Post Sale Update: This FXB sold for $11,700 after 44 bids on eBay in Monticello, Wisconsin.
The FXB Sturgis is probably best known as a limited production model built to honor the legendary annual rally, but it may actually be notable for another reason – the “B” in FXB. That denoted the use of a belt drive, as this was Harley’s first application of the technology. The other letters of FX tell you that this was a Low Rider chassis/motor and your eyeballs will tell you that this is adorned with a black/orange paint job inspired by the traditional colors of H-D.
The implementation of the belt was a bold choice, because at the time riders were skeptical about how durable the belts were and how catastrophic a failure might be. Hindsight has shown that using the Gates-developed Aramid nylon fiber belt was a good decision, especially as the belts had longer-than-expected lifespan. MSRP of the limited Sturgis model was $5,687, and that bought you the exclusive paint scheme and standard 80 ci engine of the time which yielded 65 horsepower. The FXB Sturgis was produced for just two years, 1980 and 1981.
This example has 21,488 miles and it’s offered by the third owner, who acquired it in 1993. The sale includes paperwork from that transaction as well as paperwork from the original sale at Bob’s Harley-Davidson in Harvard, Illinois. The engine got “rings and valve touch-up at 20k miles” and it has a front tire with less than 100 miles on it.
Find this Sturgis H-D for sale in Monticello, Wisconsin with bidding up to $8,400 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.