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In 2022 I went from Long Island to Santa Monica on my 1946 Flathead 45. It can be done and can be an amazing adventure, as the Boy Scouts say, Be Prepared.
My personal addition is change over to Dyna S ignition. And then throw your old points/condenser in your tool kit as a backup. As all others have said, don't try to run todays interstate speed limits for long periods.
Older bikes are reliable, if properly maintained. They do require more routine maintenance to stay roadworthy however. In my younger days I took my 65 FLH coast to coast on several different occasions. Worst that happened was once running out of gas about a mile from a gas station, and having a generator go south on me on another trip. When I started using my 84 FLH for my cross country trips, the only mishap was a passing lamp bracket that broke at the weld, but then again that is why God created duct tape.
Then as now, I avoid the superslab. I am just fine cruising two-lane black at 55 (besides that its how you truly get to see America). Every third day I get to where I want to be by late afternoon. This allows me time to settle in, pour some whiskey and go around the bike and checking to make sure nuts and bolts are secure, wiring is good, tire pressure correct, fluids are where they should be, cables, chains and such are properly adjusted.
Make sure you have a good tool kit. A small roll of duct tape is a must as well. You ride it often enough, you will get to know the sounds it makes when it is running right, as well as that sweet spot the bikes cruises at best.
Last edited by panz4ever; Jan 22, 2026 at 11:01 AM.
What is the key to reliability on the highway for these 50 year old bikes?
About the same things as would be true for reliability for a 50 year old car.
Care from the previous owner(s).
Care from you in the form of going over every system on the bike (or car) and making sure it is up to snuff.
What is the key to reliability on the highway for these 50 year old bikes? I'm getting my first Harley in a few days and want to build it into a bike I could cross the country with, on minimal notice. I don't expect it to be a Honda, but I come from the Land Cruiser world and we're used to really amazing levels of Toyota reliability, provided you do your due diligence and keep the truck maintained. I'd like to think there is a similar situation with these older bikes and wondered what others had done on the highway on their bike, how they managed it, regular maintenance, tips and tricks. From what I see a lot of it boils down to torquing stuff, checking electrical connections, changing tubes sooner rather than later, etc. From what I see these are the things that leave people on the side of the road. They always say "I knew better than to... " and the bike gets a bad rep when it's really pilot error.
Anyway, rambling idea for random input. Thanks.
My Shovel was 38 years old when I bought it in 2020. It had almost 28K miles on it and was largely original. She started right up, ran well, and "felt" like it would do 65mph all day long. Had it in Sturgis in 2020 and was a lot of fun until the day before we were to head back. On the way to the Devil's tower in Wyoming the engine failed catastrophically. Long story short, the front cylinder exhaust valve face separated from valve stem. The reason was excessive wear in the valve guide. After enough time of the valve not hitting the seat squarely the valve fatigue failed. The point is that Shovel engines are only rated for 30K miles, you don't really know how the previous owner(s) maintained them and what the condition the insides are in. If you are looking at a Shovel, then you should consider having the heads pulled and checked over at the very least. Take it from me getting stuck literally in the middle of nowhere.
I remember the old Shovelhead motorcycles very well. The panniers were big enough for spare parts for the whole gang. And the large top case could hold a good 120 cans of German beer, then let the party begin....
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