OLD Shovel V/S NEW Shovel

[Hillside Motorcycle]

They won't just ask questions about it. Every now and again some dumbass will try to show how cool he is by telling you stuff about your bike and even arguing with you about it. A few yers back when I still had the shovel motor in my bike some guy was pointing at it across the lot. He was telling his friend it was an Indian. I corrected him but he started pointing out stuff on my bike and telling me "That's how you can tell it's an Indian". My favorite was a guy yelling across the lot to his buddies "Hey man, this ones got an Old Time chain drive on it". For the rest of the summer, at least at that bar, everyone was calling me chaindrive.

Yeah,
That's real rich, when someone is like that.
Reciting verse and scripture from a book they read, in order to impress anyone in earshot, and what they don't think they know, they invent/re-invent.
Perfect.
Scott

[dablaze]

THAT reminds me, I meant to post a story that was just stupidly rediculous...I was in line at a donut shop listening to two of those types having one of those conversations where neither would call the other on anything and just added their own BS on top...it went something like...

"Yeah, AMC went out of business in the late 70's, they were bought by Chrysler and that how they got the jeeps, but they didn't sell Harley until 1983"

"I know, I heard that, so Chrysler actually made Harleys for a few years!"

I didn't bother...but had a mental note to post it here as soon as I heard it.

Lol,  BTW Love that '77 Reddog!

Craig

[easyricer]

I love my ol gal and to this day the motor, internally, has not been touched since it was first built! Yeah she drips, rattles and clatters but she fires up every morning faithfully! She's cone Shovel, still running points. She sits outside the door to my shop every day (where I can keep a close eye on her) and hearing the comments from people always makes me laugh! The best comments are about that "SUICIDE SHIFTER" on my gas tank!
Would Love to add a flatside to the family but money just aint there!
EASY

[Old Crow]

Talk about the BS posers.  Before I got my Shovel and my wife got her Superglide we both rode "goofy footed" Ironheads.  My wife's had a 4 gal Mustang tank but was otherwise fairly stock, while mine was a rigid frame old school chopper.  We had another friend who also rode an Ironhead.
The 3 of us were sitting in a parking lot having a soda one day when a guy on a brand new 883(still had temp tags)rode up to us and started telling us how much he liked our old Triumphs.  He went on and on about how good a bike "those old Trumpets" were.  None of us had the heart to set him straight.
As far as that goes, he was right about those old Trumpets, just not the bikes we were riding.

[dablaze]

I hear ya Easy, I have a buddy who his old chopper has a '68 flatside in it, he put a ton of money into it and modernized the bike to the point that the drivetrain is the only original part (basically a wide tire rigid) He keeps saying that he wants to go electric start, put an Evo motor i it and wants to swap me for an Evo set up I got waiting for a project. I would do it in a heartbeat, but I warned him first that he would have no registration anymore and put at least a temp hold on that deal.

Craig

[easyricer]

I still have that 47/48 frame sitting at my shop that I'll probably put back to factory specs now that I have my new tig machine. Right now its set of for a Shovel motor. Been hacked on. Then put me a Pan together one part at a time again, as close to stock as I can get.
Was SO much fun seeing Frankenstein sitting out in the parking lot of my shop and hearing the comments! (for those who never saw it, it was a 48 Panhead Imitation using an 85 EVO motor that I put real Panhead  rocker covers on and grafted a real panhead cam cover to.)

EASY

[kink04fxd]

"BTW Love that '77 Reddog!"
That is nice! I know where a blue one is at but it's priced outa my range for now.

[Reddog74usa]

Thanks for the comments on the 77 FXE. Yep there was a blue 76 FX on ebay last week that is real sweet.

[kink04fxd]

The one I'm referring to is a 77, but I'm not saying where!   

[Reddog74usa]

Don't blame ya 

[panz4ever]

Thanks to all who replied. I guess someone brought out a good point.  A 1966 shovel  is getting to be 40 + years old and tired.  If I get another shovel I'll look for a newer one.  I think they were better by design and I like the belt drive on the 83/84 models.  The 84 had a wet primary that I like better also.  So the hunt is on for a 1984.  I heard that 1985 Police bikes were also a shovel. Can anyone confirm this??  I have 1997 FLH classic so I'm not in bit rush.  Nothing like a shovel for nice sound.

MoCo supposedly built several hundred FLH models to fill some orders to police departments but the accepted view is that the Shovel and the FLH ended in 1984.

Good luck with your hunt for another shovel.

Pic of my (new to me) 84 FLH. Purchased from original owner with 58K on her, almost completely stock. I took off the tour pak and will use it for long trips with the wife

[77flh]

 :agree:easyricer said it all......Pay attention to his post.....he nailed it on old shovels. We all love these ole bikes but they are like a good woman.....if ya keep her ya gotta show her plenty of TLC and ATTENTION!!!! Then ye can depend on her fer a lasting enjoyable relationship!!! (nice 84 by the way!!)