Everyone that never had one gets all weepy over them and think they would love to have one. Those of us that owned one know just how lousy they were. Great for their day, but pure crap compared to todays bikes. I never went anywhere on mine without tools, points, plugs, master link, wire, and tape. I never went more than 50 miles from home without going over it with a wrench and tuning it before I left. If I took short rides through the week, I had to work on it on the weekend to keep it going. Whoever called theirs a money pit hit the nail square on the head. A 63 was my first and when I moved on to a shovel, it was just a small improvement over the pan. That beast needed almost as much attention as the pan did. It was more reliable than the pan, but not by much. Compared to the reliability of a evo and the twin cams, both the pan and the shovel were crap. There was no way in hell you can begin to ride either coast to coast without something breaking and it would most likely be more than one breakdown along the way. My twin cam went from Ohio to California and back without a single problem and to Florida and back without a problem. My pan or my shovel would have broken down (and did) numerous times on trips like that.

 

There is a strong market for pans right now. A original 65 in good shape can bring 25 to 30K.

 

No problem. Here is a nice one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-...#ht_1654wt_566

 

We had a quick conversation at a stop light. The guy definitely said '64. The fender said Electra Glide. Must have been a swapped fender. I gotta say, damn you guys know your bikes. Thanks for all the great history lessons!

 

I have a 64, keep in mind they are old and usually neglected. I totally restored it in the 90s and spent a summer going everywhere with no problems just like a new bike should be but over the years it is old again but it's a Harley you can rebuild it over and over. I have a new Fatboy I ride now but for special occasions the Pan turns heads.

 

Nope. And they leak always.

 

Bought mine in October of 1970 from an old strawberry farmer in Aromas CA. Was my sole source of M/C transportation until 2011 when I picked up my 84 FLH out of Michagan. The 65 took me on a lot of miles-after-miles trips and as far east as Kentucky.

You are full of $hit as far as reliability but are generally correct as far as "leaks". 1965 was the first year of the sealed primary rather than the constant loss primary chain oiler. Granted, it was an idea that was far from perfect, but I have to say my 65 leaves less of a spot than my 49.

You question reliability? Sorry but pans just take more 'routine maintenance' than modern bikes.

Not going to win any beauty contests, never been a trailer queen but I can say the 65 has has never let me down.

 

Wow...another "broke dick dog" talking through the "crack of his ***".

They were modern technology in their day. There is no comparison to them as far as "modern" bikes but it sure seems a lot of folks try to 'replicate' that nostalgia.

If you owned one and could not get more than 50 miles then you should have hired a wrench who knew what he was doing because you obviously did not!

Worst case scenario on my 65? Ran out of gas on Hwy 6 coming into Ely Nevada becuase I screwed up on the milage estimate and had no spare gas and had to push it for 2 miles.

2nd worst case sceanrio????????????????????????? Sorry but still waiting............

Granted I have not ridden coast-to-coast on my pan (nor have you on your Twinkie), but until recently I have never had a reason to do so. My neice recently moved to Florida so NOW there is definitely a reason to do so.

 

panz4ever is my idol. I have owned my 1964 DuoGlide since 1974. Granted it cannot hold a candle to my 2007 Ultra for cross country riding. But. Back in 1964 it was state of the art. Respect history. By the way. Them old bikes are worth a little pocket money.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-...ht_1889wt_1048

 

You need to learn how to read. I said I went over it with a wrench if I was going more than 50 miles. I never said I couldn't go that far, but if I did without going over it prior to leaving, something was coming coming off, breaking, or causing me problems. They are NOT RELIABLE. Pack your bags and if you're west of the Mississippi, go ahead and make that trip to Fla and let us know how far you get without having to wrench on it. That chain going that far without needing adjusting? You also seemed to skip over the part where I said they were great for their day, which they were. They were at least as reliable as any other bike of the time, but compared to todays bikes, they were and are crap. You probably think a 63 Ford is a better car than a new one to. Nobody is trying to replicate a pan motor. They may try to replicate the look, but the mechanics are totally antiquated.