A Life-Long Love of Vintage Harleys

Mike and Jennifer White of Canaan and the 1965 Harley-Davidson “Panhead”

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Like countless other Harley-Davidson owners, Mike White of Canaan is extremely passionate about the brand. He owns three running Harleys and a fourth that’s a basket case awaiting reassembly in his garage workshop. Get the U.S. Marine Corps veteran talking about them, recalling how his love affair began and his particular affection for vintage models, and he’ll go on about “the noise, the sounds, the smell” of Harleys, particularly older ones. It’s hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm.

White’s newest Harley is a 2003 Road King, but it often collects dusts. “My Panhead is my preferred bike. The Road King never moves, unless my wife and I are going out for the weekend,” he said during a recent open house at The Shop, Keith Bruno’s motorcycle repair and restoration business in Winsted. White owns a striking red and white 1965 first-year FLH/Electra Glide “Panhead” and a customized 1947 FL “Knucklehead,” complete with foot clutch and hand shifter.

The basket case is also a 1947 Knucklehead. “I’ve got almost all the original parts. It’s going to be a bobber. Probably 95 percent original parts,” he said.

The 53-year-old White exhibits an attitude found with many collectors. “You can never have too many old bikes,” he said. “You feel like you’re part of the machine. It’s a ride back in time. I love the Harleys. I love the biker scene. I love the people.”

White’s connection to Harley dates back to when he was a teenager. The year was 1976. He was 18 and going through Marine training at Camp Pendleton in southern California. “Right outside the base was a Harley dealership. I would go down there all the time. I’d go down and drool on them,” he said. The drooling led to an offer from the dealership’s owner to help out in the store. The money he made was saved so that he could someday buy a Harley. Sacrifices had to be made, such as forgoing socializing with his fellow Marines.

“When they were out on the weekends partying, I was saving my money. I kept looking for something I could afford. I was waiting for the price of the bike to meet the price of my funds. That went on for close to a year,” he said. One day the owner called and told him that a 1973 FLH “Shovelhead” had just come in. It was a former California Highway Patrol bike.  “I said, ‘This isn’t me. This is a Geezer-Glide. I want a chopper.’”

After the owner promised to strip it down, remove the parts that White didn’t want and add ones that he did, White reconsidered. The out-the-door price was $3,500. “I said, ‘How soon can you have it ready?’ and he said, ‘By next weekend.’” The days passed slowly until it was time to claim his prize late on a Friday afternoon. “I’m on pins and needles. As soon as I saw it, I felt my heart race,” White said.

While he had ridden dirt bikes previously, the Harley was his first big bike. “I got on the bike. I took off. I don’t get but five miles, I hit some sand on a corner – my first big cruise on a Harley – and the bike came out from under me,” he said, recalling that the only real damage was a snapped foot peg and minor scrapes. “I found out how hard it was to pick up a Harley,” he recalled.

White managed to hoist up the bike. The dealership had already closed by this time but he headed back there anyway. One of the store’s mechanics passed him on the road, turned around, went back, reopened the shop, made the necessary repairs and even gave White his home phone number in case other problems developed. “I’ve been a Harley guy ever since,” he said.

White recalled that before taking that initial cruise, the dealer took him inside, showed him a rack of leather jackets and told him, “‘Go pick out the one that you like.’ That was my first leather. I’ll never part it,” he said. Except that he has. The passage of 36 years has added some heft to his waistline. The riding jacket no longer fits him, but it does fit his wife, Jennifer, so she wears it. Heaven forbid they should ever get divorced.

And you can bet White will never stray from Harley. “It’s a lifestyle. If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand. It’s in my blood. I can’t let go of it,” he said.