1970–1978 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide FL/FLH 1200, Super Glide FX/FXE/FXS 1200 Service Manual (P/N 99487-78)

• Factory Harley-Davidson Service Manual P/N 99482-78, 232 PDF pages, covering 1970 through early 1978 production (up to January 1, 1978) Electra Glide FL/FLH 1200 and Super Glide FX/FXE/FXS 1200 models.
• Engine chapters cover motorcycle stripping for engine repair, cylinder-head removal and overhaul, rocker-arm and valve work, cylinder refinishing, piston and ring fitting, connecting-rod alignment, oil-pump service, hydraulic tappet inspection, timing-gear setup, crankcase disassembly, bearing fitting, and flywheel truing.
• Fuel-system coverage is split by production period: Tillotson for 1970, Bendix for 1971-1975, and Keihin for 1976 and later, with adjustment, inspection, leakage testing, disassembly, cleaning, repair, assembly, and troubleshooting.
• Drivetrain sections detail front and rear chain service, clutch controls and clutch overhaul, electric and kick starter repair, shifter-cover timing, shifter-fork setup, and internal service for both the four-speed gear box and three-speed/reverse configuration.
• Chassis work includes FL and FX fork rebuilding, steering-head and fork alignment, wheel-hub service, spoke lacing and truing, rear suspension, sidecar wheel and brake service, drum and disc brakes, master cylinders, hydraulic bleeding, and fiberglass body repair.
• Electrical coverage supplies 14 year/model-specific wiring diagrams with separate keys, plus ignition-light and handlebar switches, charging-system diagnosis, circuit breaker and ignition timing, lamps, battery service, and Prestolite and Hitachi starter-motor repair.
• Supporting material includes Locating Troubles charts, dozens of exploded assembly views, regular-service schedules, component torque tables, fluid and tire data, wear and clearance specifications, electrical test values, and special-tool listings with Harley-Davidson part numbers.

Engine, Fuel-System, and Internal Repair Coverage

The 1207cc, four-cycle, 45-degree V-twin section goes well beyond tune-up work. It explains the engine oiling and breather circuits, compression testing, valve-train noise diagnosis, and the strip-down required before major engine repair. Cylinder-head material covers rocker-arm bushings, valve guides, valve seats, valve lapping, and reassembly. The cylinder and piston chapter adds bore inspection and refinishing, ring fit, piston-pin bushing work, connecting-rod alignment, and cylinder installation. From there, the gearcase and crankcase chapters cover oil-pump gears and lines, hydraulic tappet units, cam and pinion timing gears, cover-bushing replacement, flywheel disassembly, rod-bearing fitting, main-bearing lapping, end-play checks, and flywheel alignment on a truing stand.

Year breaks are handled where they matter. Besides the three carburetor families, the manual separates 1972-and-earlier from 1973-and-later lubrication layouts, 1974-and-earlier from 1975-and-later fuel-supply valves, and early versus later piston-pin lock-ring tools and procedures. The specifications section also states that FL data applies to FLP unless otherwise noted. These distinctions matter when a motorcycle has a mix of original and replacement parts and the correct procedure depends on production design rather than the model name alone.

Chassis, Transmission, Electrical, and Shop Reference

Wheel and chassis chapters cover 16-inch hubs and rims, 19-inch FX front wheels, spoke lacing, rim centering, radial and lateral truing, tire mounting, wheel alignment, and wheel balancing. Fork information distinguishes FL non-adjustable and adjustable designs from the FX front fork, including slider-bushing removal, installation, reaming, tube straightening, bracket alignment, and steering-head bearing adjustment. Brake sections separate early drum systems from the FL/FLH and FX/FXE/FXS disc-brake arrangements, including the later FXS/FX calipers, front and rear master cylinders, brake-fluid replacement, and hydraulic-system bleeding.

The transmission material covers hand- and foot-shift controls, clutch adjustment and overhaul, starter drives, main-drive-gear oil-seal replacement, shifter-cover timing, shifter-fork centering, shaft and gear inspection, and reassembly of the four-speed case. The three-speed/reverse parts substitutions are called out separately rather than buried in generic gearbox text.

Representative factory illustrations include FL/FLH/FX Lubrication (1972 and Earlier), FL/FLH/FX 1200 Lubrication System (1973 and Later), the Disc Brake - Exploded View for the applicable FL/FLH and FX configurations, Gearcase - Exploded View, Countershaft and Case Assembly - Exploded View, and the 1978 FXS 1200 Wiring Diagram. The wiring section runs from the 1970 FL/FLH layout through the early-1978 FL/FLH, FX/FXE, and FXS versions; each diagram has its own component key. Charging-system diagnosis is also divided between the 1975-and-earlier system and the 1976-and-later alternator/Tympanium rectifier-regulator arrangement.

Tool plates identify factory fixtures such as Wheel Truing Stand P/N 95500-29A, FL Fork Slider Bushing Tools P/N 96254-50, Truing Stand P/N 96650-30 for flywheel alignment, Fork Shifter Gauge P/N 96384-39, and Alternator Rotor Puller P/N 95960-52A. These references show which repair operations depend on dedicated alignment, reaming, pulling, or testing equipment.

Several repair cautions are unusually specific. A piston-pin lock ring that is over-expanded, reused, or not fully seated can escape and damage the piston and cylinder beyond repair. A disc-brake piston must enter the caliper squarely, and brake fluid must be kept off the pads; a cocked piston scores the bore, while contaminated pad material cannot be cleaned reliably. Shifter-fork assemblies are not interchangeable, and the manual warns against straightening a bent fork because the weakened part can break and damage the gear box.

Support the motorcycle securely before wheel, fork, engine, or transmission removal, and follow the manual's fuel-system and hydraulic-brake precautions. The factory foreword also directs technicians to applicable Service Bulletins for interim engineering changes; later 1978 production falls outside this manual's stated coverage.