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After a three year build I've finally "finished" My Softail Springer Panhead tribute bike. Still might add a few details but the bulk of the work is done, I bought the donor bike for $6500 and did a lot of the work myself so total I only have $12000 in it.
I wanted this to basically give the look and feel of a retro bike but with the rideability of todays bikes, as if Harley were still producing the panhead springer. The end goal is to ride all of Route 66 with it and have my dad drive along with me in my 1955 Pontiac Chieftain. The tank shifter and rocker clutch are all fully functional and I rewired the turn signals and horn to small buttons so it will all pass inspection.
I was actually surprised I went this far with it as the original intent was just a slightly retro Softail Springer... So far the response has been pretty positive riding it around, but there are always the haters. But I say ride what you like right? My next build is a 2012 Seventy-Two in to a late 60s/early 70s style chopper.
Panhead tribute right side Panhead tribute left side Close up of tank shifter and rocker clutch Panhead dash with retro speedo
I love it! Is the foot clutch all custom or can you buy parts somewhere for it? Why are there two foot pedals on the left side? Was it hard getting used to the hand shifter and foot clutch?
Thanks Magilla, The foot clutch is a reproduction kit for bikes up to the 80s, but I heavily modified it to fit on a 2005 bike. Had a few brackets laser cut to mount it and to make the shifter work with the cable, ended specing out and having a custom cable made for it in the end, and drilled some holes in the brackets the kit came with to get the holes to line up. So probably 60% of the parts that came in the kit I ended up using and the rest were custom.
The two pedals are because when you shift you "rock" the clutch back by pushing your heel down to engage the clutch and to let out the clutch you have to push down with your toe. IT rotates about a center point with a spring assist and a friction plate. If you look at videos of rocker clutches on youtube you can get a better idea on how to do it as it is almost the same. (I promise that sounds more complicated than it really is)
As for getting used to it, it does take some time especially in traffic. I never realized how much we are on the clutch in traffic or going thru a parking lot until I had to control it with my foot. It's a little hard to get the finesse down but once you do it's fine. I can now take off on hills, ride through traffic, and shift in a 90 degree turn without any issues. As for the tank shifter it all depends on how comfortable you are turning the handlebars loose every time you have to shift. I don't mind it so it wasn't that hard to get used to (I actually enjoy it more than regular shifting)
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Retromod 2005 Softail Springer
