I've been looking on ebay, cycletrader, and other online sites at shovels. I'm wondering though if there are any shops in the US that specialize in selling used shovels. I don't seem to find any. I'm not ready to get one yet, but maybe in a few months or so. Thanks.

 

Hi aal I don't know of any. You may want to add Walnecks.com to your list, if you

don't already have it. I requested a search before on the HD web site. Don't leave

your phone number. I had dealers from lower Michigan to upper West Virginia all

calling to sell me a new bike.

I did a pretty bad job describing what I like about shovels on your last post.

I mentioned this to some friends at lunch. One is an HD mech and 2 interesting

points came up. Older engines are based on a tractor design. The older HD engines

have a larger flywheel. This is why they seem different, and chug along.

I don't know if these are true facts, but thought I would pass them along.

Good luck finding a decent shovel.

 

Check out HDtrader.com There are a good amount of shovels. The nice ones are becoming harder and harder to find. I have looked at some shovels and you can tell people did not take care of them and the sellers still want a ton of cash for them!

 

Shovels crank very hard. It sounds like the starter is almost to weak to spin the motor. This could also be a indiacation of a heavy fly wheel.

 

I looked at Shovels on ebay for 6 months or more. Drove to 3 different states to look before I bid. Ended up finding one 5 miles from home on the last day of the auction. BEST bike I ever owned!!! I ride her daily. Bought her from the original owner and got ALL the original paperwork. I GLADLY paid him twice what he paid for her new. In the last 3 years I have turned down a profit from 3 different Harley Dealers. If you are true in your desire to own a Shovel and diligent in your search I am sure that you will find the "right" bike for you. There are still nice old Shovelheads out there.

 

It will seem the best bikes are somewhere else. You are very smart, to start looking now, even though you are not ready becauseit does not cost much to ask questions, so call on the bikes you are interested in, ask questions now, keep organized notes. If you hear somethingnew it will help you in the future. If they seem bothered because you ask questions,ask if you can call back at a better time... and they will get real nice whenthey realize you have some more questions not being answered, and they could lose a potential sale. Do not get a in a hurry.

Good Luck

Hogback

 

aal Good man. Keep your eyes and ears open. There are many GOOD shovels out there. I just picked one up at Christmas time. A 78 FLH, chrome front end, 1 1/4 chubbymini apeswith 2005 chrome controls, pre 67 speedo, fresh sheetmetal and 3 stage black paint in August, motor and tranny done at a local reputable shop 2500 mi ago, BDL belt drive primary (enclosed) chrome oiltank, rocker boxes, chrome adjustable swingarm, hard saddlebags, tombstone tail light, and GMA brakes for the princely sum of $4800, plus I hauled out a set of Fatboy wheels, Heritage passing lamps, windshield, and 3 boxes of misc parts. Found it on Craigslist (Mpls/StPaul) and it belonged to a ridng buddy of Donnie Smith (Hamster builder) and Donnie Smith Show St Paul, Mn. So it had decent care and built right. Right now I know of 3 other flh's in the area, 2 are excellent, one a little rough. All under 6k. Just talked to Paul at Hardtails in St Cloud,Mn today, one of his customers was coming thru Sioux Falls, S.D., and picked up a 73 flh with a 98" motor, 6k spent in the last year, with all receipts, new paint, etc, paid 3500 for it. If you can, keep 8k stashed away, I know, it is damned near impossible to do that these days, but they come along, and you have to be ready. But even if you buy one a little rough, a complete top end will run you 700-800, maybe a grandand you are off and running. I've beenmessing with my pan for a few years with the gearing etc, and I can run 75 @ less than 3000 as long as I care to sit in the saddle, so I can tool down the road and keep the R's down. When my shovel needs freshening, I plan on putting in an S&S 93" kit. These aren't my second bikes, they are my only bikes, and we ride the sh*t out of them, mostly 2 up. Do not be swayed by the naysayers. They can be built reliable, decent speed and drip free with a little work. If you get one, get a Harley (tm) service manual, they are worth their weight in gold if you are just starting out with one. The only thing they do not like, is pounding on them, as in the back of the pack where you have to run 90 to catch the bikes in front. They just don't like it, period. I do top ends for a lot of guys who try. I keep the compression down 'round 9 or so, the ol' harley cases do not hold up well to 10.5 and 11, but man, you can go fast for a while. I build for torque and not rpms. The BEST part of the whole thing, you can still work on them yourself, and it is a nice feeling to be able to do that, at least it is to me. pm if you want, way more than happy to help, and if I don't know, I know a bunch of guys who do. Good luck. GUMBY

 

John over at The ChromeLink here in Lawton, Okla has several used shovels for sale. John's great people and i've known him for years. If you're interested I'll post his info.

 

I have two. One might be for sale in a couple months. PM me, if you have any interest.

 

Thanks Hippy & Eyeball, and to everyone else too. I'm still looking, mostly because on money right now. I've got a nice twin cam that I thought about selling, partly to fund a new bike, but I like the bike so much it's hard to think about selling it. Hopefully I'll be able to get serious about a shovel in a few months or so.


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