In May of 2014, I came up with the brilliant idea of purchasing another Duo-Glide and started looking on Ebay. This, of course, was without my wife’s knowledge. My $12,000 bought a 1964 Panhead and I had some explaining to do! I received a call right after bid closing from an eldery lady saying that I had purchased the bike and to come pick it up in Fresno, California. So, reality set in and not quite sure of what I had purchased, we headed out to Fresno.  

Looking at my new purchase I saw a radio, box on back, funny seat and a paint job that was painted in 64 by some guy with a pointed beard, maybe Ed Roth? She told me that I was the second owner. Her late husband, her true love, she said, was the first owner. She said any money he had went into the bike. Looking at the speedometer, 11,400 miles, I realized what I had, and could not get it into the truck fast enough.

I went to work replacing all the seals, getting the dog food out of the exhaust pipes, and refreshing the upper end. It needed only one thing….a new paint job. My wife helped with the process and John Pierce supplied us with the paint. We picked the hi-fi turquiose and had my painter Louie Faties get to work on it. I wonder the miles the machine, the ultimate king of the road, has been in it’s lifetime, and hope the original owner, who purchased it in 1964 for $1,400, would have approved of it today.