Harley FX Shovelhead by Jamesville Motorcycles

In the world of Harley builders, James Roper-Caldbeck of Jamesville Motorcycles is one of the best. Because like most artists’ who have left their mark over the years, James refuses to remain in the norm with his builds, which are typically clean, stripped-back bobbers. That is, until he got an email requesting his skills get transferred over into the world of cafe racers. And we for one are happy he accepted the challenge.

For his inspiration, James looked towards a late 70s XLCR 1000 for inspiration and decide to go with a shovelhead, rather a Harley FX Super-Glide with an 80ci S&S motor and five-speed transmission, for this project. He began with a new seat pan and cowl that hosts a Triumph taillight. He simply modified the original FX tank to make it fit the cafe racer aesthetic and purchased the fairing from China, which actually fits the original headlight of the bike perfectly.

Both front and rear shocks are from Progressive Suspension and the exhaust was inspired by the Italian sports bikes James knows and loves. The V80 engine now features a Super Stock ignition system and pumps about 40-percent more horses than the typical Shovel motor. He also wanted to make sure the paint was on point and decided upon an 80s/90s theme paint job. Not bad at all for his first cafe racer.