T188 1964 HARLEY-DAVIDSON FL PANHEAD Each year, it seemed Harley-Davidson introduced a multitude of innovative improvements, but every so often, one stood out above and beyond the others. For 1958, a new frame was introduced for the large motorcycles, from which a new rear swingarm and pair of coilover shocks were suspended, thus ending the era of the hardtail. With the Hydra-Glide front suspension, the new FL was fully suspended, providing an astonishingly compliant ride, even over rougher roads and trails. The new design changed the bike’s name from Hydra-Glide to Duo-Glide, all the while changing its personality completely. Interestingly, this engineering was first seen on the smaller bikes in 1952, but it didn’t truly gain popularity until the Harley-Davidson marketing team coined the Duo-Glide nomenclature for the big bikes. Harley-Davidson marketing was in full force for the Duo-Glide, issuing a number of unique magazine and newspaper ads across the country with some tongue-in-cheek phrases like, “Swing Out on a Harley-Davidson,” and more encouraging calls-to-action such as, “Your Spirit is Wheeling,” and “Get on the Go!” Most motorcycle fans will agree that the Duo-Glide was one of the smoothest bikes available, again enhancing the reputation of Harley-Davidson for engineering some of the finest motorcycles the world had ever seen. This 1964 FL was originally a police bike for the Dubuque, Iowa, Police Department and was comprehensively restored, bringing it back to perhaps better-than-new condition. Having covered fewer than 300 miles from the completion of the overhaul, the bike is powered by the famous, air-cooled, overhead-valve, 45-degree, V-Twin Panhead engine. Featuring an upgrade to the 12-volt battery system, model year 1964 marked the last year of the Duo-Glide, with 1965 ushering in the Electra-Glide and its electric starter. Finished in the traditional two-tone, law enforcement color combination of black and white, the bike features the rear-mounted revolving red light and blue and red lights flanking the headlight up front. Rife with chrome and polished detailing, it’s motorcycles like this that likely inspired people to want to join the police department.
