junky bike
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 138
Likes: 1
From:
junky bike
sorry i know this will make some of you old timers mad but i think the pan is a piece of junk. a friend of my boyfriends has one and it takes a dozen kicks to get it started and its not to reliable mechanically. hes always working on it and having to buy new parts. another guy who had one the engine blew up like a bomb while he was riding one day, the rear piston sticking through the crankcase. totaled. i think hd ended production on those old bikes for a good reason. out with the old in with the new. ok you can wash my mouth out now[:'(]
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 7,490
Likes: 3,687
From: Santa Klaus County, Cali
RE: junky bike
Well opinions are what this web site is all about. I can tell youI have been riding my pan for 36 years and it has never left me stranded. Does it require routine maintenance....yes; can it be a bugger to start when the temp is below 30....hell yes; wouldI ever give it up for a twinkie motor...no way.
You reference two bikes that were problems. Sounds like a couple of women I have known in the last 60 years. Even with all the griefI wouldn't trade them or the experience for anything. Been as far east as Kentucky on her. The trip strated out from Kalif going a little bit south and then a bit east before I sobered and realized I had a very long trip home ahead of me.
You reference two bikes that were problems. Sounds like a couple of women I have known in the last 60 years. Even with all the griefI wouldn't trade them or the experience for anything. Been as far east as Kentucky on her. The trip strated out from Kalif going a little bit south and then a bit east before I sobered and realized I had a very long trip home ahead of me.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,456
Likes: 1
From:
RE: junky bike
Dragon,
I know you are a young thing, and you are just getting into HD.. Congrats on the new ride. The bikes you are talking about were around when your daddy was just a gleam in HIS daddy's eye. These bikes are VERY old, and as such, take a little extra care, and yes, the parts are old... and they will break. Look at how many years they lasted, and the cycles (strokes in cyclinder) that piston went through before it busted. Look at the care it takes to keep antique cars running. These are NO different, except a bike may see more abuse over it's lifetime.
Now.. take a deep breath.. and look at a lot of the posts on here. How many do you see about NEW bikes having problems. Technology has only created more things to break and leave you stranded on the side of the road. We take what we have, and make it into what we want.
Appreciate and respect the old.. that's what got us to where we are today.
I know you are a young thing, and you are just getting into HD.. Congrats on the new ride. The bikes you are talking about were around when your daddy was just a gleam in HIS daddy's eye. These bikes are VERY old, and as such, take a little extra care, and yes, the parts are old... and they will break. Look at how many years they lasted, and the cycles (strokes in cyclinder) that piston went through before it busted. Look at the care it takes to keep antique cars running. These are NO different, except a bike may see more abuse over it's lifetime.
Now.. take a deep breath.. and look at a lot of the posts on here. How many do you see about NEW bikes having problems. Technology has only created more things to break and leave you stranded on the side of the road. We take what we have, and make it into what we want.
Appreciate and respect the old.. that's what got us to where we are today.
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 770
Likes: 2
From: East NM
RE: junky bike
ORIGINAL: dragonfiregirl
hes always working on it
hes always working on it
Another thing to consider, Panheads have already been around between 40 and nearly 60 years, and an amazingly large number of them still run fine and are daily riders. I seriously doubt that very many of todays electromagical wonders will last that long.
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 138
Likes: 1
From:
RE: junky bike
i understand. my car is a 69 camaro. was my dads before he elt me have it. it runs good most of the time but does have its problems. but in another way i dont understand. guess im just not old enough to appreciate nastaglia. i wouldnt choose an old vehicle. if i could have anything i wanted it would be a new corvette, a jessie james custom chopper and a couple new harleys. hey one can dream cant they
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Novice
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20
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From:
RE: junky bike
like a good woman,older h-d needs lots of love and attention.had mine for 37 years and still going.being 44 years,you just can not go to town and buy a part for them.you either fabricate or beg.and most h-d serviceman has never seen a panhead,must less know how to fix them.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 390
Likes: 0
From: Grand Rapids MI
RE: junky bike
Sounds like the evil manifold leak and a valve froze. You need to pressure check those intake manifolds and stay on top of the preventative maint. Other than that there are many still on the road today including mine, but not at the moment. Here is a great place to learn all you need to know about old iron http://www.hydra-glide.net/.
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
RE: junky bike
Dragon,
A Gold Wing rider at work thinks all Harley's are junk. Yes, you can get better performance at a lower cost, sowhy didn't you purchase the Japanese bike? (GWs are US made).
Like anything else the old bikes need regular maintenance and just because you work on bikes doesn't mean you are Panhead qualified. I've seen, heard of, and purchased a "fresh rebuild" than needed immediate attention. If it isn't done correctly, it doesn't really matter how new or old it is, it will break.
My ride will be 50 this year, so I'm thinking of taking it on an IBA saddle sore 1000 this summer. I'm in the LA area and you are welcome.
A Gold Wing rider at work thinks all Harley's are junk. Yes, you can get better performance at a lower cost, sowhy didn't you purchase the Japanese bike? (GWs are US made).
Like anything else the old bikes need regular maintenance and just because you work on bikes doesn't mean you are Panhead qualified. I've seen, heard of, and purchased a "fresh rebuild" than needed immediate attention. If it isn't done correctly, it doesn't really matter how new or old it is, it will break.
My ride will be 50 this year, so I'm thinking of taking it on an IBA saddle sore 1000 this summer. I'm in the LA area and you are welcome.