[2Loose]

I've gotta good bike story for you guys......<o>></o>>
<o>> </o>>
I'm a Hawaii boy, island of Maui, where I've had two panheads since '68 and '69......

I just got the title squared away on my #2 panhead, the '59. The #1 pan is the '62 chop I've been riding "on and off", (mostly "off" lately....) since '68, but did not chop it until about '72 or so, shipped it over and did my first long mainland ride (8,000 miles/6 weeks) on it in '75 (west coast ocean side roads mostly, LA up to Canada, all around Western Canada and across to great lakes, down to visit HD factory in Milwaukee, to Nashville, head back West, Salt Lake, Vegas, etc etc). The chop sits and waits now for tranny rebuild, new or respoked wheels, new front legs (the old 18" over wide glides are hanging up, don't slide no more), motor was still pretty tight last time I fired it........

#2 is a '59 FLH that I got as a basket case in '69, but I put it together and had it sitting around for all these years, had it running once, used the plates off the '61, as I did not have title for it. A year ago I finally ran down the last registered owner of that VIN, through a good friend of mine that worked at the DMV. The last reg. owner it turned out is still alive, an old Hawaiian man named Joseph, and it turned out his sons are good buddies of one of the guys I have been riding with for the last 40+ years.....

Anyway, my old riding buddy, George, after I tell him the story, tells me he knows Joe Sr and his sons, and gets in touch with Joe Sr. Joe agrees to help me out getting the title squared away (I pay the fees, fines, etc), and he gets replacement owner's papers for that '59. Joe remembers selling it as a basket case to a guy, who sold it to another guy, who sold it to ???, 'cause at that point it got lost, he didn't even know the name of the guy I bought it from. I didn't worry about the title back then, as I was just going to use it for parts. Later I got interested in putting it back on the road, but the lack of title was a problem! So it sat all these years in the back of my shop under a couple of blankets and lots of boxes of parts. hidden away......

So now with help from George and Joe, I finally get all the papers in order for Joe, and he signs off on them, and we transfer the title to me, took about a year for all this to happen, but I just got the final legal ownership papers for the '59 last week in my name! Now I gotta find the energy and the time (I'm 68.....) to put both pans back on the road in good shape! I have enough parts to make a nice lookin' little lightweight bar hopper out of the '59, and keep the '62 as the old rigid stretch it always was.....

I couldn't believe my luck on this one, it usually doesn't work out that well for me on most things....<o>></o>>
Aloha,<o>></o>>
2Loose

 

[210ken]

That's a good story. Proves again what a small world it is. Congrats on the happy ending to paper chase.

Ken

 

[rivera]

small world my friend. get them back on the road and post up some pictures so we can see!

 

[3Gknuck]

pictures????

 

[hawgleydangerson]

Great story!!

 

[MotorBike Mike]

hahahahaha

 

[2Loose]

Pixs?
You guys want pixs?
Hey, I need a coupla eyeopeners first....

Never was much for taken pixs or keep'n em around afterwards, so most r gone fer good, my daughter found a couple though, here's the '62 taken about '72 or so when I first added my homebrew rigid back end and 18 overs up front without raking it, just dropped the back down low as I could with the long legs, it ended up about 45 deg rake though, and handled pretty well, no probs on the road, I didn't trust my welding enough to try raking the neck.....

This pic was taken early on during the build up, fitting all the parts together after welding up the frame.....

That's the local sugar cane Co's Rec Hall in Puunene in the background. I lived in a plantation village house just across the street from the Rec Hall, parties there most every weekend, live music, good times.....

This was in the first build stage, built it in my living room, rolled it down the steps to check it out as it went together. Still looks the same, has red paint now, and drag bars, but otherwise looks the same......
Still fires on first kick if I take the time to roll it over a couple times first on choke, and find just the right spot before kicking it. Joe Hunt mag, no battery, old style battery eliminator, still 6 volts with police generator setup, never had a problem with this elec. setup. Lights are slow coming on at night, but always come on, sooner or later......

Here's the '59 taken in about '72 also, when I was riding it while welding up the hardtail for the '62. So I was running it with the 62's plates while I was reworking the '62. It is in pieces now and has been all these years while I finally chased down the paperwork....

On the '62's hardtail job, I machined some steel inserts for a "tap it in" tight fit into the tubing on both sides at each joint, left a 1/4" gap, and welded 'em solid. Never had a problem with thousands of miles of riding.

Here's one with my oldest son, he's now 43....

It will go back together this summer. Am really busy right now putting together an old style 55 chevy gasser, solid front axle, blown olds motor, 4 speed, fun project for the street and to run at our local drags once inna while......

I also ride a '91 FXDB Sturgis, my daily dependable always starts never lets me down ride....

Nothing fancy, just a dependable ride....

Aloha,
2Loose

 

[2Loose]

Found one more pix, taken on my first mainland trip in '75, at a buddy's place somewhere along the Oregon coast, that's his '55 Chevy in the background....

2Loose

 

[danisdead]

Great story and pix 2loose.

 

[2Loose]

Thanx fer comment Dan....
Blows me away that Juneau has so many bikes and riders, way cool....

 

[rivera]

cool pics man, thanks for sharing.

 

[2Loose]

Time for another mainland trip! I'm fast approaching 70, so thinking I should do at least one more while I am still able to! The problem? Which bike should I take? Well, the '62 and the FXDB have both been over a couple of times, so I better cherry out the '59, now that it's legal, and do a trip on that one. Never done the southwest and southeast, time to go see that part of the country!

 

[danisdead]

Willy, you should do a build thread of your bike. your car ones are awesome.

 

[2Loose]

Yer right, Dan, I should, now that I can do that stuff, thanks to my daughter....

Gotta get the 'gasser' running first, then the '59.....

 

[CASPER]

nothing like being somewhere along some place, good times...

 

[2Loose]

nothing like being somewhere along some place, good times...

You got that right! I'm really feelin' the need for a good, long, interesting mainland ride, with a bunch of my best buddies, before we all get to where we can't do it anymore! And at age 68 I think that's not too far down the road! Scary times!

 

[2Loose]

Have had an old but cherry Paughco frame stashed away in the back of the shed for years, stretched 4", 45 deg rake, setup for a Panhead, and recently ran across a stretched (about 14") old style original springer, with the A-bone radius rods on it, it fits the frame perfectly, so am starting the fourth "rebuild" of my '62 chop, moving all the parts over from the old to this "new" frame and front end....
<o>> </o>>

It's in the shop right next to my '55 Chevy gasser project, so I can work on both!
Aloha,
Willy

PS, Here's the link to a new thread on this build, and I'll start one on the '59 build when I get started on that one too....

 

[Bills50]

That a great story, funny how people are linked together sometimes. If you haven't already put your gasser project on the HAMB we would like to see it.
Bill