1977 Harley-Davidson custom FLHS
Survival of the baddest
November/December 2005
By Margie Siegal
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Joel Sechrist’s FLHS retains the essential character of the Shovelhead while fixing some design flaws and modernizing various components. The result is not only good at gathering a crowd, but is easy to ride.
Photo by Dana Shirey
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Harley-Davidson custom FLHS
Year produced: 2005
Claimed power: 65bhp @ 4,000rpm (est.)
Top speed: 120mph (est.)
Engine type: 1,208cc, two-valve, 45-degree V-twin
Weight (dry): 332.1kg (738lb)
Price: Not for sale
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In 1977 Joel Sechrist plopped down $4,200 for a new Harley-Davidson FLHS. He liked the bike, he liked to ride and he also liked to party. And the combination exacted its toll.
“You got the word on me — I tried to use it like an International Harvester one day. I was riding on a dirt road, and both me and the bike had a full tank of fuel. The road made a hairpin turn, and I wasn't going to make it, so I went straight into a cornfield,” Sechrist says. The result? “Light damage to the motorcycle and heavy damage to my ego.’”
Later, Sechrist cut back on the partying, but back problems forced him to mothball the bike. Ten years later, after his back healed and he bought a new Harley Road King, he asked his son if he wanted the FLHS for his 21st birthday.
When his son told him he’d rather have a dirt bike, Sechrist decided to fix up his old bike and ride it himself. He took the big V-twin to Ed Hillegass at Keystone Performance Cycle, near York, Pa., and asked him to rebuild it.
Hillegass worked for Harley-Davidson for more than 20 years before shifting to the retail side of the motorcycle world and founding Keystone three years ago. “I specialize in performance and customizing. I take in restorations over the winter — they take twice as long.”
Sechrist basically liked his bike as it was — before it was stored in a damp garage for 10 years, that is — but wanted some mild performance upgrades. Hillegass tore the bike down to the crankshaft, replaced the bearings and put in a new crankpin, as well as rods, pistons, valves and valve guides. Most of the parts are available through aftermarket sources, and Hillegass likes Tedd Cycle. “They handle a lot of old stuff. For older bikes like that, they handle stuff that no one else does.”
Sorting engines
Since 1936, there have been five versions of Harley-Davidson's air-cooled, overhead-valve, Big Twin engine — all with the familiar, 45-degree V-twin layout. The first, nicknamed the Knucklehead by Harley fans because of the large rocker box castings prominent on the engine’s right side, had iron barrels, heads and rocker covers.
Aluminum heads and larger rocker covers appeared in 1948, after Harley had a chance to switch from military to civilian production, and the new engine became popularly known as the Panhead because of its pan-shaped valve cover.
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