I missed a deal on a panhead like this last year for $9000. This one is a lot more, but I don't know what they are worth in this condition. What is reasonable for this bike.
as no real info other then the heads have wallowed out valve seats ( big valves statement ) and lots of china chrome - this guy has seen what real ones bring and owns a 6 thousand dollar bike - you can ask anything for anything -
a used car guy had said to me when i was a kid about his customers ( theirs an a$$ for every seat )
real 1952 with its original parts have seen them bring in the 30s
and bruce palmer III's books on restoring early models are the go-to reference books.
a bike from from bits can be a great runner and fun to ride- but it doesn;t have the value of an original bike.
you may have seen pics of my '53 FLF. it's valued in the 70's...
so all of a sudden a 6 or 8K rider doesn;t look so bad!
but you have to be ready to wrench.
1 trick when you want to ride an old motorcycle...don;t tell it you have to be at such and such and so and so time.
don;t tell it anyone is watching you start it...just say " i want to kick you over so I can hear the pipes and warm up the oil..." she'll start right up!
then quickly put on your riding gear and head out before she can sputter and decide not to run.
you have to trick her into running
Yes, as I ride more and more, I find myself wanting older bikes. I guess I got the bug with the Evo I bought a couple years ago. I know the evo isn't a classic, but it's different enough from the todays bikes that it was my bike of choice over 2012 Road King. I sold it thinking I found a good deal on a Badboy that didn't happen. I miss that ride.
Oh, I'll keep a newer reliable bike for the long trips, but there is a guy in the neighborhood who rides what looks like a brand new all original flathead. He spends about an hour on it now and then and doesn't seem to leave the neighborhood. But he sure is having fun.
I'm not looking so much for one in original condition, YET. I think I just want to test the waters with something a little cheaper and something I won't mind customizing to fit me. If that goes well, who knows. But I need to learn enough about these bikes to know when to grab one "no questions asked" because it is a good deal.
I am a little nervous about a kick starter because I have bad knees. I'm just as nervous about a Jocky shift, but I figure I can practice in the neighborhood until I get comfortable.
I have to start somewhere and your post is very encouraging. Thanks
Yes, as I ride more and more, I find myself wanting older bikes. I guess I got the bug with the Evo I bought a couple years ago. I know the evo isn't a classic, but it's different enough from the todays bikes that it was my bike of choice over 2012 Road King. I sold it thinking I found a good deal on a Badboy that didn't happen. I miss that ride.
I have to start somewhere and your post is very encouraging. Thanks
Beary
That's why I kept my 1962 XLCH. It was my first Harley and I resurrected it from a 20 year long sleep in 7 cardboard boxes then later did a full custom job on it.
I have a 2012 FLTRU Road Glide as an every day bike, but there is nothing like kicking over a 50+ year old classic and riding it down to where ever you're going.
You will always have to allow at least 30 extra minutes for any ride because you will spend at least that much time talking to someone who either had one like it, had a family member with one, or always wanted one, etc....
Like Mike said, it will sometimes take some cajoling, and a lot of wrenching to keep old iron running, but I think the rewards are worth the effort. Especially when some grizzled old Greybeard walks up and with "that look" in his eye asks if you built it and you get to respond with "Yes, I built this" and he gives you that nod and smile.
I was at the Hollister Independence Rally back in 2005. I had parked the '62 on San Benito, along with every one else, and stepped back a few paces into the shade of one of the buildings to enjoy the parade.
None of the people walking by knew it was my bike they were looking at or commenting on. I heard a lot of fun comments that way. Made me feel good about all the work it takes to keep it on the road.
Keep up your search, find the right bike for you, and then give it the tender loving care it needs to keep it running. You'll curse it at times, but you'll never regret buying it.
Here's a couple of shots of me and the '62 at Hollister in 2005. Take a look at the old Shovel beside it.
Last edited by Stick_FSMC; 02-03-2017 at 11:50 AM.
Yes, it's a real Harmon front end. I live about 7 miles from where they used to make them and about 2 miles from where Bill Holland has his shop (Executive Choppers) where he builds the new ones. Bill was one of the early employees of H & H and did most of the fabricating back then. He and I have talked. He suspects he actually built the one I have.
When I decided to do the full custom build on my '62, I put the word out in the Community that I was looking for a new front end for my bike, I wanted something different.
About 2 months later (it was an 18 month build), a buddy of mine called me and said he had a front end for me at his shop. I went down to look at it, but had no idea what I was looking at. I thought it looked pretty cool. It was definitely "Old School" and exactly what I was looking for, so I asked him "How much?"
He wanted me to reassemble an old Ironhead tranny he had in the back and install it for him. Sounded fair to me. A couple of hours later I was the proud owner of a ??? front end. It really bugged me that I didn't know any history on this front end, so after a bunch of research, I found out what I had and a bit of the history of the Harmon girder.
There's a couple of good write ups on the Executive Chopper About and Magazine Articles pages.
02-01-2017, 01:06 PM
What is this 52 Pan worth?
