1966 Harley Davidson Shovelhead
A long time ago my local Yamaha dealer opened up a Harley dealership on the same property. Eventually they dropped Yamaha because Harley Davidson was more profitable. Duh. And this was in the AMF years!!, go figure. Anyway, In the Harley shop one of the t-shirts they sold said “God rides a Harley”, in the Yamaha shop they were selling a shirt that said “If God rides a Harley, God rides slow”. It was funny and even the Harley guys got a kick out of it.
There are times that riding a cool old motorcycle goin’ slow is way cooler than riding a sport bike at warp speed. And, actually more fun. Take in the scenery, the vibe of the motor and simply not caring where you’re going or how fast. To paraphrase Billy Crystal on SNL, “It’s not how you feel…it’s how you look”
I found a very cool ’66 Shovelhead on ebay this morning that, well, would be just perfect for the casual Sunday morning breakfast ride…1 Bloddy Mary limit!
A little history on the Shovelhead, it’s the valve cover. Looks like a coal shovel turned upside down. ’66 was the first year for the model. Yes, it did have a few mods, mainly The Power Pac (new Heads) which added about 10HP, but basically still the good old Panhead motor, so because of the new heads needed a new rocker box…the Shovelhead. There is a lot of good history regarding this model, it lasted until into the mid 1980’s when the EVO motor showed up.
The bike I found today started life as a ’66 but now is far from it. Often I find classic motorcycles that have been modified and with really no benefit, but this is the exception! Electrics have been upgraded, brakes, suspension…good stuff. But, the buyer is going to have to do a bit of work to bring it back to being a runner, not much work but some. It will be worth it. This motorcycle has a very high ‘cool factor’. Flat black engine, flat Army green bodywork, tractor saddle…but with modern brakes and electrics. I love it!
This is a bike that when you show up at your local Sunday breakfast stop, nobody will not notice it and better than that, you’ll have a great time riding there. Slow.
click on the pics below for a lot more info (and there is a lot)and more pictures.
1966 Harley Davidson Shovelhead