My "New" FXR

Just won an auction on a bike I've been wanting for a long time. A 1982 FXR. Yup, a shovel with a final chain drive ... I know I'm gonna take some shit from those who provided sage advice to the contrary, and I coulda found a late eighties/ early nineties Evo, or looked for 83 shovels with belt drives, but I believe this bike embodies the soul that of a newly energized "The Eagle Flys Alone" MoCo. And, I'm pretty sure God rides a shovelhead FXR. Or did he just design it? I forget ...

It's black. Relatively stock with an S&S Super E on it. Owner lives in Kingsport, TN (east, near Bristol) and I took a long bus ride down to Kingsport, TN to close the deal. Looked her over real good, could tell she needed some love. I took her for a ride, closed the deal and headed north on US 23 for the 800 mi trip home. WX was outstanding, trees in the mountains were in full color and the bike ran pretty damned well. Stayed overnight in Hillsboro, OH and enjoyed a steak dinner, a few beers, some whiskey and some lies with BoboTWG and his family. Got almost all the way home before I lost any parts!
Some initial observations:
Battery's weak. Fluid is good. Need to troubleshoot that system to make sure it's getting a good charge, but I suspect it needs replacing. On the positive side, She starts even when the battery is sluggish.

Got home to find a fine mist of oil all over the back fender and sissy bar. No oil on the pavement night before last, but this morning there was a fair drizzlin' under the chain. I ran a lot longer and harder yesterday than the day before, and I suspect the chain oiler needs to be adjusted. I cleaned the underside good to see where any other oil might be originating. Oil was caked on the back side of the oil tank inside the rear wheel well. Chain has way too much play, so I'll be adjusting that... Assuming there's any adjusting left! Else I'll be looking for one of them sealed O ring chains - and turning off the oiler. She idles kinda rough, and the idle speed varies. I'd

stop at a light and she' idle at ~1500, other times 1000 ... At one point, she wanted to die at idle. I pulled the plug wires and found the nipples on the plugs loose. I'll be pulling the plugs to see what they look like ...
The front exhaust doesn't appear to be seated very well ... Gotta check it for leaks.
Gas guage doesn't work. Stuck on E. I pulled the console, and all the wires appear to be connected well, so that will take a bit deeper investigation.
Brakes suck. I hold the front lever tightly at a stop and the bike can still roll. There's a new braided line leading to the front - the result of a handlebar swap. I suspect it wasn't bled well, and I'll check/replace the shoes.
He swapped the buckhorns for some mini-apes ... Ugh! I'm thinking something lower and flatter - not drag bars eggsactly, but close.
Got all the way to my hometown, went to downshift going into the second to the last turn before my driveway, and the shifter peg had fallen off. I might have a better chance of finding it than I did finding TL's axle nut in the mountains ...
2.5 of the three brackets holding the rear exhaust heat shield have broken. Not sure what they are ... Looks like cycle shack. Will post pics across the street ...
The turn signals have to be held to operate. Is that right? It's like the handlebar switches are momentary contact, cause as soon as I let them go, the signal is off. PITA.
The horn, as is widely documented, is a POS.
Guess I have plenty to do this winter ... Got the manual. Definately need to find the parts breakdown!
Pictures across the street and on Kodak Gallery: http://tinyurl.com/cbv7c