What do you know about Harley-Davidsons? If you are like me, brought up on a strict diet of British motorcycles, I would guess the answer would be ‘not a lot’…
To me, H-Ds conjure up the stereotype of tassels, big beards, leather waistcoats, back patches, cut off denims and generously built riders or, alternatively, bankers on brand new bikes. As I say though, these are stereotypes.
Other things Harleys suggest are thundering bikes going up the motorway, seemingly reliably and relaxed at motorway speeds, either ridden individually or in groups. To me they are the modern equivalent of many British bikes, with the aesthetic appeal and the noise they make, plus the fact many owners like to ride in packs, like the rockers I saw in the early 1960s.
So I know full well Harley-Davidsons don’t appeal to everyone. I, however, have always liked Electra Glides especially, with their split petrol tanks and what look like tractor seats or, alternatively, large ‘buddy’ seats.
There used to be two Harleys of this type seen occasionally around Parbold Hill in Lancashire in the 1970s when I lived there, and of course there was the inspirational 1967 Electra Glide featured in the 1968 Marianne Faithfull film The Girl on a Motorcycle. The Harley idea has always lurked in the shadows at the back of my mind.
Recently, I happened to see at our local VMCC autojumble a very smart late 1977 XLCH Sportster. I was smitten. But I thought to myself if I was going to get a Harley, why not get one with a larger capacity split petrol tank with a good fuel range rather than a Sportster.
I saw two 1200cc Electra Glides advertised that were recently imported from America, with appropriate documentation. I went to see the 1976 model at the dealer and took it for a ride around the trading estate and I was impressed by the amount of speed it produced on take-off and in the lower gears. It was not ‘fully dressed’ as they say, but it had a fair amount of Electra Glide goodies on it, with additional lights at the front, big indicators, rear seat pad and backrest, leather panniers, windscreen… and it was fast, given its 740lb weight. The other Electra Glide was at an importer’s, too far to go and see in a day but was far more my type of motorbike, no indicators or additional lights, backrest or panniers. More what I’m used to. It was a 1970 model. The video of it starting and running, ticking over and motoring
