I have an old shovel, rolled up at a bar used to be called Antoinette's in KC about 2 in the morning, had to be 60 bikes there that night, come closing time at 3, I went out with the big crowd to leave and some guy said let's see how long it takes this guy to get that thang going, I was the only one riding old shovel and the only on the kick-start only, but I had no worries, I had only been there for an hour and I knew it was going to fire on the first kick, she did, wawpa! Blue flames, I got cheered by the hole dam krowd! Coolest day ever, I hoped on rapped out more blue flames out them upswept drag pipes put her in gear then did a somersault over the handlebars because I forgot I put a padlock on the front brake rotor, I went from hero to zero in 2 seconds flat lol" I just got up took a bow stand the bike up took the lock off fire her back up and got another staggering ovation or at least the bad ass kick start shovel did.
Yeah. . I remember that '76 FXE. I had to be taught how to start it. After that it was a breeze. . unless I had a fouled plug. . timing was off, points were dirty other than that. . second or third kick she started!
Ignore the idiots and haters Todd, anybody who actually rides or has ridden a kick only bike knows how temperamental they can be. Especially a mag machine that is not properly tuned. Cool machine.
JKDROB worn out carburetors and shitty carbs only run like this. I’ve never owned a chopper but I’ve had a lot of experience with bullshit carburetors on the countless dirtbikes I’ve had. Now I ride a crf250l that’s fuel injected and electric start and I’ll never look back.
All my race bikes were kick start. Cold maybe 3-5 kicks. warm, first kick. Just dropped it, first kick.. This isnt a kick only thing, this is a shitbox thing. Ive pulled a bike out of the river and had less trouble starting it.
@@samblack5313 She needs to be tuned up for sure but the fact that it is a kicker with magneto makes it a hard starter too if the tuning is lightly off.
JKDROB Poor design, outdated, time to let it go. Or use tech at your disposal to make it more reliable. Why not add a starter motor? Or a better ignition system? Or both??? Surely people would prefer to ride it than fight the endless crusade of starting the fkn thing?!
Heck yeah man. Love those old bikes. So cool to think about someone back in the 50s rolling that thing stock off the dealer lot. Vintage stuff is so interesting.
My brother that past away a few years ago..was e hell of mechanic..he could tune those old motors to start first or second kick..no problem.. especially older sportys..
THAT is the style I grew up and fell in LOVE with. There are 2 Bikes I want to "update" using newer engines. An Old School Trumph Chopper and a Harley Bobber in this style.
Cyclesinc when you were young calling bobber's choppers (I see lots of young guys today doing that, or, calling them bobber choppers, the old guys who bobbed their bikes 15 years prior to you getting a bike didn't correct you and your friends. I always try to educate the young guys, before long, they become the old guys, like us. I recall all too well being 19 and not knowing how to kick my Panhead and one of the older guys in his 30's rode with me for a day until I learned to kickstart properly. Pay it forward they call it now
+HuntingHarleys I came into the motorcycle scene just before the big racked frame fad. We called them Choppers never Bobbers. When the raked frame fad hit we still called them Choppers. If we needed to distinguish the two we said Raked Chopper or Not Rake or Stock Raked Chopper. We measured rakes in inches not degrees 3/4",1/2", 1/4" etc. I'm not talking me and my little group of friends (in reality not so little) that somehow got it wrong. I’m talking thousands of people I have come across then and now and specially then that the Chopper scene was so heavy. I don’t need to dig up any old books or magazines to look dates for this stuff. It’s in my brain. I can’t tell you when the word Chopper first came into use. But I can tell you it was before the big raked scene. Below is a link to an article by Sugar Bear that was on the scene before either one of us and I’m sure he knows more about this crap than we do. He lived it before us. www.streetchopperweb.com/sugar-bear-choppers-chops-and-bobbers-busted-knuckles
+CyclesInc we'll, I've been around a little bit, traveled extensively around the USA into every state and every major city and owned roughly 10,000 Harley's.; not to mention customers from around the world. 36 years is not quite as long as you've been around, but it is long enough, as your generation schooled me when I was still a teenager. Your the very 1st old timer (as that is what we are now), who has ever said so, whom I've met and had this conversation with.
+HuntingHarleys I know you know you shit and I'm not trying to take anything away from you. I would't even dream of trying to match your knowledge on antiques. In your own words if we think we know everything we know nothing. You see things like this all the time. I saw items in Palmer's book that were incorrect as you have. I know because of handling some of these parts. Not because I'm an antique MC expert. Engines and machining is another matter.Through the years I have seen incorrect information in magazines and the internet. Customers come into my shop and I can tell where they got the info. I recently saw something on Top Documentary on You Tube and the history date on one of their important events is off by five years. And the facts are also incorrect. I’m sure this will eventually spread into Wikipedia and other documentary articles that will pop up on the internet in the future. I know they are wrong because I was there. Facts sometimes get diluted and scrambled and when someone sees them in a magazine/book/internet they become facts in error. And the error gets spread. Before long people think the truth is wrong. And I believe this is one of those. I see you yourself trying correct some of these errors. Did you read Sugar Bears input? He was there and into this before we were. Nothing beats being there.
+CyclesInc I have not, I do know he was there. As with all slang, what is correct is based upon ones experiences and those they are around. The same term on one coast can mean something entirely different on another coast, or, especially, another country.
+HuntingHarleys Another subject I see getting muddled up out there is suicide Clutch and Jockey Shift even Tank Shift. A lot of people call a Rocker Clutch and everything else Suicide. The only Suicide is the clutch pedal if it's spring loaded and it engages when your foot comes of the pedal.
I love that bike. I remember people who owned bikes like that back in the 1970s. Every morning my neighbor rode his to work in summer. At 8:00 in the morning there was this loud FRRRRAAAAMP! and this raked-out bike would roar up the street. It was all young men who owned them back then.
Roadghost88 same here from england!!, my neighbours loved the sound of a 1960s triumph ,with open pipes, in the early hours, ..well, they never actually admitted it, but i know, deep down, secretly, they did lol!!!
Thanks for the imput. I made this video for a customer who wanted to see the bike run. It is no longer mine now. Unfortunately, the mechanic I brought it to did not "ungum" the carb properly and this is what gave me fits in starting it. it just was not getting fuel properly to make it easy to start.
It's nice little motorcycle, Todd. New owner is lucky to have it! I never cared for mags. Maybe one day I'll take one apart and have the magnets re-magnetized so it will be up to snuff. Yeah, the carb was obviously not performing right, either... Love those rattly throwout bearings! lol
I was waiting for it to fall off the sidestand. Nice bike though. I ride an XT500 & old BSA so I've got the knack of kickstarting, (& a scar from kickback !)
The reason I asked if it's the original front end is it looks longer than stock and looks like it has more rake than stock. I love the way this bike looks, just want to get a little more info about it. P.S. I love your videos, I just recently started watching them, and I think there great.
Mike Baxter this bike has a slight stretch to the fork legs of the frame and roughly a 6 inch over fork. I did not build it, so the exact figures I am guessing
mixing of the two styles of build has given rise to the common modern term chopper bobber. When bobber's originated in the 1930's, they came from a prior movement called a cutdown. These were built from JD's and involved shortening the frame which because of the nature of the JD, also involved shortening the gas tanks (usually).
1954 saw three dramatic changes in the year. 3 different heads, two different frames (early is wishbone and late is straight leg). early bikes had a horn by the front crash bar and later took the trumpet. HD and every company, even today, puts on later, or earlier, parts during change overs as stocks run out. They don't stop production waiting on the one part that ran out. Unless you have day of sale photo's, you cannot be certain what came on what bike. Only what is on it when you find it.
I can appreciate this, having grown up in Berdoo, having ridden Honda Mini-Trails in '68, played piano at age 16 at HA parties, and bought/ridden every freaking bike on earth since, but just now on the verge of needing open heart surgery, and after 7 spinal fusion surgeries, at age 63, I DON'T WANT TO FREAKING DIE JUST STARTING A FREAKING BIKE!!! Lol
I also forgot to mention, stock 4 inch extended factory forks are not new. This was done on ALL XA and desert WLA models. They came with a factory 4 inch over stock springer. Since you could of bought these forks easily in the 1940's - 1980's, I personally don't view a 4 inch "extension" as a chopper as it still falls into a potentially stock fork length.
Back in 1986 there was this mexican dude with a Panhead chopper. He would kick start it ten times, step back a few feet and stare at the bike for a moment. Then he would kick start it ten times, step back a few feet and stare at the bike for a moment. Then he would kick start it ten times, step back a few feet and stare at the bike for a moment. It's 2019 and some say to this day he's still kick starting it ten times, stepping back a few feet and staring at the bike for a moment.
Hey Todd, no worries! I know what you meant. Today's world with the information being "so easy" to get makes for a new generation of "experts" in those terms (Bobber / Chopper). You got my idea as i got yours (no mater how long the forks were). Your explanation of the terms in the video are a perfect baseline to distinguish the "Bobbers" vs "Choppers"! Keep it up! All the best David
Actually, 1957 was the last year production of the rigid frame Panheads. The '58 Duo Glide was the first Panhead to get the Swingarm suspension. Athough I agree that '54's are pretty rare. Great looking Pan though! Thanks for the video!
brings back memories, had a 49 pan with a hunt magneto no battery, over time depending on how much you ride the shaft and mag head wear and develop play, it fucks with timing there's a way around it but I just went back to distributer and battery, made kicking a lot easier, timing and running better
Living at the beach in San Diego was crazy starting my Pan. Night air / day air winter, summer drove me nuts! And I was 275 lbs. Now days 98 Blockhead and Kickers are for Kids. But cool thing was, the bike was always handed off to one of the crew.
That bike would be great with an electric starter and battery. I am an old fart. I had a 56 pan but a distributor and standard carberator, therefore mine stated easy. However mine was not as compact or maybe as powerful. The other thing, it is important to know and ride your bike. Nice example
I woupd never want electric start on such a pure thoroughbread machine. Only reason harley was ever cool os because of the old school stuff from when men were men.
yep and any year big twin frame 1937 - 57. 1936, only the OHV (what we call a Knucklehead) had them. The side valve made in 1936 was a VL series and their frame types did not have them.
I knew a guy and he had 62 Panhead. And when kick-started it it was like a combination lock. You turn the throttle three times, You moved the distributor so these two lines lined up. Then you kicked it a couple times. If it didn't start you cleared it with the ignition off. Then usually it would fire. You got to ride it.
I'm 59. Bought my 63 when I was 15 . Still riding it. Have always had a mag on it. Theres a little tweek to your timing, but will always fire right up . Hot or cold. Don't flood it.
Man it is crazy how many times you have to kick some of the old school bikes to start them; sure makes me appreciate the electric starter on my '11 Street Glide.
I had a 1953 panhead. The way I use to start it was, 2 or 3 kicks with the ignition off then turn the ignition on and it would usually fire up after 1 or 2 kicks. If it didn't, then it could take up to 10 or 20 kicks to get it going.
I would like to have an Evo Soft tail that looked similar to this bike. Any recommendations on year or model that would be a good starting point? I don't know if there is a soft tail frame that has a similar rake as this wishbone frame but I really like the stance on this bike.
Oh yeah that's a beautiful bike. I'm currently on a 2007 electric glide ultra classic but I am looking to get a hold of a nice older bike again Harley Davidson of course, maybe a pan or shovel my last old bobber. And yes it was a bobber not a chop chop. Was a 48 pan-shovel jockey shift four speed trans. S&S super g carb 6over mid glide front end duel front break's open belt and rear belt. 10in risers with 2in z-bars
In 1967 a bobber had stock tanks and was just stripped down, usually no front fender rear fender with hinged flip taken off and small solo and pillion seats. A full custom, total strip no floor boards, custom pegs, tank , bars, springer or glide, no front brake, custom rear fender, custom lights and upsweeps etc, that was a chopper. The neck could be raked or not. They weren’t always raked, there were many tall bikes! A full custom Harley was always a chopper, this bobber thing came along much much later, in the late seventies early 80’s. I’ve recently seen Harley with paughco custom frames sportster tanks and solo seats called “bobbers”. I don’t know where that came from but that combo is the definition of chopper. The Panhead that the guy is trying to start is a chopper. Extended front end no front brake 21 “ front wheel no fender custom rear fender equals chopper, raked neck or not. The original name came from “cutting the bike up”, bobber came from taking stuff off. I have been building Harley choppers for a long time, my first was a knucklehead in ‘67 when I was 18. I don’t know how old this author is but we disagree on this matter. Of course you can call the bike anything you want but I think the young guys who are really into the traditional Harley choppers should know the history. No hate, just old guy rant.
I am 55, I was schooled on what was what by the men in my area, the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles (remember the song living in Reseda?) who rode in the 1960's and 70's. My 1st machine was a brand new 1981 Lowrider, I had just turned 19 that month. Different areas of the country have long called this "that" and "that" this prior to social media and of course the language itself is fluent. On my RU-vid somewhere is an add / article for an HD in 1953 or 54, showing how to properly "chop" your Harley. At that time, in that magazine, chopping meant cutting the front and rear fenders back. It even had a diagram. Before your time you youngster. Names and what they meant and mean are fluid. Just look at the Sativa VS Indica and what it means debate, totally reversed in many peoples understanding between the mid 1970s and now. I started smoking in 1969 BTW, so I am younger, in a way, and in a way not. Considering the Bobber's, The cut downs, the choppers, the entire motorcycle custom scene and hot rod scene started right here in SoCal... I always assumed the people here gave them the names 1st.
Hey hunting. I just landed a repop pan. Its got std cases and std heads with single plug. It is a beautiful set up. My question to you is this. It has what I think is a points setup. What makes one ignition system better than another. I mean if the mag gives people fits as it seems to be giving this bike why have it?
My dad had D7 Cat Dozers with 2 cyl gas pony engine (magneto ignition) starters...you useta could start those PEs with a crank, arm breaker though. We had electric start for the PEs but sometimes you are out in the boonies and the battery would be dead. The crank was always in the tool box. Spray start was an important ingredient in the winter. Dad was built like a weight lifter just by running those old dozers.
