It has been awhile since I gave an update on my Shovelhead. Things happened that we had no control over, hurricane and flooding, but we survived, The past couple of weeks we made BIG progress!
The frame is off to powder coat and the frame will get a chrome swingarm. Interesting about the swingarm, you can buy the chrome version for less than the black version. Shows how styling trends have changed, black is the hot finish nowadays, but for me it has been overdone. For an ‘82 shovel the chrome fit best.
The wheels are a 21-inch front and 16-inch rear. The tires are Shinko. I have heard good and bad about them but they are new and were on the bike when I got it, so I am giving them a try. The wheels are getting new drilled brake rotors. I hope they are flat.
Handlebars are mild 12-inch apes by KromeWerks. Hand controls are polished GMA units from the BDL team. There will be a new, classic Le Pera two-up seat with diamond stitch.
The heads are dual-plugged and the bike had two coils for a single-fire ignition. I opted to go with one, super-strong coil with four outlets to clean it up a bit. There are a lot of other things that are new, little detail things.
When I first set out on this adventure, I was just going to fix the starter drive and ride it. I am a detail freak and the more we did and the more I looked the more my list grew. I knew I would never be satisfied with not doing it right and making her shine.
It is not dressed out to be a show bike. It’s going to be a rider but I have always had an eye for detail. With that being said, the old girl got a lot of chrome Allen bolts and chrome acorn nuts.
One of the fun parts during a project like this is finding and gathering parts. Some guys need everything original and that’s cool, but not me. I like the custom side of the industry. I found a couple of original parts at the swap meet but most have come from aftermarket suppliers, anyway. Some distributors have catalogs devoted to older bikes. There is the OLD BOOK and a lot of my parts came from it, along with a few from Twin Power and TEDS V-TWIN.
Remember when I said it is not a show bike, well with that being said if things go as planned, I am entering it The EASYRIDERS BIKE SHOW here in Charlotte NC January 26–27 for the fun of it. After all, I remember that’s what we used to do, build all winter and be ready for the shows! Some of us still enjoy that challenge!
Hey, the Shovel got 3rd place, in the antique class! Man, that is a good feeling!
I would like to thank Jay and Dean at Hollywood’s Cycles and my wife Vicki for never complaining and her encouragement.
Until next time, KEEP BUILDING!
–STEALTH
BDL
