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I found a service bulletin dated 1981 that shows the VIN character Identification, each character has a certain style to it not just block numbers and letters. I guess harder to alter numbers. The numbers and letters on the 1973 FX I want to buy have these characters on the case number. Am I imagining that things don't look right?
Let me know which characters you think look suspect. My vision is getting blurry from studying this for so long.
Also should the cases at the rear cylinder be more in line, could this indicate that the right case with the number on it was swapped out.
I do not have the belly numbers and I wish I did more homework before I drove 3 hrs to see the bike. I don't want my enthusiasm to cloud my judgement before I lay down 8 large.
Shovel character styles changed a couple times during production and I can't remember the years they did, sorry. Sequence in the picture looks right and the stars have the correct slightly off stamp depth to one side, that one is the usual giveaway on funky numbers jobs, they usually hammer them to deep & even.
Case miss matching on the rear is common on the older castings.
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Jul 4, 2019 at 02:16 PM.
Don't know which State you live in but many States require the frame and engine VIN to match in order to avoid the bike being registered as a Special Construction. Only bring it up because there is a Shovel forum member who lives in Vermont (I beleive) and he stated that in his State that the standard rules for older boke registration do not apply. So if it is apllicable make sure you look at the VIN on the neck. It will be on the right side of the neck
That said depending on the style/type of gas tanks, the number may be difficult to read.
The above pic is from an an almost completely stock 1978-1/s FXE.
Just a last thought/suggestion.....saw your other post that looks like it is related to this thread. Someone mentioned you are looking at 8 Large for this bike. The bike in your other post is highly modified. Not a bad thing but for that money I would expect it to be almost completely stock and in pristine condition. The bike on your other post is definitely clean, and probably a very good runner, but even by Califonia pricing, that asking price is out of line with realistic values.
Last edited by panz4ever; Jul 4, 2019 at 06:33 PM.
Am I imagining that things don't look right?
Let me know which characters you think look suspect. My vision is getting blurry from studying this for so long.
Also should the cases at the rear cylinder be more in line, could this indicate that the right case with the number on it was swapped out.
I agree things don't look right. As I mentioned in the other thread, the engine number picture is very interesting and there appear to be some unusual things about it. Also as you noted in the other thread the casting around the case number is smooth.
I've seen a few other 1970s engine numbers like that 73 but some characters don't look the same as Posident types. For example the 5 is different to what I'd expect. Also compare the end of the curve on the 2. And notice the 6 and 9 were done with the same stamp as each other. Why wasn't the 9 done with a different stamp to the 6?
I have a copy of that Service Bulletin and judging by photo examples of 197080 VINs Ive collected thus far, it seems that sometimes the 6 and 9 were indeed used as per the Posident line-up initially suggested, meaning the 6 was rounded and the 9 was not. But sometimes youll find the opposite. (See photo below.)
Sometimes the way the 6 and 9 were used on an engine is opposite to how they were used on the accompanying (matching) frame. But sometimes it isnt. The early-70s seem to have the most differences and then maybe around mid-74 or maybe 1975 the factory seems to move toward a standard approach, almost. I say almost because there also seem to be some exceptions and I continue to investigate them.
Anyway, that 73 engine number doesn't look authentic to me and I posted two examples for comparison. Also notice in one of my photos that although the 9 and 6 have been done with characters different to each other, they are opposite to what the Posident line-up indicated. But I've seen plenty of this for the early-70s so I don't think it's a concern.
Cases being out of line at the back is okay, depending. But in your photo I cant tell if any characters are stamped on top of the cases. Notice a certain style of Hs in my picture below. Eric
Thanks for commenting again on the case number. I have decided to pass on this bike and have not informed the owner of my suspicions, I know they are innocent of anything of this nature. The title goes way back in this state to 2 previous owners but not so far back as to the original owner.
Red out.
Wow, 8 large for a 46 year old super glide. Good luck.
Because of your comment I thought I would pass this along to you.I backed out of the deal yesterday, not because of the price. Another buyer purchased the bike yesterday and is riding it home today.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Bogus numbers or not.
