A Tribute to AMF

[2LZ]

I know this isn't much of an interest in this forum.....but I gotta share.

To many bikers, Harley Davidson is not just a motorcycle....it's a way of life. I get it. Ok? I was there for a very, very long time. I still have HD's completely involved in my life, even though Mrs 2LZ and I have sold them and are now riding Vics.

That being said, I wanted to share this with you.
My brother-in-law (Mrs 2LZ brother) John, came by last night. He was on my old sweety. Once I got my Vic TC, "Bessy" started collecting a little dust and John always borrowed her for rides....so I caved in and sold her to him finally. He tore her apart again and showed her some love with paint etc.... She turned out sweet! :D

She's a 1974 HD Ironhead XLCH. Kick start only, right side shift. Yes....an AMF bike. She was cammed, ported, carb and pipes back in the day and could pull a second gear wheelie. Not bad for a 4 speed! 8O

To this day, she still has the factory clutch, tranny, bottom end and heads. I had to bore and piston her once because I let an intake o-ring go bad. Other than that, she's been tempermental but flawless.

Anyone who says AMF made garbage has no idea what they're talking about.

I got to kick start her last night and take her for a burn. NASTY as ever! :D 8O Thank the Lord she didn't fold my knee backwards! :D

Here's me and her, Back in the Day. She took me into Hades and paddled me back out the River Styx, many time. Just like a good horse....she always got me back to the barn. I REALLY love this bike.....
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/2LZ_photos/Bikes/backintheday.jpg

Here's John on her. We're fitting a taller backrest, at the time. It's really nice when you sell something you care about to someone who also cares....
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/2LZ_photos/CIMG5757.jpg

Anyway....thanks for watching. HD or otherwise, I know there's many here who appreciate fine machinery.

[FastDoc]

Great pics, great story, and thanks for sharing!

[JTCAndrew]

Sweet - I love the story and the Bike - Thanks for Posting. It's great to see that you were able to sell it, but yet keep it in your life. THat does NOT happen too often. :D

[katoranger]

Other than the paint it looks like he kept it visually the same. Nice clean looking bike.

Before my time.

[Weldangrind]

Had it not been for AMF, Harley might not have survived. Many Harley fans forget that point.

I had my heart set on an old AMF-era FLH when I was a kid, but it was stolen before I got my hands on it. I'm still on the hunt for one.

Thanks for sharing the story with us; that bike is a survivor.

I can just barely handle walking and chewing gum at the same time; I wonder how I'd do with a right side shift? :lol:

[2LZ]

Had it not been for AMF, Harley might not have survived. Many Harley fans forget that point.

I had my heart set on an old AMF-era FLH when I was a kid, but it was stolen before I got my hands on it. I'm still on the hunt for one.

Thanks for sharing the story with us; that bike is a survivor.

I can just barely handle walking and chewing gum at the same time; I wonder how I'd do with a right side shift? :lol:
Hey WAG, I'll have to dig up some pics for you of a 1976 FLH Shovel me and a couple buddies built for the Easyriders show about 10 years ago. Very 'different'. I'll have to look around tonight.....

[Weldangrind]

That would be great! The one I was after was a '77.

A wide glide with a shovel and a four speed would make for a sweet old bike, IMHO.

[SpudRider]

Thanks for sharing the great story about a great bike, 2LZ! :)

Spud :)

[2LZ]

Here ya go, WAG! I found one!....well, I found a few but unfortunately, the backdrop (unplanned) happened to be a wall of Playboy and Easyrider centerfolds. :o It just happened to be where we built the bike! I decided that I'd best not post those. 8O
Anyway.....I type-o'd earlier. It's a 1977.

I know that the ape hangers aren't a lot of peoples preference but it was done for the show. It actually had shoulder height bars that could be swapped.

We did a 93" stroker Shovelhead, ratchet 4 speed, S&S Super E carb, went WAY overkill on the ignition, I forget the clutch but it was a top-o-duh line unit. Hayes, I think? La Pera solo seat, drag pipes, Pingle petcock, 18" wide rims with low profile tires. The owner spared no expense. Like I said....'different.'

To bad I can't show you the right side, thanks to the backdrop! :( We didn't want to do the usual flames or ghost skulls or anything like that. We stuck ith orange and white 2" stripe that ran front fender, tank and rear fender, all on the right side. So from one side, it looked solid black. From the right side, it was HD color striped. :)
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/2LZ_photos/shovel3.jpg

[SpudRider]

Here ya go, WAG! I found one!....well, I found a few but unfortunately, the backdrop (unplanned) happened to be a wall of Playboy and Easyrider centerfolds. :o It just happened to be where we built the bike! I decided that I'd best not post those. 8O ...

To bad I can't show you the right side, thanks to the backdrop! :( ...
Thank you for exercising discretion, 2LZ. :) We appreciate your help in keeping these forums family oriented. ;)

Spud 8)

[Reveeen]

I wonder how I'd do with a right side shift? :lol:

If you are right handed, your coordination is better on the right side of your body, and your right leg tends to have a bit more power than your left, just the "proper thing" for hammering a transmission through the gears. I still, to this day, haven't figured out why the switch, and am more than happy to shift with my "right".

[Weldangrind]

Was it Spyder that used to write a column in Easyrider? "A big piece of raisin pie." :lol: I haven't looked at one of those mags for about 30 years.

I never could wrap my mind around apes; to paraphrase Jimmy Shine, I'd keep running out of blood. Besides, I like the look of decker bars on an FLH.

You certainly do nice work, and more importantly, you actually finish it. I'd change a few things, but I love an old shovel.

[FastDoc]

My buddy Jerry had a WG with apes. Very difficult and uncomfortable to ride, especially at speed. You are turned into a human spinnaker. With a passenger much worse. My thought is that they are for looking more than they riding. That's OK, just not for me.

[2LZ]

My thought is that they are for looking more than they riding.
Oh, absolutely. The apes were just done for the show, at the time. That's why the bikes actual riding bars ran just under shoulder height, different cabling, etc... to be swapped out, if you wanted.

At that time, the show bikes of that era started stretching long....and others tall. The beloved bobber was, unfortunately, taking a back seat for judging. :?

Out of the hundreds of bikes there, we knew we didn't stand a chance up against the "long, flashy, stretched, bikes on turntables with lights" but we wanted to give it a shot. We knew one thing for sure....ours was probably one of the only ones that ran and saw oil! :D The owner actually fired it and rode it into the building while everyone else was pushing!

One of the officials, after the fact, did confide in us that the bike was actually liked by a few of them and we got 'close' to possibly placing, but he wouldn't tell us how close.

Whether he was lying to us or not, that was good enough for us! :D
It doesn't happen like on Cable TV. It took us a year and a half, around work and money gathering, to finish this project!

[katoranger]

I don't care for the stretched out choppers. Bobbers are more my style. Someday maybe.

[gardo]

I'm with you katoranger, i believe a bike is meant to be ridden, to live an breathe and unfortunately ache at times. these Artistic expressions are nice eye candy but sometimes not much more

[katoranger]

I just can see riding something that is 10 feet long.

[Weldangrind]

Much as I don't want to bother with a chopper, I'd like to ride one on the highway that has about 40 degrees total with appropriate trail. I'll bet it's super smooth.

Good luck on a slow corner though. 8O

Bobbers are my favourite style, followed closely by street trackers. Son of Weldangrind was into building a bobber scooter with me, but it seems that he's changed his mind. Oh well. He'll likely take Reveeen's guidance and wring out a BW50 (Zuma in the US).

[katoranger]

I think that the Zuma would be alot of fun modded.

[Reveeen]

Probably, W+G, for a first effort a Volano might just be the ticket.

I can't see them being worth anything, Volano being the forerunner to Saga, quickly closing their doors leaving a LOT of orphans out your way.
(they are identical to a Saga DLX)

I don't know, or pretend to know, the whole story there. They were imported into BC, and as things go the herd thins the farther east you get. They are 2007 model year and simply worth nothing.

As a "first scooter" they would be excellent for a young fella to get his feet wet.

[katoranger]

Minerelli engines design. Lots of mods available too. I was seriously considering a zuma or clone.

[Weldangrind]

Thanks for the tip, Reveeen. I'll keep an eye out on CL.

Kato, I *think* that the pre-01 Zuma / BWS had a French engine, and I'm told that's the one to mod, but I don't have any direct experience. As it happens, my buddy has a Leo Vince for an early Zuma / BW, and it needs a good home.

[katoranger]

I am not sure. The pre 01 was the models I would have been looking at. Ya know. The cheap ones.

[Reveeen]

Boys both engines are "Minerelli" the 01 and earlier vertical, the 02 and later, horizontal.

Without getting radical, the one's to modify are the horizontal ones, featuring case induction (late), rather than cylinder induction (early). The problem between the two lies in physical weight, the early bikes being 50+ lbs lighter, but lacking a bit in suspension and brakes.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter much, the "go-fast" parts are out there for both of them (though due to the limited vertical engine numbers the parts tend to be a little bit more expensive, but they are top quality, rather than there being an "economy quality").

Probably the most interesting 50cc scooter, if you can find one not beat to pieces, is a Honda DIO. The "go fast" goodies are a bit expensive (this model did not make it to the US), so the parts have to trickle in from Europe/Asia, but they take these out to 125cc's.