1951 Harley Panhead
1951 Harley Panhead
Milwaukee’s current offerings rarely get my motor running but I find it hard to resist a good Panhead. And this one is an absolute knockout. It’s owned by Troy Critchlow of the Chico Moto blog and it’s the quintessential vintage Harley as seen through a 70s lens. Troy has an eye for a good ride and he’s an inveterate fiddler when it comes to mechanicals—so it’s not surprising his own bike looks like a million dollars. His Panhead is something of a hybrid with a 1951 FL motor (74ci high compression) connected to a 1939 EL transmission case with Pan gears. It’s all sitting in a 1949 wishbone frame with an offset Springer fork—“Bed springs on a pogo stick” says Troy. The carburettor is an authentic Linkert the magneto is a Morris and there’s no battery—just a Cycle Electric generator and an Electric Franks regulator. Troy himself made the sinuous stainless exhaust with the perfectly-judged upkicks along with the sissy bars and he also modified the tank to hold a little more fuel. And as you can see he’s pretty handy with a camera too. Close to Harley perfection don’t you think? [Check out Chico Moto for more vintage chopper goodness.]
Source: Bike Exif
