1981 Harley Davidson FXS

What was your intended objective when you started the build?

Ride it.
Look at it too!

What motivated you to start your project?

This bike was my first Harley. Who could ever part with that?

It has many different looks over the years, but the one you see before you is permanent.

It made a move, somewhat in boxes, four years ago, and was rather neglected by a new addition, that was seeing a lot more riding time.

Re-assembled it wasn’t running right.
It was shutting down after about 15 minutes of run time.

After a long time-out, due to what turned out to be a bad ignition (Crane Cams High 4) which was originally feared to be a wiring problem, it finally got the attention it needed when the ignition was replaced.
I only found out about the bad Cranes in a blog.
Seems that they were not insulated enough to withstand the heat, resulting in failure a few miles down the road.

Last year, Shov spent time on the road working out the bugs and this winter was to correct any issues, replace tarnished parts and fix leaks.
Hey, it’s a shovelhead!

What was the most unique and creative thing you did to the bike?

Hand crafted parts:

Custom oil tank
Dash
Headlight support
Primary case/cover

What are you most proud of?

Paint

What do other people say about your motorcycle?

It’s the Scarlet Haze bike.
(reference to a band…long story)

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Submitted by: David E

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Specifics

Make, Model & Year: 1981 Harley Davidson FXS
Fondly known as: Shov
Time spent: Decade to get to here
Motorcycle cost: $3,450 in 1983
Money spent: Don’t want to know
Engine: Black and Beautiful
Intake: S&S Super E with Hypercharger
Exhaust: 2″ Drags with baffels
Transmission: 4 Speed with 3″ open belt drive
Frame: Molded
Suspension: Lowered
Wheels, tires and brakes: They spin and stop
Finish – Paint: Paint by owner PPG Radiance Sunset Red Metallic
Accessories: Huh? They weigh too much

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