The Pan-Am is HD's attempt to appeal to a younger broader crowd. This crowd is very tech-centric so the more techy they can make the bike the more appealing it will be to them. I personally don't have much use all that stuff on MY bike but so goes the march of "progress". Harley has been pricing themselves out of the very market they created for years now. Much like Ford, Chevy, & Dodge they laser focus market to the white male blue collar crowd while simultaneously raising the price of their bikes to the point where no sane blue collar person can afford a one. So now they are trying to appeal to the young professional weekend adventure crowd with disposable income.
A week or so ago, I was able to try out the Indian FTR1200. I has all that stuff too. I'll spare the details, but it's an awesome ride. OTOH, I like to keep stuff forever. (1957 Vacuum cleaner, 1978 stereo, XS650 since new, 18 yo washer & dryer, etc) The new stuff doesn't lend itself to that, so to me, it turns to junk way too soon and I don't want it. If I was into it, I'd be on a new bike forum and not here.
You definitely need to get rid of that battery, block off the starter, & "convert" it to crank only. The FB certified mechanics told me that the starters on Farmall H's were the "weak link"
After years of so so running and near impossable hot starts I finally went though the mag.You definitely need to get rid of that battery, block off the starter, & "convert" it to crank only. The FB certified mechanics told me that the starters on Farmall H's were the "weak link"
Wow what an improvement!
I was working on an H4 mag on a cub once and got bit via a degraded plug wire, that is not an experience I will soon forget. A buzz from an HD mag PALES in comparison to an IH-H4.After years of so so running and near impossable hot starts I finally went though the mag.
I always thought the brakes on most pre1955 tractors were more of a suggestion than a functional mechanism
. But then again I've never been on an H as nice as yours. Most of the 40-50's tractors I've ever been on were pretty ragged.
That's my Farmall's big brother! Dang I need to get some pictures of my little BN, thought I had some, maybe need to dig out old pre-digital stuff! And yes that crank handle is handy when that new fangled elektricy motor stops working. Mag does seem to need some fixing every ten to fifteen years or so.
Sounds like guy at work years ago. His old Lincoln welder needed work on mag so he took it to shop near here back when they had people who knew what a mag was! Well he took his nice new Wico mag home to install on the welder and decided turn it over to see how it turned. Well when he picked it up off the floor after it went snap he found out he needed to take it back to shop for some more repair work!
Got the rear wheels out wide as they'll go on the axle and in a couple places the hill is steep enough that the front lifts, causing a big worrying clunk in the steering gear! Would suck to drop the front wheel!
I like technology that just works invisibly in the background, like ABS. I’ve done a panic stop on my old Suzuki 650 V-Strom once to avoid an accident and it was amazing to feel that bike just squat down and stop hard without ever skidding a tire and breaking loose.
Just a standard Goldwing , completely befuddles me, I wouldn’t know where to begin with all those buttons and knobs.
The real embarrassment would be getting lost....
