We Just Wanted To Go For A Ride: Chasing the 66

Many of my friends know and remember that my favorite Harley engine has always been the 1966 Shovel generator. Now there are several reasons that make sense to only me, and several, that a lot of other folks can or might appreciate. First one that might make some sense is 1966 is my birth year. Also mechanically speaking a lot of wonderful things happened that year for motorcycles and cars. The FLH went from iron heads to aluminum. Which turned out to give those engines a boost of 5 horsepower just to name one thing. Second to my eyes it has always been the sexiest engine Harley ever produced as it has clean, simple lines that I seem to be drawn to. Third it is the first year of a three year production engine. Not only is it rare, but all my other bikes (that I have loved and kept) are also first year production engines. Why mess with traditions that seem to work.

So Attempt One:

The first motorcycle I ever tried to buy was a 1966. I was just starting what was then my first job in the career that I seem to have. I was working for minimum wages, poor and barely making ends meet. I was working as a laborer on a construction site. A state inspector told me that he had a brother-in-law that had a couple of old bikes he might sell. You know we all heard the story of the old bikes rode into the garage and there they set for, well in this case nineteen almost twenty years. At first I blew the whole thing off thinking yea right. After a couple of weeks the old state inspector asked if I called the brother-in-law? When I said no, he said why not? He needs the money and can't ride anmore. So after making the call, we went to go meet the brother-in-l,aw. He was reluctant to sell but after sweet talking him for almost a year (and a lot of games of dominos!) a deal was made. Remember this bike was being sold sight unseen. Knowing it had set in a barn for twenty years, never kicked over, old gas and oil still sitting in her. Knowing she was rusting away loved but never ridden. The money at the time was a lot of money to me, hell it was half a years paychecks. I beg and borrowed everything I could and I finally came up with the money.

We set a date of when he was going to go get both the bike I wanted and an old 49 Pan. Well, lets say this old bike that was going to be my very first bike, was loaded on an old trailer, and was hauled from the barn to his house so that night I could pick up my love/ lust/ desired bike. Nope it was stolen right from under me. Some guy that had a lot more money then me, saw these two old bikes on that trailer and offered him $15,000 for them both! Seven thousand for my beloved and eight thousand for the old pan. When I got there that night the guy whom I though I had made a great deal with told me this. He also said if I could match the other guys offer, the bike was mine. I could not scream "what the fuck!" at him, after all, he did need the money but my heart was so broken that I did not go looking for another 66 for over a decade. But I did get to play/fix/clean her up a bit that night. I cleaned the mud daubers nest out of the air filter. I drained all the old gas and put in clean fresh gas in her. I got to kick her over till she puked the oil that had settled in the bottom out her blow by. I guess a tease is all I got sort of like a lap dance when you want sex.

Attempt 2:

I was just casually looking at bikes for sell about eight years ago and ran across one about two hundred and fifty miles north of me. A 1966, two tone peach and cream paint job, everything else was all original, she was a beautiful old gal. I was in lust even though the colors was not stock she was gorgeous and she screamed my name. So after debating if I should go buy a new or old bike I said what the hell when is the next time I am going to get a chance at this. For those that do not know me there is not much I lust, well motorcycles and guns. Also and I am not the kind of girl that falls in love/lust easily. So lust of the old girl won out and I went to talk to the owner of this bike. Lets say some people have and want a lot of money for these old gals. And even though they may be worth a lot, to me there is a very definite figure to that I am willing to pay for anything. Well, he was a lot prouder of her then my desire for her, because we never got closer than fifteen thousand dollar difference in our negotiations.

I watched for months as he tried to sell her knowing that he was asking way to much money. I was secretly hoping that no one saw the add or desired her that much. You know the saying a fool and his money. I don't know if he ever found someone to pay that much money for her or not. But she vanished, no longer listed, I watched for months heart broken that she was so gorgeous, so different, so me and so not going to ever be mine that once again my little cold heart was broken. This time though to sooth my broken heart, I found and fell in love with the Submarine. I bought her for my birthday seven years ago. About a year after this little heart break. So in the long run, everything did work out. As I love the Submarine and she and I have had thousands of miles and smiles together and will have hundreds of thousands to come.

Thirds a charm:

I don't know what made me start looking again. Maybe it was Wooly trying to nudge me to a new CVO. Honestly not one of Harley's new bikes has made my heart go pitter patter since the Sub had. I have two bikes that I love, two very different, two first years production, two lovely ladies the make me and my heart content, or so I thought. I don't know if it was boredom, or fate that made me just do an internet search for the 1966 FLH. But when I did there was a few bikes that popped up. A black one, a red one and a blue one. None of these appealed to me, I have a black bike Mydol, I have a blue bike the Sub, and I do not like the color red, not at all, not in the least. A few days later I did the same search just to see if anything new was listed and there she was! A 1966 two tone light yellow and cream almost totally stock. Knowing that some guys get mad making deals with women over their beloved bikes, I had the Wooly man call the owner for me. He made an him a cash offer. I will admit it was less then what he wanted and he did turn it down. I guess he did not know how the negotiating process goes. I make a low offer, you counter a little lower than asking, I counter a little less then you just offered… we meet close to the middle, both content. But NOPE! He was going to let it go thru the auction process.

I called and asked one of the guys I work for how E-Bay worked. I had never bought any thing on E-Bay before and he was always buying on E-Bay so when in doubt ask an expert. He said that every thing happens at the last minute, he was so right about that. Actually the last 15 seconds to be correct. Fifteen-seconds before the auction was ending I bid his reserve. More then what I wanted to pay but still it was less then the top dollar I was willing to pay. Wooly had bought on E-Bay once before and he had set his bid up to bid in increments of $100 to a certain max bid. Which I will say he must have wanted me to have this bike because he had set it up for two thousand over what I said I was willing to pay for her? But had it not been for him I, would not finally have my lusted after bike of over twenty-five years.

So this makes a slight new drama for us. We already have a full garage. With his four bikes and his personal first year Harley pick-up truck. With my two other loved bikes, and my not worth much car but fun ass to drive goes fast five speed car. And moms motorcycle with side car. Well are you seeing the new dilemma. The question now is do I let my little five speed set outside and rust like all ones before her did or do we build me my own garage. Oh decisions… decisions.

Here she is at long-last my desire, of over half my life: