Touring bikes happen to be the backbone of H-D's lineup as early as the inception of the Big Twin. Dressed up with windscreen and saddlebags, the formula has shown to be a reliable foundation for riding the motorways of US. Having taken numerous long journeys on my vintage Panhead, I can confirm firsthand to the virtues of a well dressed H-D for adventure touring.
But those initial Touring models furthermore make worthy every day riders, too. Take for instance, Pat Moroney's 1970 FLH shown in this article. Pat also happens to possess Moroney's Harley-Davidson in New Windsor, New York, also, this bike is definitely a valuable motorcycle within his huge variety of H-Ds. The very first year for the cone cover Shovelheads was 1970. The previous year, the Motor Company had been acquired by American Machine and Foundry (AMF), making 1970 a rather hard period for the folks in Milwaukee.
Before the cone cover engine, Shovelheads were called plain sides, in related to the slab-sided electrical generator and cam cover up on the right section which was a carryover from the Panhead motor. The distributor was attached over the base of the front cylinder, which makes this engine quickly identifiable. That very same era, the early 70's have seen the move to an alternator driven the left side of the motor by the sprocket shaft. Aside from that, the distributor was taken out, and the points were encased beneath the conical timing covers on the bike's side.
This 70's bike arrived in Moroney's H-D for the high-end work between the 1980's and as soon as the build was accomplished, the actual owner mysteriously didn't come back for his motorcycle. Tough to imagine in this particular era, but back then, the particular Shovelhead was just another old bike on the bottom of its value curve. The shop's techs placed the fixed and thought to be homeless motorbike away, in which it lay for over 20 years, until about 2003, when he took it out and decided to carry out a complete rescue on the bike.
The gas tank was, beforehand, sanded and coated in paint primer, so regrettably not enough genuine coating still existed to do a considerate renovation. Pat stripped the motorbike down to the framework and sandblasted and painted various parts before even starting the project. For a Harley-Davidson supplier meant every aspect was carried out in house. The motor was renewed to manufacturer standards, like brand new bushings, bearings, etc. The transmission was also fully renovated and a fresh clutch included.
Pat said that a good deal of attention was handed on the carburetor's restore. Those carburetors were built with a name to be picky, and in the 70's, mechanics referred to the Tillotson carburetor as The Troublesome. Pat pointed out, however, that if appropriately dialed in, the Tillotson can be quite a reliable carburetor. The bike's restoration carried on with brand new chrome and cadmium plating, and Parkerizing the right parts to ensure the Shovelhead bike was exactly as it would have been on the showroom decks in the 70s. One of Moroney's longtime techs covered the tanks with the original Hi-Fi Red and Birch White. I really like this color choice mix and recall the statement it generates with motorcycles on the streets or ditched when in front of a neighborhood bar. The wheels were re-laced and trued before these were covered with whitewall tires. The white pillow seat and hand-grips increase the bike's vintage experience.
This motorbike definitely straddles the era between old and new: the perfect collectible, still fully working and reliable ride. It holds all of the allure and detail work of its forerunner, the Panhead, still delivers most of the functionality and reliability of newer Evo models that replaced it in the 80's.
But those initial Touring models furthermore make worthy every day riders, too. Take for instance, Pat Moroney's 1970 FLH shown in this article. Pat also happens to possess Moroney's Harley-Davidson in New Windsor, New York, also, this bike is definitely a valuable motorcycle within his huge variety of H-Ds. The very first year for the cone cover Shovelheads was 1970. The previous year, the Motor Company had been acquired by American Machine and Foundry (AMF), making 1970 a rather hard period for the folks in Milwaukee.
Before the cone cover engine, Shovelheads were called plain sides, in related to the slab-sided electrical generator and cam cover up on the right section which was a carryover from the Panhead motor. The distributor was attached over the base of the front cylinder, which makes this engine quickly identifiable. That very same era, the early 70's have seen the move to an alternator driven the left side of the motor by the sprocket shaft. Aside from that, the distributor was taken out, and the points were encased beneath the conical timing covers on the bike's side.
This 70's bike arrived in Moroney's H-D for the high-end work between the 1980's and as soon as the build was accomplished, the actual owner mysteriously didn't come back for his motorcycle. Tough to imagine in this particular era, but back then, the particular Shovelhead was just another old bike on the bottom of its value curve. The shop's techs placed the fixed and thought to be homeless motorbike away, in which it lay for over 20 years, until about 2003, when he took it out and decided to carry out a complete rescue on the bike.
The gas tank was, beforehand, sanded and coated in paint primer, so regrettably not enough genuine coating still existed to do a considerate renovation. Pat stripped the motorbike down to the framework and sandblasted and painted various parts before even starting the project. For a Harley-Davidson supplier meant every aspect was carried out in house. The motor was renewed to manufacturer standards, like brand new bushings, bearings, etc. The transmission was also fully renovated and a fresh clutch included.
Pat said that a good deal of attention was handed on the carburetor's restore. Those carburetors were built with a name to be picky, and in the 70's, mechanics referred to the Tillotson carburetor as The Troublesome. Pat pointed out, however, that if appropriately dialed in, the Tillotson can be quite a reliable carburetor. The bike's restoration carried on with brand new chrome and cadmium plating, and Parkerizing the right parts to ensure the Shovelhead bike was exactly as it would have been on the showroom decks in the 70s. One of Moroney's longtime techs covered the tanks with the original Hi-Fi Red and Birch White. I really like this color choice mix and recall the statement it generates with motorcycles on the streets or ditched when in front of a neighborhood bar. The wheels were re-laced and trued before these were covered with whitewall tires. The white pillow seat and hand-grips increase the bike's vintage experience.
This motorbike definitely straddles the era between old and new: the perfect collectible, still fully working and reliable ride. It holds all of the allure and detail work of its forerunner, the Panhead, still delivers most of the functionality and reliability of newer Evo models that replaced it in the 80's.
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