panhead with black rims/ handlebars

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kehughes
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panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#1

Post by kehughes »

I really like black rims and handlebars. Were police models the only pans to have them?
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#2

Post by FlatHeadSix »

nope, anybody could order any model with black rims & black handlebars.
mike
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#3

Post by kehughes »

great! anyone have any good pictures of a nice original bike with that combo.
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#4

Post by RUBONE »

Stock Panheads with black trim other than Police would have been extremely rare. About the only bikes that may have been that way were commercial units, most likely pulling sidecars. Commercial users generally ordered the lowest level of finish to keep the price down. Virtually all bikes sold to the general public had as much chrome as possible. That is what sold and what dealers stocked. Every other finish would have been special order. Notice that sales forms state that every unit is shipped with at least the basic package.
Robbie
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#5

Post by FlatHeadSix »

yep, everything Robbie said is true, but, if you had your heart set on black bars and black rims the factory would have been happy to sell you a bike that way. One big exception was the little Harley lightweights, here is an order blank for the 1949 Model S 125cc, black was the standard color and black bars & rims were also standard on them. '49 was the first year you could get colors other than black, those bikes came with chrome bars.

Here's a pic of my '49 S at the AMCA National Meet in Fremont Nebraska last weekend, mine has black rims and chrome bars.

mike
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kehughes
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#6

Post by kehughes »

cool 125. I have a 51.

I just wanted to make sure I could build my '50 panhead with black rims, handlebars, and crash bars and still be correct. So this is great news to me. I know Palmer's says the base bike came with black but I never see one without chrome. I was hoping this was attributed to people either upgrading from the factory or chroming later when chrome got to be so big. Thanks for your replies.
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#7

Post by FlatHeadSix »

yep, here's the 1950 order form (compliments of Chris Haynes, thanks Chris!) The Utility Solo group had chrome NUTHIN!, and as Robbie said the Sport Solo and Deluxe Solo groups had chrome and MORE chrome.
mike

Image
Image
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#8

Post by kehughes »

Would the risers still have been chrome if you ordered black bars? Im thinking yes.

And yes, That orderform is cool. would love to find one of those one day. saved that file.
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#9

Post by George Greer »

FlatHeadSix wrote:yep, here's the 1950 order form (compliments of Chris Haynes, thanks Chris!) The Utility Solo group had chrome NUTHIN!, and as Robbie said the Sport Solo and Deluxe Solo groups had chrome and MORE chrome.
mike

Mike,

Do you know if one of those ordering forms are available for a 58FL?

That is what my project is, and I though that a 58 odering form would be neat to have.

George
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#10

Post by RUBONE »

George,
The forms exist for every year. They are also hard to find. Chris Haynes has them on his website. You can see them all there.
Robbie
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#11

Post by 1950EL »

Here's a pic of my '50EL w/ black rims and crash bars. Handle bars and risers are chrome.
Mike

Image
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#12

Post by Cotten »

1950EL!

How did you get the manifold nipple bolts to seal!

....Cotten
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#13

Post by 1950EL »

Tom
If I remember correctly I just used blue loctite liberally.
Mike
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#14

Post by VPH-D »

The dealer I worked for ordered no stripper models at all. There wasn't enough
profit in them. I'd imagine the scenario was the same in the early 50s.
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Re: panhead with black rims/ handlebars

#15

Post by Cotten »

1950EL!

(First let me apologize for missing your phonecall to my shop, but a hearing impairment makes telephones quite difficult for me. This great forum is always the best place to ask questions.)

The problem with ordinary Loctites, ('blue', 'red' or 'green',.. I have never tested 'white') is that modern fuels eat through them quickly, even when seasoned.

Let us hope the assemblies somehow sealed all by themselves;
The MOCO discontinued them soon for some reason.
Did you bubble-test?

For those un-familiar, here's a set of my own that I boogered eons ago, and I shall probably be forced to completely re-do them.
(Unless they pass the bubble-test.... then its a matter of whether or not reproducing the original '49 rivet "upset" comes within my grasp.[/size]
NPLBOLTS.jpg
Please start a new topic with any questions that arise, as it makes the topic much easier for us all to find in the future.

Your machine is delightful!

....Cotten
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