I am a self proclaimed dork and I love to do reserach, so when we bought our bike I figured I would be in my glory looking for upgrades, repair parts, manuals, etc. I have been online all day looking and at first started cataloging sites by parts.

Boy have I ever bitten off more than I can chew!!!! I am amazed at the amount of merchandiseres out there that sell after market parts, both harley authorized and otherwise.

rather than bog down my poor favorites tab I am really interested in hearing from those of you on the board who have recommendations of sites selling everything from nuts to bolts. I have a shopping list a mile long and it would be helpful to know who to throw money at and ones to run away from.

 

Sorry for posting in the wrong place. I have had a couple of glasses of wine. I shall keep my postings to a minimum.

(Only because I intend to keep drinking)

 

If you know what you want and have the part numbers, Jenni at benjy's HD will give you 20% off and usually some real good shipping. She's all business so know what you want, it's worth it!

JSapyta@aol.com.
www.benjyshd.com in Huntington WV

304-523-1340

 

Keep on drinking Angel girl,

You can get an answer here. Jireh has some good prices and an online store, J&P Cycles have a lot of stuff, sometimes a little high, you can find some HD dealers that give 20% off on-line. Parts Direct and several others. I know Skip has a lot of info for the older HD's like you have and hopefully he will chime in.

Good Luck

John TN

 

http://www.vtwinmfg.com/ or a direct link to the catalog: http://www.vtwinmfg.com/VTwinCatalogIndex1.htm

Just order the catalog and you'll get it in a few days.

Also http://www.jpcycles.com/ these guys have top notch phone service!

 

Dealers are going to be of NO help on an '82 Shovel. Seek out the best indy shop in your area. They'll be your best friend and you'll be supporting a local small business. You'd be suprised at the deals they will often work out for you. Next, J&P Cycles and maybe some of the other well known catalog suppliers. But your best bet, IMO, is a indy shop owned and operated by a biker. They are the best.

 

Take a look here Ive had good luck with them. You name it and they seem to have it at a good price.

http://www.parts123.com/partframe.as...title=usatwins

 

Phil got it pretty close to right on. Unless you are really lucky, been livin' right, been sayin' your prayers every night since you were three, your local HD dealer won't have much to offer in the way of genuine HD parts, and probably won't even work on the bike. I've even seen some stealerships that wouldn't change a tire on anything that wasn't an Evo or newer.

So that leaves you where? Once again Phil said it - find a good (and emphasis on good) independent shop. They'll have access to plenty of parts from various sources, will know about the quality of the parts you are wanting, and will be able to smooth over any rough spots when you are working on something yourself. But if you're going to pick their brain, support them by purchasing at least some of your parts from them. Often they'll be able to match or get better prices than you could yourself.

If you go the catalog/online route, remember to check the availability of the parts you are ordering. Too many times something will be on backorder from many of the places. No fun when you are wanting to ride!

Here's a list of some aftermarket suppliers & my comments about them:

Dennis Kirk http://www.denniskirk.com Good prices, but aimed more toward Evo & Twinkie market

Direct Parts https://www.directparts.com Great prices, sometimes backordered, can get most anything from any source if you call them with your needs

Antique Parts http://antiquecyclesupply.com Lots of old stuff, much of which will fit or be adaptable for Shovels

Fog Hollow http://www.foghollow.com Good prices, occasional backorder (so call first), can often get used parts, plenty of stuff for Shovel

Jireh http://www.jirehcycles.com Excellent prices, occasional backorder (call first) Catalog has lots of parts breakdown drawings, too

J&P http://www.jpcycles.com Prices high, but good availability, separate catalog for older bikes, too

Nostalgia Cycle http://www.nostalgiacycle.com Lots for older bikes, sometimes backordered

Zoom Cycle http://www.zoomcyclellc.com Outlet for V-Twin Mfg. (aka Taiwan Tedd) Tons of stuff for old bikes, sometimes quality not up to original parts, though Free catalog, worth it for sheer mass of stuff!

Paughco http://www.paughco.com Been around forever Lots of old style parts

Fab Kevin http://www.fabkevin.com Kevin makes custom brackets, oil tanks, you name it Prices very reasonable Will work with you on just about any fabricating you need Can't say enough about his work

Goblin MillWorx http://www.goblinmillworx.com Buck is another custom fabricator Also magneto expert

South Coast Stainless http://www.southcoaststainless.com Stainless steel hardware, reasonable prices


Happy hunting! And remember that many of the parts joints are selling you the exact same thing, made by the same companies, too many of which are in Taiwan. Go for a low price, unless you know the part is US made.

 

Skip gave you some good info, I knew he would know.

 

Skip - You rule! - Thanks for sharing