I say she’s from 1977, but “The CheMistress” is quite a concoction of parts. As it sits now, it is an 88” Shovelhead motor with S&S internals inside 1977 Harley cases with an Andrews B-grind cam, and the trans is a close-ratio, 4-speed cowpie inside an STD case.
I was introduced to Sam at the Hard Times Show in Worcester, Massachusetts. As soon as he pulled up and parked his bike, it immediately started getting peoples attention. When asked, he had no problem wheeling his 1950 Harley Davidson Panhead around to the side of Ralph’s Rock Diner to get away from the crowd so we could chat and shoot a few pictures.
Some things never change. Until they have to. The Harley Davidson “Ironhead” first arrived on US lots in 1957 and become an immediate hit. The Ironhead has a slightly unusual history as it relates to design, shifting, and federal law. We'll dig more into what makes the Ironhead special, and how laws changed motorcycle design.
Harley-Davidson is known as a company whose reputation is built on reliability and innovation. Looking back at their offerings that came out post-World War II, one of their most significant innovations rolled off the assembly lines in 1949 when they released the new FL Hydra-Glide featuring their new hydraulic forks.
This year at the 2022 Wauseon Nationals AMCA meet there was a special show that had its first year at the event. Wauseon is all about honoring and keeping antique motorcycles alive and a part of vintage culture that has never been fully represented at the meet is the elaborately decorated vintage Harley Davidsons in the Coney Island motorcycle style
