So I've been working on my dads old 78 shovel for about 6 months now and thanks to the forum I learn a little more every day. But I'm looking for what you guys think is the ONE thing every shovel owner needs to know. (Or maybe two or three).
Thanks

 

evos and twinkies are driven hard 75 / 80 MPH all the time and like it what you have is 70s technology. and if you dont loose sight of that it will last a long time --

its great that you have your dads bike - enjoy it -- jz

 

Son it's a long list of " one " things but everyone of them has a time proven fix or proper repair , I mean come on we've had a long time to find the bugs and kill them .

A little attention to detail , do a proper repair when needed and not let little **** turn into big problems a shovel can give you a life time of riding . Most horror stories you hear about shovels are owner induced .

 

Az TwiZted said all things have a proven fix . One thing I have learned over 36 years of Shovels you can never run out of Red & Blue Loctite!!! Things seem to fall off of shovels for some reason just less when you use loctite

 

TwiZted, I know it's a really open ended question and I figured it would be a really long list. Your advise is sound and since the old man is gone the forum and my Indy are really the only place to get real world answers to those problems you guys have already lived through and figured out. Thanks for all the help!

 

It's all about passing what us old guys learned sometimes the hard way , you got questions ask them , there's several sharp peeps in here between us you'll get what you need . I live & breath shovels , they are and have been my thing since my early days riding . If you can break it or blow it up myself or one of my screw loose partners have been there .

 

Here's some rules to go by when owning and working on a shovel or any old iron.
RULE# 1: Purchase and get familiar with a HD service manual and HD parts manual that coincides with the yr of your scooter.

The list below are some things to keep in mind.

For safety, always disconnect your battery when working on a mc.

When someone gives an answer to your question, double check using the service manual. (I'm a French model, bonjour)

Take your time, double check your work when working on your scooter.

When removing parts and not familiar with them, label all part, nuts and bolts, even take pictures if need be. Sure your gonna say, I'll remember that bolt goes there, but when you turn around to get a tool, chances are your gonna forget where it goes.

When repairing electrical, Disconnect the battery. Invest in a booklet of sticker letters and numbers. Label each end of the wire and connection where it goes.

A shovel can be a forgiving motor, but there are some "Oh *****" that over ride the forgiveness and can be costly.

I'm sure there's more tips that some one will chime in with.

 

That right there is sound advice , when you have one that's as highly modified and tweaked as mine sometimes a few years down the road you got to do something pull it down a bit and then find yourself staring going what the F*c did I do here and why ?

Get a big folder and make note's , pictures and any instruction sheets for any aftermarket part you may use . It will be used again .

 

Yep, keep the aftermarket instructions in folder with the service manual. Don't be afraid to jot notes in the manual.
The biggest problem when someone buys a highly modified/custom scooter privately, they have no clue what parts are in it. That's when it get frustrating even just for the basic maintenance.

 

TwiZted, your bike is bad-*** sweet. I encourage you to share the shovel story on shovelhead.us http://www.shovelhead.us/

This goes for anyone viewing this thread. Whether an expert or just starting out on shovels. It has helped me out tremendously.