Panhead Rally

Harley-Davidson Panhead 70th Anniversary 9-11 November, 2018 – Moruya, NSW

Moruya was the place to be in early November 2018 with over 70 Harley-Davidson Panheads making their way there to celebrate 70 years of this classic model. The first Panhead was introduced in 1948 with a springer front end. The “Hydra- Glide” was introduced in 1949 with hydraulic front forks followed by the “Duo-Glide” in 1958 with its rear shocks. The next major change in this iconic Panhead model came in 1965 with the electric start and now famous line of “Electra-Glides”. Group rides left from Melbourne on Thursday and Wollongong on Friday morning with other riders making their way to Moruya by Friday afternoon. Riders registered on the Friday night at the Adelaide Hotel. The Rider’s Briefing was held at 8.00 pm with details of the Saturday’s activities and ride. Saturday breakfast was provided by local car club at Marshalls Bus and Coach’s, our local event sponsor premises at Moruya. Peter Marshall and family are Harley and motoring enthusiasts with their bikes and cars on display. Peter and his mum, Helen both have Panheads and thanks go to the family for their support. It was quite a sight with all the Panheads lined up at the bus depot. Numbers then swelled to over 70 Panheads when we headed downtown to the Moruya Markets for the display, which included lining up one motorcycle from each of the 18 years of production. Mid-morning the ride headed south towards Bermagui before heading back towards Cobargo Hotel where lunch had been arranged. The day also included a Poker Run with cards handed out at various stops along the way. After lunch it was back up the Highway to Moruya before taking the coast road to Batemans Bay, then a small detour up to Nelligen and the Steampacket Hotel for a final stop and collection of that last card in the Poker Run. A leisurely ride then back to Moruya to get ready for the night’s evening Dinner and awards at the Moruya Golf Club, with MC duties shared by David Reidie and Kendal Maroney. David Reidie spoke about his memories of Panheads through his early years in the Industry along with a session on his recent ride across the USA in September on the 2018 Cannonball Endurance Run. Sunday morning saw riders making their way home in all directions. The Melbourne Group departed at 9.00 am up the Kings Highway via Braidwood to the Hume Highway before heading south to Albury for the night – a big riding day of 500 km. The final run home to Melbourne saw riders back at Northside HD by lunch time Monday. Not a bad effort with 1,800 kms covered over the 5 days on 50-60 year old motorcycles.