Harley Davidson Shovelhead - Review & Test Ride
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 มี.ค. 2021
- Gooday and it's now time to introduce you to my customised 1978 Harley Davidson FXE 1200 Superglide - also known more commonly as a 'Shovelhead'.
If you enjoy nothing more than visiting a friend to look at and chat about motorbikes over a mug of tea, and then go for a ride out (but can't because of the current situation), this is the video for you.
Firstly I talk you through all the various changes and upgrades made to this bike, as well as the lengthy list of things that went wrong - on the same day I took delivery of the bike and whilst venturing out for my first ride.
Next I start the bike and take you on a short trip to the Lock Keepers Rest, a popular bike-meet, at Glasson Dock in Lancashire.
Here I enjoy a nice cuppa tea and a tasty double cheese burger.
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If you'd like to contribute to my channel and future videos, then I have a PayPal Me page. Cheers, www.paypal.com/paypalme/kevin...
All 6 seasons of Travels By Narrowboat are available to stream on Amazon Prime, with Season 7 here on TH-cam.
www.amazon.com/dp/B07NXQG5HB/ - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
I THINK IT MIGHT BE LIKE LOOKING THRU BINOCULARS THE WRONG WAY, HOW YOU MAY SEE US AND HOW WE SEE YOU, BUT YOU ARE DEFINITELY NOT ALONE. AND WE DO CARE ABOUT YOU. I CAN ONLY REALLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF BUT I WOULD IMAGINE THAT MOST OF US WHO LOVE YOUR VIDS SEE YOU AS KIND OF FAMILY, OR AT THE VERY LEAST A FRIEND. SO WE DO (AND SHOULD) BE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW YOU ARE DOING. WE LUV YA' KEV.
AND I WILL SAY THIS ONCE AGAIN ( SURLY NOT FOR THE LAST TIME AND DEFINITELY NOT THE FIRST TIME ) THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR VIDS. YOU AND YOUR VIDS MEAN VERY MUCH TO US.
Yup!
Riding a harley is the best thing for mental health. It's just awesome!
I named my Harley “Soul Care”
maybe not your physical health by the sounds of it
That engine sounded really nice! My older brother had a 650cc Norton Dominator twin when I was a kid and I loved going pillion on it! You could here it coming up through the sunken lanes a mile away, stay safe but have fun on your Harley
Your joy at being able to just "getting out" is palpable! You kept many occupied with your travels and helped them escape even for just a little while.. thank you for that! Cheers and carry on with your travels.. 👍
The sound of a Harley is unforgettable. We have two in our garage...his and hers. The smile in your voice is always a welcome treat. I will refrain from any comments regarding the dealer from whom you purchased your ShovelHead. I personally would not allow him to touch my grandkids tricycles given the issues you encountered. Thankfully you possess the keen knowledge to diagnose and repair the problems discovered. When I bought our Fatboy...my wife's bike...it was barely used despite being a couple of years old. The previous owner had installed a La Pera seat on it...nearly identical to the one on your bike. It did not take many miles before my wife replaced that seat with a Mustang, She says it was akin to choosing between a wooden bench and a very inviting recliner. Night and day difference. Per info available...75056 is the model that fits your 78. BTW...my wife is a cancer survivor...and lives each day to its fullest...just not foolishly. Keep the vids coming. We will remain attentive viewers. Stay safe . Keep the shiny side up. Please don't tangle with the cagers. Hopefully Myrtle Beach Bike Week will return this year. Cheers from Southport NC.
Kevin, so very glad to see the bike and hear the tale of getting your classic road worthy! While you are enjoying the Harley, I have found that after my old 1984 Honda V30 Magna, the Triumph Bonneville T100 has become my transportation of choice. The motorcycle has been my method of commuting to work for quite a few years. 20+ Since the weather in SoCal is such that I can ride all year around, even with chilly temps in the forty degree fahrenheit range, I truly love to ride. I am looking forward to your future episodes of Travels by Motorbike and the visuals you will provide of the countryside. Ride safely!
Kevin, Really loved your video on your Harley. When I got back from Vietnam 1970 I purchased a 1969 650 Triumph..Rode that forever.
Keep the shinny side up!!!
Not so much a bike fan more an engine fan and that sounds wonderful. Always a head turner for me as a Harley goes by. You gave me the riding experience without the pain. I now feel I've actually been on one. Thank you and well done. Now sitting in that unit working on it that's the dream!
It's brilliant to see you out enjoying yourself (well, as much as current nonsense will allow)! Thanks for taking us along for the ride! :)
Love the sound of that bike! It sounds so much better than my 2017 Road Glide. Electronics and fuel injection are great, but carbureted engines sound so much better! Have fun!
Sweet ride; thanks much for sharing. I agree about smiling as soon as I start to ride and being totally focused on the road. No room for any other thought but my bike, the road, the wind and keeping an eye out for other drivers. My ‘07 Sportster XL1200C is a hard ride too but it keeps me sharp! Ride on Brother
Had a smile the entire episode. Thank you for allowing this old man to live vicariously through. Boat and bike.
Thank you. Great to hear that. Tried to make it like popping round a mates house to talk and ride bikes, seeing as that's a bit difficult at the moment. Cheers again.
I have a 77 Electraglide FLH. And riding makes my whole day better,
Amen to that sir. As soon as I pull away, everything changes. 🙂
Very nice vid. You’re the real deal and accurately captured why we ride the old bikes! Anyone can buy a bike off the showroom floor and have the dealer service it but very few can wrench their own bikes…and owning a shovel requires one to turn a wrench. Thank you sir!
Aaah Shovelheads.....you gotta luv 'em ! ☺
Love your videos! Your easy going and down to earth manner make you so easy to listen to and make for a great video. I love old Harleys and you've got yourself one fine specimen. Hope to watch more.🙂
Keep posting, Kevin. Somewhere in Northern California, you are appreciated.
Kevin, come ride across the USA and stay at people's houses.Think you could put Kev up for a night, Rob?
@@fritzgolden6237 absolutely.
A very nice bike. Love the shovels. Always have. They have their own sound that's different from the rest. Panheads and Shovelheads are the Harley sound to me. Happy trails.
Ditto to kilted Bill !!’ You’ve chosen your way of life, but you’re well loved by us viewers, it’s just SO good you take all the time and trouble to share with us. Especially This past year you’ve been out where we only have dreamt of !!! Get out for that spin and enjoy it for and with us smiling all the way 😃👏🌟🌟👍. Graham loves all the technical stuff ( his biking days sadly over 😕) I just see a really smart bike 👍. Joan
I may be wrong but I think your petrol tank is an aftermarket item. The give away is the 'blanked' left side filler cap. It was called a 'Mustang' tank, and was very popular for custom builds. I own a 1958 Panhead with a shovel top end, S&S Super B carb, Belt Drive, Morris Magneto and 6 over wide glide forks. That's my customized lowrider. Built from the ground up by myself.
P.S. The dealer had 25 years experience in buying and selling Harleys, and 25 minutes of actually working on them. I feel for you. As for the primary I would fit a belt drive and shut off the oil feed if you can afford it. Instant smoother ride an no oil in the case.
Best wishes and ride free bro. Good on you for sorting out all the snags!
Ooh a nice 2" primary belt drive would be ideal. Not exposed though, I like my trouser bottoms in tact. Great info on the tank, I'll check that out. Your Pan sounds superb and as rare as hen's teeth in the UK now.
Great to see your adventures. Harley looks a lot of fun. Loved the commentary. The rear facing camera was very interesting. Being American I get concerned when cars come at you from the wrong direction. Prayers for safe travels. Take care. David E
Loved this. The countryside is so beautiful. Miss your narrow boat but Harley travels are just as much fun. Thanks!
Fantastic bike I’m very very jealous! Just the relaxing vid to watch on my tea break after digging the garden. Cheers
I must say.... You make a simple ride through the countryside a pleasure to watch! Glad you are finally getting a chance to get out on the road a bit... cannot wait for more Canal Vids! Keep up the great work! Peace!
I got 10 minutes into watching Top Gear last night before I turned it off, but thouorghly enjoyed this vlog and wanted it to go on. Looking forward to seeing more of these. PS at low tick over it sounds like Aslan.
Well done for staying the 10 minutes!
How fun to see you out and enjoying life. Love the bike and I can tell you are going to really have fun with it. Looking forward to watching your adventures. Stay safe. Hugs and love from Oklahoma.
Thanks for the ride. Its nice to see you out and about. Cheers.
What a treat! Enjoyed this... keep on rollin'!
hey kev your not alone mate. take care
Use to go to glasson dock as a teenager love it
You are definitely not alone! I really appreciate you sharing your journey through life with us. I find myself wishing there were canals like you have there, here in the US. Keep making videos, Kevin. During some really dark days in my life, your videos help a lot.
PS: loved the "Wheatgrass smoothie brigade" comment. LOL 😆
~Leilani in CA
You have a great life, it’s good to watch you enjoying it
Thanks for the beautiful ride. It's grand to see you out and about. Now I've got to go pull some long grasses that I put off so I could enjoy your ride! It was grand to say the least! Happy travels
I was offered a 1978 Fxe , One look at it an i had to have it ! The journey begins ! 👍
Happy Trails, Kevin! Love the way you get to enjoy your exercise! God bless-
Hey Kev great ride! Powerful healthy sound. Been a Harley rider for many years now. Thanks for your time and efforts on Aslen as well. Good on ya.
The Superglide early 70's AMF is my favorite HD
Great video! This old HD rider really enjoyed it. Great photography! Enjoyed the ride and look forward to many more!
Thanks for the ride-a-long Kevin, nice bike! The burger looked delicious!
Loved the sound of the Harley, good to see you back doing something you Love doing 👊😁
As a rider ...what a treat and to see it from the left side of the road !!! Fun
Ha yes, left side, the correct side. Ha. Oh dear what have I started. 😁
@@CountryHouseGent ....you have started some really good humor!!! Laughter on the other side of the planet where your hog came from : ) ...each hill bridge rise ...ahhhhh ...your on the other side !!! Thanks for the fun!! Looks like you got that running well !!
Hi Kevin, from sunny Florida, (well not so sunny today.) That is one GREAT bike you have there. The song "Bad To The Bone," kept playing in my head as you took us on the ride with you. Thanks for taking us along. Looking forward to more!!!!
I wasn't sure I would enjoy the motorcycle videos but this was really fun to watch! And the quality was much better than I imagined as well! Looking forward to the content!
Very nice! Love the look and sounds great! Stay safe.
Keep em coming Kevin. Always a good watch as per usual.
Thanks Kevin. We enjoyed that immensely. Wonderful to see you out enjoying yourself! Hugs. Lorraine and Phil in Oz.
Glad to see you are well - looking forward to more videos.
Greetings from Arizona, Kevin! That was great, what a ride! I’ve never been on one ever, but you sure made it real for me. Looking forward to “our” next journey. Stay safe and well!
Cheers Kevin! Love the bike mate! Good to see you getting out and about the best you can. Stay safe and keep your sanity as best as possible. Your friends in Northern Indiana.
Very inspiring and well done kind Sir! Now im pushing my shovel into my house for a long over do reconditioning!
THANKS
Thanks indeed and you're very welcome. Sounds like the perfect winter project, indoors, heating on and a steady supply of bacon sandwiches and mugs of tea. Perfect. Have fun. 🙂
Nicely done on the repairs. The bike sounds and looks like it runs great.
Great to see that you have launched your vehicle. Seeing the road footage brings back memories, having made on road videos for nearly thirty years , covering more than a dozen machines. Very refreshing. As you mentioned you're not alone in your views and aspersions. I'm glad to see that you have continued your journey in life pushing forward as I mentioned before. Good luck to you. Them kick starts are buggers... Best Regards. Sean and family.
Very much appreciated Sean and family. ☺
Glad you're back Kevin.....Happy trails....
wind on your face,miles under your belt,that smile is back again, great video kevin, awsome bike, great road footage and great quality many thanks kevin as always take care stay safe..mike
Finally got around to watching. Brilliant stuff. Love the commentary. Hope you get back to the boat soon, but this was a fun ride-along.
So lovely to see you back!!! My partner Steve and I watch your narrow boat series every night in bed and never get tired of them. Will be good to get some new footage to watch! Take care and look after yourself!!
This is one of the nicest Shovels that ive seen and I’m a bike builder
Excellent installment!! Can tell you will enjoy riding about the countryside on the new bike as opposed to the Kawasaki -- watching you put the Harley through its paces reminds me of my late friend Buster, who I knew for years...he would like to meet up at the local Harley bar (I don't drink, but he did) where we'd sit on the patio in front and watch the bikers drive up on their Harleys, grab their beers and exchange notes on each other's machines...Buster didn't ride Harleys, he preferred Triumphs (he had several, collected them, swore by the engineering) -- like you, he knew how to work on his bikes, routinely disassembled and repaired them -- he died from a heart condition more than 12 years ago...don't know if I'll get used to how you bear to the left on the roadway, but I suppose it's easy if that's what you are used to doing...
Glad to see you enjoying yourself!
Fantastic bike , nice to see your having lots of fun, RIDE SAFE AND HAVE A LOT OF GREAT RIDES.😁
Kevin, I am so happy to see that you are out enjoying life. Your new motorcycle is very fascinating oh, it was nice to learn a bit about motorcycles through you as you are a very good narrator. It is also nice to know that people can still enjoy takeaways. I hope the rest of your day goes wonderfully and I look forward to seeing whatever you put out for videos. Thank you for being so unique and sharing your life
Thanks for watching Darren
Good video. Nice to see you out and about
Great bike Kevin , lovely v twin , i especially like the mirrors..many a fun hour to be had on it.
Hope to see you on Aslan again soon. I learned so much about narrowboats from your videos and it was so peaceful and calming during a difficult year for most of us in the states. I miss seeing the beautiful architecture in Britain as well as the slow pace on the canals and the wildlife too. Traveling so fast on your Harley, hard to enjoy the views of your beautiful country. I loved the way you described your voyages. Don’t give up on Aslan. 🙂💕
Great vid Kev. really enjoyed it. take care and keep them coming.
Great to see you out and about, Kev. The issues with the bike have, clearly, tested you but you have solved them. Great work!
Good to see you out and about, take care and stay well, mate!
Thank you Ian and be well.
So good to see you again. We have missed you!
It's great to see your zest for the outdoors, with each episode of the narrowboat and the motorcycle travels. I can't wait to watch your episodes from Wales and Scotland, one day soon. The BMW touring bike should serve you well for those adventures. I know that Neil Peart spoke very highly of their comfort and reliability, in his books, about his many travels(R.I.P. Professor Peart).
Hard tails are for young people!! Old people need those shocks to absorb the bumps along the way.😁 You called the front extension some name that can't recall, in the US a chopped front was popular, hence the name Chopper. My ex- chopped his Harley and put the hard tail on. I never road with home after that, and I was in my 20's. The roads here are curvy and poor condition too. It occurred to me that Aslan is known for its distinctive engine sound as is the Harley. I can still pick out a Harley several mikes off. Great sound! Thanks for the ride!😀
Lovely to see you again, get yourself up to Morecambe for the day, I'll show you about !
Hello CHG
I found your Journeys by Narrowboat on Prime a couple of months ago and watched them all the way through Season 6. Then I picked up all your other TH-cam videos post Season 1. So now I'm in the same boat as the others, subscribed and waiting patiently for your next TH-cam video.
I just want to say you've been a joy to watch, for many reasons: your kind and easy going nature, your quick wit, and your amazing boldness to go where your heart's desire takes you.
I greatly sympathize with your struggles with the Covid madness and applaud you for keeping a cool head.
An idea for some future travels (no doubt when, if ever, we are allowed to travel out of country easily), come to America and rent a Harley and visit all the American fans that have been following you. I have no doubt all would put you up and treat you as you travel through their area.
Blessings and Courage,
Mary E - located in Western North Carolina in the Blue Ridge mountain area of the Appalachia. :-)
On my ! LOVED the ride. I had a Honda 750 back in the mid 1970s. That was a lot of bike for a young lady in her 20's.For a time it was my only transport. I got lots of head turns and followers. Glad to see you happy and having fun! Cheers!
A few years back we saw Canadian folks that had their Harleys trailered down to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. An affable group, they planned to ride historic Route 66 out to California. Your video made me think of that encounter...never owned a cycle but love your Harley. Cheers Gene so glad to see your videos
Thank you Gene. Route 66 is the ultimate dream for me. Really hope to make it one day.
Excellent bike review & tour the Harley is a nice piece of kit. Take care
Kev man, you never alone with all us lot behind you bruv 💪💪💪 CHG army all day long, keep up the brilliant work
I do love the sound of a Harley! I know, I'm late to your videos, but thank you.
good for you, it's a lovely bike and youve done a good job keeping it rideable. I ride a 1340FXD and wouldnt want to imagine life without it. So much more fun than new models
So happy to see you enjoying yourself again! Loved riding along with you. Hope the double cheeseburger didn’t give you a stomach ache on your way home.
Awesome Kevin, glad to see you!
She's a purring dream mate. So happy for you. I would love a motorbike, but I drive for a living on English roads, and see everyday what a poor state they are in, so decided to stay on 4 wheels.
Welcome to the Harley ride. I need to get mine back on the road. Been 2 yrs now. Enjoy. Wish I was on my bike riding with you.
Turned tv off, pressed both earbuds in and turned the volume up a lot. What a wonderful ride with splendid camera work. Grand machine, internal combustion at its best.
Really appreciate that Eric, thank you. Just what I wanted to offer - a nice chunk of motorbiking indulgence for bike enthusiasts - like popping round a mate's to look at, talk and ride bikes, and when it's very difficult to do that at the moment. Cheers, ☺
Enjoyed the video....don't know anything about motorcycles except names. Nice to see you out and about. Cheers!
Great machine my friend, nothing sounds like a Harley. Great view, thanks.
Awesome ride ! Enjoy the ride .
You are my covid stay at home good friend. Thank you so much as the first u- tuper friend at my time of most need of salvation during that terrible times of lock down. Now, also, you save me.
Good to see you are doing well. Please keep posting.
Absolutely gorgeous bike!
Lovely bike Kevin and it looks like it is doing you the world of good 😊👍🏻🤟🏻
Great post, loved it..onwards and upwards, getting through this current pig's ear together! thank God for Motorcycles.....
Sweet! Now your talkin. best of luck with the bike!
Cheers on braving the kick start 🤘🏽
Thanks for the ride out on your new Harly Kevin........when we get back to normal will have to have a vist to that Dock for one of them butties.......Cameras worked great.....stay safe.......thanks for sharing
Man great job mate. This brings back good memories. I had exact bike except it was a 74. I worked at a custom shop back in the 90s. And rebuilt mine with the extra wide front end and the dual fat bob tanks and a kool bob type rear fender. It was awesome black cherry. And a lot of shiny chrome!! God luck buddy and keep on rollin
I have pica but they are the normal photos from those days not digital.
You are very good at video editing! The way you put all your footage together is very enjoyable!!
Thank you Mary. I do enjoy the editing process very much and the satisfaction of ending with something tangible and enjoyable for others. Cheers again,
Ahhhhh. Great video Kev! I've been so looking forward to this video. I made a cuppa Yorkshire Tea and enjoyed your video, here in sunny Los Angeles. I got my first Harley in 1987, and been loving them ever since. Ride safe and ride free! Please know that your videos are a great source of joy for me during these strange times!!!
Happy to spread some much needed light relief. ☺
@@CountryHouseGent I am so grateful!
I was waiting on the slow idle lope and you didn’t disappoint
Lovely bike glad to see you are better.
Dont let all the B S spoil it.
Cheers Mate that was fun. Here's to "experiencing something singularly unique" ride on.