Harley Davidson FL 1200 Electra Glide Make Model | Harley Davidson FL 1200 Electra Glide | Year | 1965 | Engine | Air cooled, four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder. | Capacity | 1207 | Bore x Stroke | 87.3 x 100.8 mm | Compression Ratio | 8.0:1 | Induction | Tillotson 1-5/8" dual Venturi diaphragm w/accelerator pump | Ignition / Starting | Alternator/battery / kick & electric | Max Power | 60 hp @ 5200 rpm | Max Torque | 70 jt-lb @ 4000 rpm | Transmission / Drive | 4 Speed / chain | Front Suspension | Telescopic forks | Rear Suspension | Swinging fork. | Front Brakes | Drum | Rear Brakes | Drum | Front Tyre | 5.10-16 | Rear Tyre | 5.10-16 | Dry Weight | 325 kg | Fuel Capacity | 16 Litres | Some bikes are instant classics. Take this 1965 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra Glide, the last of the Harley Panheads. The ’60s were a revolutionary time for motorcycling, as Japanese brands made great inroads into the U.S. market with small, lightweight bikes offering exceptional performance for their size. But the Glide line was a perfect example of Harley’s policy of evolution, rather than revolution, in developing its bikes. For ’65, the Glide still came with the venerable 74-cubic-inch (1,200cc) “Panhead” motor, which got that nickname from its pie-pan-shaped rocker-arm covers. Panheads had powered big Harleys for 18 years, including models such as the Hydra Glide and the follow-up Duo Glide. In ’66, though, the company would switch to the more modern Shovelhead design that would carry it all the way into the ’80s. But while this machine had a motor rooted in the past, it also looked to the future with a feature that earned it the Electra Glide name: an electric starter. This was the first big Harley to feature push-button starting, along with the required 12-volt electrical system. But it also retained a kickstarter for traditionalists. In keeping with that “something old, something new” approach, the company also offered ’65 Glide buyers a choice of either hand or foot shifting. Harley felt that the foot shift would appeal to new riders and those used to British bikes, while the old-style hand shift would be favored by the company’s hard-core base of loyal riders. All together, that mix of features makes the 1965 Electra Glide a perfect period piece, an artifact of a company in the process of adapting its products to meet changing demands. |