Hi Marjorie,
I just read your article in TP for September; okay, I’m a s l o w reader. Anyway, I read where you bought a 1982 FXRS. I too had a 1982, bought it brand new at Gainesville Harley. I loved that bike. It ran like a dream. However, I would like to share with you a problem I ran into with it. There is a motor-to-transmission mount located directly between the two. I had the misfortune of having that mount crack on me. It was a problem that I never heard of nor thought about. The crack was very hard to see since it starts out as a thin jagged line. I wound up having to replace my whole left side drive train since once that piece breaks the only thing holding everything together is the primary case.
I noticed a vibration that kept getting worse but could not find a reason why. The crankcases had to be replaced also. Anyway, to keep this short, please have your mechanic check that mount. Maybe even have it Magnafluxed for hairline cracks and don’t wind up like I did. You will notice that H-D replaced that mount on subsequent model years.
Good luck and enjoy.
Buzz Marple
Buzz, I have read about the problem with motor mounts during that era. In fact, I already did replace the front one once Ryan, the tech at Retrocycle, discovered that it was flexing. And I know to watch for signs of any problems with the other motor mounts so I can avoid a catastrophic failure like the one you experienced.
Thanks for the warning… but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the hell out of Foxy Lady!
—Shadow
