Shovelhead A place to talk about Shovelheads.

Can anyone help me identify this frame?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Apr 8, 2011 | 10:37 PM
  #1  
SparkyRidesAgain's Avatar
SparkyRidesAgain
Thread Starter
|
2nd Gear
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Default Can anyone help me identify this frame?

So a friend had renters and they flaked on him, bailed out.
He called me and told me there was a bike frame in the back yard and I should come and grab it.
I did,
Here is what I found.
















So my first thought was to run the vin and see what it tells me, no luck, no boss on the steering neck or vin.
That tells me it's an early frame.
I think it was '69-70 when the started the steering neck vin.
So I'm looking it over and see a few weird things. the swing arm pivot holes look like they have a threded hole in the top for a set screw. I haven't seen that before.
And then there is the boss on the right of the seat post, it's stout, and I assume its for the battery ground, but again, a new one on me.
There is also Gussets behind the seat posts and at the back of the swingarm pivot, I assume those are artermarket, but it's got clean welds and the rest of the frame seems unmolested so I'm not sure.

I was thinking of building a touring trike out of it, but don't want to do anything untill i find out for sure what it is,if it is one of those 4 drop seat pan frames that the motor company made in 56 I'd hate to hack it up because I didn't know better,

Thanks for looking, hope you can help.
Sparky.
 
Reply
Old Apr 9, 2011 | 12:30 AM
  #2  
j1mmy's Avatar
j1mmy
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 14
From: navarre ohio
Default

looks like late 60's shovel..could be older...the tank/seat brackets are missing,swing arm setscrews look custom but a good idea,there should be a fork lock or at least a casting in the neck..probaly a shovel with the blank casting ground down..def 72 or older because it has the rear brake hose mount on the left rear down tube.with no vin# block it should be before 1970 but it could of been ground down or had the neck changed..if i had to guess..67-69..the casted parts of the frame should have the year cast into it to give you an idea,engine mount/rear frame downtube lowers..the gusset by the swingarm mount and seat tube are origenal..my 73 has them
 
Reply
Old Apr 9, 2011 | 04:28 AM
  #3  
TwiZted Biker's Avatar
TwiZted Biker
Club Member
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 10
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,110
Likes: 51,396
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Default

Late 60's at a glance maybe with a bunch of tabs cutoff and some steel added in a number of places , looks like somebody was going for a light chop job and didn't know what they were doing .
 
Reply
Old Apr 9, 2011 | 07:21 PM
  #4  
46u's Avatar
46u
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 2
From: Macon, GA USA
Default

The blocks above where the swing are pivot bolt goes through is like a 58 to 64 for the horse shoe oil tank mount. But where the rear fender struts bolt is straight that makes it a 65 or later as they did this to make room for an electric starter. On 58 to 64 these had a rise to them. See picture of the 59 pan below. Might be a 65 or just a little later and they keep drilling the blocks out even thaw they went to a square oil tank. But I agree with the others it is more then likely a 1965 to 1970. The boss on the right side of the seat post was for an oil filter mount on the earlier models 58-64 and they even had them on ridged frames. Even in to the 70s the boss was there but normally not drilled out.
 
Attached Thumbnails Can anyone help me identify this frame?-dscf5882.jpg  

Last edited by 46u; Apr 9, 2011 at 07:25 PM.
Reply
Old Apr 11, 2011 | 08:22 AM
  #5  
junker73hd's Avatar
junker73hd
Road Captain
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 502
Likes: 2
Default

Their should be a date code on the left side of the backbone near the top engine mount.I just sold a frame with a 6B date code.The 6 is the production year(66) and the B(Feb)is the month.
 
Reply
Old Apr 12, 2011 | 07:54 AM
  #6  
junker73hd's Avatar
junker73hd
Road Captain
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 502
Likes: 2
Default

That's a 65-68 frame and is a good score!The top motor mount is one of the key things to look for.It was used from 53-69.The mount remained the same from 70-84.Prior to 1970 there was not a boss for the vin.Your frame was also machined to accept the fork lock from the factory and has been filled.In 69 the raised boss for the lock is undrilled.I have pics from all angles of the 66 frame I just sold.I will send them for comparison if it will help...Thanks,Junker.
 

Last edited by junker73hd; Apr 12, 2011 at 08:08 AM.
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Ss69camaro7
Softail Models
11
Jan 5, 2019 10:47 PM
Inthespiral
Dyna Glide Models
7
Oct 25, 2013 09:20 PM
mreed
Sportster Models
63
May 29, 2012 08:11 PM
newschool
General Harley Davidson Chat
10
Sep 21, 2010 11:48 AM
xcaret
Shovelhead
4
Apr 6, 2007 07:26 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:23 AM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE