Just to straighten out my thoughts on this, Lundee, I'm referring back to before 1984. When it took work to ride a Harley. When you had to know your bike on an intimate level. We knew every nut, bolt, and washer on our bikes.
Then the softail came out with the new Evo motor. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry who saw "The Wild One" could plop down a wad of cash and ride into the sunset.
Now there were three different breeds of biker, or maybe I'll say two breeds plus the wannabes. There were the stubborn, old, "See no, hear no, speak no Evo" guys, then the guys who knew how to keep a bike going, but wanted something a bit more up to date, and finally all the guys who had no business on two wheels, but had the cash to do it. By the late '80's you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a sea of softies in front of every bar. 50% of these guys couldn't gap a set of plugs or change their own oil, and all I ever heard was, "it looks just like a rigid". BULLSHIT!
A softail looked like a softail. Period.
If you put some real sweat into one you could make it look more like the factory would have wanted. Take your bike for instance. Your softail kicks ***. That's the way they should have looked 25 years ago.
Now, I don't have a problem with guys who ride softails. I just never wanted one and I spent the first years of my riding life surrounded by people with bikes that cost more than twice what they should have, all covered with Arlen Ness bolt on billet crap, telling stories about how they rode all the way from the last bar. Those guys weren't bikers.
I sincerely apologize to anyone who takes offense to this, but this is what I think.
1984 was a great year for H-D, it was a great year for the RUBs, but because of it, I can't go to the local H-D dealer for parts for my bike unless I call ahead to have them order them so they'll be there. The only things they seem to have in stock is plugs and oil filters. They couldn't even get a set of points and a condenser without ordering it.
My problem is that I was born in the wrong year. If I was ten years older, I'd be riding a softie because I had put up with enough of wrenching and tightening nuts, replacing points and stripping exhaust threads. Leaking mainshafts and lousy intake seals. If I was ten years younger, I'd be blissfully ignorant of how much work it used to take to keep a bike running.
I just happened to be building one badass Shovel from the ground up when the softail craze was going on, and the guys I was hanging with were all old school. They put me to work to get it on the road. Because of that, I know every inch of that bike. It's a part of the family. I have bled on it and it has bled on me. Some people just don't understand that. They'd rather put down a bunch of cash and have a bike handed to them.
I wonder how I'd have felt if H-D had put out softails for a few years with shovelhead motors in them, if the Evo hadn't come out until the Dynas.

To the guy that started this thread...you've probably got the most righteous softail around your parts. Ride it with pride.

 

wow i aint the only one eh? haha

 

Nice post psycho. While I am a bit younger I've been around it my whole life and can see your point(hence why I'm building my shovel.Rigid kick only jockey shift mind you) because I think anyone who owns a bike should have a decent knowledge of how to work on them. I ride w/ plenty of guys who can't take a filter off w/o going to the moco. Anyway great post.

 

lundee where you at in utah?

 

i ride an old 54 pan ridged, and a 74 shvl soft. both have thier pros, but a little suspension is nice on a shitty road.

 

My dad has an 83 superglide, i have a 78 superglide. I plan to use my 78 frame for my dads bike, (he didnt like the size of the frame on his 83).
What i am looking for is an aftermarket swingarm frame that will accept a stock rear tire. For my bike, i would like a single down tube with a drop seat that will accept the shovel motor and kicker trans.

Everything i see today is a rigid frame that takes the huge back tire.

 

^^ Very interesting... What exactly would you say the differences are???? And Where I live or have lived, the Title goes with the Frame....Period...Federal kinda thing!!!

 

Well, the 83 frame, all the webbing was welded with plate metal, made it heavy af! Hoping, when we pull my 78 apart, it has a lighter frame. My dad was born in 45, so weight is important. As for the title, just plan to give him the title to my bike, and when i find a frame, (and have some important motor mods done) the new frame should come with a title.

 

Good luck... I don't know too many folks that can tell the difference from a 1965 to a 1984 4-speed sitting naked!!! A new frame will come with a Title If it is from a Bike...like yours. An aftermarket frame will come with a MSO, and you will need to get it titled. Won't be a "Harley"...unless you use an already titled Harley Frame... Sounds like alot of Labor to Gain????