Sandy from Kennerdell

Sandy from Kennerdell, Pa (Venango County) shared some pictures of bikes in her past with Pittsburgh Biker. She has a interesting story about rebuilding a 1981 Sturgis. Any of us that have turned a wrench on a older HD will understand.

It started life as a 1981 Harley Davidson Sturgis – the first factory produced dual belt drive Harley.

That was near the end of the forgettable AMF years that almost killed Harley and this bike had its share of issues.

In the process of all the rebuilding and fixing I got dresser fever but not the money to go with it; over a couple winters work, this is what emerged. The bags & rails came off of a 1971 FLH and amazingly mounted up with not much more than a few spacers; they were additionally customized with the inset turn signals. It also had a custom windshield with blue* Plexiglas in the lower part and a tourpak that were not yet mounted at the time of the photos.

I put a lot of miles on this bike before trading it (regrettably on a 1990 Softtail). It was a delight to ride, fast and very responsive; having the capacity of a dresser with Superglide maneuverability.

This was my one and only attempt at customizing a bike to this extent. From the Softtail

I went to 1993 Electra Glide Classic bought used in 1995 and lowered to fit me (I’m only 5’3″). I rode that till 2010 when the ravages of time insisted that I move to a TriGlide or give it up.

I love my TriGlide and wish I’d made that move sooner but this bike will always hold a special place because “those really were the days“.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane LOL

~Sandy M.