Touring bikes happen to be the foundation of H-D's lineup since the invention of the Big Twin. Equipped with windscreen and saddlebags, the strategy has proved to be the best platform for driving the highways of America. Having quite a few long trips aboard my vintage Panhead, I will attest firsthand to the virtues of a well dressed Harley for long-distance 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.
He stated that a considerable amount of attention was presented towards the carburetor's rebuild. That carburetor was built with a reputation as being finicky, and back in the days, mechanics called the carburetor as "The Troublesome". He pointed out, though, that if appropriately dialed in, the "troublemaker" can be a dependable carburetor. The motorbike's restoration continued with completely new chrome and cadmium plating, and Parkerizing the proper pieces so that the Shovelhead motorcycle was exactly as it was on the showroom deck in 1970. One of his longtime techs, painted the fuel tank with the production line Hi-Fi Red and Birch White. I really like this hue combo and recall the statement it creates with bikes on the road or parked when in front of a bar. The rims were also refurbished before the pair was covered with classic whitewall tires. The white pillow saddle and hand-grips increase the motorbike's old-time experience.
This motorcycle really straddles the era between vintage and modern age: an excellent collectible, yet competitive machine. It keeps all of the charm and fine detail work of its forerunner, the Panhead, yet provides all the performance and robustness of newer Evo styles that replaced it in the 1980'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.
He stated that a considerable amount of attention was presented towards the carburetor's rebuild. That carburetor was built with a reputation as being finicky, and back in the days, mechanics called the carburetor as "The Troublesome". He pointed out, though, that if appropriately dialed in, the "troublemaker" can be a dependable carburetor. The motorbike's restoration continued with completely new chrome and cadmium plating, and Parkerizing the proper pieces so that the Shovelhead motorcycle was exactly as it was on the showroom deck in 1970. One of his longtime techs, painted the fuel tank with the production line Hi-Fi Red and Birch White. I really like this hue combo and recall the statement it creates with bikes on the road or parked when in front of a bar. The rims were also refurbished before the pair was covered with classic whitewall tires. The white pillow saddle and hand-grips increase the motorbike's old-time experience.
This motorcycle really straddles the era between vintage and modern age: an excellent collectible, yet competitive machine. It keeps all of the charm and fine detail work of its forerunner, the Panhead, yet provides all the performance and robustness of newer Evo styles that replaced it in the 1980's.
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