Mike Merkt's 1978 Harley Davidson Shovelhead Chopper

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.

[@joemann3536]

she it done right

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks man!

[@samjones-ou3bn]

great scoot stay up be free have fun !!

[@drmikemerkt]

Hell yeah, that’s what it’s all about!

[@onefodderunit]

That swinging rear fender is very slick.

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks! Wanted to keep it tight to the tire

[@michaelmorris2809]

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

[@drmikemerkt]

Haha thanks man! Yeah it was something but it ended up working out

[@Shawn-nn6vp]

Awesome shovel!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you!

[@joejunior1974]

Great looking bike! Thanks for sharing!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks, appreciate the kind words!

[@Bernard32]

Nice bike!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks dude!

[@guypouteau]

Best hand made chopper of the year!......We all really like your bike......thank you

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!!

[@shameless6963]

Beautiful ride Doc. Got a '77 FXE. No where as clean as yours. Yours looks and sounds great.

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks! Appreciate the kind words

[@gasmann6746]

Very nice sounds great as well ..👍🏻🇦🇺

[@1INSOLENTDOBERMAN]

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!

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@greggatto1428]

BEAUTIFUL BIKE!! Love it!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you, appreciate it!!

[@edwinclark5041]

Great bike

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks man!

[@AceGalvero]

Killer bike doc. Currently working on mine, keeping the swing arm as well! Subscribed, look forward to seeing more 👊🏻

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks man! Appreciate it, happy to hear you’re keeping it a swing arm

[@robertjeffery6100]

Very nice scoot my man

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks Robert! Put a lot of thought into it

[@burlymugg]

Gotta take at least 1 link out of that watch bracelet bro. Awesome bike.

[@drmikemerkt]

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!

[@captmoondog]

great job

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you!

[@dennisgrubbs1929]

Hell yeah 👍 nice great job 👍

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank Dennis!

[@listenact]

So much nice work on this bike, looks great!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!

[@tonyschiffiler4816]

Does the rear fender move with the swing arm? Love the bike ,I owned a 1979 shovel head that was customized by me.

[@drmikemerkt]

Yes it does, that’s awesome!!

[@TheCNoom]

More in-depth video pls!🤤

[@drmikemerkt]

Sounds good!

[@Roolis77]

Nice!, Did you leave frame untouched? orginal?

[@drmikemerkt]

Pretty much, stock geometry, some tabs and whatnot cut off and smoothed out, otherwise stock

[@hotwheel6663]

Yuppie with a jockey shift shovel 😄

[@drmikemerkt]

Hell yeah brother! *2 jockey shift shovels

[@jimglasco]

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.

[@bernardgraf7187]

At least he's riding american iron 💪🇺🇸

[@shameless6963]

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?

[@adrianfranco9397]

Great bike!!! what bracket you used to mount to 2 into 1 exhaust? I have the same set up but I’m having trouble finding the right mount bracket for the exhaust

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!! I made a mount for the exhaust

[@whiteashpiperwhiteashpiper5447]

Who says softails can't be sexy!? Sweet ride man. LET IT RIDE!!😊

[@drmikemerkt]

Hell yeah! Thank you!!

[@DEATHMETALCYCLE]

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.

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@treycannon6783]

Thanks and it has a front brake looks like? I love these bikes, but usually no front brake. Yours has a clean drum look.

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you! Yeah it has a front drum off a 70’s husqvarna dirt bike

[@jusridin3045]

Awesome looking bike! What type of exhaust is that? Sounds great

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks! It's a paughco 2 into 1...no baffle or anything in the cocktail shaker muffler

[@grayfox128151]

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.

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@charlesross1682]

A lot of things were called a lot of things no chop in the neck it's not a chopper

[@drmikemerkt]

Luckily I have one chopper then!

[@brianminkc]

sweet ride Doc..

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!

[@cheastbury9252]

Looks awesome man!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks man, appreciate it!

[@ryanm6947]

What brand is the front rim? And type of brake?

[@drmikemerkt]

Akront

[@chrishultgren777]

nice bike but the lavender paint has to go

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks! But sorry bro, it's staying

[@christopherflores8244]

What is your front brake and where did you get it?

[@drmikemerkt]

Front brake is off a 1978 Husqvarna dirt bike! Got it from a friend but you can find them on ebay

[@charlesross1682]

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.

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@shameless6963]

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.

[@richardabell175]

The correct way to use a one car garage!

[@drmikemerkt]

Last I checked there isn’t any other way to use it!

[@guypouteau]

nice job.....thank you

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you too!

[@blanbec14]

I like it more manly.

[@drmikemerkt]

Hahaha

[@sqd37l]

a real beauty

[@drmikemerkt]

@@sqd37l thank you!

[@danheino7006]

wicked nice

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you!

[@springersadventures7654]

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

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@gren509]

Not my kind of bike at all - but I LOVE it !!! Beautiful engineering and very artistic. Thanks for showing.

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

[@detroitculture.]

Hipster :) gotta have the outfit match the bike

[@drmikemerkt]

Let me go get my leathers on brother!

[@johnhall3860]

Very nice bike. You should be proud of how everything turned out.

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks John! I really appreciate that

[@jamesg996]

So rear fender doesn’t rub with someone on the back? Where did you put tabs on the swing arm?

[@drmikemerkt]

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)

[@steelwheels327]

Doc , you said it started life as a FXE the E stands for electric ... You added the kicker?

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@toddclark332]

You did a fantastic job bud❤💪🇱🇷😁👍🙏

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you!

[@bryonkidder6199]

Subscribed...lol Great build!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks Bryon, appreciate it!

[@neiluscook2283]

😊😊😊😊😊 5 smiles!! Sleek & Smooth!

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!!

[@cliffhogan9723]

Awesome bro 😎

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!

[@theroadking547]

Nice one 👍

[@drmikemerkt]

Thanks!

[@Roolis77]

Please share a bit more about your front wheel , which bike its is off? You mentioned dirt bike?

[@drmikemerkt]

Sure! The front wheel is off a 1974 Husqvarna CR400

[@dan-k3744]

Greatlooking bike , and the 1 kick starrt ...wow

[@drmikemerkt]

Every now and then I get lucky like that!

[@s3c0ndkz]

Yeah, that 1 kick was what we saw on a screen, so that must be ALL we need to believe in!

[@drmikemerkt]

@@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.

[@erictrass3121]

What exhaust?

[@drmikemerkt]

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

[@pete81pb]

@@drmikemerktsounds very cool in the video! is it loud and bass?

[@richardbrewer8301]

Great looking bike !!!! 😁

[@drmikemerkt]

Thank you!!

[@XXX-qk2cq]

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!!!

[@drmikemerkt]

Hahaha thanks man! I did indeed build it! It’s my main rider which is prolly why I’m so comfortable with it