[lilbill]

Gentlemen,
I have a line on a 1982 FXR. Original owner, 4000 miles, stone stock for $7000.00. The price seems reasonable but I have a few questions and am looking for some sage advice. It's a 1340 shovel head...were these the HD frankenstein motors? Build from an assortment of parts laying around the factory? I'm pretty sure this was a new model at the time and I'm aware it ran for several years with the evo engine...should I be concerned about the early design of the frame, drivetrain, suspension, etc.? I already have unhealthy relationships with a wife, a girlfriend, lucas electrics and several amal carbs, I'm looking for a solid bike not another love affair with a difficult personality. I check in on this board alot and I would trust and appreciate any feedback......Johnny O

old shovels are pretty reliable if they're not just totally worn out. they ride kinda rough, handle sluggishly, have tempermental clutches and so-so brakes but for a 50 year old design they do all right. compared to more modern designs they are hard to defend. imho the only redeeming feature they have is a soul. a ducati, gsxr, v star etc. beat it out in every catagory but i wouldn't want to ride anything else. if ya don't get it, i can't explain it.

 

[lilbill]

i bought a new amf superglide in '73. the only problem i ever had with that bike was the rear sprocket shelling teeth. busted two in a row under warranty but the third held up for years. i hear a lot of bitching about the "amf years" but imho amf was the best thing that ever happened to hd.
amf engineers drug that old fucking tractor plant kicking and screaming into the 20th century. they improved engine and transmission design, switched over to disc brakes and vastly improved the suspension. all this dreamy eyed nostalgia for "the good old days" of panheads, flattys and knucks is a bunch of crap. i've owned multiple examples of all of them and they were all evil handling, bad braking, underpowered lumps of iron.
i just happen to have a soft spot in my head for cantankorous machinery so i still ride the damn things but in the great scheme of motorcycles they're vastly over rated.