This bike brings back a lot of memories. My father had one of these during my childhood and I do recall him having a hard time starting it more than once.
I can relate to this, I have a 79 FXEF and every now and then I like to show it that I am still up to the challenge. More often than I’d like to admit it shows me on some days I am not up to the challenge. On those days I just hit the button, the goal is to ride it, not see how many kicks it takes to get a charley horse. That being said I have nothing but respect for every rider that owned a kick only bike. This is a beautiful bike, you just don’t see many in this condition. Ride safe.
My dad had a 71 Super Glide. He always straddled the bike when kick starting it. Once he put a Mikuni carb in the bike, it normally started on the first or second kick.
I bought a new Sparkling America in 71. It was never this difficult to start. I had a 110 lb girlfriend that could start it and ride it. Usually a prime kick and switch on and away we go.
The excitement of going to a REAL H-D dealership back then was to see what my riding buddy just bought. It was the first FX in the state sold. I won't set foot in a "Harley-Mahal" today. Truly a different breed now. Ross' H-D in Clinton, Iowa and "Dot" at Wilwert's in Dubuque, and "Bob" at Weibler's H-D are sorely missed. The Motor Company REALLY pissed them off with the Company's demands. Real customer service. J&P and S&S for us now.
I rode an FX (75) kicker for years. I found best results cold were to push it through once or twice with ignition OFF. Then push to top of compression stroke & turn ignition ON & hit it. The ignition off purpose was to fully charge the cylinder without any being burned off in advance. If it takes more than 2-3 kicks cold, something else is not quite right (IME, timing).
@@donnysarian No, just an easy, good looking divorcee. My dad kicked the shit out of her boyfriend's and the bike guy from the Franklin mint would have been the next. That was a nice bike though.
Sweet bike! Hard starting this why most people put a S&S Super E carb on those bikes! Friend of mine has a 77 Super Glide with a super e on it usually starts in four to six kicks. His bike is Kickstarter only. I have a 95 flstn myself. Andrews 27 cam with a 42 mm Mikuni. Another thing about Harley's is if you put a high-lift cam in it don't use the stock lifters. Mine failed at 55000 and was told I was lucky they didn't fail at 40,000. Luckily the needle bearings didn't come completely apart and make a mess.
I'm old enough to remember when guys were pulling those boat tails off and giving them away. You see one now at a swap meet it will have a hefty price.
I had a 71. FX First kick would be ,3 kicks, with full choke,full throttle,first.,,,then 1/2 choke,,turn on key,,,,throttle a bit, first kick. all my Harleys I did the same way ,,,worked everytime.
Anyone else think that the "white" 2020 H-D Low Rider was inspired this bike? *Edit: the 35th anniversary superglide was definitely inspired by this bike
Bendix carbs work you just know how it works S&S did it’s nice to see the correct front fender hard to find I have two of them one new still in the box
AMF saved Harley-davidson and my 72 FLH has the original carburetor and it starts better than either of these two twin cams I have. Turn on the gas pull the choke kick it twice with ignition off then turn on the ignition kick it and it starts first kick most times.
I think that's the problem right there. Most people don't comprehend that you can't just push a button and make it go. You have to learn what that specific bike likes.
I've got a few Bendex carbs in the garage. They are in boxes , not on bikes. Notorious problems. Watched a 72 burn to the ground back in 79, leaking Bendex.
Troublehead!!! Just kidding, rode one for 20 years myself, I told the guy I sold it to "If that thing could talk I'd have to shoot it just to be sure it couldn't testify against me."
my 73 isn't a boattail but it starts the same, sometimes it's a pain but the fucker runs like a raped ape, after owning it for damn near 40 years its still my favorite harley and I've got 4 of them
I do prefer the shovel very much because it can do anything as far as normal performance and actually last longer than evo or cvo and had less things that can actually go wrong. But a kick start? No way. I would park it until I could afford to install an electric starter. Here why some of those were hard to kick start though. The ignition wasn't hot enough. Get a spark tester and make sure youre getting a blue spark. Also weak ignitions wiring on those could cause the spark to plugs to skip spark off and on. You can fight these starting the for life and run good on a red spark, but youre only going to put lots of effort into getting them to idle cold and kick starting. Once I learned this reality fro a digger Harley machinist back in 1988, I can get a Harley of mine to freaking start. Even a lot of your evos and cvos are running on just a red spark. Also NEVER run a resistor plug in a shovel, but only non resistor. These engines can run great when their hot on a red spark, but its hell getting them to start and idle when cold. This happens in cars as well
I have a 71 superglide,,bought in 1972. Mine one kick,starts. Full choke,full throttle 3 kicks.,turn key on,,, half choke,,turn key ,1/8 throttle,,,should start first kick.
Nice bike and kicking action. Little tip, you'll find it FAR easier to start if you straddle the bike and kick if over. An astride kick start is easier and gives more feeling with your motorcycle.
I'm not big enough to effectively straddle the bike and kick it. (unless they are warm) I use my left leg in a hammer motion to get more power in my kick through. I pretty much start all my bikes like I show here.
the front fender is not original the originsl has the support struts. as the boat tail is only a one year only for the 1971 super glide. 1972 the traditional rear fender when then when Harley-Davidson suffured the worse being run by AMF. the bike looks stock but not the front fender
I bought this same year and model used in 1972 and this fella has no clue how to start it. You turn fas valve on then with ignition off you choke all the way then open throttle all the way then kick through 3 times, then turn ignition on and adjust choke about half and throttle half and kick once and she fires up, if you have a good tuneup. This fella is clueless. I still have the original engine with a 93” stroker S&S internals in a custom frame fork tranny and I hated that stupid looking boat tail
This bike brings back a lot of memories. My father had one of these during my childhood and I do recall him having a hard time starting it more than once.
I can relate to this, I have a 79 FXEF and every now and then I like to show it that I am still up to the challenge. More often than I’d like to admit it shows me on some days I am not up to the challenge. On those days I just hit the button, the goal is to ride it, not see how many kicks it takes to get a charley horse. That being said I have nothing but respect for every rider that owned a kick only bike. This is a beautiful bike, you just don’t see many in this condition. Ride safe.
WELL SAID
I enjoy watching cold start older bikes. it makes me enjoy my 06wideglide ever more.
A great demonstration on how HD’s used to be.... thank you for the demo. Love that bike. I hope to one day get the 35th Anniversary model.
Great looking original bike. I run with solid lifters and swear by them to get a start first time and every time. Thank you for the video.
My dad had a 71 Super Glide. He always straddled the bike when kick starting it. Once he put a Mikuni carb in the bike, it normally started on the first or second kick.
That old bike is nice... brings back a lot of memories ...
I bought a new Sparkling America in 71. It was never this difficult to start. I had a 110 lb girlfriend that could start it and ride it. Usually a prime kick and switch on and away we go.
The excitement of going to a REAL H-D dealership back then was to see what my riding buddy just bought. It was the first FX in the state sold. I won't set foot in a "Harley-Mahal" today. Truly a different breed now. Ross' H-D in Clinton, Iowa and "Dot" at Wilwert's in Dubuque, and "Bob" at Weibler's H-D are sorely missed. The Motor Company REALLY pissed them off with the Company's demands. Real customer service. J&P and S&S for us now.
That´s one beautiful bike.
I rode an FX (75) kicker for years. I found best results cold were to push it through once or twice with ignition OFF. Then push to top of compression stroke & turn ignition ON & hit it. The ignition off purpose was to fully charge the cylinder without any being burned off in advance. If it takes more than 2-3 kicks cold, something else is not quite right (IME, timing).
One of my mothers MANY boyfriends had this exact bike.
@@donnysarian No, just an easy, good looking divorcee.
My dad kicked the shit out of her boyfriend's and the bike guy from the Franklin mint would have been the next. That was a nice bike though.
Can't wait to see the next video. 👍
Holy crack 😳 I thought this was going to be a set up video where the engine was set to turnover on the first kick. Very, very cool 😎 video
Sweet bike! Hard starting this why most people put a S&S Super E carb on those bikes! Friend of mine has a 77 Super Glide with a super e on it usually starts in four to six kicks. His bike is Kickstarter only. I have a 95 flstn myself. Andrews 27 cam with a 42 mm Mikuni. Another thing about Harley's is if you put a high-lift cam in it don't use the stock lifters. Mine failed at 55000 and was told I was lucky they didn't fail at 40,000. Luckily the needle bearings didn't come completely apart and make a mess.
You'd be smart to put a Super E on your Evo. Had a 42mm Mikuni on my 93' FLHTC, runs a load better since I got the Super E on.
I have one (71) who recoverd your seat.Thanks, Nice Bike
Bodie Pilcher The seat isn't recovered. It's original.
Not a bad carb, better were to be had.. Own your shit. I made them all work. The carb was not the issue, maintenance was.
She is a beauty
I'm old enough to remember when guys were pulling those boat tails off and giving them away. You see one now at a swap meet it will have a hefty price.
Definitely Top 5 Harleys of All Time in my book way fucking cool.
I had a 71. FX First kick would be ,3 kicks, with full choke,full throttle,first.,,,then 1/2 choke,,turn on key,,,,throttle a bit, first kick.
all my Harleys I did the same way ,,,worked everytime.
Anyone else think that the "white" 2020 H-D Low Rider was inspired this bike?
*Edit: the 35th anniversary superglide was definitely inspired by this bike
You're correct
My 1973 Super Glide had it's own personality when it came to starting. Some times it took at least one, or two cigarette breaks.
That boat-tail thing os fugly - H-D had a bunch of clowns working in the styling dept. They are stiil weird these days!
Bendix carbs work you just know how it works S&S did it’s nice to see the correct front fender hard to find I have two of them one new still in the box
AMF saved Harley-davidson and my 72 FLH has the original carburetor and it starts better than either of these two twin cams I have. Turn on the gas pull the choke kick it twice with ignition off then turn on the ignition kick it and it starts first kick most times.
I think that's the problem right there. Most people don't comprehend that you can't just push a button and make it go. You have to learn what that specific bike likes.
Panheads are critical to technique more so than the rest Imo
Bad ass bro.
I've got a few Bendex carbs in the garage. They are in boxes , not on bikes. Notorious problems. Watched a 72 burn to the ground back in 79, leaking Bendex.
THE GOOD OLD DAYS LOOK LIKE A PAIN IN THE ASS. ILL KEEP MY FUELIE LOW RIDER!!
I had one put 90,miles on it with no problem easy to start love 5hat bike .
Troublehead!!!
Just kidding, rode one for 20 years myself, I told the guy I sold it to "If that thing could talk I'd have to shoot it just to be sure it couldn't testify against me."
What a great video. Straight. To the point. I have a question. How did you mount the holder for the padlock to the frame ?
The "padlock holder" is the stock bracket/mount for the kickstand/shifter. It's the hole a guy would typically mount highway pegs to.
Is that how it should start when the carburetor is clean and adjusted to where it should be?
my 73 isn't a boattail but it starts the same, sometimes it's a pain but the fucker runs like a raped ape, after owning it for damn near 40 years its still my favorite harley and I've got 4 of them
Quite the workout.
Very nice motorcycle, how long have you owned it for? 😎
I liked my bendix on 75 flh police
I do prefer the shovel very much because it can do anything as far as normal performance and actually last longer than evo or cvo and had less things that can actually go wrong. But a kick start? No way. I would park it until I could afford to install an electric starter. Here why some of those were hard to kick start though. The ignition wasn't hot enough. Get a spark tester and make sure youre getting a blue spark. Also weak ignitions wiring on those could cause the spark to plugs to skip spark off and on. You can fight these starting the for life and run good on a red spark, but youre only going to put lots of effort into getting them to idle cold and kick starting. Once I learned this reality fro a digger Harley machinist back in 1988, I can get a Harley of mine to freaking start. Even a lot of your evos and cvos are running on just a red spark. Also NEVER run a resistor plug in a shovel, but only non resistor. These engines can run great when their hot on a red spark, but its hell getting them to start and idle when cold. This happens in cars as well
Peter Fonda said ''Hardly Start''
I have a 71 superglide,,bought in 1972. Mine one kick,starts. Full choke,full throttle 3 kicks.,turn key on,,, half choke,,turn key ,1/8 throttle,,,should start first kick.
Nice bike and kicking action. Little tip, you'll find it FAR easier to start if you straddle the bike and kick if over. An astride kick start is easier and gives more feeling with your motorcycle.
I'm not big enough to effectively straddle the bike and kick it. (unless they are warm) I use my left leg in a hammer motion to get more power in my kick through. I pretty much start all my bikes like I show here.
Some swear by the Tillotson carbs and swore Bendix was junk.
Virtually EVERY carburetor made for U.S. aircraft during WW2 was made by Bendix.
I had the same bike .. was always a one kicker. Don't know what your problem is.
Rebuilt motor?
And thats why they went bust back then
Good get-a-way bike for bank jobs!----JK!!! Nice Machine---I have 2006 Model
Where's the original front fender?
That is the original front fender and it the boss for reflector I have two of them one new still in the box hard to find parts
Night Train
My leg hurts !
I love older Harleys and have one but this is uuuuugly
Maybe you should tune it up. Shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 kicks if properly tuned.
try less gas.
Not a getaway machine
i'm guessing this is a low mileage bike
the front fender is not original the originsl has the support struts. as the boat tail is only a one year only for the 1971 super glide. 1972 the traditional rear fender when then when Harley-Davidson suffured the worse being run by AMF. the bike looks stock but not the front fender
A fiberglass Front fender was a factory option for these bikes. See his other video, yes SUPER RARE! czcams.com/video/XDI6QtDUOME/video.html
Supper hard to find I have two of them one new still in the box parts books helps looking for parts do your home work
@@kennethwise7108 I have two of them one new still in the box
@noreenbedford7106 worth big bucks!
@@kennethwise7108 for sale if you know someone that want one .
I bought this same year and model used in 1972 and this fella has no clue how to start it. You turn fas valve on then with ignition off you choke all the way then open throttle all the way then kick through 3 times, then turn ignition on and adjust choke about half and throttle half and kick once and she fires up, if you have a good tuneup. This fella is clueless. I still have the original engine with a 93” stroker S&S internals in a custom frame fork tranny and I hated that stupid looking boat tail
First new harley Davidson 1971 what a disappointing pc of crap