Bringing the FXR up to date

[SaddleTramp98]

Hey everybody. This is my 84' FXRDG, I guess you could call this a build thread. I'm not really chopping anything on this bike but I would like to bring it up to date a little more and make it more of a daily rider and more comfortable to me and more to my liking. Here it is when I bought it.





Here's how it's sitting now more or less. I had a little gas spill out of the tank and mess up the paint. So I'm either gonna try and touch it up with the same color or try a two tone paint job on the whole bike. I changed over to mid pegs, and added the Supertrapp two into one.. that's about all I've done so far.






First off I have a shifting problem. Going 3rd to 4th or maybe it's 4th to 5th, I can't remember. Anyway I'm hitting a false neutral and you have to click out of it into the next gear. I think I just need to adjust the shifter pawl or something but if you have any ideas chime in please.

I need to add a front brake switch and wire that in for safety reasons. Relocate the headlight switch to the bars and upgrade the headlight. At least to a brighter bulb. Also some additional lighting. Add a speedometer so I can see how fast I'm going at least, nothing fancy (probably a mini speedo, wire driven)

Redo the front suspension to a 39mm, dual disk front end and replace the rotors and calipers (not sure on rotors but probably a PM brake setup front and rear).

I'd like to be able to carry some tools and spare parts, as well as some rain gear and my daily stuff I take to work. So I wanna run some hard cases and build the brackets myself to save some money. I like the look of clamshells and the fxrp saddlebags as well as the pellican case bags from Big Al's cycles but the price is too steep for me. So I'm trying to come up with some cheaper ideas.

I may also switch the rear fender out for the factory style but I'm not sure about that yet. Also I like the look of the seat but when I get on the gas I slide back, so I think I want something that will keep me planted there.

Also I was wondering if anyone on here knows more about this engine that the bike came with, I read somewhere that it was one of the 1st Evo motors so the bottom end is a shovelhead, and the heads and cylinders are evo. Which makes it kind of rare it's known as a "four star star evo" I think. Based on these marks on the cases. Not sure if that's special or if it means much to anyone, but I had heard they were rare.



That's all I can think of for now.
If anybody has anything to add or any ideas or where I could score a dual disk setup kinda cheap I'd appreciate it lol. I'm on a budget so I can't splurge on parts as much as I'd like so hopefully I can update ever so often and get some stuff done.

[1954bmw]

Looks great as is. Love me some FXR's.

[farmall]

They're fine daily rides.

The fork swap is easy. You just weld a 1" wide hunk of flat bar to the front of the downtube as a fork stop (properly, no shitbox 120v FCAW machines). No need to remove the outer bearing race either.

No need to dump cash into pretty calipers unless ya feel like it. HD still sell early 2000s fork sliders so they easy way is buy a Sporty 39mm single disk then install FXRT tubes and Trackerdie damper rods for more travel therefore comfort. If you're short figure out what tube length you prefer.

Late sliders take four piston stock takeoff calipers and you want braided brake hoses to limit expansion improving feel without wasted lever travel.

You can put later splined shaft guts in your stock case but the best mod is a late bagger box with integral oil bag which was not used on FXR because it was discontinued (twice). I replaced the bendy stock sidestand with the best in motorcycling, the old style big twin stand. The late box gets the more powerful and much better designed Denso OSGR starter. If no want the oil bag or want to delay that mod the bagger box bolts in to the later primary with the pan left off.

https://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6343&page=105&

https://www.facebook.com/groups/883380758355050/ The cheat sheet is fucking gold and worth a dummy account on Fecesbook to join. Read that first as it covers so much.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052877297474&_rdr

https://www.v-twinforum.com/forums/harley-davidson-fxr.124/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1465028990466294/ Best to collect all FXR and relevant factory parts books and manuals.

Your fender and tag mount look like the factory setuo also sold as a kit. I don't care for the tag mount but not enough to bother.

Your bike is wearing FXLR sheet metal should you need replacements. I don't recall if the DG also had that distinctive fuel tank. The stock FXLR forks and shocks were shorter to fit manlets. I removed mine pronto for an RT fork I scored at a swap meet ($200 ready to install!) but all the longer 39mm parts are easily available.

There's a bag mount mod using Sporty bag mounts but me no save linky.

The cases are nothing special. Neither were the early engines but if it runs good ride the fuck out of it! If it still has the stock rubber intake boots AKA compliance fittings those are wisely upgraded with a Ram Jett intake but I would just score that cheap if it runs well the throw it on next carb teardown. I covered that in other posts.

False neutrals are common. See the links above so I don't have to retype the internet.

[SaddleTramp98]

No need to dump cash into pretty calipers unless ya feel like it. HD still sell early 2000s fork sliders so they easy way is buy a Sporty 39mm single disk then install FXRT tubes and Trackerdie damper rods for more travel therefore comfort. If you're short figure out what tube length you prefer.
I was looking at PM or Wilwood brake set ups, for the looks really but the brakes don't have to be fancy just work good.. I just want to ditch the single pot caliper for sure. I like the look of the PM calipers but that would be like $800 front and back but I may still go with them if I can get a deal. What about floating rotors? Are they worth looking into?

I think I'll try and score a 39mm single disk like you said, the dual disks are like $700-$1200 on ebay right now, but there's an independent near me who has a lot of take off parts so I need to go see if he's got anything. I'm 5'11" so I think I'll go 2 over in the front and replace my rear shocks for a little more ride height. The bike sits real low now.

Your fender and tag mount look like the factory setuo also sold as a kit. I don't care for the tag mount but not enough to bother. I think I'll keep the rear fender, I go back and forth on it alot but I'll have to repaint part of it now. I was messing with it and chipped up the paint taking it off.

Your bike is wearing FXLR sheet metal should you need replacements. I don't recall if the DG also had that distinctive fuel tank. The stock FXLR forks and shocks were shorter to fit manlets I know it's a DG by the title, but I think it's been wrecked or parted out before, because it doesn't have many of the DG parts. Even the front suspension is from another bike. But I have the rear wheel still as you can see.

If it still has the stock rubber intake boots AKA compliance fittings those are wisely upgraded with a Ram Jett intake but I would just score that cheap if it runs well the throw it on next carb teardown. I have Ram Jett intake on the bike. When the carb was acting up when I first bought the bike you had mentioned them and I bought one off ebay. Thanks for that. My rubber boots were torn and letting air in and the Ram Jett is way easier to work with.

I will look into the kickstand info, as I hate my factory one. and the trans info you Posted for when mine goes out. As well as the other links. I have a dummy account on FB for marketplace so I'll get on those pages one day. Thanks Farmall.

[SaddleTramp98]

Looks great as is. Love me some FXR's.

Thanks! Yeah I like the look, just wanna make it more comfortable and add more storage for my stuff so I will ride to work more instead of taking the truck as much.

[farmall]

I don't notice any difference betwen floating and non-floating rotors on the street but there's no reason not to run them.

I was delighted to be rid of the single pot calipers as was my bro when we used adapters to convert his 1986 dual disc front to match his later bikes.

To control costs a front end swap could be done in stages but since you have a set of forks there's plenty of time to piece your preference together. Single disk 2000-up Sportster front ends are what ya want and there are plenty of them.

The rubbermount Sporty top triple clamps are solid if you don't care for handlebar bushings.

This may aid your hunt:

http://sportsterpedia.com/doku.php/techtalk:evo:susp01

Brembo caliper takeoffs are a bit more money. Sportbike caliper conversions exist too.

Fab Kevin sidestand mount: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87uzYBHq2Vw

I bought two for bench stock as I'd previously converted my bikes per my posts in the Chop Cult FXR thread. I have a milling machine but the price was right and I've an old Berdoo Choppers Ironhead frame to mod that has no plate of course.

I like the style front mag on yours and both my FXRs have them on both ends (got 'em before wheel prices got stoopid).

An old trick to get a nicer edge on those rear fenders is tack weld or braze TIG wire or stick electrode with the flux knocked off to the edge for a rounded effect. I should do that to mine.

[SaddleTramp98]

To control costs a front end swap could be done in stages but since you have a set of forks there's plenty of time to piece your preference together. Single disk 2000-up Sportster front ends are what ya want and there are plenty of them.

I'll be checking ebay and marketplace for a 39mm front end either single or dual disk not seeing much right now. But I don't mind piecing if it comes out cheaper. You said you got some FXRT tubes what length are those? 25"-3/8s or 25.5"?

The rubbermount Sporty top triple clamps are solid if you don't care for handlebar bushings. My Sporty is a rubbermount so I'm used to not having riser bushings. Lots of the Jap bikes I had you could wiggle the bars around pretty good, I never liked that. So I prefer the solid actually.


Brembo caliper takeoffs are a bit more money. Sportbike caliper conversions exist too. I found a set of factory brembos for around $75 a piece. I could keep or sell the right side depended on if I'm getting a dual disk setup or not. Is this a good price? I'm not really up to speed on the prices on them but compared to the other listings I saw this is cheap. Edit: the Brembos sold, but I have found multiple single calipers for around $75, give or take and I'll check the ended ebay auctions for prices.

I also found a 2000+ dyna take off 4 piston caliper for around $35. If the Brembos aren't worth it or the fitment will be harder.

Both the factory Brembos and the Dyna/big twin 4 piston takeoff calipers should bolt right up to a 2000+, 39mm front end correct? If not that's okay, but the less modification and brackets the better for me.i was reading a thread on the VTwin forum about brakes on the FXR's and that's how I took it. Also I'm assuming I can run my wheel driven speedo cable still or am I wrong about that? I'll have to re-read and look into that some more.

Fab Kevin sidestand mount: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87uzYBHq2Vw Thanks I'll check that out.

I bought two for bench stock as I'd previously converted my bikes per my posts in the Chop Cult FXR thread. I have a milling machine but the price was right and I've an old Berdoo Choppers Ironhead frame to mod that has no plate of course.

I like the style front mag on yours and both my FXRs have them on both ends (got 'em before wheel prices got stoopid). Yeah I like the front mag too. I'm big on mag wheels on sportier bikes and wire wheels on choppers.

An old trick to get a nicer edge on those rear fenders is tack weld or braze TIG wire or stick electrode with the flux knocked off to the edge for a rounded effect. I should do that to mine My fender has an edge on it like you describe. I'm thinking mine is aftermarket because up close I can see the rough marks where the metal was cut through the paint. But that could just be from the previous owner prepping it to paint and not going over the metal with filler. I'm not sure. It may be factory add on.

Thanks again for the replies and info. If I ask any repetitive questions I don't mean to. I scan the various forums and FXR threads and the "Anything FXR" thread here, but I miss little bits of information or I'm taking so much in that I don't catch it all.

[SaddleTramp98]

I bought a pair of Sportster S 13.5 shocks and a 39mm triple tree off a 07 sportster. Now I just need some 2" over tubes, internals, and fork sliders. And a brake set up. Probably gonna do the trackerdie damper rods and some progressive springs.

I'll have to trim the lower bushings on the sportster shocks to get them to fit my bike. So hopefully they ride good. I'm not sure I'll be able to sell them after modifying them.

[farmall]

It's easy to shave shock bushings. Securely clamp the shock between wood blocks or clamp a long bolt with two nuts in a vise with the bolt head and one nut in the vise jaw and use the second nut on the "unshaved" side of the shock eye to set insertion depth. Then slide the eye over the bolt end and you new "alignment tool" will control the shock to avoid gouging the shock eye. A #80 or similar flap disc on an angle grinder (every mechanic needs at least one angle grinder) shaves shock bushing and rubber nicely. This slings rubber dust so I do all my grinding outdoors.

If you have a Ridgid or other Tristand or a pipe vise you can wrap the shock in plastic (oil jugs work well) but never clamp with naked pipe vise jaws or you WILL leave gouges.

CHECK FOR CLEARANCE ON THE DRIVE PULLEY SIDE OR YOU MAY BE SAD. I failed to do that (once) on a fork tube due to a savage brain fart and was not pleased. Next time I'll shave the outboard side deeper and use stainless washers (cheap on Ebay so I look there first) to shim the inboard side. That was with bagger air shocks (my back is fucked) but any shock with a wide bottom is at risk.

FXR RUBBERMOUNT DRIVETRAINS FLEX/MOVE A SURPRISING AMOUNT. Not being completely retarded I had pulley clearance with the bike on the ground but flex under riding loads scuffed the pulley.

I have not tried a 1" wheel pulley conversion to see if that gives more shock clearance but will dig out one from da pile to try it. Someone on the FXR Alpha Fecesbook group will already have done so and knows.

Please post an installed pic or pics of the bottom end and tell us how they ride.

...
A common mod in the '80s was to drill another set of front fender mounting holes to bring the fender closer to the wheel when running the later strutless front fender. Quick, easy and clean even if you don't shave the fender mount bottoms since most of the fender mount "strap" is concealed by the fender mounting boss. Mine's apart right now so I've no pics but it's easy to figure out.

FXRT tubes:

1988-94 FXRT, 1987-94 FXRS-SP. 39mm.
Stock 25 3/8" ; 45393-87

I installed mine on stock RT forks to get more travel (tube length of course does not determine travel). I did not measure the extended unloaded assembled length.

Remember Trackerdie dampers add (minimum) 2" to (any existing) extended assembled length if the included spacer is used.

https://trackerdie.com/products/39mm-damper-tube-assembly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJQ8If8BxLM = install video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E8LcLpUtVo = design info.

[Hoghead]

My first experiences with brake upgrades on 80's FXR and Sportys was to swap out the floating single piston caliper for GMA's fixed four piston caliper , or the english Harrison 4 pot fixed caliper. Both worked good enough with braided lines for me not to bother going twin disc. Easy as you can use the stock master cylinder. I always used floating discs -but only after seeing a cracked stock HD fixed disc. Yes, road-racers can tell you about the benefits of reduced unsprung weight with floating discs, but it's an FXR , not an R1.
BTW- I don't find forward controls have ever improved a bike's shift.
Don't want to bum you out , but SuperTrapps 2-1 are prone to splitting . V&H 2-1s are tougher .
Don't go too mental or you'll end up with this. Mind you -it stops like it hit a fucking brick wall.


All my rambling is supplemental. Farmall's advice is gold.

[farmall]

Any excuse to see more pics of that ^ beauty is fine by me.

Any exhaust mount which does not tie the exhaust firmly to the transmission door is begging for cracked pipes since aftermarket pipes are thin (because thin metal is easy to work and costs less) and weak compared to stock. Supertrapps are infamous for cracking. Bassani Road Rage (I own both) has a decent mount and is well-made.

[SaddleTramp98]

.

Any exhaust mount which does not tie the exhaust firmly to the transmission door is begging for cracked pipes since aftermarket pipes are thin (because thin metal is easy to work and costs less) and weak compared to stock. Supertrapps are infamous for cracking. The Supertrapp on my bike mounts to the transmission door, and to a second mounting point on the bracket that they send with the exhaust. I might be misunderstanding what you mean though. I'll keep an eye on it I can always weld it. I was looking at the Bassani exhausts when I bought my Supertrapp but the Supertrapp was around $300 cheaper and I liked the idea of the removable plates. But if mine breaks really bad I'll check into the Bassanis some more.

.

My first experiences with brake upgrades on 80's FXR and Sportys was to swap out the floating single piston caliper for GMA's fixed four piston caliper , or the english Harrison 4 pot fixed caliper. Both worked good enough with braided lines for me not to bother going twin disc. Easy as you can use the stock master cylinder. I always used floating discs -but only after seeing a cracked stock HD fixed disc. Yes, road-racers can tell you about the benefits of reduced unsprung weight with floating discs, but it's an FXR , not an R1. I need to go to the independent shop near me, he does lots of part swaps and gets to keep the takeoffs, so I'm hoping he'll have some nice calipers cheap. I also look on ebay for parts, but I blew my budget buying my triple tree and shocks.
BTW- I don't find forward controls have ever improved a bike's shift. Those pictures are from a year or so back. I've got my mid setup on there now and the forwards setup is in a box in the garage somewhere. Yeah I'm not a fan of forwards. Not even on my sportster. I need to fab some up for it here soon.

Don't want to bum you out , but SuperTrapps 2-1 are prone to splitting . V&H 2-1s are tougher . I'll keep an eye on it, thanks for the pipe recommendations I'll look into them too..
Don't go too mental or you'll end up with this. Mind you -it stops like it hit a fucking brick wall.

All my rambling is supplemental. Farmall's advice is gold


Thanks guy's for the input so far I appreciate it. Farmall, I'll post some pics of my shocks and the bottom end like you said when I get everything on there. I haven't got to it yet. You said to watch my clearance on the drive pulley side. mines chain drive so the sprocket doesn't stick out as much as a pulley would. I believe it'll clear. Hopefully the way I'm quoting and doing the replies is alright. I'm on mobile for now so I can't tell how it looks on a computer.

[Hoghead]

Any excuse to see more pics of that ^ beauty is fine by me.

Thanks-she does have that effect on people. My bro Tim loves it too.

[1954bmw]

Dayum Hoghead, is that a cane??

[Hoghead]

I bought a pair of Sportster S 13.5 shocks and a 39mm triple tree off a 07 sportster. Now I just need some 2" over tubes, internals, and fork sliders. And a brake set up. Probably gonna do the trackerdie damper rods and some progressive springs.

I'll have to trim the lower bushings on the sportster shocks to get them to fit my bike. So hopefully they ride good. I'm not sure I'll be able to sell them after modifying them.

Forgot to mention- There's a clutch release mechanism on the later ones that's better that the earlier ones. On yours and my 84 FXR, underneath the cover where the trans filler plug is, you'll find a shaft that sits vertical with the fork that pushes the clutch release pushrod. Mine snapped, looking at the thinnest point on it I wasn't surprised.
The ball and ramps set up on later ones is better. Be great if you can retrofit.