This 1981 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead is currently in progress by Ian Olsen from Milwaukee, WI. Ian is a welder fabricator that has been involved with about 10 builds at this point. Only one of them was his own.
He is always helping out all of his friends for little or nothing. Now we're all coming together to get him going on his own build. So far all that's been done is the springer installation and the hardtailing of the frame but with the help of Lowbrow he has the fuel to push this build past the finish line!
We sent Ian a handful of parts, like our 120 Piece Pro Builder's Bung and Tab kit, AMF grips, a Gasbox 2 into 1 Shovelhead Exhaust and much more to get this Shovelhead build closer to reality. Check out this unboxing and the beginnings of what looks like a hell of a cool project.
Geared Science is filming this build for us. Be sure to check out the Geared Science YouTube channel. While you are there subscribe so you get updates as they release killer new videos!
Harley Shovelhead chopper parts unboxing from Lowbrow Customs
Geared Science Is a short video series about motorcycle builders and contributors. Brian Radmond started shooting these videos with his friends to share their build stories with the world not just showcasing the same Harley Panhead build that you see at every bike show.
His goal is to showcase the daily riding choppers, the track bikes, and everything in between. They might not be the prettiest bikes but they for sure are the ones you see out on the road. He's diving into how builders create real bikes with the intention of inspiring viewers to have the confidence to take that leap and build their own bikes. Which is an idea we believe in full heartily and support here at Lowbrow Customs!
Ian's Harley Shovelhead is a roller!
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Here is full transcription for your reading pleasure:
Ian Olsen: I got another one of these tasty brews culminating. Liquid encouragement.
We're going to document a Shovelhead build, and Lowbrow has been nice enough to donate some parts for it. Let's do it.
I'm going to show the world my amazing knife skills.
Got a few of these to start. Got some grips, the new AMF ones that they just came out with. One, they look cool. Coil. Oh Jesus. The builder's bung kit. You should feel how heavy this is.
Me, personally, I'm not the world's best fabricator. I'm still learning. I just hate seeing when people drill a hole in something and drop a nut in it, and then just weld it.
Use some actual stuff that's made for it and made to last. Here's a whole bag of different-sized disordered coped nuts and bungs and tabs.
There's also two of them. Yeah, those tabs are what's up.
You know, I don't have any machinery in here, and I got to hand make all of those. That kind of gets annoying after a while.
We got some banners. Chain, hell yes. Now I can finish my clutch. I was missing all the springs. My clevis mounts for my passenger pegs. Fuel filter. And our 2 into 1 exhaust. I got it raw because I'm planning on cutting the end and extending it.
I'm pretty sure this is Gasbox-- I'm not pretty sure it is Gasbox. Sorry, guys.
I've owned the bike for a little over three years. When I originally bought it, didn't even use a full tank of gas even with the big guys. I probably just put like-- I think I rode less than 20 miles, and then put it in the garage, then winter hit. Then it sat in the garage and then instantly tore it apart.
You need every piece to finish the bike. Every little bit helps.
I want to give a big shout out to Tyler and all the dudes at Lowbrow for letting this happen. It's been a long time coming. Basically, all of my friends are bugging me, "When are you going to start working on your bike instead of other bikes?" Now, I can finally do it with all the parts that I've been wanting to get, so let's make this happen. Hopefully, I can make a cool bike out of it. We'll see what it looks like when it's done.
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