Another great video, Mike. Of all the RU-vid Harley videos out there, I find your videos better explained and you don't take shortcuts with any assembly or cleaning, proper specs etc. You can see the experience and pride in your work!
Looking forward to the cylinder install video, Mike. Got a Shovel with leaky cylinder base gaskets I need to tackle one of these days and seeing how you do it will make me a lot more confident tearing into it. Thanks so much for making these videos.
Just found your channel last night. I’ve always loved bikes, especially the old ones. Been into old cars, specifically MoPars and this reignited my love for old Harleys. I think its time to educate myself and jump in head first haha. Thank you for all your informational videos!
Cheers Mike! I also have a 77 Shovel in my bike family. Mine is chopperised and used for long distance trips with my wife. It was 74" but ive messed and now 80" with stock cam. One day ill get enough bread for a better cam. Its like the cobblers shoes haha my bike comes last after my customers bikes. Ride safe.
Thank you for sharing Mike. It’s lovely watching a master rebuilding your Harley while in my Lockdown in the United Kingdom. Stay safe Mike & family including the camera man👊
great video, as always! I'm personally a fan of white lithium grease for the lifter blocks, your oil pump tutorial a long time back lead me to start using white grease! I love it. It seals well, it preserves both surfaces and sometimes you even get to use the gaskets twice!
Thanks for the videos, I am 26 and ride an “old” 96 Honda Cbr 600 sport bike , carbed bike. I love it. Appreciate the knowledge about these old harleys. 💪🏻💪🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for tip on lifter block gaskets. Just something to pass on for your evo crowd....I have had excellent results with Cometic gaskets and they allow you to specify on head gasket thickness. Your videos are always appreciated.
I am a lover of motorcycles and I like to work on them too & you Sir are a natural at entertaining & teaching as you continue to modify your bike to your present situation. I mostly work on the large fours of the '70's and 80's. I ride a 1974 Amen Savior with a Z1A 903cc engine and a lot of Harly body parts... wide glide front... FXR tank, fenders . I use the coppper coat spray too. Great stuff. Love your videos man..
I love your talks, although I don't have a Harley, because you always bring a smile to my face, today within 30 seconds.:) . . . .oh dear, now you have got me going to look on Ebay for a Harley Davidson motorbike!
If an expert like Pacific Mike chooses a shovel to be his road bike, they must be more reliable than the stories I have heard about them breaking down a lot LOL
A shovel is no more reliable or unreliable than a pan, an evo, or twin cam. It all depends on the maintenace, how they were built, and how they are ridden. I had a 49 pan that was just as reliable as any of my shovels were and how my twin cam is. All my buils have been reliable. Treat them like a lady, dont try to make them do what they arent and you'll be happy. But like any lady you do have to stroke and caress them from time to time. In other words they will treat you like you treat them. Be safe.
@@pacificmike9501 I don't even own a bike right now but I can dream...I was born in 1974 would love to find one that year I could afford and ride I don't want a show piece (trailer queen) I want a rider I love the old school chopper & bobber look...But like I said I can dream....
I have a 99 twin cam and recently experienced the cam tensioner failure . Which damaged the oem cam support plate , oil pump . After some issues with an aftermarket oil pump and a used cam support plate ( cleaned all oil passages prior to installation ) . Finally went with the Harley upgraded cam support plate ( with hydraulic timing tensioners ) and improved oil pump . After having to remove / re install rocker arms a couple times I replaced the oem pushrods with adjustable ones , Service manual lists a special tool for holding the lifters in the lifter block as a modified binder clip . I would be interested in the tool you used ( as the binder clip can slip off ) and how to get one . Thanks love your videos wish I could find a older ( knuckle or panhead ) to restore / customize .
I sure was glad to watch you work on your scoot this morning. I have been wanting to open up my 82 ironhead to see what is ticking in the top end but I haven’t saved enough for the gasket set yet. I am suspecting the rocker end play and I already checked my pushrod clearance’s twice but they seem just right. I hope I can meet you sometime after all this stuff clears up. Y’all stay safe and have a great day.
Thanks Mike! I love the very human side of your videos It is truly real life. If at some time you could address the changing of a cam gear (I have done this by the "scribe and eyeball method") due to gear pitch issues it is more cost effective to use the gear that has been living inside the cam chest. Thanks again
I sold my 82 Shovel in 1998....I went to my hometown over the weekend to visit my parents and I was scanning the local classifieds and lo and behold I found her for sale!!!...for quite a bit cheaper than I sold it for...and only around 3500 additional miles since I sold it...changed ownership twice since I sold it. Maybe gonna have a second time around with her!
Hey Mike, I’ve been enjoying your videos. I’ve never really been interested in Harleys. I’m more of a Ducati and BMW guy but I’m loving the shovelhead! Keep up the great videos and I’ll hope to see you on the road!
Great video very interesting I never seen a cam change on a showerhead. Thanks for taking the time to do this video.. I got 4yrs under my belt in the Harley Davison world.. I’m 46 years old. Loved then since I was a kid! Finally was able to bye my first new Harley Davison in 2016. I got a Softail Slim S, FLSS. Absolutely love it. The only thing that sucks is my state of California everything is illegal to do to the bike, Performance wise at my local Harley dealer I’m going to wait till my warrantee over before I start messing with it. #SE585Cams 🤘🏻😎
@@pacificmike9501 would enjoy it,I've got ,3 sons who all ride,I've got my 72, I also bought a thunder mountain Blackhawk,and my most recent purchase was a 2020 roadglide special,I gave my 94 Dyna to my 20 year old for his bday, godspeed and stay safe thru these troubled times my bro
I love your content been watching for a while. I do have a question, does front cylinder have to be at TDC for the cam gear, pinion gear, and oil breather gear timing marks to line up?
Hey Mike, sure is a pleasure to watch you work. I’ve learned so much from you and I am very grateful. Was wondering if you are gonna show the sidecar installation. Stay safe brother.
Thanks for your videos, your camera man does a great job, a joy to watch, i have owned many bikes, never a Harley, i do like the idea of owning a shovel head in a road glide, i'm not sure if when they started making road glides, or using that style of fairing?
What's up Mike! Another great video. Just wanted to say how cool I think it is that you own a Knuckle, a Pan and a Shovel. Wondering if you have or plan on adding an Evo to the stable. Also can't wait for the new bike build...you are driving me nuts with all those awesome swap meet parts you keep coming up with! I'm from the east coast but I hope i see you "out on the road!"
Hello Mike I think it's really cool you have owned the shovelhead from New and lovingly looked after her I take my hat off to you what a pleasure it must be sorry but I am lost for words lovely regards Alan from the UK
I just recently discovered your channel and have been enjoying watching all your videos. Very informative presentations. I ride a 76 FLH with side car that I have owned since 1992. I really wish you would have explained why you were reducing the lift and lengthening the duration of the cam. What performance parameters did that accomplish?
I like that for cruising on the freeway. I want to get the same amount through the engine with less stress on the valvetrain. Backing off on the throttle and not having the bike slow down as rapidly. There are as many approaches to designing cams as there are the people who create them. Each designer creates his own cocktail. Some I like, some I don't. Depends on what I'm going to ask it to do.
Great vid, Mike. Now, can you tell us what your compression ration on this motor is? What cam did you remove, and replace it with. I'm running an Andrews #3 ( same as the $&$ 514 ) in my 8.5:1, 90" '68 SH and am quite happy with it. ....RooDog....
Everyone is looking for something different in their motor. What goes into my own is quite often an experiment, and not always something I wish to share.
The 1959-1969 service manual is my all time favorite. I don't tell people to spend money, but, BUY ONE. The book says .001-.005. Be sure to allow for the crush of and if, you're using a thick cam cover gasket.
@@pacificmike9501 Thanks a lot again Mike, appreciate the quick feedback. Just working on a buddies bike after a shop messed all kinds of things up. Keep up the excellent tutorials. You were a born educator!
i have deep scratches in my 1976 shovelhead´s breather bore. how does that effect the engine? should i buy a reamer tool or let it be that way? no oil leaking. (sorry about my bad english)
I've run some that looked pretty bad with no problem. Try it and see how well it does or doesn't send oil out the breather hose. Be sure the end play is set properly on the breather gear.
Hi Mike, what brand is your Forward foot controls on your Yellow road bike? I want to get rid of my Floor boards. I keep dragging them. Thanks you are the BEST!!!
I don't think they are a specific brand. They are the least expensive and the strongest I could find. They are chrome plated steel. I changed the pegs and spacers along the way. I bought them from Custom Chrome, but I have seen them in Drag Specialties, V-Twin, and all the other major aftermarket suppliers. I believe they are still available.
I love your videos Mike, thanks for taking the time to do them. Do you use anything on the cork pushrod tube seals Or fit them dry? Stay safe, stay home and get that project bike done. Thanks again.
Hi Mike, Just found your channel and subscribed, I have a 79 Superglide that I have owned for 39 years. I like you are methodical and also a good teacher. Do you have any advice on curing the dreaded wet sumping that the shovel is prone to. I am getting the bike ready for summer.
Welcome! It's not a Shovelhead problem. It is a characteristic of all of the Big Twins from 1936 to 1999. It's called gravity. From sitting too long, the oil from the oil tank gets past the ball and spring in the oil pump and fills the sump. Actually, the bikes that have their oil tank lower don't have the issue. Put a pan under the breather hose and let it clean itself out by running until the system balances again.
Hello Mike thanks for the video. I am not a technician but I really enjoy your posts. It seems that you have already driven many miles on this bike through beautiful states. Do you have video's of these journeys that we could watch? Thanks and greetings
Hey there again Mike! Always a pleasure watching your videos. Your voice reminds me of an old friend of my dad's, he too has a very nice speaking voice. You remind me of him. Anyway, I'm curious as to what motor you have planned for the project bike. I don't mean to pry if you're keeping it a secret, I love this stuff! As for the east coast, there's plenty to see and just as beautiful as the west, I've been all over coast to coast. However, I miss the other side of three country tremendously. Haven't been able to see much of it in many years. Hopefully oneday our paths may cross. In the meantime, keep up the cool videos. They're a ray of light, and we need it. God bless.
Believe it or not, I bought her new in 1978. She is a 1977 FLH. For a lot of the times in my life, she was all I had. I've worn out and broken several speedos (most of which are on the shelf. As close as I can figure, a little over 400,000. Almost everything on the bike has been replaced several times.
S&S makes one that is a direct replacement for the original and the other manufacturers produce cams that are "mild" and will go right in place of the original. Pick your poison.
Loving the videos. So informative. Question for you. I've got a 75 motor. From 70-77 harleys cams and pinion gears had a smooth face surface and from 78 on there was a ring groove machined into the face of the gears. Why was that? And Can a person run the 78 and later cam in a 70-77 shovel? Thank you for the videos and your time. I look forward to the next ones.
Pacific Mike yes but the previous owner has put like a economic cam for high fuel mileage was thinking about the 585 but will that mean different valve springs? Thank you so much for your reply
Thank you Mike, my project late shovelhead engine have cal products engine cases, is that god or bad? It runs great, high comp, super e carb, dual plug hd heads, and dyna s ignition, stock type advancer, engine internals is unknown
Of course it's good. You just said, "It runs great." High compression Shovelheads love dual plugs. "Internals unknown" is obviously, not bad. The only thing to remember is that when you some day have to get into it for whatever it may need, you'll have to be very careful to verify the things in it. Oil pump, timing gears, pistons, all these things But it sure sounds cool to me.
William H Janin Just out of curiousity, have you ever degreed a cam? I did it on a CBR1000 Honda and was shocked to see how much the stock cam was out of time.
Been loving all of your videos since I found them a couple days ago. Would it be possible for you to do videos of your bikes and show possible issues to look out for if you were buying one. I think a video like that would be great for some of us
You only take an "educated guess." It's just like buying a used car. There are videos of my bikes. We have over 180 of them on the channel. Check out our homepage and click on "videos."
Hey Mike, I’m putting my old shovel back together with a little more than a little help from you! I had my local shop replace the pinion shaft, and I noticed it doesn’t have an oil restrictor in it. When I asked he said it should be “full flow”. Does this sound right? It’s an 80” 1978 flh
I assume you're speaking of the flow to the rocker boxes. Restricting it a little keeps from having too much oil up there, causing heat. Harley put out a bulletin to that affect in (if memory serves) 1981. Not a huge deal, either way.
Hello Mike, my ‘71 Electra Glide has a terrible amount of oil, grease, and dirt on her. What would you suggest to get this goop off ? I thought that engine degreaser would be to harsh on my baby.
What gear raito, primary and secondary sprockets)are you going to run for your sidecar? I have the 3R trans which has a higher 1st gear than your 4 speed, so our ratios may not be the same, I am running a 21 primary and 24 trans on my 69'flh with harley fiberglass car, does my ratio sound ok? Are you going to change your triple trees to rake out the frontend? Take car
Thank you, I found there is not much to choose from as far as transmission upgrades and room, as far as that goes, on the 65-69 bikes. It would have been nice to upgrade to at least a 5 speed, as reverse can be added to on to any 5-6 speed without changing their ratios. I guess I will find out how the 69 ratios will work, on a long trip, when I ride it on my trip from Ohio to our pow wow in Oklahoma this coming july, if it does not get cancelled, if so, just have to go somewhere else.lol Thanks again! I have to put a sidecar on my 77 flh, so I will probably change out the trans and add the reverse on it.
Mike, I had a discussion with David, the owner, at Velva Touch Lifters the other night, great guy by the way. I am considering installing a Velva Touch kit in my '70 Shovel (FLH), since I believe I have at least one giving me problems. I'm thinking of going with an EVO -EV-27 cam (yep, in a shovelhead). It's supposed to be a well kept secret. He recommended an S&S oil pump to increase oil volume to the lifters among other things as well as roller rocker arms. Apparently the external oil lines go away and the oil travels to the roller rocker arms up the pushrod tubes just like the EVO. I think you know a thing or two about this subject. What are your thoughts?
Sure. Why not? Although I've had a bunch of trouble free miles using Velva Touch Lifters and Jim's roller rockers, I can appreciate any improvements. I believe you're speaking of Mr. Ott. If so, yes I've spoken with him on a couple of occasions. Bright man and shares his vast knowledge. I certainly enjoyed him. Oh yah, I run a Harley 1991 oil pump on mine. Again, listen to the man. He has done extensive research.
I love all your videos. I understand the frustration of trying to do mechanical work and shoot a video. I can't even converse with someone while working on the bike or I forget something.
nice job Mike! Question: how do you decide what to prep gaskets with? copper coat vs grease vs dry, etc. Is it material of the gasket? the application (oil under pressure vs oil volume being sealed in) joining materials? (steel vs aluminum, dissimilar metals, etc) My last bike rebuild I used gasgacinch throughout. it being an italian bike there arent a lot of choices for gasket materials so I got whatever a parts dealer could provide, often very thin paper. the gasgacinch helped keep those in place and not getting wrinkled or torn in assembly and sometimes repeated assembly. Im always interested in learning more.
That all sounds good. I'm not that "scientific." I develop my habits from what works for me. Certain things (because they work) seem to make sense. Copper coat and gasket cinch seem very similar, except copper coat has copper suspended in it. That copper is a great filler. White lithium is a soap and softens and fills things. Your experience has probably taught you quite a bit.
@@pacificmike9501 Thanks Mike. Im always interested in hearing more and swapping tips. "Works for me" is plenty enough scientific that I'd give it a try. On my new to me Electra Glide I had to replace two out of three fairing fastener inserts. Im not doing that again - those fasteners get anti-seize from now on! ha!
I ran A grinds in my 74 inch shovels and B in the 80 inch bikes. I love these cams. They are the cams that should have been in them from the factory. They are definitely not radical but a good solid cam. Especially for a pretty much stock engine. Just my opinion. I am guessing you wanted a little bit longer legs and went with the B grind. Just a guess mind you. Thanks and be safe.
Bought my 72 shovel from my boss. He owned it for 4 yrs but never heard it run. 1st thing I did was toss the aftermarket ignition and put points back in it. Rode it into work the next day and ummm yeah, he was kinda pissed. Anyways, points and carbs can be fixed quickly...
Mike, according to David at Velva Touch Mr. Ott passed away in 2016 and he is now the sole proprietor of Velva Touch. Do you run an Evo cam in your shovel with the Velva Touch lifters, your road bike?
No, I do not. I've never met David, but it seems you've got a nice relationship started. That's very cool. I'm truly sorry to hear about Mr. Ott's passing. He made a great product and certainly schooled me on a couple of things. Thank you for the update.
Thank you for the video! I have a 1977 flh confederate edition that I want to take out the andrews cam and put the H cam back in it. Do you know of a way to run a S&S Super E with a stiff cable or would I be better of running a sleeve with the external cable, or change the bars completely? Another option would be to run a Super B, Linkert DC-7, I am just not familiar with these two carburetors, I could also run a bendix. Bike is a 69 flh w/sidecar. I am loading you up here. Lol What do you do to do away with points and make the auto advance work spot on in my 69, I kind of thought of using an electronic unit used in a chainsaw or garden tractor to replace the points, I do not see why it would work, but really do not know. Thanks again!!!
First off, making a hard throttle wire (basic internal) work is just a matter of fabricating a clamp and lever setup. Then you find out you have to turn thegrip too far and change the length of the lever. Carburetors are a matter of personal preference. I runn an SU on my shovel. I ran Bendix before that. I ran the original Keihin before that. I love my SU. Different strokes. I can't remember his name, but there is a gentleman who makes a module that goes into a stock Harley distributor. He buys his components from Pertronix. Good luck. It's all we do in the world of custom building.
Yeah, I understand lever systems and how they work, I have just done so many adaptations to my bike because of the loss of my left leg that I was hoping adapting the super e would be a bit easier. Another issue is I have to run a left hand throttle. I wired up two sets of handlebars, early panhead bars with advance and mid 70's bars because I foresaw this issue, but now it is time to chose a carb to know which bars to run. I have all carbs mentioned in my earlier reply including a bendix, just am brain locked on which one to chose. My buddy just told me that he have a few SU carbs for harleys and said they were hot items in the 70's. I asked about the distributor because I was told that the advance in these units have issues. I want to keep the stock unit because I am running a tach. Thanks again for your time.
Hello Mike, I have been told by people in the past that high performance cams usually end up causing problems in the long run? But, I can also remember you saying in another video that Evolution engines can benefit with better performance with an up graded cam. What is the best route to go when it comes to increasing performance with a cam but not relinquishing reliability. I have a 1985 FXR with Evolution Engine. Just wanted to get you input on this. Thank-you.
A mild cam is nice. But, in reality, in 1985, Harley was still putting in a reasonably fun cam. The later ones, not so much. They continued to be pretty good through 1987. Most camshaft grinders make some pretty nice "drop in" cams. That means they install with no modification required to make them fit with your stock valve train and pistons. It's your call, but they really are strong motors.
Don't see you do it but my gramps tought me to greese my paper gaskets couse it helps them stay in place and it helps on the seal by absorbing into the paper fibers causing swelling and filling microscopic space after assembley . Maybe seems silly to some but thats what i do .
The timing cover is a vital part which holds the cam, I didn't see you use a little dab of medium Loctite on cam cover screws? On some applications I know loctite is not your friend. Good video Mr Mike, learning constantley, thank you
Everybody have more than a "small problem" now with their bike(s). Mike does his work in his garage to show how to do a nice work on his Chopper,Bobber or Roadbike. I am 62-years old,and I can say that Mike have learn me a lot of things since he started "Mikes Garage"..... My brother had a Ducati-workshop for many years......But like Bob Dylan wrote....."Times are a changing".. I hope that this worldwide decies will end,so we can live like we use to do.... //Jörgen
Mike, do you use loctite? I'm not sure if I've ever seen you use it. I've had problems with bolts backing out so I typically use it on everything. So my question is, if you don't use it, why? If you do use it, where and why there? Another great video. Keep em coming!
Nice job. That's the first time (that I can remember) that I've heard someone even mention checking breather tolerance during a cam change, and it's an important detail. Being new to your channel, I have not had an opportunity to go thru and watch all your videos, so I may have missed something, but what motor is the new project bike going to run or have you not said yet?
