Nice package arrived today v2.0 ;-)

kiwidave

Registered User
A truck pulled up outside my house yesterday afternoon. With a crate on it, from Idaho, 8300 miles away.
Couldn't wait to get this unwrapped, it's been six months since the actual date of purchase - Covid-related shipping and docks issues played a big part in that delay.
Never mind, it's here now and it's mine. One original owner, and now me. Always garaged. 26,000 miles. Barely ridden in the last 10yrs. It's not 100% perfect, but fairly close. I have a stock sissy bar, pad and pouch ready to go on it. I'm very pleased, it's the Shovelhead I always wanted.
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That was a purchase made possible by unexpected drama.

This was my 1980 FXWG, customised to look a bit like the 1982-only black/brown/gold Sturgis, I admit. Owned it for 13 years and did 35,000 miles on it. For a while it was my only transport after arriving back Down Under in early 2008. It was an absolute nail when I bought it, but it was nice in recent years. I spent a lot of time and money on it over the years. (But I just don't like orig style FXWG 21in front wheels!)



Last August, after a frame-up Covid rebuild that I did over 2yrs, on the day after I took the above photo I finally went to start it, kick only......inexplicably there was a fuel buildup in the intake, I guess (NO fuel leaks of any kind) and a small fire started. I had no extinguisher and I had to call for help......





I was kinda upset, but then that silver lining appeared. It was fully insured for a great sum, and I got an instant payout based on the photos I took because Covid meant the insurer was not sending out assessors.

And then..... after a forensic examination of the damage....it was nowhere near as bad as it looked. All up, one of the fuel tanks needed a repaint, the handlebar and main wiring loom were toast, seat was badly singed....and really that was about it.

I inspected everything, cleaned it all up, advertised it with brutal honesty (it had a FRESH bore, rebuilt gearbox, lots of good stuff and OEM parts sourced over several years) and got 7000 of your English pounds for the bike, minus seat, pipes, oil tank. It needed those, plus rewiring and a paint job on one tank, to get back on the road. And I did not guarantee the carb. Weirdly even the manifold rubbers were intact and seemingly undamaged.

I really looked after the buyer and he was very pleased - he had to trust me, he bought it over the phone from Sydney. But I would never rip anyone off. Shovels are getting very pricey here now, he got a good deal. I wrote him a 3000 word full history of the bike under my ownership.

Immediately I started hunting for a black/brown/gold Sturgis on FB Marketplace in the US. And fate smiled upon me.

I kept the FXWG bits I wanted with a view to using some on the FXB. I have had those pipes and some other bits blacked, and the seat (period piece) fully reupholstered. The stock Sturgis seats are very rare but the plastic base always cracks on them, so I will retire it to storage and use the metal-base one you see on the FXWG.

The brass pushrod covers (handmade by a Chicago guy on the Shovelhead.us board a decade ago, but he seems to have vanished now) will look really nice on the Sturgis, I reckon. And to show them off, I will also be using the mini ham can you see on the FXWG .... I have had it powdercoated black for the Sturgis.

Stock is always king with Shovels these days, but the combo of the original FXB airbox and balance-pipe exhaust means you cannot see the damn motor and I don't like that. So I will take the chance to piss off some purists - but ALL original bits will be carefully stored. And my little bit of messing will still leave it looking like an FXB.

Right, got lots to do to make my new Shovel road-legal.... later ....


PS: I now own three fire extinguishers......
 
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Fantastic......really happy for you mate. A rare find indeed with most of the original parts. Mines still gone the external oil feeds to the tappet blocks, has yours?
 
Fantastic looking bike, I'd be well pleased with that. Interesting high beam? bulb cover on the dash. Not seen one like that, not in the parts book either.
 
Fantastic......really happy for you mate. A rare find indeed with most of the original parts. Mines still gone the external oil feeds to the tappet blocks, has yours?
Thanks mate. Yes it has. They are so stupid, I will leave them on! I mean, they never lasted long in the first place, and you just never see them now, do you? But again, with the giant bread-box OEM air cleaner cover and that bloody balance pipe, you actually struggle to see the lifter blocks, let alone those drain lines.....
Fantastic looking bike, I'd be well pleased with that. Interesting high beam? bulb cover on the dash. Not seen one like that, not in the parts book either.
Thank you. I am going to ask the orgiinal owner about that. Looks a bit stupid to me. That's already on my ''replace'' list.
He also has a toggle switch mounted between the idiot lights on the headlight eyebrow, for spotlights he had on the bike at one time. That's going too!
 
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There you go.......lose the balance pipe, remove the ham can and replace with the smaller round one. Keep all the original parts and you are good to go.
 
I don't have permission to view that Simon, for some reason, but I found your answer in one of my parts books.
Interesting, but I'm going to go with my plan A: pipes, seat, brass pushrod tubes and mini bread box off the FXWG.
I've also got a black factory kicker pedal which I think will look nicer than the chrome. And I will be losing the chrome battery box on the Sturgis too. But, of course, everything carefully stashed away for the next custodian.
 
I was stumblin around on ebay lookin for the decal for the '74-74 front caliper when I came across this. I ordered the decal for the caliper as it was not unreasonably priced.
That's a looong decal in the advert. Maby some diff in parts book year listing and what's in the ad. But seemingly not too long in the price. The vendors store has quite a few nice pieces.


IF belt guard decals appeal........ :unsure:


A damn fine bike. the gold mags are a real stand-out.
 
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The belt drive decal on the 82 was a bit of a mystery. Obviously the orange one would have looked somewhat out of place with the gold colour scheme. Was one actually used?.......I was luck to get a couple made up by a very helpful club member in gold that seems to suit the bike.
 
Thank you chaps. Simon, I learned something from your reply. It never crossed my mind that they did a different colour belt guard decal for our black/brown/gold 1982s so I went hunting through parts books.

60382-80 - orange for all 80s and 81s that were black and orange bikes, and for the 1077 1982s that colour
14800-82 - gold belt guard decal for the 1493 1982s produced in black/brown/gold

Confirmation came in this great catalogue which I picked up shrinkwrapped new off eBay last year ... it really is the perfect book for Sturgis owners.....


see here ... the part number for the gold decal.....1982 fitment only


(I find this kind of verification excellent...I have two parts books that cover the FXB and one claims the orange decal was for all 1982s and doesn't even mention the gold one)

Luckily, a Kiwi mate who lives 25 miles from me in SE Melbourne is probably Australia's No. 1 Sturgis expert - he has six, 5 Shovels and a 1991, and he also owns a 1983 FXDG, the Willie G custom twin-belt Wide Glide which is SUPER rare. He has been knocking out Sturgis decals for a couple of years and he has a gold belt guard decal saved for me. I reckon they would be impossible to find now, repro's are the go.


By the way, I snagged these around the same time...


and while we are on the subject, ever seen one of these? The Canadian Sturgis......


47 produced in 1982 to mark the 65th anniversary of Trevor Deeley Inc, the Canadian distributor for Harley-Davidson. There was a Deeley dealership in Vancouver for most of the 20th century but it's gone now. The bikes were red and black with a gold maple leaf on tanks and fenders and the gold wheels. And those pipes. Really nice! This one is 90% stock. (There is a pretty good FB group for Sturgis owners, Simon, have a look....)

Are there any other Sturgis owners in HDRCGB?
 
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I've only ever seen the red one in pictures, pretty looking bike. Nice touch that you have original hard copy books.....In regards to the gold decal, I do have the Sturgis supplement as a pdf, I should have looked closer.
 
Congratulations, a lovely bike to be sure. I really felt for you when you reported the disaster that was your first kick on the last one. Fated, it seems, and in a good way.

I also own three fire extinguishers.
 
Mate so glad that it worked out for you in the end. Just after you posted the bike fire, I must admit that I bought a big fire extinguisher and fixed it to the wall.

Some times after a sh#t time things get a lot better. And it looks just that way for you.

Good luck with the new bike :).
 
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Traded this for my genny shovel about 3 years ago. Since this picture was taken I’ve acquired a correct seat and a rather lovely 2 into 1 exhaust for it.
 
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I like the rear brake re-location, (Closer picture pls) I guess you have also moved the gear shift. The mid controls are a tight squeeze for anyone over a 28" leg and operating from the hi-way pegs with your heal takes a bit of practice.
 
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