Shovelhead FLH Front End Swap

[OutOfMyMind]

Hey All,

Was wondering if there were any front ends that would work with my '77 FLH. I'd love to keep the old styling (the cow bells and nacelle) but have updated front brakes and better suspension. I know I could upgrade the brakes, springs, bearings, etc. with various kits but I'm seeing some front ends for cheaper than all that work.

I heard that something like a '99 Wide Glide front end would work. Anybody know if this option or any other would allow me to keep the old nacelle and cowbells of the FLH?

Thanks

[Tattooo]

If you don't change the trees you can use your cow bells and nacelle........... Just swap the tubes and everything else attached to them...........

Remember when you upgrade to later brakes the wheels are different on some applications...........

[OutOfMyMind]

Thanks for the quick reply, especially considering the holidays.

Will the bells fit over the upper part of the lower legs? Also, do any of the models have lower legs with a taper like my '77 ones?

[JBinNC]

Thanks for the quick reply, especially considering the holidays.

Will the bells fit over the upper part of the lower legs? Also, do any of the models have lower legs with a taper like my '77 ones?

The FLT lowers are the same shape as your present ones. And your front fender will fit them. The 41mm tubes will fit your trees, but FLT forks are longer than FLH forks. A tube swap will fix that.

Jim

[OutOfMyMind]

Yea, I figure I'll have to swap out almost everything on the front end like the wheel, but I'm looking for the aesthetics to stay the same with more modern performance.

Those 49mm forks of the FXDWG wouldn't fit without the trees though right?

Would there be any other modern 41mm forks that would work just as well as the FXDWG?

[JBinNC]

The WG forks will fit, but are longer still, and the fender mounts are in the wrong place.

Jim

[69Glide]

This is how I did it on my 69 ElectraGlide -

The triple trees are 69 OEM HD trees.
Lower legs are from an '03 FatBoy. I run progressive cartridges for suspension.
Brake is OEM HD four piston caliper with a Russel floating rotor and LRB pads.
Master cylinder is remote in the nacelle - I always disliked the look of the MC on the handlebars so the remote works for me.
Fab Kevin makes a really slick remote that works well.
Fender is OEM HD - I had to modify the mounts to fit with the FatBoy lowers - you could run FLH lowers and it should bolt right up.
Front hub is later model dual disk with 1" bearings - don't remember the year for sure - wheel is wide 120/70 21".
I run single disk but a set of FLH dual disk lowers and another caliper and rotor would be a bolt up modification.
Nacelle, cowbells, passing lamps etc are OEM stuff and they bolt up as well.
Risers are 6" extended OEM cast risers and bars are 2 piece OEM 69 ElectraGlide bars with internal throttle etc.

This bike is a daily rider and I rack up a lot of miles every year. Where I live the riding season is year round and I ride most every day.

This front end works nicely - rides great especially for a Wide Glide, handles nicely and stops very well. Gotta be gentle on the front break or it will lock the tire. I've run this combo for several years and it holds up well - easy to replace seals and bushings on these lower legs, easy to replace brake pads. Wheel bearings are super long life.

If you run the handlebar master cylinder and FLH lowers you could pretty much bolt it all together and go.

Good luck with it.

69Glide

[38ulh]

I got someones take offs for about 200 bucks off EBAY. 2005 Road King tube and slider assys, they fit right on my 79 FLH trees I had to turn down an 05 RK axle so my AMF mag would still work. I used a larger diameter rotor. Super easy upgrade. Great brakes and if I want I can add a second caliper and have dual discs. Nobody ever notices the mod. It still has the 79 cow bells.

[69Glide]

Update

I received some questions re this upgrade and I figured I'd update the thread in case anyone else can use the info.

Details on the remote master cylinder - I used a Fab Kevin remote master cylinder. These pics show how it is mounted and actuated. The cable is a longitudinal wound casing clutch cable and has very little flex over it's short length so almost no lost motion. This gives a smooth solid feel to the lever, very linear braking..











Someone asked if this was a significant upgrade - Yes. Worth the time and cost for sure. I converted this to Progressive Suspension cartridge struts - vast improvement in the ride from that. The brake upgrade was from 69 drum brake to modern disk brake so not even close on that - this brake stops this bike very effectively. I'm an aggressive rider and I need a good brake - this works..

[69Glide]

Couple More Pics











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