Mike, I love how you show past mistakes like the caliper hitting the fender, people love the channel because you are real and honest, have a blessed week my friends.
You are a true real person, you helped me out in a parking lot years ago, I had lost charge on my chopper and was from Mississippi, you got me a regulator, not sure if you remember that but I do, your a true person and I know your heart
My man, fully enjoy your videos and sharing of years of knowledge gained from experience. I am putting my shovel back together after years of abandonment after destroying my transmission. Your videos are going along with me for the journey. May God fill your heart with Himself. P.S. I'm chopping and bobbing all the way
I was coming back from El Paso and was in Phoenix at the Durango curve and an 18 wheeler came up along side of me and banged on his door to get my attention to tell me I had no brake light. I thanked him and sure enough I had no brake light. When I left for El Paso I checked my lights and they were all working. You never know when a lamp will expire. Always carry spare 1157's. I know you had a different issue. Sure was great to hear from you. Later my friend.
Someone told you swap meets are not fun?? what the hell man. you have a few hundred or a few hundred thousand people all gathered in one place, and all these people have things in common with you, like a car, truck or (angels start singing in the distance) Motorcycles and y'a find this boring. See I live in a small town not much going on, and I learned life is what you make it. "MAYBE" it's not the swap meet thats boring, but perhaps it is the person going that's boring or a stick in the mud and likes to complain, I love your videos, I have learned so much and continue to learn. Right now I am in the hospital when your videos come on I get excited and it brightenes my day up because with every video I learn something. Keep up the great work, and I hope to see you on the road some day. Tom, Northern Ontario Canada
Thank You. I love motorcycle swap meets. It's a love of motorcycles, a love of bikers, a love of the social and mechanical parts of our lives. They're great memories in the making. Personally, when I put on swap meets, I have a band to put it to music. By the way, I'll see you out on the road. I do love Canada.
That is the cleanest Shovelhead I’ve ever seen. No apparent dripping oil anywhere. Thanks for the tip RE the VW switch. How did you convert from drum to disk brakes. That is one big conversion. All the best Mike.
I've shown this in previous videos. Go to our home page and click on the word "videos." All the thumbnails will come up. But basically, I used late model hubs and late model fork legs. I made the rear caliper bracket and spacers. I did a little grinding on the front fender brackets.
like some kind of blade runner movie , keep your place clean & then there . . backroads , there are different backroads though . . everyone works through it , some cooler than others
I use the picture straight out of an Evo service manual. If the gaps are all lined up, either they were installed that way, or the bore is not round. The rings rotate to the path of least resistance.
Hey Mike. I just changed my rr stop light switch too. I thought that would do the same as you and use a jobber switch, as I am a partsman and know that this switch has been used on various vehicles with varying (screw, male spade, bullet) terminals since the 50’s and earlier. The Blue Streak switch I initially bought came with a warning to not use with DOT5. So I felt I had to order one from HD. Just sayin’. Frank
@@pacificmike9501 The OEM switch was not expensive. I’ve noticed brake parts are often more affordable, possibly liability issues. The first switch with the warning I purchased was also a Standard/Bluestreak. I wonder if they have upgraded them now.
Had done a fix on front brake chatter twin disc 82 FXS lowrider . . that involved small springs inserted , dare say rusted away by now all needing looking into again , got replacement for back brake sitting on shelf . . the clutch replacement caper shown here & not promoted . . is cool , the old creep into the intersection shovel back walk . . you learn to find neutral quick aka while moving , those old ratchet lid four speeds , good for drag racing , but found the heads of many Allen bolts that fell through the gears miraculous selecter pawls shear
Towering galleons of white & grey, boil & cumulate their way across cold blue skies, the bare & lofty twigs atop the Greenwood boughs, well mark their tumbling haste. Hares that race across furrow tilled fields, allowing their madness to March on anew, for the buds of '24 are stirring, & hard bark must soon yield to summer's verdant gown. With luck, sunshine & worthy brakelights. Y'all - go pick an orange & think of England : )
Okay. I really do have beautiful Myer Lemons ripe in my yard. It's cold and wet today, but it will be clear soon. I wired up my electric vest onto my road bike. I'll do a mountain ride in a few days when the snow is melted off the road. Yes, I'm spoiled. And, I think of you very often. And as for England, I know you have beautiful art and beautiful traditions and Brough Superiors.
Hello Brother Mike I'm a Great fan of your Super mechanical Expertise. Watching your video of putting the. Breaks light switch. Is it super bright? Er than the original switch. Thanks, I. GONNA, go get one.
Hi Mike. I always pay extra attention when you are fiddling with the shovel head, because I have a similar one in the garage being assembled. I am currently working on installing the SU and was wondering if you use a bracket for it, or if it hangs of the inlet manifold? There seem to be a hole in each of the cylinder heads, from which a bracket could hang for some extra support. There is a bracket made which comes up from the middle engine bolt, but for me it seems too tight, as I would need to remove the tappet housing. So a bracket from the cylinder heads seems better. Or is it?
Either way is fine. The late Shovelheads have those holes for two brackets on top. I'm used to using the center stud and propping the carb from the bottom. I've used the Rivera bracket and I've made brackets. Always make them fit and not be stressed. But, never expect that big ol' carb to just hang from the manifold. That's really asking for trouble. I've always shaped that bracket, bent it to fit, ground the end corners off to clear the tappet block, etc.
I'm rebuilding my Borg Warner rear brake master cylinder. It's on an early '79 FLH 1200. The piston is stuck in the housing. Do you have any hints to get the piston and rest of the parts out? Much appreciated and love the content!
Most people use compressed air with the caliper wrapped in a rag then lowered into an empty garbage can. Under pressure, the pistons can be very dangerous.
@pacificmike9501 Awesome. Thanks for your reply. BTW, it's a Warner Lockheed rear master cylinder. I ended up using (because I refused to take it off the bike since the manual said it wasn't necessary to rebuild it) a circlip plier to get inside the piston to pull it out and then a makeshift hook with a paperclip to snag the rubberized washer at the far end. Ugh, it was a day! Thanks for the reply and all the help!
I'm trying to remember whether that rubber covered washer is supposed to stay or get removed. I think it stays for disc brakes, but I honestly don't remember. The instructions with the kit should tell you. And, being a 79, it should use dot 5 fluid.
I can't remember if the rubberized washer is supposed to stay with disc brakes or go. I think it stays. I'm not sure, but, it should tell you in the rebuild kit instructions. Also, being a 79, it should use dot 5 brake fluid.
I have a rear brake question. I’m rebuilding an early 70s rear brake assembly . I have new pads and a new rotor. My question is how much drag should I have when I rotate the rear tire with these new parts? I have what feels like a lot of drag. Maybe this is normal with the new brake pads and a new rotor?
Disc brakes on Harleys were a big improvement, but they had quite a few problems. The caliper and bracket would wear and the caliper would drop causing it to rideonto the edge of the rotor and wear out the pins that hold the pads in place. Then people brought out a spring that was mounted to the axle and held the caliper up. This kinda worked, but it cocked the caliper sideways. Then came a spring that went up the middle and rested on the axle. It was pretty good because it kept things centered. Another good solution is to use the caliper bracket that came out in the early eighties and supported the caliper at both ends. After excercising all of the solutions I've seen, I finally put in a bunch of effort and went to much later model brakes. I've found a lot of stuff at swap meets to do this with. Some people replace perfectly good brakes with aftermarket ones that come in more vivid colors. V-Twin Manufacturing has all of the remedies I mentioned in the classic section of their catalog.
Hi man from a subscriber in Australia. Got a question for you I have some new progressive fron for springs to go in to my 87 softail. They come with 2 pvc tubes what are the for .cheers
It should be in your instructions, or email Progressive Suspension and look at the instructions. But, the PVC tubing is to adjust the preload of your new springs. You cut it to the desired length. It's pretty simple. And, if you don't like the setting you start with, you simply go to the hardware store for another length of PVC pipe. I keep a length of it around for just such occasions.
Hi Mike , I have a white 71 shovel FLH imported to the UK from Alabama , my brake switch is mounted horizontally with the terminals underneath , I've notice most are mounted vertically, the reason I ask is my switch stops working after a while , have you had issues like this ? could it be horizontal mounting ?
The switches are not very expensive. If you short the wires (touch them to each other) and the brakelight works, the switch is good. If it doesn't it's not good.
@@pacificmike9501 its a new switch , i've just stripped the NEW master cylinder , fitted the old spring as it seems stiffer and also replaced the o-ring. ATM it seems to be working. BTW love watching your vids here in the UK,,
Wouldnt a VW switch have metric threads?And where you get them cyl. heads what got 3 exhaust flange bolts?STD?V-Twin?Sifton?Delkron?("From the planet Delkron comes the new...")
Hi there. I am curious, My friend Junior is not able to help so I wonder if you can rebuild a 1979 ironhead motor and trans completely for me. Thanks. I am near you. Visited once with him and saw your Yellow Knuk Mike
How you doing Mike I really like what you have done with that shovel if you can see the little pix by my name I am a 73 shovel in need of a good tear down and up grage got to make du money what year is your wight night your friend kenney cole
That bike is actually a light creamy yellow. I bought it new as a 77 FLH in May of 1978. Everything on it has been replaced at one time or another as I have well over 400 thousand miles on it. That's over the last 45 years.
You too. I've had a nice relationship with Long Beach all my life. I even ran a shop there back in the early eighties. That is, I was "shop manager." Like about 65th and Atlantic. They were very wild days. Then, we moved the shop to Gardena. Time marched on...
Late one night, I grabbed a piece of stainless steel sheet metal and formed it to the shape of the stock steel one piece handlebar riser. Then I bent two ears up and shaped them for the bracket the tach came with. It's a kinda crude, but it's been on there for quite a few years now. I also mounted my turnsignal indicators in that piece.
I massaged the old bananas for years. I even had the latest version on the rear. When this modern stuff started showing up at the swap meets, well, four pucks in each one, and larger diameter rotors. Bunch of effort, but I've shown it all in earlier videos.
Many years ago I met Wolfman Jack in person. He gave out keyfobs with his picture printed on them. I carried mine for many years before it finally wore out. Loved the Wolfman.
@@pacificmike9501 > IDK when this goofy "FIRST!" comment game got started but it's kind of fun to post them when there's no comments at time of viewing...someone beat me to it on this one so posted "2nd"...LOL!. From what I understand about YT any comments boost up your "Al Gore Rhythms"....😁🤔
