READERS RIDES THE FAMILY PANHEADS
Joe’s is a 1950
Josh’s is a 1951
From Joe I got that 1950 Panhead when I got out of Vietnam in 1970; I was 21 years old. I got it from a good friend, Ken Reeves. He was a cool guy. I was so happy when I got it! I put it in the trunk of my 442 and drove home. My dad thought I was nuts, but I just wanted something cool to do. So, I went to Sears and bought a welder, torches, tools, and took it down in my dad’s basement. I started to work on that old pan. I read books and talked to people about parts. I got some help from another one of my good friends, Donnie (aka “the old man”). I also met a man named Moe (Jody Mo’s father), who owned Moe’s Cycle Shop and he had lots of old parts. Moe, Bubba, and I all became good friends. Bubba and I used to go there and we did all the swap meets. We always had a great time.
Man, those were the good old days. I met a lot of awesome people. It was like one big family. I loved the feeling of freedom on the open road and still do. We did a lot of cool stuff. Got to meet Billy Lane, Peter Fonda, and Willie G. Davidson, of Harley-Davison fame. I’ve rode my Panhead to the Vietnam Wall in DC, Pike’s Peak in Colorado, Sturgis/South Dakota, and Florida. I also rode to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the 85th, 95th, 100th, and the 105th anniversary celebra-
6 JULY 2019 THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE MICHIGAN
tion of Harley-Davidson. It makes me proud to own “cheap thrills” since 1970. We’ve done a lot of stuff together and always made it through. I would like to thank some of my good ol’ friends: Bubba, Danny Hartfielder, Tiny, Dutch, Al, and Charlie. My Panhead is definitely a bike that turns heads. I could write a book about her and my life. Like I said, me and that Panhead have been through a lot together and made it out alive. www.THUNDERROADSMICHIGAN.COM
