# My sponsored 78 shovelhead build thread
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907
**Category:** Builds
**Created:** [December 28, 2012, 5:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907 "2012-12-28T05:52:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@joelster](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/joelster)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/21 "2012-12-29T04:06:20Z")
How many other people are you up against? When is the deadline? It would be cool to sell the bike back to the guy after his divorce crap is done with, unless he hates it, lol.
---
### Author:  [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/22 "2012-12-29T05:09:43Z")
> [@GV1390](#):
>
> That’s what he’s looking at.
>
> Got everything cleaned up tonight and in place ready to wrench on. CB looks to be in good condition and I already have dibs on it fellas 🙂
Thanks for the update on his project.
---
### Author:  [@GV1390](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/GV1390)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 6:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/23 "2012-12-29T06:53:22Z")
.
---
### Author:  [@Spam16v](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Spam16v)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 8:08am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/24 "2012-12-29T08:08:33Z")
> [@Carnut](#):
>
> An aerocharger would make this much much easier.
Just looked into these, news to me. very cool parts.
---
### Author:  [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 9:13am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/25 "2012-12-29T09:13:48Z")
They used to be manufactured in Batavia where the companies HQ was. The company was sold and moved out west. They are expensive new capatilizing on the turbo charging trend however you can find these used very cheap on ebay.
---
### Author:  [@Spam16v](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Spam16v)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/26 "2012-12-29T09:31:13Z")
shit, there’s a fresh rebuilt one for $229 on ebay right now.
---
### Author:  [@focusinprogress](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/focusinprogress)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 9:34am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/27 "2012-12-29T09:34:22Z")
gonna do a wacky lace paintjob like the ole’ days?
---
### Author:  [@Spam16v](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Spam16v)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 9:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/28 "2012-12-29T09:53:56Z")
---
### Author:  [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 10:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/29 "2012-12-29T10:06:50Z")
I really like what they did with that old FLH. I like that they kept the early shovel as well. I love that they used the original paint codes. My uncle still has his 69 FLH and it was this color.
---
### Author:  [@BDR5oh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BDR5oh)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/30 "2012-12-29T13:03:20Z")
I would like to donate some blinkers and a tailight off my warrior
---
### Author:  [@juicedz4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/juicedz4)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/31 "2012-12-29T13:12:21Z")
:tup: in for updates
Dan
---
### Author:  [@Jeller](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jeller)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/32 "2012-12-29T17:01:38Z")
Are you under some retarded time crunch too? just like they do on the bike shows to make it suspenceful lol.
---
### Author:  [@Carnut](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Carnut)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/33 "2012-12-29T18:42:32Z")
Certainly hope not.
---
### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/34 "2012-12-31T08:15:16Z")
The time deadline is JUNE, which is good. They know we’re all amateurs and don’t have tons of time to throw at this.
As for the competition, haven’t even checked. Going to treat this as a personal build and just go with it. If something cool happens, then that’s rad.
For the style, I’m leaning more towards a JDM style harley. I love that look.
[http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97524](http://www.jockeyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97524)
**Don’t click that unless you want to spend all day looking at awesome JDM harleys.**
The look I’m shooting for is something like this:
or
In fact the up/out/rake look with tall tires I find to be horrible.
Here is the rough “spec” list the guy running the contest requested:
```auto
1) 1978 Shovel. I’m not sure what the exact model is. Don’t rightly
care, because I’m going to bastardize the shit out of it. It’s hard for
me to give you a list of things that I will do to the bike because I tend
to be pretty spontaneous and dynamic, but here’s a shot:
A. Off the shelf rigid frame in stock dimensions
Shortened rear section
De-rake neck until there is minimal front tire clearance
B. Inverted for from 03 GSXR 1000
Internally shortened if required
Custom triple trees to run as narrow as possible
Probably no front brake
Scratch built bars
BMW E30 headlight?
C. Custom controls, made by me where applicable
Foot clutch
Hand/jockey shift
Internal throttle
D. Shovelhead engine
Microsquirt EFI
Turbocharged (possibly an aerocharger to simplify the oiling system)
Some sort of wacky exhaust
Open primary
Debatably kick-only… depends how my legs heal up in the build
timeframe
E. Custom wheels
Rad mfg hex hubs for supermoto
Rear wheel has to be a custom drilled 16x3.5 hoop
Coker 16x5.00
Front 18x2.15 rim
Coker 18x4.00 (may swap this out to a dualsport or trials tire)
E. Tins
I have some ideas for the fuel tank that involves cutting up what I
already have. We’ll see about that
Bobbed rear fender… Probably start by cutting up what I have but may
go some type of custom. Whatever it is t will probably have a bunch
of holes drilled in it and jewels from the power lights of guitar amps
shoved in there
Probably no front fender
G. Custom parts
My goal is to make/repurpose as much stuff as possible. It will be very
PURCHASE intensive at the beginning, but that will give way to a lot of
custom shit later on.
```
Anyhow, this weekend I spent HOURS and HOURS researching wheel tire combos… only to wind up back to something sort of standard but still pretty different. That’s about all I did besides cleaning up the shop with GV1320.
My initial plan was capitalize on 2 things:
1. Supermoto wheels are meant for putting sportbike tires on a dirtbike
2. Continental just released a 180/55/17 tire that is meant to put dirt tires on a sportbike (for what reason I have no idea)
So my thought was to run THESE supermoto 17s
With this REAR tire on BOTH the front and rear.
Unfortunately, that would require a paughco WIDE frame. Wide frames are unbelievably gay, and there is no way I would ever use one on my bike. (Normal width frame can do 130 width tire tops)
I really like the “modularness” of those hubs… you add on carriers for sprockets and rotors, that’s what really drew me in, but the 17" wheel size was killing me as far as good tire selection.
I really wanted a 16" rear tire (there are tons of good looking tall 16" tires) but the problem was that the hubs are 32/36 hole and all the 16" wheels with any width (i need 16x3.5 or so) are all 40 spoke…
So what I decided to do was get a set of these 36 hole hubs in dark grey or dark brown
And have a 16x3.5 excel blank rim drilled to 36 holes.
For the front it will be a pretty standard MX built wheel 18x2.15
I am going to run THIS on the back:
And this TRIALS tire on the front:
Very very time consuming to get here, but I think it will be worth it in the end.
---
### Author:  [@focusinprogress](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/focusinprogress)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2012, 8:31am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/35 "2012-12-31T08:31:40Z")
why not mod the stock frame to fit what you want instead of buying an off-the-shelf frame? a tubing bender and some lowbrow customs axle plates would make pretty quick work of it really…
---
### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/36 "2012-12-31T08:51:00Z")
> [@focusinprogress](#):
>
> why not mod the stock frame to fit what you want instead of buying an off-the-shelf frame? a tubing bender and some lowbrow customs axle plates would make pretty quick work of it really…
Either way I’ll have a “wide” frame and that’s not what I want. When I actually sat down and crunched out the numbers that tire has a section width of 7+"… All I could think of was this:
Which is arguably the cheesiest type of motorcycle ever.
I really want a lot of sidewall… There just aren’t many fat/tall dirtbike tires
I plan on modding the off-the-shelf frame anyway. De-raking and shortening the rear… but easier to do that to a tubular aftermarket frame than a stock frame with all sorts of extra bullshit and castings on it.
---
### Author:  [@focusinprogress](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/focusinprogress)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2012, 8:53am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/37 "2012-12-31T08:53:03Z")
I wholeheartidly agree with that. I fucking HATE wide “choppers”.
---
### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/38 "2012-12-31T17:32:44Z")
---
### Author:  [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/39 "2013-01-01T11:11:57Z")
Decided I am going to hardtail this bitch myself. Going to start building a jig.
---
### Author:  [@Spam16v](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Spam16v)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907/40 "2013-01-01T12:31:11Z")
Completely unrelated, I love how these wheels were fabbed, and a ribbed tractor tire on front.
this front end rules.
This the tire look you’re after?
[Previous page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907.md?page=1)
[Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/my-sponsored-78-shovelhead-build-thread/227907.md?page=3)