Kind of hard to believe today, with factory 103" and 106" engines and aftermarket crate motore at 130"-plus. When I was a kid, a 74 cid engine was the ultimate.

 

I remember well! I went from a "74" to an "80" cu in. in 1980, and thought, damn, they can't make em much larger. WRONG

 

Uh.............yeah,I remember that they sucked. Still do.

 

I had a "74", thought that was it. Big mill motor at that time.

 

and
what exactly sucked about a 74 cid Harley...? FYI Harley still to this day produces a 74 cid engine...it's called a 1200 cc Sportster... and why is it at events the larger crowds are found around a sweet Knuck, Pan or Genny Shovel...? in 40 years when your 50 this post will be "does anybody remember when HD's were air cooled" and everybody is riding a vrod...HD has been 5 years trying to engineer a 45 degree water cooled engine but can't make it work...60 degrees does...the Japanese designed German engineered Vrod engine...

 

Still remember my dad had one when I was really young. Still even today the bike would be a pretty badass ride. Lots of custom touches! Good times!

 

Sometimes i wonder how newer riders would fare on an old 74" kickstart 4 speed shovelhead. It's funny but my XR1200 has a 74" motor.

 

Yeah, I remember.....that was my first bike in 1962 at the age of 16...! My friends were a year older than me and they started on 125's and 165's then moved up HydraGlides....no point in me getting anything less when I became of age...! 1947 FL

 

yeah....remember riding my old rigid framed FLH 74 pan. Some of my friends had the old EL 61's. One of my favorite tunes was by the Doobie Brothers (an old biker band for those of you who don't know who got their start as a party band for local 81 in cali). The song started with the lyric "trashed...ridin on my 74, goin out to even the score!")

 

I'll bet your dad remembers when a 45" was big!


I also remember when biker chicks didn't look like my grandmother!