1964 Harley-Davidson Duo-Glide

Temps were in the mid 60's today, so I pulled my Panhead out for an afternoon ride.  I own a 1964 Duo-Glide, which is the last year of the kick only Harley-Davidson big twin and the year before the last model year for the panhead engine.  It has a few interesting features that are worth noting.  The name Duo-Glide denotes that it has rear suspension in the form of a swingarm and shocks.  The first Duo-Glide was built in 1958, up until that point, Harley used "hardtail" frames which did not have any rear suspension.  Also, the 1961 - 1964 Duo-Glides use a dual point ignition system, with one set of points operating each cylinder and powered by its own coil.  The timing is also manual, so the left hand grip is used to "advance" the timing. Both  brakes are drum type, with the front brake being cable operated and the rear hydraulic.  The FLH series engine puts out around 55 horsepower, allowing a top speed of 100 mph.

The starting procedure is where you'll notice the biggest difference between the Duo-Glide and a modern electric start motorcycle.  First you retard the timing, choke the carb and roll the throttle wide open.  Then you give it two "prime" kicks, with the ignition off.  Next you turn on the ignition, unchoke the carb and close the throttle.  Now it is ready to start with just one more kick.  If it doesn't start, then you go through the steps all over again.  Once you get it started, it rides basically the same as any modern cruiser-style motorcycle, just a bit slower...