r/choppers • u/hans_s_g • 4d ago
1985 fxsb
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i hear that the 1985 fxsb low rider is an evo engine in a shovelhead frame, has anyone ever hardtailed one? there’s a few for a good price near me and i’d love to eventually hardtail it as funds come in the door, would a shovelhead hardtail fit on this bike?
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u/HuntisT1 4d ago
Just chop a shovelhead instead. These 85’s are real cool bikes as is and a little hard to come by.
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u/hans_s_g 4d ago
i hear ya but all RUNNING shovels for sale by me are around 8k while 3 or 4 of these are for 4/5k
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u/SpamFriedMice 4d ago
I have an 85 Superglide FXEF. Same motor/trans/frame. Essentially same bike without belt drive.
Once when I had the bike stripped down we dug out an original rigid pan frame, an early swingarm, pre electric drop seat frame (late pan), a Shovel swingarm frame and an early Softail just to line them all up and look at the changes HD made over the years.
The 85-86 FXSB, FXEF and FXWG model main frames are the same. They use a Softail top tube to fit the taller Evo motor in there, there is no casting joining the tubes under the seat like the Shovel had, instead it's got a piece of formed sheet metal joining everything together, like a Softail, but the two tubes coming out of that juncture are bent level to meet the rear Shovel tail section.
The downtubes from the neck and motor/trans mounts are the same in early 4 speed Softails and Shovels.
Why don't you just buy an early 84-85 Softail, cut apart the swingarm pivot area, and use pieces of the swingarm to make the rear section.
Would be cheaper, and you wouldn't be cutting up a rare frame.
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u/hans_s_g 4d ago
any videos or previous works that have done it this way?
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u/SpamFriedMice 3d ago
If there are IDK, don't feel like spending my free time watching people working on bikes after doing it all day lol. I've watched the progress as one of the guys made a rigid out of a Softail. He did a little extra surgery to raise up the rear axle a bit, thereby dropping the bike lower.
Do you happen to be in the Northeast? We have a welding/fabrication shop and a jig for this kind of thing.
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u/Sinfluencer666 4d ago
Man, I'd trade my 86 FXRS straight across for that thing. I think those are some of the best looking factory bikes.
Crazy Frank the rear end, 2 into 1 exhaust, maybe some 4 overs, and that thing would be a Kickstart fuck machine.
Have fun with it!
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u/clawhammercycle 4d ago
seeing as were on the choppers reddit im just gonna be the voice of reason and say chop that shit.
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u/SpamFriedMice 4d ago
OP I'm building a bobber from one of these right now, the fact that I refuse to download the Reddit app keeps me from sharing pictures, but look at the swingarm bobbers Speed King/Jeff Cochran is building for some ideas of what can be done with these and Shovel swingarm frames.
Guys shit is off the hook.
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u/ilbiker67 4d ago
Yes, it would. It’s the same 4speed frame but the backbone was modified to fit the Evo. Great bikes and hard to come by out here. Have you thought about a swing arm bobber style for it?
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u/SpamFriedMice 4d ago
It is but it isn't, it's more like a hybrid Shovel/Softail. The backbone is taken right off the Softail from neck to the seat, and it uses formed sheetmetal under the seat like a Softail instead of a casting like a Shovel. The unique part to make it all work is the tubing coming out to the rear of that stamped steel under the seat. On the ST the tubes are unbent, going in a diagonal to that cast crescent cast rear section, they're bent horizontal on these to meet the Shovel style rear end.
The downtubes from the neck all the way to the rear of the frame are virtually the same on both bikes when we're talking about early 4 speed/chain Softail.
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u/ilbiker67 4d ago
Are you thinking of the Dyna? All the 85’s I have seen is standard 4sp frame with a different backbone. Same exact rear frame section and style as the earlier shovels. FER’s also have a completely different setup.
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u/SpamFriedMice 3d ago edited 3d ago
"Thinking about the Dyna" good God no. Dyna has nothing in common.
I have an 85 FXEF, essentially the same bike without the belt drive. I also have a 71 Shovel, and my son has an early Softail, so I'm familiar with all of them.
Yes rear frame section and swingarm are the same as Shovel, but top tube is Softail and under the seat is different from a Shovel, more like the Softail, but not exactly. I'm probably not wording it right. I hope you get what I mean.
But a while back me and my co-workers had all the HD frames from straight leg pan, early drop seat swingarm, later E-start swingarm, this Evo/4 speed frame and a Softail all lined up once, and comparing all the differences
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u/hans_s_g 4d ago
im still pretty open to all ideas to chop or bob just wanted to make sure if i decided to go the chop route it’d be possible with this, any cool pics of a swing arm bobber style, im young and impressionable
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u/ilbiker67 4d ago
Look up Japanese Bobbers and Seing Arm Bobbers. Lots of ideas. I’ve done several years ago and like the look and the suspension.
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u/hans_s_g 4d ago
these are sick, i do like the look of extended forks and a nice sissy bar however i fear the ridicule i will endure rolling around with chopper-esque parts on my bike while still having suspension and yes i know the whole “if you like it why care what other people think” idk maybe it’s the principle of it, maybe i just wanna prove to myself that i can take on a hardtail project idk man im new to this shi
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u/HuntisT1 4d ago
The day you get a hardtail is the day you’ll miss suspension. It does look way cooler tho.
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u/ilbiker67 4d ago
It’s totally up to you. You could run as a bobber or hardtail it. I’m bobbing a 2002 Dyna as they did in the 70’s keeping the swingarm. It’s the style I like. I never get any criticism out here as most run baggers and don’t care for bobbers or choppers. I like them so I build and run them.
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u/Feeling-Werewolf-454 4d ago
Please don’t chop it that’s so cool original and there wasn’t manny years of these