Todays Barn Find Sidecar I.D.
Just one of those days I guess, while driving to a well know Southern California town, I noticed an older pickup pulling from a dirt side road with a car hauler that had see some use.
Well I pass while the truck waits, but what the heck, Dirty Two Harleys. So I pull over and let them pass as I'm in I'm not in a hurry attitude. I pull over and let the truck with the bikes pass, and I notice one had a side carframe.
I start to catch up and follow, maybe they will pull into a station, but off the went into another small side road, but my curiosity is getting the best of me, so I follow.
The truck and bikes pull into a large fenced lot, so I pull to the fence and ask permission to look at the bikes. I quickly tell them I just wanted to look the them and the side car, not a buyer, just look.
They said it would be fine, I..............
Wait for Chaptor Two, I gets really good! Here is a preview!
Harley riders don't look! What's better than one Pan Head?, Two Pan Heads and one Has a Sidecar. Maybe then we will talk about the Pickup load of Parts after how many years.
Good heavens! What's that streamliner looking thing behind them?!
The solo bike doesn't appear to be a Pan.
Lonnie
Solo looks to be a shovelhead cobbed together then again so does the panhead.
Hard to tell but it looks mighty tight to use the kick starter on the pan with the sidecar mounts where they are
Originally written by Hack'n on 7/30/2007 10:21 AM
The solo bike doesn't appear to be a Pan.
Lonnie
Ok, what do you see in the picture? Your pespective. I'm not a Harley expert.
Thank you,
Dave
I like the prop driven sidecar body. There is a way to adjust the toe in that I hadn't thought of. Increase the prop RPM's
I see a pre 65 EL/FL Pan with a twin disc narrowglide front end, Bates type headlight, dragbars, GMA rear brake, with a very solid mounted sidecar chassis of unknown origin.
The background sled looks to be a conglomerate, magneto fired Pan/Shovel with an S&S carb and a modified early Sporty FE with mechanical brakes.
Lonnie
Originally written by Hack'n on 7/30/2007 4:16 PM
The background sled looks to be a conglomerate, magneto fired Pan/Shovel with an S&S carb and a modified early Sporty FE with mechanical brakes.
Lonnie
Do you know what I see?
(Listen to this while reading)
Part 1
Part 2
It's 1969 again, Hwy 1 in Pacifica, ocean air, cool breaze, I see a ghost of a dirty long hair hippie flower child type guy that knows everything about life after only taking 2 general ed courses at college and worried about his low draft number sitting on this Pan, oily, noisy, up swept fish tail pipes singing that all too familure tune, Cushman like with the exposed primary chain singing, occasional oil drip on the hot exhaust pipe gives that "yea, I'm leaking oil, so what of it attitude look" at a stop light as he rakes his hair with his dirty oil impregnated, been working on his bike all night hands, from his gosh the sun is way too bright today eyes. Then from out of no-where, a real Bummer, his heart sinks, a shaking blured vision of "THE MAN" in that vibrating chrome thing he call's a mirrior, some perfect cop pulls up next to him checks him out with that "I'm better than you, why aren't you in the military look", we all know that look(remember this is about 1969, anywhere USA), This Super Cop sitting there looking at him with that "look", that, "look at what I got look", and "you don't got" look, all the while this cop is sitting on a brand new Harley Daidson Super Police Bike Special, with that new, ultra modern Shovelhead motor. But in the back of his mind, he wonder's if he could out run him, or, "Wow", if only he had one of those new engines, he sure could show his bro's, no more bro's making fun of his oil burning, tappet rattling, oil slinging, chain throwing, hard starting, chatter box. Remember the good old days?
Later that day, he's paging thru a latest and greatest biker publication or accessory cataloge, and "whoooo" there it is, the lasted and greatest Pan Head accesory, a fake cone style cover, he thinks to himself "wow", for $49 plus shipping, he can buy this case cover to give the illusion of having one of those super modern go fast Shovelhead engines, or at least have the bottom end look! (How rare is that cover today?) He must have had enough bread for it laying around. Notice all the other go fast goodies, we all know the drill.
Then I reflected, I had done the very same thing, it's just 20-30 years later, you know what? "It's the same old pooh-pooh, just a different day". "I wanna do it again"
That’s what I saw, it was a very rush photo shoot, 10 min…
Dave
I've got some of my old Pan pix too but they were scanned of prints and won't show up well downsized.
I kinda liked it's replacement here better. No kicks needed and reverse too. Lots of fun with the Spyder attached.
And the gas mileage in High blow?.............
With the wind in your beard and the ponytail flapping..........Who cares!
Lonnie
As I walk around, I get another perspective of this bike and it's now deceased former owner. I get a better idea and vision of who this guy that owed this skoot really was. Myself having an Aircraft backround, most lighter than air vehicles have back up systems (your second chance). That fake cone cover isin't really fake, there is an ignition system stuffed in there also (notice coils on left side). Yea, that's it, a Mag for the right side plugs, and another seperate points/coil type sytem for the left plugs, seprate systems for split timing, very clever, whom ever owned this skoot was one of those clever guys I'll never really get to know. I'm getting a idea though the clues he is leaving behind.
The stories this bike could tell, still sporting the old style tire, juice brake, and black and yellow California license plate.
Dave
Hotrodding has moved cars and bikes up to where they are today.
The home garage racers and innovators of yore are a lot of the guys who paved the way for today's off the shelf accessories and on the floor machines.
Several people I used to race against in the 50's, who stuck with hotrodding are now manufacturers in their own right.
Dave,
You seem to be quite knowledgeable re: diesels.
Question: Besides the sweet smell is there much difference mileage wise between burning McDonald's french fry fat, so called "Biodiesel" (the 90% diesel and 10% something else stuff) and pure #2 diesel?
I know that like bunker fuel the fat has a tendency to congeal unless heated.
Any numbers been worked up on this yet?
Lonnie
Hey Lonnie,
What make/year is the hack in the backround of your roadking pix?
This reminds me of something. I saw an interesting rig at a Pheonix Indian dealership last year. It was an old Harley with a "flatbed" sidecar frame attached. And strapped into that frame was another Harley. Both were quite old and in need of restoration. My understanding was the early dealerships used these rigs to pick-up and deliver bikes for their customers.
Roy
My old sidecar was obtained from a client who wanted me to restore it so he could install it on a 1924 Harley. It had two trees growing up through it and was too far gone from rust so I swapped some H-D parts for it and used it for the shop Mascot. It's the only sidecar here that's not for sale.
The car has all the trappings of a Harley car but has no door. The chassis mounts springs and adjustable axle and fender all look Harley. It had been last installed on an Indian and the Indian logo was still visible when I got it and they had jerry rigged a fender skirt held on with brass screws.
I put a coat of paint on it for the new shop driveway entry and added a Prickly Pear cactus to keep people out of it.
Lonnie
Some of the early racers rigs used a chassis sidecar with a rail, dropdown ramp and toolbox to haul their competition bikes to events.
lonnie
