hey guys- been looking at ~78-83ish FL's...how many mikes are 'too many' miles on a shovelhead? Any big issues to look for/stay away from?
I've seen a 78 FLH with 'unkown' total mileage, but only asking $3750,
Also, local dealer has an 83 FLT w/ 48,000 miles on it, asking $4995- in descent shape, only visible problem is a tear in the seat. I don't dig the handlebar console, though, can these be 'FLH'd' with a tank mounted gauge setup?

Thanks guys!

 

FLH and FLT's are two different birds, no you can't change the dash from the two, opt for the FLH if you can. You have a lot more options/looks with a FLH. They still carried the look and style of the Panhead FL's. The FLT's are what the Electra Glides of today are from. If you get one with unknown milege and it runs thats all that matters, you can always go through it later, they're pretty tuff, they can run even when wore out. 78's were the last year in a long run of the Ratchet Top transmission, which was better than the Cow Pie of 79-84

 

Dude! Thanks a bunch- that keeps me from making a mistake! How about a 78 FLH with the 1200 engine. One I'm looking at actually has 'unkown' miles, odometer stopped at 18k. Is the 1200 ok, or should I hold out for the 80?

 

There are a lot of bikes out there with unknown miles cause the speedo broke often and they just kept riding them. They were both good engines, you can do a lot to either for more power etc. I've got lowrider with a 1200 bascially stock with a bigger cam and a 78 FLH with the 80" and a different cam. The 1200 is quicker but the 80 pulls stong at low ends. Gearing has a lot to do with it all too. You want to learn some more, poke around at: shovelhead dot us / forum.

 

FLT is a rubber mount and the late 80 motors were pretty solid . I don't remember if they had a 5 speed in that yr or not . As for ugly anything can be worked out with a bit of ingenuity . No offense to anyone but 78 & 79 were not my favorite yrs for a shovel , those 2 years make up about 70% of the shovel business I get .

 

well that figures! The one I'm really looking into getting is the 78 1200 FLH. It was traded in on a new bike and was the guy's everyday rider. No major issues with it, and I plan on trying to get away with it for $3500 or a bit less.

 

If you can get it for that price you would in decent shape , most of the things I see wrong on the 78 & 79's are just a constant string of little things the owners let turn into bigger problems , most times not the bikes fault .

Harley was going through some big changes those years and they did a bunch of mixing and matching parts just to get the bike off the assembly line and out the door . Doesn't mean it was bad but if you ever do major engine work on one find an old school Indy who has a clue because what manual says is there isn't always what is when you open them .

Good luck on what ever you decide & the FLH is a boatload more flexible for mods .

 

well I talked to the sales guy again today after he had a chance to talk to the mechanic about it. He was honest and said that it would need to be rebuilt before it was ridden- it starts and runs, shifts through all the gear, brakes, tires and clutch ok, he said he just wouldn't trust it on the road before it was rebuilt. He told me they wanted to try to get $3500 for it (it was on ebay w/ no bids) and if not they would send it to auction.

Knowing I'd dump at least 2 grand into it over the winter, what should I offer -if anything- for it? I also have a shot at an 82 fxe converted to flh in another post....

 

kokopelli, a little late but to be honest the dealer probably doesn't have a clue when it comes to shovelheads. See if you can get the "mechanic" to do a compression check, you being present preferably. That will give you some indications as to the condition of the engine.

 

my 72 has 50k on the odomiter, and i know it has been replaced so probly twice that at least.. old harleys never die, they just get reborn once and a while..i like the flh a lot better then the flt.. the ugly tank and fairing can be changed to road king parts to make a pretty cool looking bike, like a shovelhead roadking