’65 Pan Project

[sidecarmike]

I recently acquired project bike. It is a 1965 Harley-Davidson FLH with a stretched frame. The 3-inch stretch, the 36° rake, and the 6-inch over stock fork tubes made the handling of the motorcycle absolutely terrible. I did not measure the trail but I estimated it to be about 12 inches. The front wheel just wanted to flop from side to side. It was a chore to keep it going in a straight line. You would take your life in your hands if you let go of the handlebars for just a second.

I disassembled the bike down to the bare frame. The stretch job and welding were of very poor quality. The tops of the downtubes where they attach to the steering neck were both cracked. The vertical tube where the seatpost goes was broken too. I decided not to fix this frame. Instead I bought a Santee swingarm frame. It was the very last Santee frame that Custom Chrome had in stock.

So far, moving parts to this new frame has not been easy. The welded-on tabs on the frame do not fit the stock oil tank. The places where the battery tray are supposed to be attached are not in the same place. The support under the battery tray is not in the right place. The location of the main vertical tube where the seatpost goes seems to be about ½-inch farther back than the stock frame limiting the clutch arm.

I think I'll be spending some time at the welder's shop just to make this Santee frame work for me.

[58flh]

THIS is Typicall of trying to marry OEM parts to Aftermarket!. Take your time Youll get it!--I put a shovel in a Santee frame!, but it was a Rigid frame & still there were a few things that needed cutting & rewelding!---Richie

[blewcrab]

welcome to my world !

[VPH-D]

When using an aftermarket part as important as the frame, expect little to "lineup". That's just part of the game.
VPH-D

[oleblu72]

What the heck are these idiots using as guide when they weld on these mounting brackets a Japanese bike? I would think if you drop that much money on something you have a right to get what is advertised. But I know you would be barking at the moon to expect that any aftermarket part would actually fit.

Mark

[Limey_Dave]

With any aftermarket frame from a "catalogue company",before I bothered with tabs,I'd get it on a frame table and check it was straight.
Was the new frame much cheaper than having the original repaired?

[Bosheff]

Santee manufactures frames for a number of aftermarket companies and has done so for many many years. In the 70's and 80's their frames were some of the best in the business. Having used more than just a few of their frames over the years, I'm sorry to hear the quality has slipped to that of imported junk....bosheff

[sidecarmike]

Thank you for your replies and encouragement on this project.

I have been acquainted with the previous owner of the ’65 Pan for a number of years. He told me that the original frame had been in the frame shop two times to be modified. Both times the frame was cut and bent. After he got the frame the way he wanted it, the finished frame was stress relieved by bolting it into a jig and then heating the entire frame until it was glowing cherry red.

I have been told by other frame specialists that stress relieving is a good idea but it cannot or should not be done too many times as it may cause failures in the form of cracks and breakage later on. Because of the cracks I have already found and this warning about multiple stress relieving I decided not to fix the original frame.

The Santee frame that I have is designed to accommodate HD engines from flatheads to Evos. Because of this, the front part of the frame where the engine goes is slightly wider than stock and the rear part where the transmission, battery, starter motor, oil tank goes is slightly more narrow than stock. This is the reason I’m running into issues with fitment.

I’ve just got to keep telling myself, like others have noted here, that this is normal when starting with an aftermarket frame. It is a retirement project and I have all the time in the world to make it work correctly.