I'm looking around at shovelhead Superglides and I see the FLH tanks on the first years, then a smaller tank with XL style gauges, then a return to the FLH style tank...was there options or is it just the individual year?
'71-'72 had the smaller dual tanks (3.5 gal). '73-'84 had the 3.3 gal single tank similar to the Sprint tank. In the late '70's there was a Super Glide variant called the FXEF Fat Bob that reintroduced the 3.5 gal split tanks with gauge console. No tank options from the MoCo, but the single tank wasn't much liked and many got changed out for the split tanks over the years.
I like the single super glide tank. You don't have to pull it for a lot of repairs and you can see the ENGINE :chop:
I like 'em too, you don't even have to take it off to remove the heads or cylinders.
fat bobs are not hard to get off
The FXEF Fat Bob was a Super Glide with 5 gallon tanks.
My 78 lowrider came with 3.5 gal tanks. A friend had a 80 FXEF which came with 3.5 tanks. Another friend had a 79 FLH it had 5 gal tanks.
I didn't know the tanks could be split and only 3.5 gallons; thought all the FLH style tanks were 5 gallons...now I'll have to have a closer look at a Superglide. There's a few of them stashed in garages up here; original owners too. The learning will continue...thanks for the info so far
To my knowledge stock Shovelhead FLH gas tanks have always been 5 gallon and the same holds true for the FXEF. Here's a photo from my 1980 owners manual.
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Here's another. These are the 3.5 gallon tanks.
And herer's the one piece 3.3 gallon rubber mounted tank.
I owned a 73 Super Glide FX for 28 years. Single tank. 3.6 gal. .7 reserve.
Pretty sure FXEF tanks are 3.5 bobs. Fl's and Wide Glides had the 5 gallon tanks.
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Quote from: Reddog74usa on May 16, 2021, 09:55:48 AM
Pretty sure FXEF tanks are 3.5 bobs. Fl's and Wide Glides had the 5 gallon tanks.
Please take a look at the photos that I posted and tell me that the FXEF (first photo) has 3.5 gallon tanks. Pretty sure that the reason it was called the Fat Bob was because that model had 5 gallon tanks.
I rolled my 78 Lowrider off the showroom floor, it came with 3.5 gal fatbob tanks. My friend rolled his 80 FXEF off showroom floor it had 3.5 gal fatbob tanks. Another friend had a 70 FLH it had 5 gal fatbob tanks.
Quote from: bump on May 17, 2021, 03:33:05 AM
I rolled my 78 Lowrider off the showroom floor, it came with 3.5 gal fatbob tanks. My friend rolled his 80 FXEF off showroom floor it had 3.5 gal fatbob tanks. Another friend had a 70 FLH it had 5 gal fatbob tanks.
Apparently they didn't use your bike for the photo that I posted of a 1980 FXEF. :wink:
Here's a pic of the FXWG and the FXEF side by each. The busted binding is not my work.
Those type of pics can be deceiving. My 79 Lowrider new off the floor was 3.5 and I have had a few original FXEF fat bobs with the 3.5's. When you see an FXEF with 5 gallon bobs you know it as they look bulbus and a bit large hence the 3.5's instead of the 5's
I posted a picture of both the 1980 FXWG and the 1980 FXEF side by side. I realize that the FXWG had a different dash than the FXEF but those two gas tanks are the same size. Looking from the side, the five gallon tanks cover the intake rocker nut on both the front and rear rocker boxes. The 3.5 gallon tanks do not.
Ok ya went n made me do it. I looked up the fuel capacity for 1979 model year. The Super glide tank is 3.6 gallons, the FXEF is 3.5 and the FLH and wide glide are 5 gallons. This is right off the factory brochure for 79 but hey what do they know.
Two shovels I can look at are a Wide Glide and a Low Rider; both stock. Hope to see them both later this week (At work now)
Quote from: Reddog74usa on May 17, 2021, 10:28:16 AM
Ok ya went n made me do it. I looked up the fuel capacity for 1979 model year. The Super glide tank is 3.6 gallons, the FXEF is 3.5 and the FLH and wide glide are 5 gallons. This is right off the factory brochure for 79 but hey what do they know.
I posted snips from an 80 brochure earlier that said 3.5 for the FXEF also. Was taken down.
Service manual for those years also claim 3.5 gallon.
..my 1975 FX..has the single tank. when I bought my 1972 FL police Special it had the 3.5 fat bobs...I switched to 5 gallons since with the old Bendix carb it came with the mileage range was not great. That extra 1.5 gallons makes a big difference. Back in the 70's the look was FX front end 2 to 4 inches over with 5 gallon tanks. with a mild rake it gave the bike a good look going down the road. I built a Pan head hard tail with this combination..a guy instantly traded me even for a pure stock 1970 FLH...The FLH was a great rider drove it to Montreal..it was a great ride...sold it eventually for 5 grand...that was in 1986...
Well I did a bit more looking into this and I have to concede that you guys are right that the FXEF came stock with 3.5 gallon split tanks. The buyers guide book that I have is obviously wrong and that photo in the owners manuel sure looks like 5 gal tanks to me. It doesn't look anything like the tanks on the FXS and a whole lot more like the tanks on the FXWG that we agree are 5 gal. I do like the look of 5 gallon tanks with the narrow front end. Egg on face eating crowe. :banghead:
The 3.5 and the 5 gallon tanks look the same from the side. Look at both from the top and you will see the difference. The 5s are wider than the 3.5s.
Way wider.
On a 3.5 tank the caps sit a sort of an angle,
on a 5 gal the caps are on top of the tank.
Quote from: bump on June 14, 2021, 11:32:27 AM
The 3.5 and the 5 gallon tanks look the same from the side. Look at both from the top and you will see the difference. The 5s are wider than the 3.5s.
When viewed from the side at the same height the 5 gallon tanks cover more of the rocker box than the 3.5 gallon. Yes I know they're wider. Owner's manual and parts book show that the FXEF came stock with 3.5 gallons tanks but there's no way on God's green earth that those tanks on the FXEF that I posted a photo of from the 1980 owners manual are 3.5 gallon.
..there was a guy in town named Bob...must have weight in at 460 lbs. he walked in a dealership in town back in the late 70's and they sold him a Fatbob...guess what his nickname became?..He didn't know much and with his weight the bike looked small. He rode that bike for 35 years..he had it lowered so he could get his leg over it. I think he did it with a longer swing arm and angular shocks...he was dam proud of that bike and you allways found him hangin around donut shops all over town. He putted around and was allways at the back of the pack when a bunch of us went riding. 50 miles an hour was as fast as old Fatbob would ride...main rhing is he allways had a smile while riding...maintain