I rode my 1st Harley, a brand new 1979 FXE to Sturgis. We then counted the days left until the next Sturgis run in 1980. Willie G. Davidson visited our camp @ Sturgis City Park and told us of the new model coming out....which was " The Lowrider". The trip was unforgettable!
Love shovels! Had 14 of them since 73. Currently have a stock sparkling blue , 72 FLH rat dresser ,had it for 16 years. I'm 65. Its my last bike. I love her. Rusty as hell, but runs like a Swiss watch. I wouldn't put ape hangers on my bike if you held me at gun point. You hit a pothole you didn't see ,and especially if you only have one hand on the handlebars ,you screwed. They were popular in the 50s ,and 60s let sleeping dogs lie.
Every time I see these older bikes I feel like getting back into it. I had Panheads and shovels. No they weren't perfect but I loved them ( I'm 70 ) getting up in age but still have my memories .
This guy is exactly right. I was riding in SoCal in the mid 80's and EVERYONE wanted their bike to look like this one. Nice example of when riding was open and free in SoCal. Nice!
got my 71 from my uncle after THREE YEARS of bugging him. It had sat for about 6 years. cleaned carb. cleaned fas tank. replaced fuel lines. new battery. Fired right up puked oil [sumped] then the O ring between the inner and outer primary wasnt good puked more oil LOL. Runs like a raped ape now after I went through and did rocker box gaskets , primary gasket, electrical stuff. tires and tubes. Daily rider. Isnt fast but takes me where I need to go all over Phx. Even does OK in our ungodly summer heat. I walk right past my 09 Dyna every morning and kick that old shovel to life and go gitterdone . The shovel is my daily and the Dyna is my backup ride LOL . EFI Dyna has no soul doesnt even sound like a HD
I personally think the Shovel is the best sounding of Harley Engines, possibly because I grew up with them. they just always sound so "get out of my way or I'm gonna kick your ass"
Had the same bike. It was very reliable and easy to maintain. Put a Dyno electronic ignition on it, so i cheated a bit. Had the fairing, windscreen, bags, etc. People walked past the new ones to check out the old iron. I miss it.
Hey Todd thanks for taking the time & energy it takes to make these videos & especially for sharing your stories, experiences & the wealth of knowledge you've picked over your many years of being a loyal Harley Davidson owner.. I keep coming back to this Cali Custom video over & over.. Love it.. Cheers from Canada. Land of Free & Frozen.. Lol. Davey..
The sound is absolutely amazing. Deep and rich, yet not obnoxiously loud. At least that's what it sounds like through the web, YT and my headphones... ;)
I remember seeing these in the Harley shop in the 70's. Every one of them had a clean pool of oil under them, except for the Sportsters. I bought a new XLCH. Good times.
I know how everyone likes to hear them idle way low, but its really hard on lower ends....You can get an pan to idle like a farm engine, but its hammering the lower end
@@BlindTom61 why would I be jealous of that pig iron boat anchor? My shirt says "the best thing in the Harley shop window is the reflection of my Ducati!
@@arthurmchugh5184 You are obviously new to the bike game. You like your POS bike that's fine. Go hang out with your pasta-can friends. I had a Ducati before you were born. They are and always have been unreliable, poorly engineered major POS. I had a Hayabusa as a side bike for those times I wanted to go fast. I'd never own another Italian bike for any reason.
Fantastic. Harley Davidson brought out their own version of this, stripped back Electra with forwards only they didn't go as far as apes. FLHS was the prefix. Love your channel.
Had one , different colour though. Wish i still had it ! 4 speed with 80 ci , engine and had lots of power too , now i only have twin cams and they just aren't as cool . Nice bike!
Why would you not turn the idle up, when the bike is cold, and not been run in a year, i think it hurts the engine.... not enough oil pressure at 300 rpm...
Kenny H it’s not exactly hard to understand I don’t know how people just assume. You build great oil pressure off of the starter ALONE if you’re turning a bike over long enough. And if it’s barely turning guess what, it doesn’t need as much lubrication.
For myself I think the spotlights is what makes the front end rock, crash bars makes the forward controls more comfortable with the highway pegs also, just my opinion tho, nevertheless that's a very bad ass hog and any Harleyman has a ass load of respect fine ass bike like that...
my name is paolo, i'm your subscriber to your you tube channel. you have some beautiful harleys. compmenti ... I have 2 harley shovelhead flh 1980 and a heritage springer 1997
I run a long vent hose to a catch can. When my shovel sits a while, I run the vent hose to the oil tank before starting. Start the bike and run for 5 minutes emptying out the sumped oil. Then return the hose to the catch can.
id like your expert opinion of a 99 electra standard? its got 39,000 miles, paint good starts, idles, ect. any known issues with this year bike? thanks
The drive in the timing chest needs to be replaced with the S&S kit, once done they are great bikes. If not replaced they blow up. Factory they had a drive chain in the timing chest. The S&S kit replaces the chain drive with gears.
Patato patato patato....cutting potato chips. That idle is just fine for a cold engine. When she warms up she should be just fine. When it's cold, I stay next to the throttle and juuuust keep it barely above kill with enricher off. Had mine for 30 sumthin years never a prob.
I have an early 1978 FXE (early model year had point style ignition, late model year had electronic ignition). FXE had the 1200 engine, single gas tank (looked similar to Sportster tank but slightly larger), no windshield or fairing, no bags, the forks were not the large diameter forks as on the Electra Glide, and the headlight was the smaller diameter without the large nacelle like on the Electre Glide.