I am contemplating buying my very first ever, antique motorcycle, a Harley Davidson 57 FLH, apparently it's been fully restored that which took two years to replicate.
My point at issue is this... being I have never owned an 'antique' motorcycle before, From Actual Experience, if bought, what can I expect on its unknown dependability, ride comfort, chance of breakdowns and proposed scarcity for original HD parts?
Lastly, how do you gauge its actual worth against the sellers asking price?
I only ride and own older iron (by choice). My oldest is a 1949 EL (rebuilt from a basket case); my newest is an 84 FLH, original san 32 amp charging system).
I will tell you that the term "restoration" is one of the most overused & inappropriately applied words when it comes to older iron. There is no way to judge a Panhead's value without seeing it close up and/or in person. Lots of folks "claim" to have restored a Pan but in fact it is nothing but cheap Chineze aftermarket parts (which reduces the value considerably). Then there are those who use the glitter and glamour of chrome as a selling point when in fact the factory did not chrome the parts mentioned (but they still cling to the word "restoration). There is also the consideration of finsih for things like nuts and bolts...chromed versus cad plated or parkerized.
There is a gentleman by the name of Bruce Palmer who, in may circles, is considered the godfather of how to retore your Harley Davidosn motorcycle. He recently completed a 3rd prinitng of his book. It is the best 2-volume set on the market today. His works discuss each model years from 1936-1965 and includes just about eveything you could inquire about the year in question.
Wished I lived on the east coast. I would go with you, free of charge, in order to provide an honest assesment. And to be fair, I am not a professional, but merely a garage mechanic who has been wrenching and riding older iron since 1963.
If you make the trip, be sure to take a lot of detailed pics. Do not commit to any sale until you have an outside opinion (avoids buyers remorse).
And to be clear, properly mainatined, a Panhead does just fine as far as getting you down the road without problems. Yes service intervals are more frequent, yes fasteners and such need to be checked more often, and yes on a 57 model it is a constant oil loss (which means you have to add oil because there is no oil return on the primary).
I admit that drum/juice drum brakes do not fucnction as well as disc brakes. That said I have developed a habit of proper distancing while riding my 49 and my 65. It just takes more time and distance to stop so one rides accordingly.
That said the feeling you get while getting on down the road on a Pan or a Shovel....priceless.
I`ve owned a few, you need to understand the concept of "cruise & adjust" especially when it`s a low mile rebuild that has not had it`s quirks worked through.
The BIGGEST thing to remember is in the context of modern traffic THEY HAVE NO BRAKES !
Getting one is always good, but you should be familiar with some of the things before going in.
It depends on what kind of work has been done, but:
'63-'65 had better oiling. You can improve older ones.
Bearings are better than bushings.
It's already not original, so you don't have to feel too bad about making roadworthy improvements.
A buddy of mine put a disc brake on his '62...but he rides it daily, in modern traffic.
Nobody will see if you put electronic ignition in it.
Things like that.
I got a lot of good advice, and in the end, decided I really didn’t have the space, time, or experience I trying to keep an old bike running. I ended up buying a ‘21 XL1200X instead.
By any remotely modern standard, it will be slow, uncomfortable, handle like crap, have pathetic brakes, and break down continuously.
As far as appraising it goes, you need an expert. The difference between a restoration done right and one done wrong is enormous. You need one of those guys who can spot if parts and fasteners are correct at a glance. Unfortunately, there are guys out there who bolt together cosmetically passable bikes, ask top dollar as if they are correct, and then the buyer finds out later he's been had.
to keep her running right, for every hour you're on the road, plan on spending an hour in the garage. If that's not something you're comfortable with, either have deep pockets and a good mechanic (on old iron) or move along
parts are still available, NOS is harder and harder, but aftermarket and/or used rebuildable parts are all over the internet, Other than ****, searching the world for previous hard to find parts is the best part of the internet
As for value, it really is all over the place and subjective. Is it original, mostly original, loaded with repro parts, full custom or anywhere in between. A '57 Pan could be less than $10k or it could be $50K or more
I'd love an old pan, and I'm a decent wrench, but at this time in my life I would not be a good custodian of a quality "restored" pan.
When dealing with antiques and "collectibles" you have to ask yourself "what is this worth TO ME?"
True but there are almost none similar for sale right now of this model and of this exact age to use as a comparative selling point, I don't want to loose out but I'm also not going to pay way more than something is worth, the problem is I just don't know.
This is why it would help immensely to know what its actual book value is, something to use as a real foundation to work off of instead of working off the sellers asking price.
With me not having any idea of this fact, I don't want to insult the seller with an unintentionally low ball offer being naïve on my part -or- on the other side of that coin, paying thousands more than its really worth, relying on the sellers asking number being correct...
This is why it would help immensely to know what its actual book value is, .
There's no such thing.
How many equivalent bikes do you think were sold in the last year? I'd be surprised if it was more than a couple dozen. Just not enough to establish anything like an average market price.
Really no different than any collectibles auction. Sometimes the catalog estimate is right on. Sometimes they miss by a mile.
The way you've described this bike, IMHO the value is as much about the reputation of the builder than anything. Is he well known in the vintage world, or a first timer working out of his garage?
I go back to what I said before. You need to evaluate this for originality, correct (OEM or NOS) parts, of the correct year, as well as overall restoration quality. Buddy of mine is a Mopar expert. He can tell you if your 68 Charger has the factory-correct clamps on the upper radiator hose. You need that level of evaluation on this bike.
04-06-2021, 01:06 PM
What To Consider Before Buying A 57 FLH?
