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Shovelhead history and buying advice No pictures here. This page is for the reader interested in buying one of the last real Big Twins and shall help to find the sled of his choice The Shovelhead engine was first produced in late 1965 (1966 model) on the base of a Panhead bottom (crankcase, ignition, primary, generator, Linkert carb and the trusted 4-speed tranny from the 1936 Knucklehead EL etc). The "revolutionary new design" consisted in new cylinders, pistons and a headjob. The distinctive form of the rocker box covers (looking a bit like an upside-down coal shovel) was the source of the name Shovelhead (which wasn't used imediately). For those under the age of 35: coal is a smeary black or dark brownish stone that can glow a long time and radiate heat when put in a fire. People used to dig that out of the ground; a bit like diesel oil in hunks! The Early-Shovel engines fit neatly in the old Panhead swingframe (Duo Glide, Electra Glide), but the frame had to be made just a tad higher on the rear (the 58 to 65 frames have a distinctive bow where the shocks go, original Shovel frames (66 ->) don't sport that detail). The engine unleashed five more horses than the Pan (whew!) and looked way more massive. Initially, the Shovelhead came in the FLH Electra-Glide package (note the hyphen), meaning high compression engine and electric foot, but no windshield, saddlebags or other goodies that we link to that mythic model today. The FL engine was also available (missing the H for HOT) and it was thought of as a Police option, enabling the engine to turn longer in idle without overheating. But the policemen didn't like the idea of losing some horses, so true FLs were (and still are) very rare. It was a pretty heavy, poor maneuvering bike with two drum brakes (hillstoppers is the word) and big touring comfort. From the beginning, Harley Davidson offered a long list of options, and most bikes were ordered with a couple of them (buddy seat, baggage holder etc). Nearly everything from the Panhead era fitted nicely on the bikes. Legend has it that the starter motor was a part from a marine outboard engine, but it did not work in rain or moist air..... All Electra-Glides came with a kicker (until 1970) and most later models were retrofitted with one. You could also chose between hand- or footshift version (while this was still sported in the 1973 catalog, no handshift was produced after early 1972). 1967 upgrade from the Linkert DC to the Tillotson Pumper carb 1968 new (aluminium housing) oil-pump, * Homelite electric starter, * bigger battery (53 Ah), * end of life for the "mousetrap clutch" The new "cone" Shovelhead was introduced in 1970, and that's what we see mostly on the streets today. The generator was changed for an alternator (more output, longer life) and the ignition changed its place directly on the camshaft. These changes made for the "late" Shovel with the well known nosecone on the right side. The engine grew in width and the floorboards went more outside, making the late Shovel handle even worse in curves. The oil-dipstick was introduced, the kicker disappeared and the primary cover had a bump in the front (the alternator required a wider engine .......). It was in 1971 that American Machine and Foundry (AMF) took over and the first change on the bikes was the legendary Bendix / Zenith carburetor. While everybody is ranting about AMF, they did a good job in keeping the MoCo alive through the 70s and made necessary changes to the bikes. A first was the FX series, basically a stripped down FLH with small gas tank, no electric foot and a XL front-end. The Super Glide should be the start of the very successful series of "Factory Customs" that we still suffer from today. The front disk came in 1972 (from Cessna aircrafts), a design that was later called the "banana calipers" and a new, improved swingarm, that made the bike handle better and added half an inch to the wheelbase 1973 rear disk brakes and slightly longer saddles 1974 the Bendix carb gave way to the Keihin, * the FXE offered an electric foot for the Super Glide series 1975 no more in-line cables, the gas grip changed for the spiral design, * end of life for the FL model (low compression 1200), * the FX series beat the FLH by 2 : 1 in sales. 1977 is the birth of the FXS Low Rider ( the nicest FX until today) and sees the last changes on the 1200 cc engine; a new oil breather valve and new caged bearings for the drive gear. Everybody is waiting for the great new 80 incher. 1978 has the new 1342 cc engine (81.6 cuin, by the way); it is easy to distinguish by its cylinder's 9 cooling fins (1200 has 10), * the electronic (black box) ignition takes over and the power goes south (early 80 inchers have 6 hp less) , * distribution is managed by a new cam gear (replacing the 1970-> parts) 1979 Aluminium wheels were available as an option and the "toaster" air cleaner first showed it's ugly face 1980 is a turnaround year and more changes followed. The most important is the car-style oil filter now in use and a new gear ratio, that should help to make the heavy sled (the bikes gained weight every year) feel a bit fresher. Personally I think that the Shovel years ended here. HD came up with three new models that "rocked the Earth" and had major influence on all Big Twins to come. Those were: FXWG Wide Glide - a trendsetter until today; and more or less still recognizable in today's Dyna Wide Glide FXB Sturgis - the first all-belt driven Harley (primary and secondary) with an all jet-black engine and new V-Fire ignition, easy to recognize by its orange wheel rims and "Sturgis" triple trees FLT Tour Glide - the end of the Swingframe and beginning of the new "integrated" frame design still used on today's tourers The FLT came with the distinctive "two eye" windshield and a 5-speed tranny, leveling the path for the next twenty years of plastic bikes. It introduced the one-piece gas tank, rubber mounted engine, plastic covers at the rear crash bars and so on. I mean the FLT WAS a revolutionary design, and most of it's features are still state of the art, but I am not into state of the art bikes. The world was about to change. 1981 Harley Davidson was bought back by a mix of top-level employees and banks. No more AMF. Money was short, the market was down, the company concentrated on its "key products", the 1200 engine died. The 1340 has been the best seller in 1979 and 1980, so the production of the smaller block was discontinued and everything concentrated on the single 80 inch engine . FLH and FLT were both selling in equal numbers, but the FLT clearly was the bike of the future. The Swingframe FLH got the final belt drive in 1983 (which is a pretty rare bike today - I know two owners who retrofitted to chain) and a last "good-bye" model was built in 1984, the FLHS, basically an in-between FLH and FXB with the FLH 16 inch front and footpegs instead of floorboards. Another step into the future was the 1982 FXR. Basically the stripped down early FLT frame with a small frontend (OK, the frames are different in details, very different in the front, but they belong to the same family). Again the design was taken over into the Evo-era and became a dream for thousands of "HD and the Marlboro Man" lookers, who wanted to build a "Mickey Rourke bike". Quite a few people are 100% sure, that some Evo engines were fitted in the old swingframe. I have seen bikes like that, but I do not know if it was original. The MoCo was pretty broke in the early eighties and I think it possible that they used up some old frames with new engines.
Literature I have about a meter of Harley books in the shelf, but some are outstanding and I will heartly recommend them to anybody into Shovels:
The Future The parts situation is pretty good and the bikes that survived until today are mainly in good shape. Two out of three Shovels here in Europe are either very well maintained or already restored, but the numbers are low as ever. Unluckily the Shovel engine became fashionable among "Customizers" and "Tuners", so a lot of those old mills were put in incredibly ugly "Custom" bikes. While I do like the idea of building a one-of-a-kind bike, I do not like it done with old and (more and more) rare parts. For the Shovel that means that a lot of hard-tail-apehanger sleds were fitted with the engine. There is no such thing as a Shovel in a rigid frame. Period. If I'd shop for a shovel today, I'd try to get one of the rare limited edition FX or a bone-stock FLH from 78 or later. Those engines are well built (even AMF had their act together by then), sport the electronic ignition and late cam drive. Reliability is up to Evo standards and the bikes hold together pretty well without dripping oil (no, that can't be true!). The European market is rich of Electra Glides and particular poor of Super Glides. A bone-stock Shovel FLH can be found at 7500 € in decent condition, add another 2500 € for late years, full options (bags, windshield), low mileage and professional restoration. FX models are more difficult to find because they often suffered from amateur customization and it's pretty impossible to find a stock FXS or FXB. Prices start at 6000 € for a wreck and go up to 25000 € for a fantasy bike with no more Harley parts on it. I recently saw a beautiful and close to stock FXB (Sturgis, orange wheel rims and all) change hands for 11500 € and that seems to be the price range they are in. The price of a good Shovelhead FLH is about the same as a mediocre Evo today and higher for the FX (you can buy a 1994 Evo FXD Super Glide for less than a 1979 FXSB Low Rider), so the Shovels have hit the bottom and start climbing in price. Maintenance is about the same as for an Evo, throw in an additional oil change per year, but if you splash out, say, 9000 € today, chances are you get a perfect bike to ride and when you want to sell (who wants?) you get the price back with additional interest in the future. Many official HD distributors are not particular fond of repairing pre-Evo bikes ( they simply never learned it), but a lot of independent wrenches know how to handle them and the net is tight enough to survive an (unlikely) breakdown. Americans have started to stroll our markets over the last five years and many of our few European bikes go back to the States, so competition among buyers has become tight and the number of (good) bikes is limited. The best buy will be a bike in perfect shape and very good frame and body. An engine overhaul is about 2000 € (in-deep restoration) and you can easily double that price when you want to add some power gimmicks (change carbs, cams, the works...). So I'd rather buy a shiny bike with a dead engine than a good engine in a rotten body because the price for a new gas tank (with caps and paint job) is already higher than a head-job on both cylinders. But you can't go too wrong anyway. The mechanic is rock solid and the price for a complete overhaul is reasonable enough, so go and get one today! It's not gonna become easier in the future.
last update 06-July-2001 |