Bikes like this are also wicked fun because everybody’s got an opinion about every single step the owner/builder made along the way. And I say along the way as bikes like this often take quite a while to build because of money, time, wheeling and dealing, and learning new skills like welding or painting or whatever. So much of a build like this is done in-house or in-garage, I should probably say, because the owner is building his bike pretty much the way he wants to for the use he wants to. Possibly the best part about garage builds like this is that they get used and used pretty hard. Knowing every nut and bolt personally will do that to me as I now feel like they owe me. Plus, if they let me down they’ll be replaced with no remorse on my part. Sorry, I just finished up a long build last weekend and you get a lot of time to let your mind drift in the garage if you’re not careful. Apparently I’m not careful.
This Shovel is a charmer from the hardtail addition and everything that encompasses to the unknown springer sporting one of the teeniest disc brake setups ever. Yeah it’s kinda cute what with that tiny caliper and all, but it sure is damn cool mechanically and aesthetically. The 21-inch laced wheel up front is an obvious choice simply because it looks the way we feel it should look. Same goes for the 16-incher out back laced to the original sprocket brake, the stock H-D drum and chain drive sprocket. If this bike was caught wearing a belt, it would be the equivalent of you getting caught wearing a white plastic belt to hold your jeans up. Some things just don’t go together and manly steel chains and steel sp[rockets are more this bike’s style rather than a cord and rubber tooth belt. Oily bits are appreciated here.
I’m going out on a limb, but I’m gonna say the AMF-era Shovelhead has been stripped to its most basic bits possible and rebuilt and refurbished from there. Along the way it also saw a good visual rehab with a respectable amount of shiny bits to set it off properly. Chrome, polishing, and black cylinders with polished edges bring just the right amount of engine bling like any retro-inspired bike might and should have. Throw in the magneto, the long fishtail pipes and the forward facing air cleaner with more of a design than a cover and this engine could be straight out of one of Ed Roth’s Choppers magazines. It’s not overdone or underdone, it’s just right.
On a real world, somewhat traditional build like this there are things one would almost have to incorporate like using a Sportster tank sitting just-so that’s not a bad thing. A garage guy might want to really build his own tank, but modifying a Sporty tank is probably a much better use of time and money and he’ll be riding much, much sooner. Plus a Sporty tank is, frankly, hard to improve upon when you have a classic build going on in your head. Picking up an old chrome horseshoe oil tank or just pulling it out from under the bench where it’s sat for years is possibly the right choice of container for your oil. Even if you don’t love ‘em, you certainly don’t hate them do you? Hey, it’s a horseshoe tank with a bit of patina so get over it.
Would it surprise me to find out the bike was built around a design of a sissy bar somebody always wanted? Absolutely not. Sissy bars were like your brand back in the day and made your bike stand tall and proud while providing a back rest for a passenger and a place to lash stuff on to. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this was a swap meet piece or it had been laying next to the oil tank under the bench. Or, it could have been totally fabricated by the owner from tubing. That’s what would make seeing a bike like this in person fun, guessing all the parts’ and pieces’ unknown heritage.
Icing on the cake is limited to the lightly-faded white, pink and blue flame paintjob on the basic black tank with its questionable choice of colors that could have preceded the builder. This is where annoying people like me question the builder without actually questioning him, but then each and every one of us knows what’s best, don’t we? For us, we sure do, but as far as this guy goes, I find the paint less annoying the longer I look at it. Maybe I’m just not approaching what he was after from the right angle as if this was a vintage tank from the ‘70s, I’d leave it as is.
Adding a nice bit of decoration to the cake’s icing is the distressed leather seat flowing down the fender to a dip before heading backup over the frame rails. There’s a lot of room for two onboard and that was an important aspect back in the day for a lot of good reasons that seemingly has no relevance today. Complimenting the patina of the seat is the leather side bag and leather canteen holder which all look like they were cut from the same hide at the same time. All in all, there’s a nice street-worn patina throughout the bike that gives it a timeless, yet rough and ready look.
Not only is this bike cool on so many levels, but it’s tight and right everywhere you look. It’s not some six-figure big wheel bagger for the more money than brains club, but a bike that any regular old Harley rider would love parked in his garage even if it’s parked next to the newest and/or most expensive MotorCo model available. In the world of Harley-Davidsons, timelessness is always in and this Shovel’s got that in spades.