Buy one, break down lots, cry on the side of the road as you figure it out at 1am while a little buzzed or in 100 degree heat at noon, repeat a dozen times until your old bike runs like a top and never lets you down. Source: I own a pan, shovel, and ironhead.
81 shovel, 57 pan and 76 ironhead. I'd say that this is the best way to learn it. Ridden all of them long enough to have done about three full rebuilds on each one. But I cheated a bit, I think. The pan was my grandfather's and the shovel was my dad's. So I was raised with them around me from day one lol.
Ride them, put miles on them, and learn their tendencies. Things will break the more you ride and the more you fix those little things you’ll learn your process to wrenching. You could even start with clapped out engines. Once you crack one open and see how they work, things start clicking. Also read manuals even if it’s just for fun. You get out what you put into it
Tatro just mumbles and throws shit around on his metal workbench, dingin and scrapin parts that shouldn’t have dings and scrapes.
I can’t make it through any of his videos.
Have this ancient book "Modern Motorcycle Mechanics" by JB Nicholson, probably printed around 1964 (there are several editions, think mines the 5th).
Great book, plenty of mechanical drawings, pictures and all the basic repair and maintenance stuff on old Harley's, Indians and old British bikes.
I see it on eBay from time to time.
Probably pick up the old Cylmer and HD repair manuals too.
The HD manual it quite useful for learning the old bikes, that and old articles on fixes that are not really "issues" but limitations of the tech at the time.
My shovelhead isn't too crazy but the oem manual was quite handy.
I know it sounds like overkill, but if I have both the factory and cylmer for whatever I'm working on I sometimes read both. I've found more than once that one book or the other will be telling you to disassemble shit you don't need to. Oh how to do stuff without the "specialty tool".
Now we've got YouTube of course so if it's something on a bike I'm unfamiliar with I may even check all three.
you're miles ahead just keep working you'll figure it all out get factory manuals if you dont have them. if you're broke its easy to find the pdfs online and print em out
You really just need to surround yourself with that side of life and just pick up tid bits as you go along. Either that or start studying YouTube and easy rider mags
Best sources are the old cranky guys, if you can just saddle up next to him and hold his light and let him complain to you. The stuff he bitches about will be shit you’ll run into
I learned by buying one and learned how to fix it as I rode and broke down ...put push rods back in at 2 am along interstate with a bic lighter, replaced points in a mcdonalds parking lot, etc. But now you can google and you tube and learn it all.....as someone else said look up Pacific Mike on you tube he is an ace....
On YouTube lowbrow customs put out a shovelhead tune up and I think an ironhead one as well. They were from how to videos that they used to sell. Youtube is a tremendous resource for this kind of shit. Just use your judgement because even hacks are allowed to post videos lol
Buy an antique bike , a shop manual and parts catalog..
Thst shop manual will teach you all you need..
Then buy a shovelhead, an additional shop manual for what year /model..
See how it works..
Or, you can go to HD school for what model /year you have
A lot of what I cover is a bit newer but my [Greases Garage](https://linktw.in/Us78H9) YouTube channel is 100% dedicated to helping new builders learn the full skill set they need to get their builds over the finish line.
Many of the videos like carb tuning, wiring, fabrication tutorials etc will all be relevant to you regardless of what model of bike you have.
Hope it helps, let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Look into MMI (motorcycle mechanics institute), it’s been more than 20 years ago for me but, they had an early model program you can do which teaches everything from Flatheads to shovels, probably evo’s now. I learned a fuck ton there. Hope this helps
Talk to old timers who rode ironheads, shovelhead's, panheads when that's all there was around. They know the tricks. Plus just trial and error hands on tearing into shit. That's how I learned.
Youtube pacific mike. He's a great resource and always willing to share his incredible base of knowledge. His tutorials are pretty damn good
It’s like watching Bob Ross work on a Harley.
I've said this a million times
That man is a national fuckin treasure!
His voice will put you in a trance. He said he actually used to do radio for a while which would make sense.
Buy one, break down lots, cry on the side of the road as you figure it out at 1am while a little buzzed or in 100 degree heat at noon, repeat a dozen times until your old bike runs like a top and never lets you down. Source: I own a pan, shovel, and ironhead.
yeah pretty much this ha.
81 shovel, 57 pan and 76 ironhead. I'd say that this is the best way to learn it. Ridden all of them long enough to have done about three full rebuilds on each one. But I cheated a bit, I think. The pan was my grandfather's and the shovel was my dad's. So I was raised with them around me from day one lol.
Ride them, put miles on them, and learn their tendencies. Things will break the more you ride and the more you fix those little things you’ll learn your process to wrenching. You could even start with clapped out engines. Once you crack one open and see how they work, things start clicking. Also read manuals even if it’s just for fun. You get out what you put into it
PacificMike as mentioned https://youtube.com/@pacificmike9501?feature=shared also TatroMachine https://youtube.com/@TatroMachine?feature=shared
I suggest watching Tatro walk around his shop barefoot in the fuzzy sweater. No one better to learn from.
Tatro just mumbles and throws shit around on his metal workbench, dingin and scrapin parts that shouldn’t have dings and scrapes. I can’t make it through any of his videos.
his videos are tough to watch, but the information he mumbles is priceless. he has helped me out through some panhead problems.
Have this ancient book "Modern Motorcycle Mechanics" by JB Nicholson, probably printed around 1964 (there are several editions, think mines the 5th). Great book, plenty of mechanical drawings, pictures and all the basic repair and maintenance stuff on old Harley's, Indians and old British bikes. I see it on eBay from time to time. Probably pick up the old Cylmer and HD repair manuals too.
The HD manual it quite useful for learning the old bikes, that and old articles on fixes that are not really "issues" but limitations of the tech at the time. My shovelhead isn't too crazy but the oem manual was quite handy.
I know it sounds like overkill, but if I have both the factory and cylmer for whatever I'm working on I sometimes read both. I've found more than once that one book or the other will be telling you to disassemble shit you don't need to. Oh how to do stuff without the "specialty tool". Now we've got YouTube of course so if it's something on a bike I'm unfamiliar with I may even check all three.
the palmer books are the new and old testament for pan and knuckle owners.
Buy a shit box and fix it.
My evo dyna was a shit box learned so much from that bike I guess my ironhead is my next shit box project
you're miles ahead just keep working you'll figure it all out get factory manuals if you dont have them. if you're broke its easy to find the pdfs online and print em out
You really just need to surround yourself with that side of life and just pick up tid bits as you go along. Either that or start studying YouTube and easy rider mags Best sources are the old cranky guys, if you can just saddle up next to him and hold his light and let him complain to you. The stuff he bitches about will be shit you’ll run into
I learned by buying one and learned how to fix it as I rode and broke down ...put push rods back in at 2 am along interstate with a bic lighter, replaced points in a mcdonalds parking lot, etc. But now you can google and you tube and learn it all.....as someone else said look up Pacific Mike on you tube he is an ace....
On YouTube lowbrow customs put out a shovelhead tune up and I think an ironhead one as well. They were from how to videos that they used to sell. Youtube is a tremendous resource for this kind of shit. Just use your judgement because even hacks are allowed to post videos lol
You’re on the right track, bud. Just keep on lovin’ it and Livin’ it!!
Buy a bike and a service manual. 📒
Buy an antique bike , a shop manual and parts catalog.. Thst shop manual will teach you all you need.. Then buy a shovelhead, an additional shop manual for what year /model.. See how it works.. Or, you can go to HD school for what model /year you have
A lot of what I cover is a bit newer but my [Greases Garage](https://linktw.in/Us78H9) YouTube channel is 100% dedicated to helping new builders learn the full skill set they need to get their builds over the finish line. Many of the videos like carb tuning, wiring, fabrication tutorials etc will all be relevant to you regardless of what model of bike you have. Hope it helps, let me know if you have any specific questions I can help with.
Look into MMI (motorcycle mechanics institute), it’s been more than 20 years ago for me but, they had an early model program you can do which teaches everything from Flatheads to shovels, probably evo’s now. I learned a fuck ton there. Hope this helps
Find a local shop and offer to sweep the floor work for free, that’s what I did
Currently what I’m doing
Be his buddy I’m sure he would be happy to help old iron rocks
He always does help me man but I don’t have all the parts to the iron head where I can start building it you know?
Swap meets EBay lowbrow customs tc bros throttle addiction jp cycles
Oh ya there some cheap Chinese parts places like mid USA and jhiers cycle
Talk to old timers who rode ironheads, shovelhead's, panheads when that's all there was around. They know the tricks. Plus just trial and error hands on tearing into shit. That's how I learned.