SHOVELHEADS SUCK!....But Not Really. A Complete Restoration Series - 1978 1/2 Low Rider 

This is a perfect example of why you keep those takeoff original parts

Awesome. I just found a picture of a Shovel my wife's dad had in the same time period of that bike. My wife was sitting on it in her younger days. My wife passed away last year This all brings back some great memories

What never ceases to amaze me is I own a 1985 Super Glide Evo that except for the motor the bike is exactly the same. You don’t see many of them.

Turbin wheels look great. Have them on my 1980 FLH. No messing with spokes.

Hey dad that’s my bike! Lowride78. My bedroom was right next to that bike! I’m excited to see the progress!

Thanks Nick for bringing this rad old Shovel to get a proper rehab!

I had an 84 Lowrider that had both electric and kick start, kicked myself in the ass every day since I sold it too. That was THE bike that got me started wrenching on motorcycles.

So cool, an AMF 1200 Super glide was the first big bike not called a sportster that I ever rode. Love the shovelhead sound. Looking forward to watching the project.

I have a 79 FLH Shovel and it is a beautiful old bike. Custom paint job and leather saddle bags otherwise stock w origins carb and air cleaner . I have owned it since 1980. Still runs well. I will watch your rebuild.

Respect to Nick for the long ride out, I assumed at the beginning he'd put it in a van or trailer. Love this channel, can't wait for the upcoming videos.

Shop is looking good Kevin.

I will be anxiously awaiting each installment of this series. I'm a purist myself. Love originality. Nick, thank you!

Awesome Kevin! This is just the sort of thing I've been hoping you'd do, and I can't wait for you to get started on it... should be a fantastic series! You're dead right about old engines running fine while hiding serious problems. A friend of mine had to tear down the top end of his 253 cu.in. V8 Holden ute (I'm writing from Australia) for whatever reason, and when he removed the cam the lobes were so worn down (!?) that they could barely be distinguished from the bearings! And yet it was running reasonably well... couldn't believe my eyes. Anyway, keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to learning more about Nick's chubblehead! Cheers and best wishes from Oz. 👍👍🇦🇺

Wow 😊 This is going to be fun to watch 😊 Good luck

Well 1st of all, he has the kewlest name!!! 😅😅😅 I am looking forward to watching this build. It is going to be fun to see what refinements/upgrades you do... ✌️😎✌️

I’m gonna LOVE this build! My first Harley was a 1984 Low rider, (brand new from NYC Hd dealership)kept it till 1998, then sold it when my family really needed money. I Loved that bike! I’d really Love to find it & buy it back again! After my kids up I bought a used 2015 Low Rider ( in 2017) and I still have & enjoy riding that one but would love to have my old one ( or another one just like it back again). I just love the way they sound & feel! No computers, easy to modify & they had both kick & electric start!! I’ll be watching ever episode of this rebuild! Good luck finding the old “ Ham Can” air box cover! P.S. I never put that padlock through the steering lower triple tree, I used to put it through one of the front disk holes so you couldn’t roll the bike away!!

Awesome Kevin, I have 4 shovelheads, one is my late mom's bike. Great project. Will be waiting on the video's to come. I totally am glued to your video's, great Job can't wait. by the way the speedo / tach housing was mat wrinkle black so were the mirrors. cause I have one from my 1977 when I bought one same day my mom bought her King of the Road Electra Glide. I also have that stock with 13K miles on it.

Started my journey on a 73 , what memories.

My first brand new Harley 80 cube fxef 1978 and a half still miss her😢

We use to start those bar hoppers with our hands back in the late 70's. Keep up the great videos!

This will be good to follow for sure 👍🏻🇦🇺

Ha ha ,I worked for a small Harley dealer in eastern Canada , and we tossed a bunch of oem exhausts and breather covers off these bikes in the garbage at the time,lol. No one wanted them. I kept a few of the later individual mufflers of some later ones and used them up on my 72 flh over the years .same as carbs we tossed the original carbs too,no one wanted them.sure wish I’d had the insight to keep all those parts .

Hello Kevin. I’m 59 yrs old, and remember when these came out. I wanted a ‘78 Low Rider, but mowing yards at 14 yrs old, I couldn’t afford it. I like tour frames now, and bought my first shovelhead FLH this past May. A ‘72 Volusia Co Sheriff’s dept police bike. Love your videos, and contacted your business about doing the same thing you are showing here. Y’all were starting the big move at that time, so I have a knowledgeable friend working on it. It’s fairly original, the pipes have been replaced. I live in Montgomery AL now, but am from TN. Have a sister in Nashville. I may still see you at some point. Glad you’re doing this series.

It took me 6 years of searching to find a first year 1982 Shovelhead FXRS over here in Europe. Unfortunately my bike is not original paint but relatively unmolested. 20.000 miles from new. Shovelheads are vintage bikes but properly maintained they are reliable enough for everyday use.

Love your passion ..your a good soul!..the road king is a blast..

Greetings from So oregon great series ive had 4 shovels 1980 flt, 1982 classic, 1974 basket chopper, 1980 flhs miss them

Hi Kevin looking forward to this teardown awesome project ahead I'll be watching for the notification cheers

I bought my 1975 new in Toronto,Ontario Canada , at the time lots of Harleys were getting stolen , I remember paying 15 dollars for one of those locks, mine had AMF embossed on the side , at that time I was only earning about 20-30 bucks a day,lol.i paid 3995 CAD for a brand new kick only Superglide.( 200 extra if you wanted kickstart.ha ha . Only misplaced that lock about 10 years ago , hoping it’ll show up one of these days

Epic project!!! Really cool! Thanks for posting! Shop looks great!!

Gonna be awesome to watch this....hey Kevin, Keenan Tatro may have original parts for that bike as well as Billy Lane. I've seen tatro build some bad ass hot rod shovels man...

great! i have same bike! same model and year

I was 10 in 1978. At that time, I'd see cars with square/flat headlights and know that it was a newer model. Gas stations had regular and unleaded choices then too. If I remember correctly we had an AMF badminton set. Bikes and badminton. Quality all around.

I restored my late grand father's 81 fxwg about 3 years ago, and this fall, my dad happened to get his hands on an 81 fx also, we are in the process of putting her back on the road as well, has all the original stickers on the frame and the original 176 out of 1000 factory flame paint. Should be beautiful when it's done in a few months. Can't wait for this series man!

We call them Cotton Tops up here in the Northeast

I have a 76 FLH I'll be starting on a restoration soon.

Nick,,, NICE bike!!!! Thanks for being this to Kevin. Really looking forward to this build.

Kevin, what an amazing present you gave to all of those who are fond of old bikes. I can't wait to watch how this new series pans out. I imagine you are quite busy with loads of stuff hanging around, and don't get me wrong, I really respect it. But please update us as soon as possible; keep us from waiting so long! I'm raring to binge-watch the upcoming episodes. Oh, by the way, kudos to Nick for his passion and dedication as well. His "unmolested" Shovel is a sight for sore eyes!

They are some of the best sounding bikes made

Im so excited for this! Grew up in the 80s and 90s so this is what I love for some stupid reason! Ive hade evo's, twin cams and now the m8. Of course ive kept them all because im that enthusiast that wants them all. Wish i would've bought a shovel before prices got so high but i will own one. Nothing sounds and smells like a shovel! Thanks again for this, super excited!

This is going to be epic,can't wait

Hopefully this will give me a good kick in the ass to finish up my 77FXE. Looking forward to this build

Awesome can't wait to follow along and pick up some pointers. Love my ole' Bessie 1980 FLH 80 Classic 80 cuber. She got me back into riding again after selling multiple scooters to pay bills. Don't have to do that anymore so death do we part. Ole' Bessie is unmolested too she needs some TLC so I'll be paying close attention! And I love those mag wheels

Looking forward to the videos to follow

Nice to see this. I had the same bike I bought in 1981. I was the second owner. It was stock except for the exhaust pipes. I rode that bike all over the country. Had it till about 1997. I have a 1977 Shovel now besides a 2007 Dyna FXD.

Lookin forward to seeing this. I'm the 4th brother to own the early 78 Super Glide that the oldest of us took home from Hempstead HD. The thing is just a gem. I did a 6K mile trip summer of 21, a 2K mile trip this year and several runs between NC and Delaware as well as in state and around town riding in the 5 years I've owned it. Been a couple of changes and problems but it just wont quit ! And it cleaned up good enough to take best original HD at Tobacco Road HD show last year. Only Shovel ya ever seen that dont leak oil. Well .... ok, if your runnin at 75 - 80 mph for days at a time it's gonna leak a little ..... and theres that rear brake mount thing ... and the valve noise ... and sounds like rocks in the lower end .... and the headlight bucket thing ... and ....

Kelvin can’t wait for the start to finish product.

Thanks fellas, i am looking forward to the series on this old bike.

This is my favorite model Harley. I have always wanted that year. Thank you Kevin for saving a great piece of history and machine.

You're in very good hands!!!!

My first Harley is a 81 Sturgis, which I still own. Which will probably go to my grandson. Should be a great restoration.

Cool story bro... I am looking forward to the process.

Great, awesome. Make it not leak. How are you gonna tackle the wiring harness. All the shovelhead harnesses ive encountered are horrid. Looking forward to it.

MAN!! Wish I had known you were looking for a shovelhead project. I bought a new FXE in 1974 and still have it (actually bought 2 of 'em that year but that's another story). Stripped to the frame in 1997 and in boxes since then. Original paint with the ugly one piece tank (AMF sticker still intact). 23,000 miles. Just hired a local guy to re-assemble it. Was running when taken apart. Will be watching the series for sure!

Stop messin' around and catch up on us on the backlog. J/K Kevin, keep up the greatwork. Great job Nick, a real biker.

Grew up with a guy who had a 78-1/2. It was always broke down.

i wish i could help. I had 68- 72 shovels and a 67 sporty. I also had the dreaded 80 and 81 sportster he's not joking those are junk. I think Kevin is happier than the owner to be doing this project. ya'll got me smiling along.

I got a friend who has thee oem air cleaner and multiple 2 into 1 exhaust you are looking for. I sent him a link to this youtube video

Can hardly wait to see this series and build.

Really excited about this project. Got myself an 82 SHOVELHEAD early this year on a 58 FLH frame. It’s a love and hate relationship 😂 but the more you learn how to treat this fine lady the more you like it. Hope to learn more stuff on this series 👍

It was funny seeing that padlock. I had an '85 Low Rider (FXSB) and had one of those for the fork lock. I sold the motorcycle but I still have the padlock and use it to secure my bicycle lock. The '85 FXSB was interesting, because it was still an old-school solid mount 4-speed kickstart-equipped motorcycle, but it had the recently introduced final belt drive, and the then-new 80-inch Evo engine. The 1984 version was still a shovelhead.

I feel the love, I have an oem 84 with 16k original miles

Been lurking /watching for a while. Have a Early '78 FLH that I was gifted from my late 2nd cousins family 5 years ago. It sat for 8 years before I got it and it came with no service or upgrade history. I didn't even know if it was an early or half year bike till I did some research (had points, so early). I do know it's not numbers matching (replacement frame, '79 rotary top trans). And, from this video I learn more.... I thought the Low riders had 9 spoke wheels (front & back) like Sportsters, but looking at internet images, found that only the front is 9 spoke and the rear is 16 like my FLH. I had thought that when they went to Electronic IGN they also went to 80 cu.in. (1340cc) but looking in the electronic copy I have of the "1/2" year plus service manual, they indeed had a 1200cc. So thanks for the videos, and I will be watching this series. New subscriber, Tom M.

Think i have the OE black dash -- holler if interested -- shipping only price -- will have to do a little digging to find it in all the older pull off stuff.

The lock looked like the one I had for my old low rider shovelhead, brings back some memories , wish I had it back .

you cant beat the sound of a shovelhead.

@KevinBaxter I love the channel and especially this episode. Looking forward to the series. Cudos to Nick.🙏 Back in the 70's, stationed out of Norfolk, Va. I would make the 13-16 hour ride from there to Moss Point, Ms on a 68 XL Sportster hardtail chopper. Now, at 70 I miss the days when 2 aspirns, 2 shots & 2 beers would cure anything not related to girls. (Now my wife for the last 47 years.) PS, Still ridind Sportsters but now with shocks...😁🤷🏻‍♂️

You had me at "the chop." Everybody likes to say stock sucks, but their eyes tear up when they see an old one. Really looking forward to this trip down memory lane. Anybody know where I can get a tank decal for a '79 Sporty lol

Yes looking forward to this. Cheers Rich

Hung on to my 76 stupiglide. Only thing I hung on to from the seventies. Living in Atlanta in earlier daze. Will be fun to follow the rebuild.

Being from around the same area as Nick he looks familiar as hell

Please do the same with genny shovel, it would have been great to see early shovel being restored, not like some M8 genny shovels wannabe😅

I believe I have the air cleaner and original 2 into one exhaust for that bike.

My first Harley was a 1979 XLCH i bought new in July of 1978. Came out early that year. Burned a quart of oil every 450 miles. While parked in my driveway it almost took off on it's own. I rebuilt the top end. Bored .010 over, new valves and guides and guides machined for oil seals and 3 piece piston rings. The bronze shifter forks were worn out because the factory eliminated grove grinding causing pre-mature wear. Rebuilt the transmission and finally it was a good bike. I traded it in for a 1981 FXE. A friend bought it from the dealer and later sold it to another friend. Couldn't get it out of my sight. I worked at Harley as a Manufacturing Engineer and got a call from the legal dept as their records showed I owned this bike. Not anymore but I know who's got it. Long story short it was sold back to the factory for some law suit. As stated I traded the Sportster for a 1981 FXE. Road that bike for almost 12 years. Over the years I added a 21" front wheel, fat bob tanks, lots of chrome etc. While working at Harley I acquired a new set of heads and barrels as the Evo was coming out and there was a surplus of shovelhead parts. Eventually I used these for the top end rebuild but machined the heads for dual plugs. Sure wish I still had it! BTW, I have service manuals for both of these bikes too.

I had a 78 1/2 FLH 75th anniversary in black cherry when I was 21...wished I still had it... currently restoring a 82...the 82 has 13k on it. Looking forward to the series.

Hey KEVIN ,this is going to be a great Series Just a thought a guy on youtube PacificMike old school Harley guy maybe has a source for parts?

I thought I noticed a special grin in the beginning of the Video! Honey sounds good i'm going to have to do some research...

Nick's custom cycles in nj, he has everything

Like Nick, I have one of those bastard 79-81 sportsters. Mine is an '80, also have a '77 FXE, and a '02 FXD. And have FACTORY manuals for each. Nick was right remembering the black textured dash on the Low Rider. Very cool bike. Mine didn't have any of the factory sheet metal on it when I got it. But the paint was exactly like Nick's. Really looking forward to the series. Good luck with it.

Tell Nick he is right about 79 sportsters being a bastard bike. I had one and I hated the exhaust and because of where the rear master cylinder was the exhaust had to go around it and you couldn’t put any other pipes other than 79 pipes. Also 50 plus years of riding here too. First Harley I rebuilt was a 80 super-glide and it still runs today.

I just bought one of these exact bikes 2 months ago all the way down here in Australia......looking foward to more of your videos ...I love shovelheads

Shovels, pans, and old Iron Sportsters are all I owned until 5 years ago when I bought my old Twin Cam Heritage. I would trade that Heritage for another old pan to this day. I miss the 49 pan and Shovels. I am currently looking for a carbureted sporty now, then build a 74 inch Pan. That will do it for me at my age. Thank you and be safe.

Perfect cheers from Oz

Looking forward to this .

This is gunna be good thanks Nick n Kevin 🍻🇦🇺

Got just the muffler ..but it's my start to a build 😁🏍️

Love to find a shovelhead basket to build ...

Thanks for sharing

your right about that shovel sound

I really enjoyed this video and am looking forward to this series of videos. Long live the Shovelhead, I've owned three of them.

Excited to watch all of this question for the transmission why not go with a baker 6into 4? And do you plan to keep the stock size or are you making more of a performance engine?

Looking forward to seeing the restoration!!!

I can picture that bike in the showroom of the Harley-Davidson dealer in Salem, Massachusetts. Does anyone here remember that little shop?

Get with Pacific Mike in. California he is on RU-vid to he is an old School Mach and has a lot of part and knowledge. Been watching your ch for a couple years never been disappointed

The bike in the background looks like a race or sport bike in the making?

My Dad worked for AMF from 1970 to the early 90's.

When you're all done, and planning your ride, please consider allowing us with shovelheads to join along. You'd love my 5,500 mile all original 1978 1/2 FLH.

Look foward to this project. I have a 2001 with 74000 miles on it with upgraded top end at 30000. It's showing its age and I'm afraid to tear it all the way down. And I'm probably Nick's age. Remember those AMFS OIL LEAKERS

This will be awesome watching, I have an addiction to Shovels and other older Harleys, excited.

My 90 sporty has the same lock 🇺🇸🤙😎

Kevin if you have a pic of the 2 into 1 exhaust needed for the Shovelhead project. Pls post it. I can compare it to what I have. Ya never know.