Shovel Project Harley Shovelhead Discuss Shovel Project in the Classic Harley Motorcycles forums; Well now I did it. I been wantin' to build something and have settled on a Shovel. Now what year do I want? I have been going thru my old ...

[unclepsycho]

Well now I did it. I been wantin' to build something and have settled on a Shovel. Now what year do I want? I have been going thru my old mag's etc to look at them to see if any year looks better than another to me, but I have a hacksaw, a welder and an air brush , so what does it matter about how it looks now?

I heard a lot of things about the AMF years, and remembered a thread with a lot of stuff on that.
So I read the thread " AMF Years 1978 Shovel"

I like what Shovelmike said about the fact that so many years have gone by now that most shovels that had problems have been resolved by one guy or another. That settled my mind a bit.

I have noticed that Shovels are relatively low in cost to pick up around here. I found a 68 shovel for $6k with a 1983 Harley motor, 2005 Roadking front end and a new Rev-Tec 5 speed in a 4 speed case with kick and electric start. It's got 16" fatty ape hangers on it. It is plain ole black, so I can do what ever want to with paint.

I am gonna wait a couple days to make sure I can do this without killing the bank.

I'll post things right here if I make the deal.

If any of ya out there got ideas about one year being better than another I'd listen (actually I'll read it)

[frisco-rigid]

Ha

You're startin to grow on me Unc..
One of my fav lines over the years was ".....all I need to work an a HD is a hack-saw a welder and a hammer"....... Yeah Baby..

I never had a lick of trouble with my '78 (amf) motor..
Built to 93" in 1984.. And from that point it got about 200K on the bottom end..

I like cone shovels more than the flat-side for the simpler ignition.. That's all I have to say about fav years..

Just be VERY sure about ALL the paperwork.. You need a legal bill of sale for that '83 motor since it doesn't go with a '68 frame..
Is it a simple motor swap or a Special Construction Title.?

AND, I hate to sound tooo wary but espescially with a "custom" sickle like this,, you never know who did the work and what might be screwed up..
Waaaay too many guys work on these devil machines that legally shoudn't be allowed around tools, ah, if ya know what I mean..
But, you'll have a chance to correct everything once you start your re-build..

Have a ball

[JayDee]

Did Buzz ever sell his Sturgis Shovel?

[unclepsycho]

frisco

thanks for the info, I havent called the seller yet, but if it has a special construction title, then I wont get it. Insurance is a bear with those bikes. as for the different motor, I am a bit conserned there on the paperwork end of it. seems better to have a "numbers matching" bike. I may wait for the next one to come along. there are 3 that I am looking at right now. It'll be a couple weeks till I make the move.

Jay Dee

from what i have found or ...not found... here on the forum, it looks like the Sturgis Shovel is still owned by Buzz. The one I am looking for will be cut up and customized, so I dont want to ruin a nice one like his. Some bikes just need to stay original. or at least mostly original.

[Bikerbitch]

Frisco, you tell the truth, those guys aren't allowed to handle tools on other kinda bikes either, A lesson I learned too good on my winter bike. Looked good at the surface, but beneath it were a absolute crap of home made solutions and idiots bright ideas. so I got some to fix on that, could kill some of the former owners, or at least bark their a$$ off and ask from which mental institution they were released from.
But it's just to take a bit of sour apple and re-do it and do it right this time.

You'll never be immune from that kind of crap bikes, you will get some in your ownership during your lifetime, but you never know when..

[unfknblvbl]

Hey Unc....Not sure if you're trying to find something local or willing to travel a bit (well maybe a lot), but for what it's worth I was just on Truett & Osborn's website (out of Wichita, KS), they have quite a few shovels for sale on their site and they probably have even more on the floor. I can remember going in there as a kid and there was nothing but wall to wall bikes.

On the flip side I have found quite a few shovels for sale on ebay in the SoCal area from complete engines to complete/project bikes.

[unclepsycho]

thanks unf, I would probably not travel father than a days drive, or ride to get the bike. thats approx 300 to 400 miles in any direction from here north of San Francisco in Sonoma County. Kansas would be a nice ride if I had a week off. But with a good full time job right now I dont want to take any time off, they might find another clown to fill my boots. I'd like to think I am more valuable than that, but ya never know.

[unclepsycho]

Well, I found a 1976 Shovel. no mention of a starter, might be kick only, but that's fine. guy is not in a hurry to sell, took a week to get a response to a question over the e-mail.

says it's a stock motor, and trans. but modified the fenders. can hardly wait !!!!


Will keep ya posted. I plan on making it a photo album as the project progresses.

yeeee haw,

[unclepsycho]

Man! it feels like a week went by, but my last post was Yesterday? I sure hope that guy e-mails me back. the price is so low I cant pass it up.

Since it is a 1976, I have a vision of a red white and blue theme,

[unfknblvbl]

Any news Unc? Sometimes no news is good news. He may be pondering it?!?!?