Eternally Grateful Harley-Davidson Shovelhead
“…in the back of my mind, that ol' black and chrome chopper dream was still waiting to be realised,” said Garry.
FLASHBACK to my growing up in the 60’s/70’s in London. Having been the proud owner of a (typically 70’s) mustard coloured Raleigh Chopper, it was only a matter of time as puberty kicked in that my attention would shift from the comics of the time to my friend’s brother’s collection of American biker magazines.
The naked women were a sight to behold, of course, but the bikes had a huge impression on me. But for all the garish and psychedelic 70’s paint jobs, it was the simple black and chrome choppers that I liked the best; bikes such as these often featured in the Jammer’s Handbook; got drooled on almost as much as the women…
Harley-Davidsons were a rare sight in the UK over the years, only becoming more prominent as the Evo’s entered the market, and with my becoming a musician as a career choice, finances and lack of options meant that I (as with so many others) would have to make do with Jap customs and choppers until I eventually got my first Harley-Davidson at the turn of the Millennium.
Fast forward to 2002 and my move over here to this wonderful country. Once a house was sorted, I picked up a 1989 Heritage Softail in great condition for a very good price. It was a great bike and did me proud for more than 10 years. It looked so good as it was, it didn’t feel right to strip it back and chop it; it was what it was, but, of course, in the back of my mind, that ol’ black and chrome chopper dream was still waiting to be realised.
Much searching ensued but nothing seemed quite right, style or price-wise. I knew I wanted a Shovel and I wanted it to be in a rigid frame; the rest could be done to my taste. I was almost at the point of giving up but fortune shone down on me when I came in contact with Vince from Loaded Choppers in Two Wells. From our first meeting he knew exactly what I was aiming to achieve; we were on totally the same page, and best of all, he was very local to where I live here in South Australia.
After visiting the workshop and checking out the bikes he was working on, including his own bike which is a true work of art, we sat down and worked out exactly what it was that I wanted. My budget was still limited and I wasn’t after a ‘show bike’ anyway, but fortunately I had collected various chopper parts over the years at swap meets, etc, (before eBay) and the parts that I didn’t end up using got sold to pay towards the build.
A few months passed with no luck, but after returning from a trip to the UK later that year, I was greeted by a message from Vince telling me that he’d found the ideal bike, registered and running in South Australia for a good price. Although I was ‘away with the fairies’ with a really bad case of jet-lag, I got myself together and headed straight over to check it out and go for a ride.
As soon as I saw it I knew that it was just what I was looking for. With the original twin tanks and flat bars, it looked cool as it was but we saw the potential for getting it exactly as we wanted.
It’s a 1974 Shovel (1200 cc) with a Wide Glide front-end; the only new parts are the rear fender and rear wheel, tyres and battery.
The ape-hangers, Sporty tank, tombstone tail light, sissy bar, speedo, grips, cables, and Grateful Dead points cover are swap meet finds, gifted or at the very least ‘pre-loved’. The rest is pretty much how it was when I got it with the three-inch open primary and forwards already installed.
The seat is minimal but looks great. I tried a King & Queen seat but it just didn’t sit right, so for now, my spine is providing all the suspension I need.
The gearbox is a ratchet-top four-speed and is ‘reversed’—that was quite fun during test-rides; definitely had to keep my mind on the job; it’s second nature to me now, thankfully.
As I said before, I wasn’t after a show bike, but for me it’s exactly how I wanted it and it just oozes that Old School ethos. Thinking outside the box, building on a budget, a lot of thought went into getting this bike together and it was built over the last couple of years on an ‘as and when’ basis.
Many, many thanks to Vince for his vision, patience and expertise (and the excellent paint job); and also a big shout out to Dan Parsons for the photography.
words by Garry Moonboot; photos by Dan Parsons
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