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I'll preface this by saying that I've wanted a Shovelhead since I was 16 (*cough-ty six years ago)
I've found the bike that meets my few requirements (kick & electric, 80cui) but I honestly have ZERO experience with them. It's obviously not stock, but that doesn't concern me in the least, since it's a donor for my next chopper project. I've been looking for a not-too-tidy, not-too-original bike that I won't feel bad about chopping for about a year. This seems like a great donor at a price that's friendly for my area ($4500)
I'm hoping to go look at it next week & I was just wondering if there was anything in particular I should be on the lookout for? I've been riding & buying used bikes for 40 years, so I know the obvious stuff, but it's there anything particularly unique to this motor & tranny or frame that I should be particularly aware of?
Look right there on the flat spot at frame junction to Neck..That Number will tell you Exactly what it was when it left the Factory
ie 1HD1BCK11BXXXXetc will be a 1981 FXS
BTW that is , or appears to be, a Real FXWG front end..
Last edited by Racepres; Dec 20, 2025 at 10:41 AM.
Look right there on the flat spot at frame junction to Neck..That Number will tell you Exactly what it was when it left the Factory
ie 1HD1BCK11BXXXXetc will be a 1981 FXS
BTW that is , or appears to be, a Real FXWG front end..
Thanks!
Is that a good thing, because it's going to end up with a springer.....
Sorry. I think you mean it's a Wideglide model, as opposed to 'at least it's not an aftermarket/later/wrong front end'
He has it advertised as a Lowrider, but as I say.... zero experience.
Last edited by Robtattoo; Dec 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM.
at first glance, it looks like a 1980 FXWG-80 "Wide Glide", but at second glance, it's a converted FX/FXE from the late 1970s made from various components...
Link: https://dream-machines.de/bikes/harl...on-wide-glide/
After the FXWG was launched, the wide-glide fork was very popular and was offered by various companies in good and less good quality.
The company "Harley Nostalgia" from California offered these forks as a kit at a relatively low price.
In the old issues of "Supercycle" magazine, these forks were regularly advertised with full-page ads.
As was common at the time, all these parts were produced in Taiwan; there was nothing "American Made" about them anymore.
We imported many of these forks and parts ourselves; the few original HD FXWG front forks that came onto the market in our country could be counted on less than five fingers.
I sold no more than two or three of the original FXWG forks; nobody wanted to part with them, and if they did, they were usually forks from wrecked motorcycles.
Your Shovelhead looks like a colorful mix from many different model years. (No offense intended.)
Check the important numbers, if still possible, and decide what you want and what is possible for you; that's what I would advise you to do.
All I can say is that is Most Probably Not an Aftermarket Front end..if it is ...it is a Faithfull copy of O.E. which would be Highly Unusual..
Who knows what the Bike has been thru in the last 44 Years????
Hi Racepress,
these Wide Glide forks were available in several versions, with aluminum stanchions and with steel stanchions; the steel versions were chrome-plated, while the aluminum versions were polished.
The triple clamps speak for themselves; these replicas from that era do not correspond to the original HD triple clamps in any way and are recognizable at first glance, even up close.
We used to exclusively install fork tubes from the American company "Forking by Frank" for Harleys and other motorcycles; they were the very best quality available at the time.
Link: https://franksforks.com
It's generally known that photos are always difficult to analyze from a distance. But that's probably not the intention of the person posting; these are more fundamental questions.
And without answers, nothing will happen...
Mike
"Who knows what the Bike has been thru in the last 44 Years????"
That's great, but who does this half-baked wisdom help? Nobody!
Last edited by Mike1956G; Dec 20, 2025 at 02:39 PM.
If I were to put an engine and gearbox on two wheels again, the motorcycle would look like this, regardless of whether it's a Flat, Knuckle, Pan, or Shovel.
Simple, minimalist, no frills, no chrome, just a motorcycle to ride, nobody needs more.
I am still grateful to the unknown owner for this photo from the internet; it couldn't be better or easier...
If I were to put an engine and gearbox on two wheels again, the motorcycle would look like this, regardless of whether it's a Flat, Knuckle, Pan, or Shovel.
Simple, minimalist, no frills, no chrome, just a motorcycle to ride, nobody needs more.
I am still grateful to the unknown owner for this photo from the internet; it couldn't be better or easier...
Mike
This is the picture i have in my head. Same ideas though. No frills, nothing that doesn't need to be there.
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1981 FXS (I think)
