Mike Merkt's 1978 Harley Davidson Shovelhead Chopper
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- Опубліковано 25 кві 2023
- I built this bike about 6 years ago now, it has been a super solid bike and I love it just as much now as I did when I first finished building it! The bike is a true runner, it's been my only bike for the past 6 years and has some decent miles on it.
great scoot stay up be free have fun !!
Hell yeah, that’s what it’s all about!
Best hand made chopper of the year!......We all really like your bike......thank you
Thanks!!
That swinging rear fender is very slick.
Thanks! Wanted to keep it tight to the tire
I really like the trim appearance of the bike, & anyone that can come up w/the "chain in a pinch" fix is alright in my book. Good work
Haha thanks man! Yeah it was something but it ended up working out
Great looking bike! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, appreciate the kind words!
So much nice work on this bike, looks great!
Thanks!
Awesome shovel!
Thank you!
Beautiful ride Doc. Got a '77 FXE. No where as clean as yours. Yours looks and sounds great.
Thanks! Appreciate the kind words
Nice bike!
Thanks dude!
BEAUTIFUL BIKE!! Love it!
Thank you, appreciate it!!
Very nice scoot my man
Thanks Robert! Put a lot of thought into it
Very nice sounds great as well ..👍🏻🇦🇺
Looks awesome man!
Thanks man, appreciate it!
Leave the chain , it looks cool, has a stand out statement type of look. I seen other guys install chains ⛓️, my humble opinion is use a chain skip the rod. It’s just one of those little things that makes an impression 👍🏼. Cool 🇺🇸 bike!
Yeah I get that, I prefer the rod. Made a custom stainless one that’s beefier. To me a chain is just a cheap way of going about it
Very nice bike. You should be proud of how everything turned out.
Thanks John! I really appreciate that
Great bike
Thanks man!
great job
Thank you!
Hell yeah 👍 nice great job 👍
Thank Dennis!
Man the Dr is really causal about his show grade chopper!! Total high grade big dollar build!!!!! Whether he built it himself or not he knows all about it and that’s great!!!
Hahaha thanks man! I did indeed build it! It’s my main rider which is prolly why I’m so comfortable with it
sweet ride Doc..
Thanks!
Nice bike !!!
Thanks!!
Killer bike doc. Currently working on mine, keeping the swing arm as well! Subscribed, look forward to seeing more 👊🏻
Thanks man! Appreciate it, happy to hear you’re keeping it a swing arm
Gotta take at least 1 link out of that watch bracelet bro. Awesome bike.
Hahah, I like it looser like that, with the humidity down here it’s nuts how much my wrists/hands will swell up making the fit just right. Thanks!
You did a fantastic job bud❤💪🇱🇷😁👍🙏
Thank you!
Who says softails can't be sexy!? Sweet ride man. LET IT RIDE!!😊
Hell yeah! Thank you!!
Awesome bro 😎
Thanks!
Not my kind of bike at all - but I LOVE it !!! Beautiful engineering and very artistic. Thanks for showing.
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
nice job.....thank you
Thank you too!
she it done right
Thanks man!
😊😊😊😊😊 5 smiles!! Sleek & Smooth!
Thanks!!
Subscribed...lol
Great build!
Thanks Bryon, appreciate it!
Nice one 👍
Thanks!
More in-depth video pls!🤤
Sounds good!
wicked nice
Thank you!
Does the rear fender move with the swing arm? Love the bike ,I owned a 1979 shovel head that was customized by me.
Yes it does, that’s awesome!!
Great looking bike !!!! 😁
Thank you!!
The correct way to use a one car garage!
Last I checked there isn’t any other way to use it!
So rear fender doesn’t rub with someone on the back? Where did you put tabs on the swing arm?
Correct! I have a mounting plate that threads into holes I tapped into the front of the swingarm (the part where it mounts to the frame) and that plate also mounts to the fender. If you have instagram I can send you a pic of how it's mounted if you'd like? shoot me a message on there (@mikemerkt)
Hello again Mike from Hot North Central Fla! What tires are you using& size? 19”or 21” wheels up front? 16 out back? Thanks again!, Frank
This time around I’m running shinkos, so far I’m liking them! Same as the avons I had previous. Yeah it’s a 21/16 set up
Greatlooking bike ,
and the 1 kick starrt ...wow
Every now and then I get lucky like that!
Yeah, that 1 kick was what we saw on a screen, so that must be ALL we need to believe in!
@@s3c0ndkz from a cold start it starts within the first 3 kicks with the choke for the past 6 years. Once it's warmed up (which I rode to this location in the video) it's a one kick bike with the choke off if it sits for less than an hour or 2. If it sits over an hour or 2 it's back to 3 kicks with the choke on. Technically it's an enrichener since it's an s&s carb.
Nice!, Did you leave frame untouched? orginal?
Pretty much, stock geometry, some tabs and whatnot cut off and smoothed out, otherwise stock
Awesome looking bike! What type of exhaust is that? Sounds great
Thanks! It's a paughco 2 into 1...no baffle or anything in the cocktail shaker muffler
Doc , you said it started life as a FXE the E stands for electric ... You added the kicker?
When I bought the bike it had electric start and kickstart. I deleted the electric start along with the hump in the primary for it. In my most recent video I touch a little bit on what I cut and welded on the primary
What is your front brake and where did you get it?
Front brake is off a 1978 Husqvarna dirt bike! Got it from a friend but you can find them on ebay
Yuppie with a jockey shift shovel 😄
Hell yeah brother! *2 jockey shift shovels
I see a guy steeped in ol timey bikes and cars, who's daddy gave him the chance to do other things as well....A young PROFESSIONAL with some damn class, and humility. Good job I'm sure your Dad is proud.
At least he's riding american iron 💪🇺🇸
Always gotta be some keyboard jockey trying to put down somebody doing something they can't do. Why don't you put a video out of that awesome custom that you built?
What brand is the front rim? And type of brake?
Akront
I like it more manly.
Hahaha
This bike has no rake which defines a chopper or used to a custom bike with no rake no degree change it is not a chopper it's is a beautiful custom bike. Who would change a hand clutch over to stone age foot clutch.
I understand that argument, at the same time there were plenty of bikes considered “choppers” back in the day with stock frames. Switching to a foot clutch is the way to go! Cleans everything up, is also way more fun to ride
They weren't called choppers because of the rake. They were called choppers because guys would chop off unnecessary things to lighten the bikes up so they could go faster. They morphed into the stretched and raked bikes in the 60's.
Please share a bit more about your front wheel , which bike its is off? You mentioned dirt bike?
Sure! The front wheel is off a 1974 Husqvarna CR400
What exhaust?
Gas box…think I got it from low brow. Then put the muffler and tip on, so you can do pretty much any muffler or tip on the 2 into 1 gas box header
@@drmikemerktsounds very cool in the video! is it loud and bass?
nice bike but the lavender paint has to go
Thanks! But sorry bro, it's staying
Nice bike although I think calling it a chopper is a strech, bobber for sure. No offense but I think to really be considered a chopper you need a longer front end. Maybe a strech in the back bone and or down tube. I don't think it's right to call it a chopper because you took off the front fender added a jockey shift and modified the rear of the bike. Like I said I think it's an awesome looking bike, just not a chopper.
That's fair! I mean the front end is longer than stock, I hear what you're saying. My other bike is full blown chopper
A lot of things were called a lot of things no chop in the neck it's not a chopper
Luckily I have one chopper then!
Hipster :) gotta have the outfit match the bike
Let me go get my leathers on brother!
how does the sissy bar work with the fender and swing arm. i want to put a sissy bar on my shovel, and i have a swing arm. But it looks like it will bend the fender up.
If you have a fender mounted to the frame mounted your sissy bar can mount to the fender and that’s it. I mounted my fender to the swing arm so everything moves as one