By the late 1940s the ‘Knucklehead’ - Harley-Davidson’s first overhead-valve twin-cylinder roadster - was beginning to show its age, prompting the Milwaukee firm to engage in a wholesale revision of the engine for 1948, the new top end giving rise to the unofficial nickname ‘Panhead’. While the engine’s bottom end remained fundamentally unchanged, the top end gained aluminum cylinder heads and those distinctive pan-shaped rocker covers. Oil lines were internalized and hydraulic valve lifters adopted, an innovation that greatly reduced tappet noise and simplified maintenance. Maximum power went up to 50bhp in the 74cu in FL model, but the main advantage of the many improvements was greater reliability. This example of the first-year Panhead is the last restored motorcycle to be offered for sale from the estate of the late Gary Dennis Fischer (1952-2001). Renowned restorer, Gary’s first love was Harley-Davidsons, starting in the late 1960s/early 1970s with his first bike: a Shovelhead chopper in the ‘Kustom Kulture’ style of the era. Later he restored other bikes including a BMW R90, a Velocette Thruxton, and a 1950s Norton Manx for Vintage road racing. This Harley was found by Dan Brucker and later went from Santa Paula to Gary’s garage just down the road in Fillmore, where Gary restored it in the late 1990s. The engine was rebuilt by the late Paul Campos and the transmission by Eric Hannah of West Coast Cycles in Ventura, CA. Gary, however, undertook the rest of the restoration, paintwork, etc, himself. The machine incorporates as many original parts as could be found and is as close to original specification as can be, including the mounts for a sidecar. It is a beautiful combination of art and function, a wonderful piece of motorcycling history, and part of the legacy of a distinguished restorer and enthusiast. The machine is offered with Certificate of Title and DMV documentation.
By the late 1940s the ‘Knucklehead’ - Harley-Davidson’s first overhead-valve twin-cylinder roadster - was beginning to show its age, prompting the Milwaukee firm to engage in a wholesale revision of the engine for 1948, the new top end giving rise to the unofficial nickname ‘Panhead’. While the engine’s bottom end remained fundamentally unchanged, the top end gained aluminum cylinder heads and those distinctive pan-shaped rocker covers. Oil lines were internalized and hydraulic valve lifters adopted, an innovation that greatly reduced tappet noise and simplified maintenance. Maximum power went up to 50bhp in the 74cu in FL model, but the main advantage of the many improvements was greater reliability. This example of the first-year Panhead is the last restored motorcycle to be offered for sale from the estate of the late Gary Dennis Fischer (1952-2001). Renowned restorer, Gary’s first love was Harley-Davidsons, starting in the late 1960s/early 1970s with his first bike: a Shovelhead chopper in the ‘Kustom Kulture’ style of the era. Later he restored other bikes including a BMW R90, a Velocette Thruxton, and a 1950s Norton Manx for Vintage road racing. This Harley was found by Dan Brucker and later went from Santa Paula to Gary’s garage just down the road in Fillmore, where Gary restored it in the late 1990s. The engine was rebuilt by the late Paul Campos and the transmission by Eric Hannah of West Coast Cycles in Ventura, CA. Gary, however, undertook the rest of the restoration, paintwork, etc, himself. The machine incorporates as many original parts as could be found and is as close to original specification as can be, including the mounts for a sidecar. It is a beautiful combination of art and function, a wonderful piece of motorcycling history, and part of the legacy of a distinguished restorer and enthusiast. The machine is offered with Certificate of Title and DMV documentation.
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