What a fantastic video! Creatively produced, well-filmed. I'm a fan of old Harley and Indian flatheads and this gave me the vicarious thrill of taking a ride with you and the guys. Love that flathead!
Beatiful engine sound, I´ve never listened before a flathead engine, they sound more relax. Although the music was fine I only watch motorcycle videos for the engine sound, so I skipped that part and went to the end for more engine sound. Thanks for posting.
mcflathead That is one of the very best vids I've seen. Perfect blend of music to bike sounds too. Nice job and great bike. Interesting to see an old guy who still fails to wear proper footwear and gloves. After my first acute case of roadrash I started dressing appropriately. Anyway thanks and keep it up.
Loved all the different camera angles while in motion, bro! Really made me feel like I was back on my own flatty hawg. Had a 45 WL for most of my life, and rode it everywhere, even through my college years at the University of Georgia in 1982. Yes, it was slow, but nothing looks and feels as cool as those old "Flatties". I cut my shifter and moved it to the right side, and then just ran a cable to the clutch on the left handlebar, and had the best of both worlds. A hand shift with a hand clutch. It worked perfectly. Mine had the "deep finned" aluminum heads too, and they looked awesome! No other Harleys can match the look of those beautiful aluminum flatheads! I wish someone would take Panhead valve covers, and add "fins" so it would appear to be a big flathead motor. They'd sell like hotcakes I bet!!!
Thanks! The shifting is certainly a different experience. Looks cool, but decidedly slower than with a foot shift. Primitive really. I guess that the only advantage would be that if you ever get so cold that you become hypothermic, and you can barely operate your fingers (say riding all night at freezing temps...been there), you can still muster enough motion out of the big muscles of your arm and leg to operate the shifter stick and clutch pedal.
Phantastic, our german friend Sigi owned a BT Flathead in the 1980s, long ago, was sold back then for about 10,000,- german Marks- Only the the 1937 frame was used back then, for a Chopper-Project, what a mistake!
@MultiDimo Thank you very much sir. By the way ... I really like your 1930 BSA v-twin. I tried to buy one of these 20 years ago, but it ended up going to the USA. I think it was a 1933. I always liked the looks of them. Pretty bike. Post more videos when you get it on the road.
Steady-cam mounts! Wow! I fried my GoPro last year by mounting it rigidly to the bars for a 2000 mile trip. The sound went first, then it would no longer charge. Love the old VL's. I had a '33 that I rode everywhere. It had '36 9-bolt barrels and aluminum heads. Rode it slow at 55 mph and got 125 miles to a quart of oil ( about half of what my UL gets). I should have kept it... but then again the UL is such a better machine in every way. A practical antique. Looking forward to the video!
+Rat Bike Thanks! I've had six or seven fatties myself, although I really only ever rode two any distance... an old 33 VLD that I had in the '80's and my current U model. I built a slew of WL's over the years but that was mainly just for some income. Too bad I couldn't hang on to them, now that they can fetch $15000 or more. Oh well...
We grew up with old Art Deco design everywhere... from rocket fins and hood ornaments to the kitchen stove and the Chrysler Building. I never got used to zig-zaggy sharp angled Star Wars design, although I'm sure the bikes work flawlessly.
Yup... just a nice thing to have. To look down at 75 mph and see that its only revving 3200... sweet! (You can hang a lot of gear off the big flatheads)
Wow McFlathead, Wow. Great video work. Im guessing you have multi cameras. Great edit, music sets the tone and bikes are always the best subject. Kudos to you mate all the way from downunder
And by the way brother, nice video, really well done, I especially enjoy the view transitions. I've got a partner who's getting several new GoPro cameras & he's going to give me his old ones--They're only a year & a half old, and all of them have steady-cam mounts so they're really stable under rough road conditions. He's got a 1935 VLD & in about two weeks we're making a ride out to Texas to visit friends & family. We're going to film the whole ride from start to finish, then post them here..
Continued...So that when the brake is engaged by either the hand lever or the foot brake, then all three brakes (front, rear, sidehack) will get an even pressure & the bike won't slew to any one direction. I've done a braking system for a customer who lost both legs to an IED in Iraq, so I modified his 68 Shovel to run as a trike & went to hand controls using that Chevy Nova proportioning valve & it works great. The foot brake & master cylinder still function, but they're tied into the valve too
Neat idea using the proportioning valve! Does a bike with a FLXI have to be held up when the bike is at rest? If so, I recommend using a hydraulic clutch lever to operate the front disc. By putting the hand lever on the left handlebar, you alleviate the problem of rolling backwards when starting up a hill in traffic.
@mcflathead Thanks! The BSA is a combination, but the sidecar was dismounted when the video was taken. I bought the bike in February last year after almost 21 years of chasing and convincing the owners to sell. The gentleman starting it on the video is now restoring it and is likely to have it completed by June this year. I will certainly post videos of it once it is ready.
It is indeed a '58 to '62 style hydraulic backing plate on a mechanical drum. I don't remember the details too well... it's been 15 years since I built the bike. I sort of remember modifying the axle sleeve and grinding the locating tab on the outside of the backing plate to fit the rigid frame slot. Nothing too serious. The pedal and mount is the standard rigid frame type with bracketry welded on to mount a 3/4" Girling master cylinder.
Back between 1969 to 1973 I rode a 1942 U model flathead with 3-speed and reverse. The only thing that I don't want to relive is the day my throttle cable caught on something and revved the engine. I couldn't grab the clutch because my foot was on the ground and it was a suicide clutch. It would have made a good video if we had such a thing in those days
@ironcast Thanks. The filming took a total of about two hours. The editing probably took eight. As for the bikes, the old looking red one is a custom sportster made to look like a teens motorcycle (the Copperhead... see video on my channel), the yellow one is a Norton (Commando, I believe), then there's a Triumph chopper and an evo sportster
Really excellent video. It just might be my favorite bike riding video on youtube. It had to take you quite a bit of time to make the vid. I really like the different camera angles and love the bike. I would love to have a vintage Harley like yours. What bikes are your friends riding?
Thanks! Actually, other than the opening kickstart sequence, it was all done with a first generation GoPro Hero. Clamp it to the handlebars... ride for a while, clamp it to the frame... ride for a while, etc. Then lots and lots of editing. Thanks again from up over. Hey, that kind of has a ring to it :)
Is that a juice front brake you've got on that UL brother, and if so, how did you set it up ? I'm trying to figure out what kind of backing plate you used--perhaps the backing plate from a 58 Pan ? I wish there was a good shot of it in your video as I'd like to do something along those lines with my 46 ULH. As mine has a 1930 FLXI sidecar I've been thinking along the lines of putting a juice brake setup & using the brake proportioning valve from a Nova...Continued
Nope, no issues, I just lean it to the left like always & drop the jiffy stand. But we have mounted some springs to the linkage to make it a tad more stable. I'm editing fottage from the trip right now & should have the first video from the trip uploaded by the end of this week. As usual, everyone said we'd have problems, the only problem was a fouled rear plug on the VLD & it only happened once. I think it was some crappy fuel we got in Bisbee, AZ.
Well the obvious things are the float height or a leaky needle/seat. A few years back I put in a brand new out-of-the-package brass float, and although it ran good at first the bike slowly started running richer and richer until it was finally running on only one cylinder. So I took it apart again and here the float was half full of gasoline. So I put back the old "unreliable" cork float...
mcflathead Great video,watched it several times,whilst building my WLC,Just after some advice though,i have the same problem as you did,were as the bike runs richer and richer until it too only runs on one cylinder,black plugs and stuff,i have fitted a new cork float,still the same,you mentioned a leaky needle valve ? If you get a chance to explain would be most grateful,Russ,U,K,
Russell Blampied It sure sounds like your float bowl is flooding. Could just be that the float level is too high... be sure to check that agains't spec. Could also be that the float is hanging up on the inside of the bowl... make sure it is centred properly (common problem with cork floats... they have to be "just so", ie. perfectly centred) Or if the needle and seat are old they could be worn out (or just dirty). Anything that prevents the needle from positively registering into the seat and stopping the fuel flow will allow fuel to well up into the venturi (unless you have enough engine rpm to use up the greater than desired fuel flow ie. w.o.t.). The brass floats are usually pretty good. I just got a bad one. If you shook it you could hear the gas sloshing around inside of it. Good luck! Stay flat-ulent!
mcflathead Thank for help,Just spotted the slow speed needle seems way too short,when screwed right in it,s about 1/4 inch away from seating, ordered new one,hope that's the reason,,,?
Thanks! All the adjustments are pretty basic. If you have a mechanically stock bike, a reprint of the rider's manual spells everything out beautifully. These old bikes are supposed to run straight 50 or 60 wt oil in the engine and trans, but I have run 20-50 in the engine without issue and I normally run gear oil in the trans. The worst part is that if you ride a lot the bike gets dirty pretty fast... what with the hubs & linkages seeping grease and the engine, primary and trans seeping oil.
Actually they're wasps. Every fall they go on a foraging frenzy to prepare for winter. They flit back and forth in front of your face, trying to figure out if you're food or not. Enough to drive you crazy...
How about the front disc and rear hydraulic drum brakes? I was never much of a purist. The bike, as I bought it, had far too many reproduction and incorrect parts for me to treat it like a museum piece. And I'm not really into that anyway! So I did mods to make it nicer to ride and safer for modern traffic, while preserving as much of the vintage look as possible...
Freaking awesome camera work I absolutely love watching the springer work I used to watch mine while riding my 48 pan lol
What a fantastic video! Creatively produced, well-filmed. I'm a fan of old Harley and Indian flatheads and this gave me the vicarious thrill of taking a ride with you and the guys. Love that flathead!
Thanks! I had fun doing it. And the video becomes especially dear to me now that there's snow all over the ground...
Nice video - very professionally done. And what a marvellous bike that Flathead Harley of yours. Old design rules ... :-)
Niceee, This video cheered up my day in the middle of rainy winter day... still +3 months for riding season..
Beatiful engine sound, I´ve never listened before a flathead engine, they sound more relax. Although the music was fine I only watch motorcycle videos for the engine sound, so I skipped that part and went to the end for more engine sound. Thanks for posting.
Beautiful bike and an exceptionally well shot and edited video! Sincere congratulations on both.
mcflathead That is one of the very best vids I've seen. Perfect blend of music to bike sounds too. Nice job and great bike. Interesting to see an old guy who still fails to wear proper footwear and gloves. After my first acute case of roadrash I started dressing appropriately. Anyway thanks and keep it up.
Great video....the scenery makes me think it was taken in and around Winnipeg.
Well done sir! The more videos that I watch of springers on the road the more that I want to build a sled with a springer front end.
Loved all the different camera angles while in motion, bro! Really made me feel like I was back on my own flatty hawg. Had a 45 WL for most of my life, and rode it everywhere, even through my college years at the University of Georgia in 1982. Yes, it was slow, but nothing looks and feels as cool as those old "Flatties". I cut my shifter and moved it to the right side, and then just ran a cable to the clutch on the left handlebar, and had the best of both worlds. A hand shift with a hand clutch. It worked perfectly. Mine had the "deep finned" aluminum heads too, and they looked awesome! No other Harleys can match the look of those beautiful aluminum flatheads! I wish someone would take Panhead valve covers, and add "fins" so it would appear to be a big flathead motor. They'd sell like hotcakes I bet!!!
Thanks! The shifting is certainly a different experience. Looks cool, but decidedly slower than with a foot shift. Primitive really. I guess that the only advantage would be that if you ever get so cold that you become hypothermic, and you can barely operate your fingers (say riding all night at freezing temps...been there), you can still muster enough motion out of the big muscles of your arm and leg to operate the shifter stick and clutch pedal.
Have you tried the battery heated vests and gloves I've heard they work.
Phantastic, our german friend Sigi owned a BT Flathead in the 1980s, long ago, was sold back then for about 10,000,- german Marks-
Only the the 1937 frame was used back then, for a Chopper-Project, what a mistake!
@MultiDimo Thank you very much sir. By the way ... I really like your 1930 BSA v-twin. I tried to buy one of these 20 years ago, but it ended up going to the USA. I think it was a 1933. I always liked the looks of them. Pretty bike. Post more videos when you get it on the road.
Congratulations man!!!What a nice video!!!!!!!! I'm from Brazil and my dream is buy a Flathead, but it's too hard to find one. I will never give up!
Get an amazonis or whatever there called-thats pretty cool[and rare!]
Steady-cam mounts! Wow! I fried my GoPro last year by mounting it rigidly to the bars for a 2000 mile trip. The sound went first, then it would no longer charge. Love the old VL's. I had a '33 that I rode everywhere. It had '36 9-bolt barrels and aluminum heads. Rode it slow at 55 mph and got 125 miles to a quart of oil ( about half of what my UL gets). I should have kept it... but then again the UL is such a better machine in every way. A practical antique. Looking forward to the video!
Mcflathead. Thanks for the ride. Keep the dull shiny. Side up
Nice! Very cool ride. Thanks for sharing!
Kuel.....very nice...well done w/all different angles....effects...ect...I've owned a couple fatties over the years......GREAT VIDEO
+Rat Bike Thanks! I've had six or seven fatties myself, although I really only ever rode two any distance... an old 33 VLD that I had in the '80's and my current U model. I built a slew of WL's over the years but that was mainly just for some income. Too bad I couldn't hang on to them, now that they can fetch $15000 or more. Oh well...
We grew up with old Art Deco design everywhere... from rocket fins and hood ornaments to the kitchen stove and the Chrysler Building. I never got used to zig-zaggy sharp angled Star Wars design, although I'm sure the bikes work flawlessly.
Great video, stay young, KEEP KICKING THEM...
Whats not to like ! especially that speedo with the tac
Yup... just a nice thing to have. To look down at 75 mph and see that its only revving 3200... sweet! (You can hang a lot of gear off the big flatheads)
Wow McFlathead, Wow. Great video work. Im guessing you have multi cameras. Great edit, music sets the tone and bikes are always the best subject. Kudos to you mate all the way from downunder
And by the way brother, nice video, really well done, I especially enjoy the view transitions. I've got a partner who's getting several new GoPro cameras & he's going to give me his old ones--They're only a year & a half old, and all of them have steady-cam mounts so they're really stable under rough road conditions. He's got a 1935 VLD & in about two weeks we're making a ride out to Texas to visit friends & family. We're going to film the whole ride from start to finish, then post them here..
Cool bike & video!
Beautiful flatty! ride safe.
I've never seen a hand shifting HD before that's very cool.
l'm guessing he has put a ratchet top on that tranny..that is why he drops thr shifter back each time...it is sequential the old ones were not.
and that's why no shifter gate on the side of the tank it would interfere..
not stock but better driveability and easily changed back..good idea.
Continued...So that when the brake is engaged by either the hand lever or the foot brake, then all three brakes (front, rear, sidehack) will get an even pressure & the bike won't slew to any one direction. I've done a braking system for a customer who lost both legs to an IED in Iraq, so I modified his 68 Shovel to run as a trike & went to hand controls using that Chevy Nova proportioning valve & it works great. The foot brake & master cylinder still function, but they're tied into the valve too
great old bikes mine is a 38 U will be the first time riding it this summer
Good stuff! Mine is actually a " U " model too, even though I call it a UL. It's always an adventure when you put yourself out there on old machinery
Great video. I haven't ridden a suicide shift, must be a great experience.
Neat idea using the proportioning valve! Does a bike with a FLXI have to be held up when the bike is at rest? If so, I recommend using a hydraulic clutch lever to operate the front disc. By putting the hand lever on the left handlebar, you alleviate the problem of rolling backwards when starting up a hill in traffic.
Awesome video
@mcflathead Thanks! The BSA is a combination, but the sidecar was dismounted when the video was taken. I bought the bike in February last year after almost 21 years of chasing and convincing the owners to sell. The gentleman starting it on the video is now restoring it and is likely to have it completed by June this year. I will certainly post videos of it once it is ready.
HOLD ON THERE! You got a modern transmission in that flatty? No shift-gate. Well, it's still a Flathead.
It is indeed a '58 to '62 style hydraulic backing plate on a mechanical drum. I don't remember the details too well... it's been 15 years since I built the bike. I sort of remember modifying the axle sleeve and grinding the locating tab on the outside of the backing plate to fit the rigid frame slot. Nothing too serious. The pedal and mount is the standard rigid frame type with bracketry welded on to mount a 3/4" Girling master cylinder.
Back between 1969 to 1973 I rode a 1942 U model flathead with 3-speed and reverse. The only thing that I don't want to relive is the day my throttle cable caught on something and revved the engine. I couldn't grab the clutch because my foot was on the ground and it was a suicide clutch. It would have made a good video if we had such a thing in those days
Glad you enjoyed it. I think that in this case it would be "Keep the oilier side down".
@ironcast Thanks. The filming took a total of about two hours. The editing probably took eight. As for the bikes, the old looking red one is a custom sportster made to look like a teens motorcycle (the Copperhead... see video on my channel), the yellow one is a Norton (Commando, I believe), then there's a Triumph chopper and an evo sportster
cool vid in the wind !!!!
Really excellent video. It just might be my favorite bike riding video on youtube. It had to take you quite a bit of time to make the vid. I really like the different camera angles and love the bike. I would love to have a vintage Harley like yours. What bikes are your friends riding?
Winnipeg it is! N. Kildonan and up Henderson to Lockport and East Selkirk.
Fantastic!!
live to ride - ride to live !!!
How could anybody not like Flatheads?
Thanks! Actually, other than the opening kickstart sequence, it was all done with a first generation GoPro Hero. Clamp it to the handlebars... ride for a while, clamp it to the frame... ride for a while, etc. Then lots and lots of editing. Thanks again from up over. Hey, that kind of has a ring to it :)
Is that a juice front brake you've got on that UL brother, and if so, how did you set it up ? I'm trying to figure out what kind of backing plate you used--perhaps the backing plate from a 58 Pan ? I wish there was a good shot of it in your video as I'd like to do something along those lines with my 46 ULH. As mine has a 1930 FLXI sidecar I've been thinking along the lines of putting a juice brake setup & using the brake proportioning valve from a Nova...Continued
Nope, no issues, I just lean it to the left like always & drop the jiffy stand. But we have mounted some springs to the linkage to make it a tad more stable. I'm editing fottage from the trip right now & should have the first video from the trip uploaded by the end of this week.
As usual, everyone said we'd have problems, the only problem was a fouled rear plug on the VLD & it only happened once. I think it was some crappy fuel we got in Bisbee, AZ.
looks and sounds great ,im having a hard time with my carb its a linkert 74m on my 38 U ,runs to rich
Well the obvious things are the float height or a leaky needle/seat. A few years back I put in a brand new out-of-the-package brass float, and although it ran good at first the bike slowly started running richer and richer until it was finally running on only one cylinder. So I took it apart again and here the float was half full of gasoline. So I put back the old "unreliable" cork float...
mcflathead Great video,watched it several times,whilst building my WLC,Just after some advice though,i have the same problem as you did,were as the bike runs richer and richer until it too only runs on one cylinder,black plugs and stuff,i have fitted a new cork float,still the same,you mentioned a leaky needle valve ? If you get a chance to explain would be most grateful,Russ,U,K,
Russell Blampied It sure sounds like your float bowl is flooding. Could just be that the float level is too high... be sure to check that agains't spec. Could also be that the float is hanging up on the inside of the bowl... make sure it is centred properly (common problem with cork floats... they have to be "just so", ie. perfectly centred) Or if the needle and seat are old they could be worn out (or just dirty). Anything that prevents the needle from positively registering into the seat and stopping the fuel flow will allow fuel to well up into the venturi (unless you have enough engine rpm to use up the greater than desired fuel flow ie. w.o.t.). The brass floats are usually pretty good. I just got a bad one. If you shook it you could hear the gas sloshing around inside of it. Good luck! Stay flat-ulent!
mcflathead Thank for help,Just spotted the slow speed needle seems way too short,when screwed right in it,s about 1/4 inch away from seating,
ordered new one,hope that's the reason,,,?
Russell Blampied That would do it! No low speed control at all!
very nice, you have 1 valve that needs adjusting :D
Thanks! All the adjustments are pretty basic. If you have a mechanically stock bike, a reprint of the rider's manual spells everything out beautifully. These old bikes are supposed to run straight 50 or 60 wt oil in the engine and trans, but I have run 20-50 in the engine without issue and I normally run gear oil in the trans. The worst part is that if you ride a lot the bike gets dirty pretty fast... what with the hubs & linkages seeping grease and the engine, primary and trans seeping oil.
Actually they're wasps. Every fall they go on a foraging frenzy to prepare for winter. They flit back and forth in front of your face, trying to figure out if you're food or not. Enough to drive you crazy...
Thank-you!
Yo McFlat, just noticed that you've left out the internal rebound springs. Might settle the ride down a bit.
+Steve Pipe Good advice! Actually I put in a set a few years back... and it settled down the ride a lot!
Flatheads forever ,forever flatheads.
Amen, Brother!
Thanks... appreciate it. When I get too old to kick it, I probably shouldn't be riding anyway...
Great video but the sound of the engine was better than any music you could add.
That bike has some serious restoration mods like ,, ratchet top tranny???
How about the front disc and rear hydraulic drum brakes? I was never much of a purist. The bike, as I bought it, had far too many reproduction and incorrect parts for me to treat it like a museum piece. And I'm not really into that anyway! So I did mods to make it nicer to ride and safer for modern traffic, while preserving as much of the vintage look as possible...
Cats 👀
I really don't know...
My bad...
Hi NICE FLATHEAD I LOOKING FOR ONE FOR SALE 8
THIS BIKE FOR SALE
REGARDS
MARIO FROM BELGIUM
Stay in the Wind Bro...