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66-84 they are all antiquated machines that are inferior in every department other than the "cool factor" in comparison to every Harley made afterwards.
The question really is do you want a dresser, bagger, chopper, hot rod..... those are decisions only you can make.
That's the reality of it. Buy one that hasn't been completely screwed with or roached and dive in.... you aren't making a life or death decision here.
66-84 they are all antiquated machines that are inferior in every department other than the "cool factor" in comparison to every Harley made afterwards.
The question really is do you want a dresser, bagger, chopper, hot rod..... those are decisions only you can make.
That's the reality of it. Buy one that hasn't been completely screwed with or roached and dive in.... you aren't making a life or death decision here.
Absolutely...
In fact if you purchase a Poor enough example, then Make it Look and Work Good... Ya may just come out ahead...
The 4 speed Shovelhead Frame didn't change enough to Spit at ...so Matters Nothing!!!
Last edited by Racepres; Nov 18, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
66-84 they are all antiquated machines that are inferior in every department other than the "cool factor" in comparison to every Harley made afterwards.
The question really is do you want a dresser, bagger, chopper, hot rod..... those are decisions only you can make.
That's the reality of it. Buy one that hasn't been completely screwed with or roached and dive in.... you aren't making a life or death decision here.
I'd argue they are simpler machines compared to todays and a couple generations back but getting real production demands and reducing costs on the assembly line is whats driven a lot of what you might think as improvements with them. Every new gen motor, evo, twinkie and current M8's have all had there share of issues that never got worked out.
I have a pile of customers with 100,000 miles on pans and
shovels from choppers to stockers some more - sure if your as moron thats wont happen
its about quality care - not ripping it
and none want anything to do with the new $hit - the fl3wr5tmflh6 special addition in that color wow they only made 5000 in that exact color i guess the block you live on no one has the same bike maybe - who cares not me
my 48 Indian chief is on its third trip around the speedo -
I think for me the shovelhead is the a cool old bike that has stood the test of time, is reliable when maintained, and did I say just plain cool? Having rode close to 1500 miles a week for 10 years when I worked for HDMC I don't want to go fast anymore. I really don't want to ride sunup to sundown either anymore. When I bought my 74 5 months ago I looked for a long time. I even went and looked at a few early twin cams, 2002 specifically, and it came down to being able to work on one without having to purchase expensive tools. I currently have the 74 down to the just the engine and trans in the frame and only needing to take the mounting bolts out. I only purchased one socket that I didn't have, the comp nut. I love that. Can't wait to get it back together and riding this spring. This forum has been a wealth of knowledge for me and I appreciate every one of you as I have learned a ton.
I have a pile of customers with 100,000 miles on pans and
shovels from choppers to stockers some more - sure if your as moron thats wont happen
its about quality care - not ripping it
and none want anything to do with the new $hit - the fl3wr5tmflh6 special addition in that color wow they only made 5000 in that exact color i guess the block you live on no one has the same bike maybe - who cares not me
my 48 Indian chief is on its third trip around the speedo -
I thought that bike was in a million pieces right now no and has been for some time?
I followed a thread in the general section where a guy took a new M8 and put 100K miles on it in 100 days. As cool as the older bikes are you couldn't pull that off with an Evo or anything before it nor would an old Indian.
I thought that bike was in a million pieces right now no and has been for some time?
I followed a thread in the general section where a guy took a new M8 and put 100K miles on it in 100 days. As cool as the older bikes are you couldn't pull that off with an Evo or anything before it nor would an old Indian.
Going to need a link I missed that one, having done a couple 1000+ mile days I can tell you that would have been a hairy bitch on anything currently on the market and not trouble free.
I thought that bike was in a million pieces right now no and has been for some time?
I followed a thread in the general section where a guy took a new M8 and put 100K miles on it in 100 days. As cool as the older bikes are you couldn't pull that off with an Evo or anything before it nor would an old Indian.
It was my understanding the EVO's were designed from the factory to run 100k and Twins allegedly 200K, "stock", at least that is what we were told from Harley. Most problems occur with modifications that factory didn't design for, and made by the customers, and often not done correctly. I am not saying you cannot modify, or in some cases make them better than the factory, it's just some times if you build things a certain way, they require more maintenance. I have never had one that I didn't modify. Several right out of the crate. I have worked on EVO's close to 100K, but they were stock and they were overall fine. I always go back to something I use to tell people years ago. I am not sure how accurate it is presented over time though. I use to say that almost everyone who owns a Harley thinks they are a mechanic. Most are not. And there are only two ways to work on them, the right way, and the wrong way. If you work on them the right way, you will occasionally have an issue. If you work on them the wrong way, you will have lots of issues. I remember a time that I would often hear things like, it's that time of year. Time to go through the top end. I would ask why? Never got a good answer, just that what Harleys need. I think people cause some issues for themselves, and that doesn't even get into all the terrible mechanics in shops working on them. So in a long drug out way of saying it, I do believe if the EVO was stock with no factory issues, or built correctly and maintenanced correctly during the mileage, it too could run 100k
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