I found this '79 FXE way over in eastern Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. Odd story. The owner died close to a year ago. The owner's son, in the role of executor of the dead man's estate, gave the bike to another guy in exchange for a debt. That guy, knowing almost nothing about motorcycles, turns it over to his buddy for listing online. I email and call about the bike, getting limited responses but enough to deem the bike worth looking at, especially at the embarrassingly low price they were asking for it. I'm talking cheaper than an average/stock Ironhead Sportster cheap! It hadn't ran in quite some time, although it was supposedly running great "awhile back."

My friend Kyle had offered up his truck for the adventure and we headed out of Louisville around 8:00am Saturday morning. Nine hours later we drag back home, worn out, thoroughly confused, thirsty, but with a successfully transferred Shovelhead in the back of the rain-soaked pickup. The trip to eastern Kentucky was, well, a trip. A lot of you guys may have zero context for what Appalachia actually looks like, but if you've ever watched "Justified" you've seen a pretty close representation. I was born and raised in the foothills of this region and have always been amazed at how accurately the series portrays this part of Kentucky. Anyway, being something of a native paid off for me and we got in and out without any exceptional drama. We got the bike dug out from under all the junk that had collected on and around it, hooked to a battery charger while we discussed the weather, wild turkeys, flintlock rifles, ginseng, and other local issues. After a few minutes charging, the old Shovel fired right up and settled into a very nice idle. Cash changed hands, we made a quick trip to the courthouse, and we split for Louisville.

Unloading this beast from the back of a wet Dodge Ram was quite the challenge, but we managed it without damage to truck, bike, or ourselves. Unfortunately, we had to use an embankment about 150 yards from my place. The battery only held enough charge to turn the engine over three or four times before the clicking set in, so I was already thrilled to have the kick option. Second kick and she roars to life and settles down to idle. Without checking the tank, I had set the fuel petcock to run. The bike pulls itself hard for about thirty feet and starts going flat and then dies. Right in front of the local fitness center. Without even checking the tank, I switched it to reserve and with about twenty gym members pressing their nose to the windows, I kick it again. Second kick, and I'm off to the house. Jeesus, this thing is stout! I don't know what's been done to the engine beyond the 80" jugs, but it's laying down some serious torque.

Still haven't ridden her any distance, choosing to replace the shifter pawl springs (E-79 with a Ratchet Top). I don't see many show wins in her future, but should make a great ride. And because threads without pics completely suck mud...

Pics from the PO:









After knocking the dust off:



And the very next day, start digging my way down to the transmission. Think I could've just pulled the trans lid, but wanted to know everything I could about the primary, too:



Wow. That's filthy:



Tools scattered everywhere, cheap beer, having serious fun, now:



The Devil's work:



Too greasy to take any additional pics, here she is buttoned back up:



All that remains is connecting a couple of oil lines, a few electrical connections, and reinstalling the battery. Oh, and washing the rear of the frame with baking soda to neutralize all the acid that sprayed out at some point when the battery vent tube fell off. THEN, I'll see about actually riding it...

 

The bike is filthy, weathered, and has a bunch of little bothersome issues but when I kick it and that old Shovel barks, all those issues fade to nothing. There really isn't anything that sounds quite like a Shovelhead with drag pipes, is there? It's in a class with stuff like the Shelby Cobra or P-51 Mustang as far as classic sound and raw visceral appeal goes. Well, at least I think so.

Tonight, I finished connecting the oil lines and trimmed up a few electrical connections. Realized the brake light isn't working. I've got a replacement Fat Bob style light and license bracket on order, so I'll need to throw an ohmmeter on the pressure switch to see if it's faulty. Found a bunch of wiring that left me wondering why it hasn't caught fire, yet. Made a few adjustments here and there and tightened a few things. Went through the process and started kicking it. It's been sitting for about a week and it took a few extra tries, but it soon lit up and started shaking the windows.

Hard to pick out in this sea of filth and confusion, but I swapped out the original kick arm for my favorite, the popsicle style:

 

Fix all the knick knack **** before it becomes bigger problems and enjoy her , nothing like a decent running shovel .

 

This old bike is in serious need of a total stripping and reassembly, pausing to repair, replace, and upgrade the needful things as I go. While I'm not in a position to go that route at the moment, at least the plan is taking shape. So far, this particular Shovel is really speaking to me in a way no other bike has. It's had a rough life and wound up abandoned in a dark, junk-filled garage up in the hills of eastern Kentucky. I'd venture to guess most of us have been abandoned at some point in our lives and it ain't too cool, so I can identify with the bike. It's a wonder this one didn't end up stripped and sold as parts on eBay.

Anyway, I got most of the bare wires taped, the questionable connections tightened up, and the wiring harness generally sorted and secured. Looks like the major fire hazards have been addressed so there are no sparks or smoke when the electrical system is energized. That's always a good thing. It looks like the left tank has about four tablespoons of gas in it, so tonight's project will be to remedy that. After the past week's work, a fill up seems pretty weak as a main item on the ol' to-do list. Probably have a closer look at the pressure switch for the brake light, too. That kinda needs to be working, you know?

Quite a few replacement parts should be arriving tomorrow, including a new keyed ignition switch, a battery top and side cover set, a chain guard (mine was tossed to affix the "pro street" brake light/license plate mount), and a Fat Bob brake light and plate mount to tuck under the rear fender. I'm sticking with the Fat Bob setup for now because I like the option of throwing saddlebags on it for road trips, and the side brake light arrangement interferes with the bag on that side.

 

Looks like the past owner put a lot of chrome do-dads on it. Maybe he had grand plans for it, and then it got wired by a bootlegger and left outside. Perhaps you found a diamond in the rough with this one!

 

Can't recall if I learned this in the past but apparently, one does NOT touch the clutch lever when one has the clutch basket disassembled. Doing so causes a tiny e-clip on the far end of the clutch pushrod to fall off. Tonight, I'll remove the exhaust, drain and pull the end off the transmission, and search for the offending clip. I did ride it about fifty feet last night. The clutch worked fine on takeoff and as I was releasing the lever the last fraction of an inch, I felt a muted pop through my fingers. I pulled the lever in to find not a hint of resistance. Most of the fifty feet I rode was spent fighting to get it kicked into neutral while under power and without a clutch of any kind. Fun times.

No bike pics for this update, but here's the 2nd degree burn (Shovel bite?) I got from touching the rear pipe as I reached in to check play in the clutch release arm. Didn't take long to remember how hot those pipes get, and how fast they do it:

 

I pulled the kicker cover off the trans this morning and this is exactly how the pieces fell. Just about exactly what I was expecting to see:



Who can spot what's wrong with this picture? If you can, chances are you may have spent some time inside an HD trans. Replacement is already on order:



We all like signs. At one time or another, I'd wager we've all asked for a sign. A sign that someone loves us or a sign that what we're about to do is right, or maybe just a frickin' sign telling how far to the next gas station. Unfortunately, the Universe frequently sends us whispers, murmurs, and riddles instead of the billboards we're hoping for. Without this cascade of failures, I may have never caught the fact that I overlooked checking the trans fluid. Pretty sure heading out for a ride of any distance with a stripped slinger and five tablespoons of oil would've put me in the market for a new transmission:




I got the new battery cover installed today. I think it's an improvement over the naked black battery with the enormous "MADE IN TAIWAN" sticker dead in the middle of it. The new chrome really stands out against the tired stuff:




The ol' girl is certainly marking her parking spot, huh? The vast majority of that is from me opening up the oily parts, though. Until I started all that, didn't see where a single droplet had fallen:

 

I only added a couple of parts today. It's hot like Vegas and not a cloud in the sky today, so it didn't take me long to get tired of working in a parking lot this morning. First of all, I removed the old "pro street" side-mounted brake light/plate holder and installed the correct chain guard:




The I removed the "Live to Ride" points cover. It definitely had that road worn look about it:




SOME BASTARD HAS STOLEN MY POINTS!!!




And here's the Custom Chrome ball-milled cover I scored on eBay for $4:




I also got three identical stainless steel screws for the S&S air filter cover. It looks much more intentional, now. I'm hoping to get back to fitting the Fat Bob tail light and license plate bracket this evening when the sun gets low. Looks like wiring will be the worst part of that job.

 

Nice work! I think wiring is the best part. You get to route everything perfectly and know its done right! I hate seing bad wiring jobs. Nothing but headache's.

 

Been awhile since I posted, so here's the latest:

The HeliCoil kits I ordered finally rode in with the mailman. In case you're unfamiliar with these thread repair inserts, they are pretty much the shiz. Many aluminum aerospace parts get these inserts when they're made because it makes the threaded hole so much stronger, sorta like giving a 5/16" threaded hole strength closer to a 3/8" thread in the raw aluminum. Whenever I get around to tearing this engine and transmission completely down, I'll probably insert every threaded hole I can find and be done with it.



I'm hoping get the wiring sorted on my brake light and headlight this weekend, too. If nothing else breaks during the course of the planned work, the bike should be ready to start some shakedown rides. Fingers crossed and all that...

Here's a shot of some of the HeliCoil tooling laid out in the parking lot. That's the tap on the right, installation tool on the left, and one of the kicker cover bolts and the threaded insert lying in the middle. You can also see the jet-black asphalt I've been kneeling on all along. It's kinda unnerving how the sweat sizzles when it hits:




Snapped during the tapping process. You can also see my upgraded snap ring retaining the throwout bearing and oil slinger. I have a lot more confidence in this one over the stock clip. It's a standard 1/4" external snap ring, in case anyone else is looking for one:




The transmission repair took all of about fifteen minutes and went flawlessly. Of course, tightening the battery tray bracket that mounts onto the kicker cover, I twisted the rubber isolation stud completely in two. Must've put a whole six foot pounds of torque on it, but it was enough. I guess these are just rotted because I've got one on the oil tank in the same shape.

Kneeling beside the bike for hours, you notice things. I was reading a thread yesterday or the day before where various cylinder head designs were being discussed. Based on what I read, pretty sure these are a set of the desireable "crown" heads from the mid-seventies. There is a "78" cast into one of the fins behind the top of the pushrod tubes on both heads, which is the year they were cast, right?




Anyway, I've got a couple of broken bolts drilled and extracted and solved a minor mystery. Figured out my rear fender's wiring loom clips are mounted on the RIGHT side! I had felt all along the left (where I thought they were usually ran) and figuring my fender was aftermarket, was convinced I was going to resort to running wires through the strut or getting some of that hollow rubber conduit with the double-sided tape like HD's using nowadays. Seems some of the early DWG's had Fat Bob fenders with the wiring on the right. Glad to have that problem solved.

Here are the JayBrake forward controls I bought from a forum member (thanks, Larry!). I think they're gonna be a huge upgrade over the cheap stamped-steel forwards that are on the bike right now.




Update: I've received some additional small parts I've been waiting on. Namely the isolation studs for the oil tank and battery tray, and two matched exhaust bolts. The current bolts couldn't be much more mismatched so while they do their intended job, the randomness of them was seriously irking me. Anyway, zero work is getting accomplished because I'm working out in a parking lot and weather here in the Ohio Valley has NOT been cooperating. Yesterday afternoon we had a pretty stout storm roll through just as I was getting off work. In the midst of torrential rains, the positive cable on my Jeep's battery decides to break contact and leave me sitting as buckets of water pour from the skies. Crap. The rain finally subsides and a simple twist of the cable restores power. I'll be fixing that tonight. As I was making my way out of the grocery's parking lot, I drove through about a foot of standing water to get over to this whirlpool and get video for you guys because we all like video, right?