Classic 1957 Harley FLH Shines with Meticulous Restoration

Magical Machine

As legendary as Harley's Knuckleheads were/are, the Panhead represented a major step forward when it debuted back in 1948. In the years that followed, innovations like Hydra-Glide only further enhanced the riding experience. And by 1957, it all culminated into this magical machine - the FLH.

Photos Courtesy of Ideal Classic Cars

Immaculate Restoration

These days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more beautifully restored FLH than this stunning '57 we spotted over at Ideal Classic Cars. Even though the work was completed way back in 1998, it's obviously been well cared for in the years since.

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Bring a Friend

Even better, this particular FLH comes with a matching, restored sidecar. You don't see a lot of these classic sidecars anymore.

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Better Than New

The previous owner went to the trouble of performing a nut and bolt restoration on this beautiful FLH, and it certainly shows. Everything, including the original 74ci engine, was made "better than new."

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Changes up Top

In its heyday, the Panhead was light years beyond the old Knucklehead, even though both utilized essentially the same bottom end. The biggest differences were up top, where the Panhead featured aluminum heads and pan-shaped rocker covers.

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Improvements All Around

Simple changes like internalized oil lines and hydraulic valve lifters made a big difference, including in reduced tappet noise and simpler maintenance. Despite producing more power, the Panhead was also more reliable.

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Hydra-Gliding

The Panhead also came with a new wishbone frame that incorporated bowed front down tubes. In 1949, Harley added a hydraulically damped telescopic front fork, which eventually brought about the model name Hydra-Glide in 1952.

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Legend Is Born

The FLH came along in 1955 as an official high-performance variant. By upping the compression ratio, Harley also increased power from 50 hp to 60 hp. And thus, a legend was born.

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Long List

The classic styling of the FLH Panhead has held up incredibly well over the years, and this beautiful '57 is one of the finer ones we've seen lately. And that only adds to the long, extensive list of why we like these old rides so much!

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For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section right here in the forum.