82 FXR General Discussion

[upsrod]

I have owned my '81 FXB for 29 years! It is an AMF bike and I have never really had any issues with it.

[PRG]

Howdy Rod,

Ditto that on ownership tenure and reliability. At 45k, original bottom end and top freshened at 36k only as a precaution. Mod’d the excelerator pump, updated the ignition to the factory Evo based upgrade, higher output FL alternator for extra insurance, fitted a super nut to the final drive sprocket to stem the oil leak tide and that’s been it.

Now, on the other hand my AMF brown 77 FLH showed the general malaise of this era. Bought in the mid 80’s with only 12k on the clock and coated with an undisturbed 10 year thick accumulation oil and road grime from mid engine back pulling the inner primary revealed not only the factory’s unexplainable lack of quality control but the HD dealer’s sense of resignation to the poor quality of products shove onto their docks in the years since.

As you know Shovels in this time frame routed the breather into the primary to lube the chain, not unlike their Knuckle ancestors, but now saddled with and straining against a 700lb curb weight, the EPA looking over their shoulders and the occasional poorly honed bores to add to blow by. Pulling the inner primary revealed nearly half of the lower portion of that thin rubber o ring at the front drive sprocket on the engine case flange had been sheared off when the disgruntled employee shoved the plot home, the sheared portion even preventing the primary from abutting the cases as this now formed a squashed flat rubber spacer on the machined face of the case. In the 11 years this machine had been in the public domain and obviously leaking no dealer had felt compelled to fix it as likely they were overwhelmed with other issues.

I think it was Robby who commented the best HD’s out of the MoCo were 72(?) and earlier and against this backdrop gotta agree at least with my 77, it’s personlity is defined by no precision, every clearance loose and often rattling as one vectors this charming old mount through sweepers with the vagueness of waving their tv remote while reclined on their BarcaLounger. On the other hand, my Sturgis, absolute joy and will always have it. And who can argue against the finish of the 83’s there at the end of the Shovel head era, the alloys finished like the cases on a Rolex and with the FXR’s now essentially almost “unit” like a Triumph Bonneville, no leaks.

[RichO]

Peter, Rich here. With 20k on the odometer it refuses to leak oil. My first Harley I haven't had to put a pan under in over fifty years except for my 1988 883 Sportster that I sold after putting close to 70,000 on it's odometer. Only two bikes I've had that didn't come in a box. I'm only riding the Catskills this year. Maybe I'll see you there.

[PRG]

Well howdy Rich,

Catskills!? Mercy, couldn’t be farther from SoCal than doing the Indian ride in Oz, likely coupling that with a visit to your home land in PA? I’m doing 5 days in Davenport, grab’n the missus at the Moline airport and then meander’n slowly up old 61 to join our posse for the La Crosse Road Run and then we’re all headed out to Carl’s Deadwood Road Run. I shall be at the helm of the big white m/c ambulance so if you should find one of your old machines to be having a spot of bother along the road within this 3,000 mile circle I’ll gladly fetch ya back to the nearest tavern. We sure had a blast at the Sunshine, Lonny C. provided Rick N. with an eye wateringly purty 42 Knuckle for the party, that made three of us on that road run with the same curved spot light bar I thought I’d never find an example of for my own machine.

[Larry May]

Here is my 83 org FXRT, 1st year for the FXRT and only year FXRT with shovel engine, Also is my org 1986 one year only, 996 produced, FXRD Grand Touring Edition, These are the best touring motorcycles I have ever ridden, and I have been all over the country on the FXRD.

[Larry May]

Here is the FXRD at Death Valley summer of 2015, hope to go again this summer

[Chris Haynes]

Funny that the article the Chris posted says the the 1982 is the most collectable....most Stugis people only consider the 80-81 model as real Sturgeses because the 82 came in several colors besides black and did not have drag bars!

Possibly because it was the first Harley-Davidson and not an AMF machine?