1949 FL Panhead is a Simple Vintage Beauty
Is there anything that screams ‘classic Harley’ more than this winner?
Vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles need no introduction, and they certainly don’t need a ton of modifications to look great. Mainly, this is because they are visually stunning just the way H-D made them. But while barn finds and “patina” are the hot trends these days, sometimes it’s nice just to see a well-done, unmodified classic bike — like this gorgeous 1949 FL Panhead that we recently spotted on eBay.
The shiny Imron Red FL was restored by owner Jeff Henry over the course of a year, and it’s clear by the results that he did a mighty fine job. The 74-inch Panhead undoubtedly hums along rather nicely after a rebuild with stock internals. And like the engine, the vast majority of the bike is 1949 original with matching numbers throughout.
There are a couple of minor changes, of course. The original 1949 tank uses a petcock on the side instead of the stock setup. The forks feature a two-inch extension, and the saddle bags are replicas. The front fender is off an FLH, and the rear fender is a CCI repo piece. But these are all minor changes that do nothing to take away from the Panhead’s vintage appeal.
And that’s a good thing, because sometimes a simple approach is best. Harley really got it right when they built these old FL’s, so why mess with perfection? Sometimes all you have to do is shine them up a little.
