Guess I'll try this here (Need help with old Harley parts)

[Monty]

Tried this recently on a Corvette forum I'm on, but didn't get any helpful answers.  These segments of the thread pretty much sum up the whole situation:

Me: My older brother is an avid Harley fan and currently has four older models (FXRT, FLDH (?) Springer and... I don't know.

Long story short, parts have become extremely hard to come by, and all of his bikes are sidelined. He's been in the game long enough (decades) to know who used to carry what, but it sounds like so many things have been discontinued even Harley shops are having to resort to cannibalizing parts to keep older stuff running.

Riding is one of the things he enjoys most, and I know he misses it, so I'm hoping somebody on here might have alternative sources for parts to help him get back on the road.

TIA for all helpful replies. Just trying to help a really good guy. 

 

Originally Posted by RollaMo-LT4 

Been like that for quite awhile.
Most HD dealers don't want to work on anything over 15 - 20 years old.

To be honest, a dealer is the last place you should be taking a 20 year old bike too anyway.
That is where Indy shops shine. They are in a much better position to work on them anyway.

To the OP:
Find an Indy Shop (Independent Shop) that deals with older Harley's.
A good shop will keep these bikes running well into the future.

Me: We live in the heart of the Midwest but lack any cities of any size nearby with the facilities needed, so anything he couldn’t fix himself had to be trailered to Hill City S.Dakota or Ft Collins Colo.

Both have long since run out of most service parts for bikes from the ‘80s- early ‘90s. It’s not uncommon for the Ft Collins shop to have bikes in for service 6 months before Sturgis on the off chance parts can be found and utilized.

 

 

[stitchdup]

join specialist clubs for each model. if anybody knows where to get parts its those folks. also if they were exported and sold by harley, try those countries as a dealer network should have parts. were military versions made? if so those guys also hoard parts. ask at shows, wear signs on your shirt at shows or anywhere theres a load of similar interest folks.  searching abroad is probably your best bet, harleys are more a weekend toy on this side of the pond but there are loads of them in europe and lots of support. germany, belgium or italy might be a good start, thats where most of the ones i see are registered

[1930fordpickup]

I am not sure of yoir location but this is a very large bike swap meet. The guy that has wheels through time museum (in Pennsylvania I believe) goes to this. He has talked about it on his site. 

[1930fordpickup]

That is a small town, west of Toledo Ohio. Indianapolis is not to far away but still a drive. They have steam tractors there before the 4th of July, if i remember right.  

[CaddyDaddy]

Something doesn't sound right here. Monty, do you live in the United States of America or overseas? Are you looking for just honest to goodness Harley OEM parts? If that is what you are limiting yourself to, yes, you have a problem. Just as you would if you walked into a Chevy dealer and asked for an OEM 1969 Z-28 staggered intake.

Pick up a Drag Specialties and/or J&P Cycles catalog. I have a Panhead, a Shovel, and an Evo. For the uninitiated, that covers Harley engine design from the '50's through the '90's. You will find whatever you need, as long as you are not wedded to the idea of an OEM part.

[Monty]

CD, as noted in the initial post, we're in the heart of the US Midwest.  My brother is aware of the two sources you mentioned, but says they don't offer much for what he has.  As an experiment, I dug up all the parts J&P offer for the FXRT.  There are a total of six parts listed, and two are out of stock.  Unfortunately, none of the parts they do have are what he needs.  I appreciate the nudge though.  

[CaddyDaddy]

The first year or so of the FXRT’s were built with Shovelheads. The remainder were built with Evo’s. Literally, millions of Evo’s were produced over the various models of Harleys. It just follows that a vast industry of aftermarket parts for these engines and transmissions developed (you mentioned you could not find “service parts”). Again, unless you are looking for OEM frame, forks, or body parts, I fail to see what the problem could be.

Give me an idea of what you actually need (“service parts” is too wide of a description) and I’ll see what I can come up with.

[CaddyDaddy]

Monty........for grins and giggles, I just went to the J&P Cycles website. Perhaps you and I do a parts search differently. Under type/year of bike, I entered a hypothetical 1986 FXRT. The site came back with 7,394 separate part numbers for this Harley.

[Monty]

On 5/7/2024 at 7:24 PM, CaddyDaddy said:

Monty........for grins and giggles, I just went to the J&P Cycles website. Perhaps you and I do a parts search differently. Under type/year of bike, I entered a hypothetical 1986 FXRT. The site came back with 7,394 separate part numbers for this Harley.

I went to the site and typed "FXRT" into the search bar and came up with what I posted earlier.

I'm currently waiting for some info from my brother so I can compile a list of the bikes and their respective parts needs.  

[CaddyDaddy]

What’s up there buddy! Riding season is well upon us. Times a’wastin’! How about that list of “service parts”? Let’s try to get at least ONE of those FOUR Harley’s on the road.

[Monty]

22 hours ago, CaddyDaddy said:

What’s up there buddy! Riding season is well upon us. Times a’wastin’! How about that list of “service parts”? Let’s try to get at least ONE of those FOUR Harley’s on the road.

Yeah... life threw him a curve recently, so this may be off the table for a bit.  

[CaddyDaddy]

Monte....sorry to learn that with your brother, “life threw him a curve” recently. Must have really laid him low to negate spending a few minutes putting together a “service parts” list. I have seen it happen before however. Must admit that I’m a bit intrigued that you were looking for an “alternative source(s) of parts”. Would you please be so kind as to put me in touch with the “Harley shops that are having to resort to cannibalizing parts”? Also, you mentioned local bikes shops that cannot find “service parts for bikes from the 80’s to early 90’s”. I’d appreciate talking to them too. Since it doesn’t look like I’ll be working with you or your brother for whatever reason, seems that my altruistic self would be of great aid to these struggling businesses.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 5/6/2024 at 10:51 PM, CaddyDaddy said:

Pick up a Drag Specialties and/or J&P Cycles catalog. I have a Panhead, a Shovel, and an Evo. For the uninitiated, that covers Harley engine design from the '50's through the '90's. You will find whatever you need, as long as you are not wedded to the idea of an OEM part.

Thanks for the heads-up on J&P.

My plan at the moment is to build an oddball "cafe racer" based on old Kawasaki EX-500 leftovers from another project, a Norton tank, other junk, and a vintage Sportster engine/gearbox.

I've never laid a wrench on a Harley anything, so parts source info from somebody who knows stuff is great to have.  

Edited May 21 by Ace-Garageguy

[CaddyDaddy]

Ace......might I add one more catalog house: Custom Chrome Inc.

While I have no experience whatsoever with Kawi frames or Norton sheet metal, I’ve got enough experience to probably get myself in trouble if we talk various Harley engines. In the back corner of my shop is a 1977 XLCR, Harley’s factory Cafe Racer that they made for two years. Unfortunately, a few years back, while negotiating a wide right hand sweeper, I had an “off road” excursion with it. I’ve been able to collect all original Harley parts to repair it, just haven’t gotten around to doing so.

if I may be so bold, I’d like to make a recommendation for an engine choice with your proposed  project. Stay with a 1200cc Evo Sportster motor. An old Ironhead Shovel would no doubt be cheaper, but they can’t hold a candle to the Evo. With the Evo you get an extra gear (5 speed vs 4), much lighter weight (aluminum barrels and heads vs cast iron), electronic ignition, better oiling, and a much larger selection of aftermarket parts, amount other things. One final point. Sitting over top of that Shovelhead is like wrapping your legs around a hot pot belly stove! Believe me, it makes for a looooong day riding. If you’re as adept with a wrench as I believe you are, these things are like tinker toys. Nothing to ‘em!

[Ace-Garageguy]

12 hours ago, CaddyDaddy said:

Ace......might I add one more catalog house: Custom Chrome Inc...

if I may be so bold, I’d like to make a recommendation for an engine choice with your proposed  project. Stay with a 1200cc Evo Sportster motor. An old Ironhead Shovel would no doubt be cheaper, but they can’t hold a candle to the Evo. With the Evo you get an extra gear (5 speed vs 4), much lighter weight (aluminum barrels and heads vs cast iron), electronic ignition, better oiling, and a much larger selection of aftermarket parts, among other things...

Thanks for taking the time to post all the additional info. VERY much appreciated.  

Edited May 21 by Ace-Garageguy

[FLHCAHZ]

Try these folks.  

 

https://www.jirehcycles.com/