In 1909, when ramping up his vision for scaled production, Henry Ford famously remarked that customers could have any color they wanted “so long as it is black.” The point was made with frugality in mind, but it’s one that this gorgeous, inky 1951 Harley-Davidson FL elevates to pure aesthetic perfection. Long gone were the days of the Silent Grey Fellows and dreary olive drab. The Milwaukee Motor Co. had offered an array of paint combinations for years by 1951, but a simple black had become a staple for the brand, and, to this day, there is little that’s more classic than a black Harley-Davidson. The year this handsome FL Hydra-Glide rolled off the line in Milwaukee, customers could choose from seven colors, including Metallic Blue, Metallic Green, Persian Red, Rio Blue, silver, white and, of course, black. Together with its black-rimmed, cross-laced wheels, black leather Buddy Seat and chrome highlights, this Hydra-Glide is as classic a Harley-Davidson as they come. One of only six Big Twin models offered in 1951, with the lineup trimmed down from a record 15 in 1950, this FL featured a 74 CI (1200cc) air-cooled V-twin engine. The high-compression Sport Solo FL was mated to a 4-speed, hand-shifted gearbox, though the foot-shift option was gaining popularity at the time. Only in its second year of production, the popular Hydra-Glide hydraulic fork received upgraded, polished, die-cast tube sliders in 1951, and a new style of emblems made its first appearance on the gas tanks. Slim and trim, for a Harley-Davidson at least, the FL came in a shade under 600 pounds without the saddlebags, windshield and chrome trimmings of its “full-dress” brothers, making its top speed of 100 MPH well within reach. Coming from the extensive Jim’s Forever Collection, this exceptional black 1951 Harley-Davidson FL Hydra-Glide is an understated American icon. JIM’S FOREVER COLLECTION F105.1 1951 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FL PANHEAD
