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Welcome Area OnlyNew Member Welcome Area Only. Be sure to pop in here and introduce yourself & let us know what Harley Davidson you own. Save your bike related questions for the proper area.
Semi-new user here. I made my first post well over two years ago but I'm posting more frequently now and thought I'd introduce myself.
Name's Chase, born and raised, and still residing in Charleston, WV. I'm a WVU alumni and got my degree in mechanical engineering. At 6'7, I'm taller than your average rider, but I'm not going to let that stop me! I played basketball and baseball growing up, all the way through high school. Since packing on some post college pounds, I've turned my athleticism to the golf course, so if I'm not out riding, I'm probably somewhere 3-putting for a double-bogey. I love being outdoors, riding four wheelers, kayaking, hunting, fishing, hiking, or just drinkin beer in the sunshine.
Enough about my hobbies, let's get to my bike. Two years ago, an uncle of mine told me he had an 83 Wide Glide FXWG sitting in his shed not running for several years, and that if I wanted to fix it up, he would just give it to me. Last week, I finally went and picked it up. Now my HD knowledge level is novice, but after poking around and diagnosing the rebuild, I noticed the bike was not an FXWG, but it's much rarer cousin, the FXDG (the tank and fenders have been repainted, so I didn't realize what I had until I researched the VIN). I also noticed that the bike had been flooded, most likely when my mother's hometown of Clendenin was hit with the "1000-year flood" which demolished hundreds and maybe thousands of houses, vehicles, and businesses. The water got 3 feet into the second story of my high school, condemning the building, and shutting it down for good. I was a junior at the time and had friends, family, teachers, and coaches who were affected, some of them lost everything. Worst of all, the flood claimed 23 lives. Look it up if you're uneducated on the matter, it was truly devastating. The pictures are heart breaking. Clendenin WV 2016 flood.
Now I'm not angry with him, but there is no way my uncle didn't know the bike was flooded. He lives in the town that flooded. He had the bike stored at his house which sits atop a mountain, so it was obviously moved there after the flood, and the date on the title postdates the day of the flood, so he acquired it post flood. He made no mention of the bike being flooded before he gave it to me, and even told me it ran well the last time he put it away, which I seriously doubt because he didn't buy it until after the flood. Maybe he just didn't transfer the title for some time after buying, but regardless he knew of the bikes issues and didn't want to take the project on, and I don't blame him. All this to say, I believe I will make no mention of the fact that this is a pretty rare bird I've got.
Anyways, feel free to reach out and say hello, ask about the bike, the flood, or just me. I'm here to learn everything there is to know about Shovelheads, and hopefully be able to apply and pass that knowledge on to anyone in need of it. This site has already been so helpful to me so far, so I am eager for what the future holds. If you would like to follow the progress of my Shovelhead, I have a thread in the "Shovelhead" forum called "83 Wide Glide Restoration". I will be posting progress pictures, questions, concerns in that thread throughout the rebuild of my bike!
Welcome from Spartan Country, Michigan! I tell a lot of new comers to the forum to get: Factory Service manual and the Parts manual. Take to an office supply store and have them put a spiral binder in place of the glued binder. That will let the manuals lay flat on your bench. Get a three ring binder and record all your maintenance, repairs, accessories, etc. This will be a great reminder of what was done when. And great material to pass along to the new owner should you sell and upgrade. Also know how large your fuel tank is, a rough idea of your range per tank, and record your fuel usage. I have an app called Simply Auto that I record all my fuel used. I use the odometer and use the fuel gage as reference only. I reset the odometer to zero on fill ups, and I know I can safely get 200 miles on a tank on around town riding, and upwards of 230+ on trips.
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cmk0023
Shhhh.
