Harley-Davidson Genny-Shovel Glory

I WAS riding a Honda Shadow and my dream of owning a Harley-Davidson seemed a little out of my grasp. Paying off a mortgage with two kids, and with a misses who wouldn’t let me tick it up against the house, it was never going to happen. Then opportunity knocked when my uncle was selling his Sporty. I sold my Honda and bought the Sporty coming out way ahead with some spare cash left over. It wasn’t the Harley-Davidson I wanted but I was one step closer.

I did the Sporty up and swapped it with a small sum of cash for the 1969 FLH Genny Shovel. People told me not to buy the old girl but I just had to have her — 1969 is my birth year and she was manufactured in June, my birth month. It was meant to be.

I re-sprayed her a few different colours until I decided on this one. I like to change things so people would know the bike is mine and not Jimmy’s old bike.

It’s 1200 bored out to 1440 cc, with a S&S carb, intake and filter.

I picked up the spoties off a Fat Boy cheap and customised them to fit because my front-end is fatter.

I put white wall tyres on her because I like the old school look.

I’m waiting on a tool box, front hub, and bits and pieces of chrome to came from the States.

I customised a few parts the panel under the handlebars and the panel between the motor and the gearbox.

My bother-in-law Phil upholstered the seat and I have a solo seat being upholstered as well.

She won a trophy for Best Pre-’84 in the Rebel’s Bike & Tattoo show here in Canberra. I was pretty rapt because I haven’t spend a lot of money on her and there is heaps more I would like to get for her.

pics by Huck; words by Glen