Restored Harley Duo Glide goes to auction with Shannons
With COVID-19 social distancing restrictions making in-person auction attendance impossible, Shannons decided to combine their Melbourne and Sydney Autumn Classic sales into one online-only auction event. The ‘Timed Online Classic’ sale will also break with Shannons tradition in being held over multiple days, instead of a single evening, with bidding open from 20 May to 3 June.
To cater for the new restrictions, all vehicle lots include a walkaround video to supplement the usual still images provided, with the option for an individual virtual video tour on some lots, conducted by a Shannons’ representative.
While the bulk of the 95 lots consigned are cars, automobilia and heritage number plates, there are motorcycles up for grabs, too, including a 1960 Harley Duo Glide.
The Duo Glide, as the same suggests, featured dual suspension, with hydraulically-damped telescopic forks up front and dual hydraulic shocks at the rear. Debuting in 1957 for the ’58 model year, the Duo-Glide followed the Hydra-Glide (with front hydraulically suspension only) that had been introduced in 1949.
With the new rear suspension came a new frame to accommodate the inclusion of a swingarm. There were also changes to the oil tank and rear mudguard, but most of the other componentry was unchanged from the previous decade.
The Duo Glide range for 1960 consisted of the FL and FLH (sometime referred to as Sport and Super Sport, respectively), with the main difference between the two being engine compression – 7.25:1 on the FL and 8.0:1 on the FLH. Foot change/hand clutch gear change versions of each carried FLF and FLHF model codes.
Seven different colours were offered that year, including three ‘hi-fi’ colours (red, green or blue) that were an extra-cost option.
For 1960, the 74ci Panhead engine (that had debuted in 1948) got some upgrades to the valves, valve springs and piston rings. Damping on the rear suspension was revised as was the kickstart gearing (the electric-start Electra Glide was still five years away), but there were no other mechanical changes from the preceding year.
The ’60 FL consigned for the Shannons Timed Online Classic auction (which actually should be listed as an FLF in the catalogue as it doesn’t have the FL hand change/foot clutch) is finished in red and white with the dual tank striping more commonly seen on a ’61 FL Duo Glide.
Shannons describe the bike as having spent 37 years in a Queensland shed before it was recommissioned. Purchased from a deceased estate, the bike had been the subject of some previous mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment, but a major service was entrusted to marque specialists Macksville Motorcycles in preparation for its sale, with recent invoices on file totalling almost $2,500. Offered with No Reserve, this bike has been given a $20,000 - $24,000 guiding range.
Other motorcycle consignments for this auction include a 1978 Honda CT70, 1969 Velocette Sportsman, 1961 Triumph T120R Bonneville, a C1935 BSA Model W35-7, C1937 BSA M20 and a 1974 Norton Commando MkIIA.
The Shannons Online Classic Auction is now underway, with bids closing on 3 June. For more details on each bike and instructions on how to register and bid, go to: https://www.shannons.com.au/
