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Shovelhead Cruising speed

49K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  knuckleshoveler 
#1 ·
Ive never had a big twin before but I recently swapped my 883 evo sporty for a 75 flh , So the new engine is 1340ccs but I swear to god my sporty felt alot faster, The Shovel feels like it has more top end but at 70 mph (estimated) the shit is vibrating as bad or worse than my old xs650 so I dont feel that great running it open like that. I imagine the best fix for this would be a baker 6 into 4 transmission, Maybe going up two teeth in the front sprocket? What do you guys do so you can cruise comfortably at highway speeds on these old bikes? Or do you just think this bike needs a tune up, Take in account that Im the worst mechanic in the world, and only know a little more than your typical yuppie rub
 
#3 ·
i dont know much about harleys but i know on my triumph or any of my old,old bikes for that matter that it vibes more at certain speeds than others. if it vibes bad at 70 - go 75, or back down to 65. old bikes shake you up a bit, i think it just comes with the territory.

my uncle told me about when he rode his old 500 yam from the great lakes to FL in the 70s & how he would ride at a speed where the pegs would vibrate so much itd make his feet numb, then hed speed up til the handlbars vibed so much his hands would go numb but his feet would go back to normal. he just alternated his speed for the entire trip.

my modern bike will go 140mph all day & it doesnt even seem like its working.
 
#7 ·
You need to remember, your bike is geared for the 55 mph speed limit they had back in the 70's. And your running an FLH which is a bagger and isn't geared taller as it was made for hauling two fat people and all their crap. Listen to the other guys and put different sprockets on it an you can make it do 90 mph all day long.
Those 6 speed trannys are for people running Evos who are trying to make them keep up with properly geared shovelheads.
 
#15 ·
Those 6 speed trannys are for people running Evos who are trying to make them keep up with properly geared shovelheads.
Haha, that is great:D

Not that it matters much, but if it`s a stock 1975 engine it`s a 1200. It`ll still run fine with the taller gearing though!
 
#9 ·
I 2nd the remarks on wheel balance. Also double check there is no brake dragging - if you get a little drag only during part of the wheel revolution, you'll get lots of bad vibes. I had the fiber ring on the clutch hub crack - also contributed to the shakes at speed. Check your primary tension - too tight ain't nice. Look at the final drive chain too.
Shovels should run pretty sweet. You'll definitely feel 'em at highway speeds, but it shouldn't shake you off.
G'luck.
 
#11 ·
Faust said:
I ran a 28/48 sprocket combo on my Shovel and it was too high geared... I would shift into fourth at about 80-85mph and i'd have to down shift to pull hills... Trent's sprocket combo sounds nice.
Hey Man where did you get that 28 tooth?did you have it made? or did you mean 24/48....i run a 24/49 and a 22/51 road/race depending on how i wanna ride
 
#14 ·
I have a 78 1200 FLH and went from 24/51 to a 24/48 tooth final drive. I also knocked the baffles out of my stock mufflers for better sound and ended up having to change the jets in my S&S Super E carb from 72 to 68 main. I found the top speed went from 85 mph to 105 mph with this change in sprockets but it lacked power on hills so I put the baffles back in and went back to 72 main jet. More backpressure gave me leaner fuel allowing me to go back to larger jets which gave me more power on hills. I would reccomend anyone living in reasonably flat or hilly country go to 24/48 to gain higher freeway cruising speeds, but I live in rocky mountains and had to go back to 24/51 to climb these dang mountain roads.
 
#16 ·
I have 3 shovelheads. A 1973 1200 FX, a 1983 1340 FX, and a 1996 1340 S&S. My 73 GatorGlide is by far the fastest (120+ top end with stock engine, just sprocket changes) and smoothest on the road and will go 75 - 90 for long periods (hours). But on hot days it will run hot and I have had to slow down to 65 or so running across Wyoming on a 90 degree day. I will also admit my 93 FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide is a better bike for rolling across country for 1000's of miles. It's not near as fast (top end) but it will run hard all day but it's not near as good for passing vehicles as the throttle roll on seat of the pants test has it not pulling as hard as any of the shovels. That bike (the dyna) has a keihin CV carb (jetted a litle lean), crappy Vance and hines pipes and a screaming eagle module. I haven't messed with it too much, but will.
 
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