It means that the bike left the factory as a 1980 74" FXE. Whether or not it's still 74" remains to be seen, but given it's overall condition I'd say she still has the original barrels.

 

Those AMF days were hell, always hard to determine exactlly what they put in. My 1979 80'er had the valve guides for a 74" in the heads from the factory, so basically it was an 80" lower end, 80" barrels and pistons with head parts from both the 74" and 80". You don't find this stuff out until you buy replaement parts and go WTF!???!!?

 

Word of advice guy on the what size subject on 79 & 80 shovels , I worked for a dealership late 70's while the vin may say one thing what we found in the motors themselves may be different . HD was going through big changes mid 1978 through 1980 and stuff got shipped that should have never left the factory . I had guys want to fight when they found out their 80" was really a 74" just a tip you won't know for sure till its opened .


Yo Frog , if the sig pic is yours I'm jealous ..............

 

Alright guys, I'm hoping you can help me out here. I've been disassembling this bike one part at a time. I haven't even attempted to turn the engine over yet (I did run the kick started down a few times and felt compression). Here is the carb that came off the bike. From what I can tell it appears to be the original carb from the factory. My problem is that I don't what type/make/model it is. I want to get the rebuild kit for it so I need to know. Can anyone help out? Here are some pics.

 

Stock Keihin those have o-rings , no gaskets of any kind so nothing to rebuild really drop the float bowl & clean any crap out of the bottom your good . A hi flo accelerator pump kit is a nice addition for those , takes a flat spot & a bit of hesitation out

 

Don't see many Keihin's around... Along with pipes, they were the first thing to get replaced. As TwiZted said; clean it up and carry on. Did you pull the intake manifold or just unbolt the carb? Either way, you should replace the rubber bands on the intake manifold where it mates to the heads. The bands crack with age and can leak, causing a lean condition that can lead to engine damage.

 

Thanks for the info. I think I'll try my luck with a $25 rebuild kit and give it a good cleaning. I didn't pull the manifold yet but plan to, and I will replace those rubber bands you're talking about. I'm still assessing the bike for needed parts and compiling my list. I plan to order all the stuff I need in a week or two. I'm really antsy to get it running but I can't be impatient. So far it looks I'm going to have to replace the circuit breakers and some wiring, the rear fender (stock super glide type is what I want), rebuild all three calipers, possibly master cylinders but I think they're ok, new brake lines, wheel bearings front and rear, clean up that carb and rebuild it, and new tires and battery. I plan to change all fluids, including primary (I think it's separate) and tranny, before trying to start it. Wife wants a Denim Black paint job so that's what we're doing. I'm going for the stock, 1980 tank badges. Everything else I'm just giving a really thorough cleaning with some corrosion control work where I find rust (which isn't much). Eventually I want to replace the cam cover and primary cover with older, polished ones that will better match the rocker covers. Somebody put chrome ones on and they don't look right. I'm hoping this bike will be a runner, we'll see.

 

Seeing as you're doing a "refurbish", put fork oil, neck and swingarm bearings on your checklist. And put a mic on the brake rotors; the minimum thickness is stamped on each disc.

Check your primary for an oil line running from the oil pump; the primary chain oiler adjustment screw is #52 and the feed tube is #30 in the sketch below. Hopefully a previous owner has already converted to a stand alone oiling system. Once you have the outer primary off, pull the clutch plates and inspect. If you're really ambitious, pull the clutch hub then clean & inspect the inner primary for cracking around the bearing.

 

Grinder Bill,

Thanks for the input. I'll definitely add those items to the list. Great exploded view diagram btw. I think I might be lucky and already have the "sealed" primary. The paperwork that came with the bike shows a new inner primary was installed in '91. There's a drain plug on the bottom rear of the primary so I think it's separate. I'll get out in the garage tonight and have a closer look. On another note: the tanks are bone dry on this bike. Looks like they haven't had fuel in them for years and years. Lots of flaking rust bit rattling around inside. Any tips on what to use to clean them up before painting? Thanks again.
Brad

 

I would recommend taking the tanks to a radiator shop and have them boiled
and pressure tested while there. Nice to know they will hold gas w/o leaking and will save a repaint if they are and you have to have them welded.