Hunting Harley's, 1956 FLH finally starts!

This is part two of two videos. Brought the FLH outside to start for the 1st time. Typical Panhead, recalcitrant from not starting for a month. The amazing part, it did not even sump once it finally started. I had to stop this video to get a screw driver to take off the air cleaner to see what was happening with the gas situation in the carb. If they do not start right up, ESPECIALLY on a Panhead, always do this. Until you know your getting gas and how much gas, you don't know! for pix, go here www.flickr.com/photos/34150794...

[@sigfan4521]

My dad passed away when I was little (1973) he had a 58 and my mother said he'd kick that thing until he was red in face. She sold the bike shortly after he passed but promised me she'd​ get me a Harley when I was old enough, she did. I'm still riding Harley Davidsons today. Thank you for posting this, it really brought back a lot of nostalgia!!

[@donovanbushman6442]

Great video! My dad taught me the importance of knowing your bike by having me kickstart his '64 panhead when I was 8! You really understand the meaning of taking care of your bike. Keep the awesome videos coming!

[@NOC1TIME]

1956 A great year. Eisenhower was President. The wine, that year was great. We got the Harley FLH as well. I showed up in October of that year. Bucket list . A 1956 FL bobber. FLH would be asking too much lol. How fortunate you are Mr Hunter of Harleys to have these scooters . BTW . at 62yr. Kicking it to that extent would be crazy lol. Me. I would mind link with the Pan, and get it to start.. Best to ya sir.

[@midlantic1]

Should rent this one out as the local stair master LOL.

[@bogiewheelman71]

one of the longer kick starting vids I seen . I would have needed a cold one after that work out

[@dawnrobb8809]

Beautiful Bike! That brought back memories of my old 59 FLH Panhead except mine wasn't that hard to start back in the leaded gas days & I rode her everyday. She'd still give me a work out kick'n her over on late nights. Damn I miss her but I do like electric starters

[@HuntingHarleys]

ride a Pan regularly, they don't act up like this one did. Had to get the "plug" out of the carb caused by this wretched stuff they sell for gas.

[@lisar3006]

If it has a linkert carburetor I found if I turn on the gas and kick it twice with the ignition off than switch it on and it should start on the first kick if your carb is set right. I had a 51 and a 56 Pan.

[@BENNIEDARRELL]

this is one fine 56. i love the potata potata potata chop of the flh cam. all three of the harleys i've owned were flh's. i never had a minuets trouble with them except the gear ratio between 1st and second and 3rd and fourth. andrews close ratio gears solved that. my first 62 had a bad bushing in the kick starter housing right from the start when i got it. ouch. i replaced all the bushings the bike had in the kicker housing, rear manual brakes and shaft and the rockers on the springer front end. tight is right. after a proper top and bottom end rebuild, trans upgrade, barnett clutch, tune up and solid lifter valve adjustment and getting tags my first 62 pan was in my blood forever. i'll never forget what that bike meant to me. hooked

[@rickstout7626]

you must be in good shape ....I would have to walk away , and get some wind back

[@Knez1340]

I love this video (and the previous) because it reminds me that it's not just me. Thanks Todd!

[@HuntingHarleys]

modern gas and old bikes do not mix well. makes for hard starting when they sit for a time.

[@59jaguar]

Definitely like my electric stater!

[@dquillen1]

My first Harley was a 1956 Panhead, this brings back memories... Maybe kicking that bike for 10 years is why my right knee is all fucked up now... Wish I had it back...

[@waynespicer856]

I like my 98 softail . But I must agree that the old pans and knuckles were pure "sculpture"on wheels! Thanks for sharing.

[@matthewspicer5815]

The take off though omg

[@dannychavez310]

I would love to have an original paint rider, like this , all my pans were mostly basket cases that I had to put together from mismatched parts , but all the frames were unmolested , that was a big plus , to me anyway.

[@johnbradley5236]

That sound sounds minty!

[@dannychavez310]

If they don't crank on first or second kick after the prime something's wrong , pans crank easy when everything's right.

[@HuntingHarleys]

yes and no, when they sit for an extended period of time, especially with this new gas, that is not the case. Pan's especially tend to mess with you if you don't ride them every few days. When they are ridden often, and you have good gas and good spark plugs, and you know that specific machine, they should start 1-2 kicks, all the time. That said, I have had good running Pan's turn into non runner's simply by putting new gas in, and the next day the gas was so bad it would no longer run, and this was in the days of "good" gas!

[@lpd1snipe]

Agreed, my EL gets ugly if it sits more than 2-3 weeks. When I rode it every day it always started easily.

[@mulliedog1]

Wow, you got your exercise for the day! She sounds real good when she's running.

[@HuntingHarleys]

gotta keep the heart pumping somehow :)

[@mulliedog1]

HuntingHarleys haha, yes sir! better than joggin' anyday.

[@h7oslo]

Timing not quite right, maybe bad condensor, or weak intake valve... Pan should start well if gassed...

[@dennism103]

It sounds pretty good I must admit idles a little fast, the choke must be on?

[@exiter17]

I sure like that bike ,,,,

[@dennism103]

Ginger blues Gods finest creation

[@Tomcaatt]

Yea I imagine intake gasket ( as most on the bike if original ) is cork too , ethanol is corn whiskey wich is alcohol and dries them up .

[@HuntingHarleys]

I'm sure the manifold O rings have been replaced on this many times. At any rate, they were not leaking. Stock carbs on ALL Panheads were Linkerts

[@stevekwall925]

That was one hell of a back fire, I'm glad she started .

[@HuntingHarleys]

the new gas is horrible. Causes all sorts of problems when these bikes do not run for a month or more

[@scootinflh]

Rollin art.

[@carlkrebs6857]

It’s a young man’s sport.

[@steveperry1344]

that flame out could of singed your beard, that was a good one.

[@chopperchopster]

dam that was a cardio workout! I see all these nice classic machines in your videos, are you using aftermarket parts or do you have a source for OEM factory parts? I want to replace a few things on my 71 FLH and dont want repops. Otherwise I guess the parts I have can be refurbished. Nothing major just chrome trim and some things for my dash. Also a windshield and also the bates bags and hardware. its not a show bike by any means she is my daily rider. late 84 sporty is my backup machine if needed!

[@HuntingHarleys]

+Adam Stein I spend the time and money to hit as many swap meets as possible and buy what I find that I can afford prior to needing it. Same "source" as anyone else

[@dennism103]

If manbearpig was after you, you would be toast!

[@johnnynbrandi]

Todd, i have a 56' FLH it was a barn fresh bike when i got it but i'm having trouble getting her to fire. She has plenty of spark, i took my Linkert carb off twice now & cleaned & sprayed it out but it's still not getting gas... Any advice would help. -Johnny

[@HuntingHarleys]

make sure your getting gas to the bottom of the on / off line and also through the fuel filter. Until you get gas that far, you won't get gas into the carb. Let me know

[@oleironhead1367]

Todd, whats the major diference in the fuel delivery system between the Knucklehead and the Panhead? And if you dont mind, also the Shovelhead too?

[@HuntingHarleys]

Francis Murphy Both Panhead's and Knucklehead's used Linkert Carburetor's. These are "driven" by the vacuum caused by the downward movement of the piston's. IE, that is what causes the gas to be literally sucked into the combustion chamber(s) on this type of system. So, without piston movement, twisting the throttle delivers no gas. Starting in the early Shovelhead era, HD started using a primitive accelerator pump in their Tilletson (I might have miss spelled that!) Carburetor. 1973 if I recall correctly (going by old man memory here) HD started using a Bendix Carburetor. This was then replaced by a Kehein (again, spell check) Carburetor in 1977. All three had their advantages and disadvantages. The accelerator carburetor has really "come into it's own" with S&S's introduction of their Super E series in the late 1980's. Still a popular carb today. The Linkert carb had a few variant's over the Knuckle and early Pan years. This has mainly to do with the size of the Venturi (the throat) of the carburetor. Exactly what model was used on what bike is easily found out by doing a search for Linkert Carburetor. There are some excellent sites that give all the types and year models. M74B was the pinnacle of Linkert development for the street model Panhead. While these work well on Pan's, they are too large for a stock Knuckle and don't work as well. The M35 Linkert is the best for most model's of 74 cubic Knuckle's.

[@iraqvet03]

Todd, Nice bike. I like the color combo, Was the black and yellow a standard paint option ? Randy

[@HuntingHarleys]

yes, this was one of the standard color's. The Flamboyant Green 56 FLH on the videos is a $10 option.

[@yogi2.057]

Whew, that open carb flame burp at about 2:48 would have singed a hot dot at about 3 ft.!

[@charleschidester6767]

love them old bikes. But wouldn't trade my starter for anything.

[@lowersaxon]

Dragon. Spies fire. „ Finally“ bike is running but pilot is knocked out.

[@richard9444]

Luv it!

[@franksumser9985]

PANHEADS FOREVER

[@steveperry1344]

time for a rest.

[@dennis74552]

Looking.for a.65 panhead frame FLH

[@HuntingHarleys]

I sold all my spare parts off in September

[@grantbartinski8297]

What a bike

[@Tomcaatt]

Would a squirt of quick start to the filter remedy this Todd ? Also what besides "led" is it about the newer gas that these don't like ?

[@HuntingHarleys]

the new gas has Enthanol in it, which attracts moisture and something about the gas eats up corks. So this destabilizes the cork floats and gas cap corks that these came stock with. it also gums up the carbs fast and bad. What I was doing was getting the gummy deposits back open so the carb would feed again. A shot of quick start doesn't do much.

[@sjcea0512]

Trying to start that bike would drive me insane and make me want to sell it immediately !!! Good thing your not using that thing as the get away vehicle after a bank robbery lol

[@Tomcaatt]

Special bike !

[@gerardoleal5777]

No sabe prenderla. Primero con el switch apagado y el choke cerrado acelerador abierto y válvula de gas abierto, sr le dan de dos a tres patadas, se abre a la mitad el choke y con el tiempo a la mitad y el acelerador ligeramente abierto, se prende el switch y sr patea con firmesa

[@dennism103]

Put it in 2nd gear roll down a hill pop the clutch fool...

[@martinwall7297]

somethings not right????? my 48-53-&59 all startup after a few 3 kicks, go back over it and get it right

[@HuntingHarleys]

Old gas, gummy carburetor

[@dennism103]

That's precisely why hd got a bad reputation for being unreliable. Electric start best invention since electricity.

[@liamstandish878]

Got a little workout

[@HuntingHarleys]

biker tramp I've seen a lot of Pans take out a lot of knees, especially on the bigger guys. they forget to kick with their weight

[@dennism103]

Only 30 mins of kicking

[@GKAHN187]

who was kicking who here? Just fucking wit ya

[@jojojeep1]

you don't even have to work out your heart with all that kicking.

[@johnbradley5236]

" Iron leg "

[@Mazafaka77]

Суперстарт!

[@user-jt8ql4go6w]

Быстрее пешком дойти. И устанешь меньше.

[@Yozbekler]

Marş lazım uğraşılmaz bu şekilde

[@bagotoetags801]

This is where you want to scream "Gotdammit" as loud as you can. That's why a lot of old school bikers limp.

[@PeterDad60]

+john doe I know you were joking but seriously if you are a real biker, say you rode before you were even old enough to get a license and then if you live a good long life like me, I'm 65. I gotta say that many of us have in our long lives gone down hard at least once and that's why old bikers limp. It's not funny, it hurts when I limp. I got me 5 screws and a steel rod in my right leg which broke the tibia and fibula in over five places. Those bones never did set, the doctor did not even try to set them, he just screwed in that steel rod. Rod works good but the broken edges of my bones move around sometimes and that is where the pain and the limp sets in. Not funny. I only went down hard once in my whole life. Still I went out and got me my dream bike a new 2015 FLHP POlice Road King. It's almost too heavy for me to ride because of how weak my right leg is but I still enjoy riding and will wide for the rest of my life. You can bet that for any reason I could no longer ride I would be gone very soon after. No reason to hang around if I can't ride my Harley. I love my kick start "only" motorcycles too! You really bond with your bike when it's up to you to get her running.

[@HuntingHarleys]

+PeterDad60 exactly why I made this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5vLeYSLat13nrc

[@bagotoetags801]

PeterDad60 I started at sixteen riding a black and white '65 Pan dresser that was left behind in our garage after an uncle keeled. Didn't have a license either but in 1966 who cared? Then got my first real bike, a '75 FLH and didn't care if it said AMF on the tank emblem and there was no chrome; I loved that motorcycle and wish I had it today. I wrecked pretty bad and shattered my right ankle and broke my fibula in half, and like you was put together with a four inch screw; the arthritis and limited lateral movement sucks but Excedrin extra strengths every day help. I found a nice '03 Roadking on ebay and had to convert it to a trike because I lost my kicker from that accident. The downside of the Roadking is you sit on top instead of down in front of the rear wheel like the old school swingarm. Technically a trike is not a real motorcycle but in Nevada a helmet and M/C license is not required for riding a three-wheeler so I'm in the wind like back in the day before helmet laws.

[@HuntingHarleys]

without the wind in your hair, it is just not the same

[@vernegibb7749]

Thanks God for electric starters.

[@grantbartinski8297]

Holy fuc. Lol.

[@kaydenspappap]

had to quit watching the vid.... someone who claimed to be up on pans would of quit kicking and checked shit along time back

[@midlantic1]

Well you sure aren't using that as a get away bike LOL. Also sure would cut down on coffee and smoke breaks too LOL

[@HuntingHarleys]

I don't smoke, but I have bronchitis at the moment. Kinda hurts the lung flow and breathing possibilities

[@midlantic1]

Kinda makes you grateful for electric start huh LOL

[@HuntingHarleys]

Not at all. Id rather kick the bike and learn its temperment. Kick starting allows you to feel a bike and learn about it in a way not possible with an electric starter

[@midlantic1]

HuntingHarleys I never got that kinda feedback, sure I knew the feel and what touch it needed to fire, but beyond that, not much more

[@grantbartinski8297]

Do you get hate mail from people that are jeleous\\\\\\\\\\/ Nice idle

[@mstratocaster3608]

Hey, I know whats wrong with it.....it won't start! Don't get mad I'm just kidding.

[@olim6608]

and I thought my vespa px was hard to start sometimes

[@dennism103]

I luv my road king

[@MrCrapheadist]

I can just picture getting into it with some some guys, then try to split quick with one of their girls... 👎

[@1JohnnyLindo]

Edit edit

[@HuntingHarleys]

I don't edit, ever

[@snakebite6511]

Yup, it sure is a Harley lol

[@kaydenspappap]

had to quit watching the vid.... someone who claimed to be up on pans would of quit kicking and checked shit along time back