Think that chain adjustments per miles driven is part of "routine" maintenance and has zero to do with reliability (unless you do not take the time to check the slack and it comes off)...just like oil changes IMO. And yes somewhere around Colorado I will spend a few hours at the end of the day or beofre the start of the next day's ride checking fasteners to ensure stuff doesn't go bouncing down the road. Again if you do not check then reliability kicks your butt because things will come off. IMO routine maintenance ensures this will not happen.

And yet sometimes even 'routine' maintenance may not work. Two years ago a buddy and I are riding through Spearfish Canyon and the left passing light bar on my shovel comes loose. Stop, duct tape and wire it, get back to our hotel and insepct it. The weld broke. Used a drill and screwed it together. Was gonna change it out when I got back to Kali but decided to leave it because it gives it character. I would assume that is your idea of 'unreliable' compared to your Twinkie? IMO opinion it just means sometimes $hit happens. Things like that may not be common or as common for newer iron but they still do happen.

You are right though, there is no comparison between modern-day iron and pans because it like trying to compare apples to oranges. Two different eras. You think they are crap; I think they are an absolutely marvelous piece of machinery and one of the best looking bikes HD has ever built. It is probably why I own two, my 65FLH and my 49EL. Fortunately there are many like me who still enjoy them; you obviously did not and do not.

As far as vehicles I prefer Chevys over Fords and yes I think my 55 Chevy is way better than a new one.

 

Just relating my many years of experience riding these bikes. And years of repairing them as well. Like almost all posters, I'll relate my opinions without the insults to do so.

 

Apologies to you sir.

 

Buddy of mine had a '65 Pan. The only time it would "break" is when he abused it. Burnouts at stoplights etc. Other than that it was pretty reliable. At the time I had a 74 cube AMC Shovel Low Rider that was damn reliable too. The Pan was rebuilt each winter, my shovel was not.

You had to know your bike then. When ever my tach would start dancing around I knew I had to tighten up the battery cables. (negative) BTW I tried everything on that battery. But every few hundred miles you had to tighten it up.

You never did anything on the bikes then without using a good size shot of lock-tite to hold it in place. You always had a good tool kit with six sided sockets.

Now I ride a 96" twinkie. My only tools are the H-D multi tool that came with the bike, a tire plug kit and an unopened tube of lock-tite. The lock-tite is to remind me how freak'in old I am.

I'm up to 22,000 miles in two years on the TC and only change the oil and pour in gas. That's pretty nice. However, I would give my left nut for a '49 Panhead. But I would only take it for day rides.

 

Pan heads look great. They are so pricey these days, it is hard for a younger guy to get in the door.

 

Well, since you want to get into a semantics battle, we can do that. I'll stoop down. Since you see no relationship between what you refer to as routine maintainence and reliability, I'll change my verbage to make myself clear. The evo and the twin cam require less "routine maintainence" to remain running than any pan ever did or will. Since you obviously enjoy working on your bike way more than I do, I think I'll stick with my twin cam Roadking Classic. I like to ride more than I like working on it and as I said before, I can ride all day for several days, even weeks, without touching a wrench. You can't, but apparently you enjoy that. I like knowing that I can simply get on it, start it and ride without having to check to see what is about to fall off of it. That's what I call reliability. You seem to believe that reliability is working on it on a regular basis to keep it running. More power to ya. I seriously doubt you have original anything as far as your drive train goes in that truck of yours unless you really do think that a 235 ci 112 hp motor is better than what's in a newer truck. Wouldn't that be like putting a twin cam in a Duo Glide frame?

 

The first Harley I ever owned was a '64 Panhead (Duo-Glide). I bought in in '72 for $700.00. I would say it was about as "dependable" as most of the other bikes that were on the road in the early '60s. A long trip was an "iffy" thing on most of 'em in those days.

 

DAMN nice truck panz4ever!! I will be riding my pan this weekend forshore "cause the chicks dig it" . I dont even have to get them drunk.

 

I want that truck dude, will you sell it?

 

I had a 1942 "45" Flat Head back in the 50's and I guess they did not have enough power to loosen stuff up. I don't remember ever having to tighten up anything except for the hub bolts coming out of the rear wheel once. I had some older friends that rode hundreds of miles on Knuckles and Flat Heads without trouble, but they did keep them up in good shape.

Back in 84 my wife and I just pulled into a motel in Phoenix and an 84 year old gentleman rolled in on a Shovel from somewhere in Texas. He said he had a friend riding with him on a Goldwing, but his oil pump went bad and he had to stop and get her fixed. The old Shovel made it just fine and he was headed for California.