keep hearing
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,191
Likes: 574
Case in point. Woke my ‘67 FLH from her winter hibernation. She started up fine as she was on a battery tender. Checked the tire pressure and oil and took her for a short ride. Got a 1/4 mile away and she died. As soon as I turned the ignition switch on, the circuit breaker would trip. Walk home and get the trailer and get her on the lift. It took most of the following day to trace down the short that turned out to be bared wire to the turn signals on the terminal in the nacelle. 57 year old wiring combined with the vibration a shovel produces is bound to cause some problems. Don’t they make anything that lasts anymore?
Point is you do what you can to maintain these pieces of history but you’d better have the knowledge and the time to resolve the problems that are bound to pop up.
Point is you do what you can to maintain these pieces of history but you’d better have the knowledge and the time to resolve the problems that are bound to pop up.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,110
Likes: 51,396
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Cheers to that one, think we're all gluttons for punishment god knows I am in both departments 
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 41
Likes: 9
From: scotland
cheers guys ,, i have a 2 mates with shovels and they wear rose tinted specs where their bikes are concerned and to be honest i dont hear about them going wrong too often ,,i was looking for a 78/79 bike and im not too fussed as i have ideas ..
My '79 FXEF is my first Harley. I knew when i paid an outrageous amount of cash for it ($250 
) and because I've watched the previous owner work on it that it needed a LOT of attention. I love tinkering/building/fixing/repairing things and in the process of rebuilding this thing from the ground up (except transmission . . . ) i fell in love with it. Can't match the amount of fun i had with all the learning these guys helped me with. Nothing rides like a shovel!
GET YOURSELF A SHOVELHEAD!
) and because I've watched the previous owner work on it that it needed a LOT of attention. I love tinkering/building/fixing/repairing things and in the process of rebuilding this thing from the ground up (except transmission . . . ) i fell in love with it. Can't match the amount of fun i had with all the learning these guys helped me with. Nothing rides like a shovel! GET YOURSELF A SHOVELHEAD!
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 452
Likes: 228
From: Northford, CT
I wouldn't limit yourself to a 1200. The 1340 will broaden your search and some of the later models came with some cool upgrades.
Be realistic in what you want out of a Shovelhead. It won't be your main ride it sounds (you have the FXR) so that IS a plus. I had a skewed perception when I bought mine that I would be rolling 85-90 on the highway riding with TC baggers for hours on end. Yea.... NO! I changed my riding style quickly and learned to ENJOY the ride. Screw all that highway crap.
I don't think the Shovelhead engine itself is what gave the bikes a bad reputation.... it was everything around it. The transmissions leak due to wearable bushings, the starter setups are crap, tapered shaft clutch setups are ehhhh, inferior brake setups, subpar wiring....
BUT, guess what? Everything I mentioned, has an aftermarket FIX/UPGRADE offered by several reputable companies to overcome those shortfalls which makes these bikes so great. These upgrades are not easy nor cheap but they are available nonetheless.
You currently just happen to own a bike which HAD all those updates from the factory and then some.... but it still will never be a SHOVELHEAD (you have an FXR though so you get a solid pass in my book).
They are good motorcycles to invest in and enjoy.... I can think of many other motorcycles which are far worse AND lack the aftermarket upgrades/support.
Be realistic in what you want out of a Shovelhead. It won't be your main ride it sounds (you have the FXR) so that IS a plus. I had a skewed perception when I bought mine that I would be rolling 85-90 on the highway riding with TC baggers for hours on end. Yea.... NO! I changed my riding style quickly and learned to ENJOY the ride. Screw all that highway crap.
I don't think the Shovelhead engine itself is what gave the bikes a bad reputation.... it was everything around it. The transmissions leak due to wearable bushings, the starter setups are crap, tapered shaft clutch setups are ehhhh, inferior brake setups, subpar wiring....
BUT, guess what? Everything I mentioned, has an aftermarket FIX/UPGRADE offered by several reputable companies to overcome those shortfalls which makes these bikes so great. These upgrades are not easy nor cheap but they are available nonetheless.
You currently just happen to own a bike which HAD all those updates from the factory and then some.... but it still will never be a SHOVELHEAD (you have an FXR though so you get a solid pass in my book).
They are good motorcycles to invest in and enjoy.... I can think of many other motorcycles which are far worse AND lack the aftermarket upgrades/support.
Last edited by garystaven88; Apr 29, 2020 at 09:14 PM.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,922
Likes: 826
From: Toronto Canada
Case in point. Woke my 67 FLH from her winter hibernation. She started up fine as she was on a battery tender. Checked the tire pressure and oil and took her for a short ride. Got a 1/4 mile away and she died. As soon as I turned the ignition switch on, the circuit breaker would trip. Walk home and get the trailer and get her on the lift. It took most of the following day to trace down the short that turned out to be bared wire to the turn signals on the terminal in the nacelle. 57 year old wiring combined with the vibration a shovel produces is bound to cause some problems. Dont they make anything that lasts anymore?
Point is you do what you can to maintain these pieces of history but youd better have the knowledge and the time to resolve the problems that are bound to pop up.
Point is you do what you can to maintain these pieces of history but youd better have the knowledge and the time to resolve the problems that are bound to pop up.
