Rustic 1955 Panhead Fires Right Up After 8 Years of Neglect
Matt Walksler of the Wheels Through Time Museum revives a 70 year-old time-capsule, complete with sidecar
Recently, Matt Walksler, who runs the YouTube channel Wheels Through Time, shared a new toy with his army of fans. The bike in question is a red 1955 Harley-Davidson FL Panhead, complete with a matching 1955 sidecar. But after years of disuse, can he get it running with some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease?
The vintage Panhead was purchased out of New York after the previous owner, the seller’s father, passed away. Amazingly, the heavily accessorized bike only traveled 18,000 original miles during its almost 70 year history. Although the sidecar and scooter are the same vintage, they weren’t originally paired together. The presence of a kickstand bracket and other incriminating evidence make that clear.
This classic rig was last roadworthy in 2016
It’s estimated that the Panhead hadn’t run in approximately eight years, based on a 2016 registration sticker. Per Walksler, the engine does appear to be original. That’s because six bolts secure the namesake cooking pan rocker covers rather than the usual 12. That’s a one-year-only engineering feature, perhaps because of resultant oil leaks.
Since the vintage hack has no less than 16 auxiliary lights mounted, the condition of the electrical wiring was a concern. Fortunately, no electrical gremlins surfaced, but a bigger challenge was the lack of a key to turn on the ignition switch. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Walksler’s buddy Kris Estep stepped up to pick the ignition lock using his amateur locksmithing skills.
Enter a second project to kill time
During the extended time that Estep was displaying his lock-picking skills, or lack thereof, Walksler gave us a sneak peek at a future project. This one is a 1914 Harley-Davidson Twin with a two-speed transmission. According to our intrepid hero, 1914 was the first year for multiple forward speeds, but the only year for just two-speeds before moving on to three (or more) speeds in 1915-onward.
Matt learned about wrenching on vintage vehicles from his father Dale Walksler, who founded the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, that Matt now runs. Therefore, it’s only fitting that Matt’s eight year-old daughter Evelyn was helping do some initial reassembly of the 1914 Two-Speed Twin.
While it’s exciting to see what the finished product will look like, there’s clearly a lot more work ahead to get the 110 year old machine up and running. Pleasant distractions aside, it was time to get back to the main event: starting or perhaps even riding the red 1955 Panhead.
The sidecar is perfect for Matt’s two daughters
Upon returning to the ’55, the recalcitrant ignition switch still wasn’t defeated. But as luck would have it, a set of keys turned up in a leather pouch mounted to the windshield. With keys in hand, starting the long-dormant Panhead was just a matter of draining some old fuel for fresh gas and installing new ignition points. After that, the bike fired right up — a true testament to the durability of the nearly 80 year-old design.
In fact, the vintage hack ran well enough to embolden Walksler to take a short test ride on city streets. The next step is some cosmetic reconditioning and getting several extra boxes of accessories and stock parts sorted. After all, this rig has to look sharp as a new going-to-town rig for Walksler and his two daughters. Fittingly, the prior owner’s daughter reminisces about getting picked up at school on the bike. Kudos to Matt Walksler and his team for keeping that tradition going.
Images: Wheels Through Time/YouTube