Harley Davidson FLH 1200 Electra Glide

Make Model	Harley Davidson FLH 1200 Electra Glide
Year	1965 - 69
Engine	Four stroke, 45° V-Twin, OHV, 2 valves per cylinder.
Capacity	1207 cc / 74 cu-in
Bore x Stroke	87.3 x 100.8 mm
Cooling System	Air cooled
Compression Ratio	8.0:1
Induction	Tillotson 1-5/8" dual Venturi diaphragm w/accelerator pump
Ignition	Alternator/battery
Starting	Kick & electric
Max Power	58 hp / 42.3 lb-ft @ 5150 rpm
Max Torque	70 lb-ft / 95 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Transmission	4 Speed
Final Drive	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
Wet Weight	325 kg / 716.5 lbs
Fuel Capacity	16 Litres / 4.2 US gal

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.