So our pal Steve picked up a 1974 shovel head last year, and it has been giving him hell. The motor was supposed to have been rebuilt, stroked and big bore'd. I believe that to be true because the tops of the pistons were clean when viewed through the plug holes, and it has what appear to be new S&S 4 1/2" flywheels when viewed through the timing hole. Having said that the bike would not run worth a damn. After some tinkering we got it together enough to run, but starting this beast was a bitch. The compression would send poor Steve over the bars when it coughed or pre-detonated. The other part of the problem was that the bike was set up for a much taller rider and was not comfortable for him. Well he had been admiring the Gasshole bike for a while , and it was such a good fit that we worked out a trade. He took home the Gasshole bike. (He looks pleased with himself doesn't he)
and I took this finicky bitch, Below are a few pics of how it appeared when I got it.
Not the sleekest profile, and not particularly what I would build, but good bones nonetheless. What none of these pics show is the huge 3" primary belt drive. The issue that I discovered there is that the diameter of the clutch shell combined with the engine sprocket size related to less than 1/2 of a rotation of the motor when kicked through a complete stroke. What that means is that unless you have the motor set up right on top of the compression stroke, the kick through is not turning the motor over enough to fire. That combined with the high compression stroker is a recipe for frustration. All of this was compounded when the engine was hot. This meant it would routinely sputter and die at a stoplight, leaving the rider to kick and cuss until it decided to start 20 minutes later. Unacceptable.
Well What to do? Have a look and I will talk you through it.
We wanted to restyle the bike, and sort out the mechanical gremlins that were taking the fun out of riding it. But most importantly we wanted to do as much as we could using parts we had sitting around the shop. Stuff that did not work on previous builds or was taken off of other bikes that we restyled. I am happy to say we were able to accomplish the restyle with less than $500 spent on parts. Most of that was on gaskets, spark plugs, fluids, hoses, hardware and bits like that. The largest single expense was the clutch cable, tail light and broomstick bars.
Here it is a little closer up. As you can see the lines are much more appealing and the silhouette is smoother and flows much better. We kept the tank but ditched the seat and the rear fender. Instead of the gunfighter seat we used the LePera bare bones solo, and we put on a bobbed rear fender instead of the Superglide style that was there. You ca also see the new exhaust, and the solid polished rear wheel, both of which make a big difference in the overall appearance of the bike.
And then there is the addition of this Paughco springer front end with 21" wheel and broomstick drag bars.
Perhaps the most important mechanical change was this......
We went back to an original enclosed primary with a starter. I considered trying a 1 1/2" open belt, This would have probably worked because the clutch hub primary sprocket is much smaller sitting inboard to the shell, where on that 3" it rode outside the shell. This would have changed the ratio allowing for more motor rotation with each stroke of the kicker. Three things prevented me from trying the narrow belt. First I had most of this enclosed primary setup sitting in a box under the bench, and as I said above I started this makeover with a goal of using as many on hand parts as possible. Second I thought the narrow belt would look out of place on this bike. It has more of a hotrod look and the narrow belt is more suited to a nostalgic chopper build or a panhead bobber. Finally I wanted the option of a starter in case it was still a bitch to kick after the ratios were changed.
What I discovered is that the improved ration dramatically improved the kick starting for this bike. It is still a harder kick that any of the other shovelheads I have but it is very doable. The starter is an All Balls starter that I had on the shelf as a warranty return.
I will use this opportunity to say this; What a great company. I called them about a starter that I pulled off a bike because it was not working. I wanted to send it to them for repairs. Instead the customer service lady tells me it is warrantied for life, no need for registering or showing receipt or any of that nonsense. Just send it back for a replacement. So I did and a week later I got a brand spankin new starter in the mail.
That said I am still having a little trouble with the starting system. It is set up with a feeler gauge to initiate the starter instead of a switch and it engages and turns over strong, but disengages early more times than not before it starts. I have tried adding the little wafers to the solenoid as they suggest and the battery and cables are new but still having trouble. It will start but just is not right yet. So a little more work there. If I find something ground breaking I will let you all know.
So we have a bike that is much more ridable, and in my opinion a sweetheart to look at. It is still a hotrod so I am not quite ready to take it on a road trip, and the suspension is pretty low causing it to scrape on right hand turns, but for a bar hopper of local street fighter it is spot on.
So if anyone out there is interested in a nice little stroker Shovelhead hit us up. It can be bought for under 5K.
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