Hi everyone,
I'm new to harley, looking at picking up an 82 flh in the next week or so. Anything specific I should look for when I go check it out? Owner says the wiring has been kinda rigged, but it still is ridable. Its priced around 3k, thoughts?

 

If it's complete with a title,BUY IT.........running or not.

 

Yep! Agreed

Providing the paperwork is in order.

 

Sounds like a project. What are your intentions for the bike? Are you mechanically inclined? Are you looking for something to restore, ride occasionally, ride daily, road trip, etc? I personally don't have experience with shovelheads. I know guys who do. They seem to be a bike you need to know how to work on yourself. I have only worked on a couple and it was along side the road during a benefit run, or just out riding. Seems like a good price. How complete is the bike?

 

There is a separate forum for shovelheads.

you'll need help- someone familiar with the shovel.

and you better be a DIY guy with great basic mechanical skills.

otherwise if you have to pay someone this bike won't be a "saving"...and it'll need regular servicing which a newer model won't need.

I love shovels, but you gotta be realistic.

the longer a bike has been around, the more owners...the more "variables" in it;s condition

mike

 

Never was a shovel guy (if ya got to work on something all the time get something kool like a Knuckle or at least a pan). If ya plan on more riding than wrenching get at least a Evo... The old stuff is plenty kool but it ain't for riding today's highways on any kind of a regular basis.

 

 

good part is you can build a wiring harness on the kitchen table, pull the engine and work on it inside the house and if the battery is starting to go **** up you can push it down hill jump on it and bump start it.
You can stick the transmission in a lunch box and work on it on the side at work.
I'm thinking it was still a two phase charging system so you can pull the rubber plug from the front of the motor to check the stator while its running.
Dont adjust the drive chain too tight and just ride it.
I would say you could sling a dead cat and hit someone in the Nashville area that can do anything with a shovelhead.

 

Orangevette is right. I took the trans out of my rigid Shovel on a 15 minute morning break at work. Put new shift forks in during 30 minute lunch. Reinstalled trans on 15 minute afternoon break. Rode it home after work. They require maintenance but very easy to learn and work on. You can not say that about the newer bikes. Even the Evo's.

 

Newer bikes are basically maintenance free, You change the oil,put air in the tires and maybe adj the drive belt. These days,people have a hard time with just that. Back in 82, we would have junked the carb,the hyd lifters and even the elec ign. A kicker and Super B went on, solid lifters went in and so did points if you were smart cause the elec ign had a big failure rate back then. So you got to tinker with your bike adjusting valves, carb, points and the chains. depending on how good a tinkerer you were defined how reliable your bike was. Shovels like to smoke, the oil passage thru the head gasket would seep oil into the combustion chamber, many cures for this came about. My favorite was to have a step machined on the head and barrel to pinch the gasket. Bottom line, If you like to tinker go for it, But if your idea of tinkering is washing and bolting on a new shifter linkage then stay away, you dont belong in that club.