

 

I had an '83 FXRT and with the addition tf a Dyna S ignition and an S&S 'E" series carb it was super dependable as well as the best handling HD I've ever owned. (If I could locate it today, I'd try and buy it back!) Good call on your part...

 

I will say that I originally went away from the S&S and really like the Original Screamin Eagle [Butterfly] carb... Otherwise known as the Andrews Flowmaster..
But... Ya gotta know How to at least tune the Stocker [which really was Not that bad unless worn out] in order to make the Flowmaster Function..
I have also learned to like a CV onto a Shovel... depending how ya ride..

 

Good score, decent price.

 

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I've looked at 82's that were real pieces of s*** sounds like you got a good deal...

 

LOL
My '83 after alot of Cleaning!!!!

 

Looks like spring cleaning to me.. lol....

 

shame the oil cooler is bent

 

I was hoping the bike could be mechanically rebuilt and just cleaned up cosmetically, to keep it's 'survivor' status. But it turns out it's been repainted sometime in the past, so the originality has been lost. There is a skim coat of bondo under the paint in the tank dent, and it can be picked off. Also the decals are on top of the paint, not under clear. By 1982, I would think they were using a clear coat.



What do you think, am I right, it's been repainted?