HHC: Restore: Chapter 62: Fork Panels

Fork Panel

There were 4 different fork panels, but only two were documented by H-D. There are some questions that will never be fully answered. Read on.

Early 1951

Late 1951 - ??? - 1959

1953? - 1957?

1959 - 1965

The early 1951 models had an embossed (sticking out) logo "125". This was changed sometime in mid-year, but no one is sure just when. There is only one picture of this panel in factory literature - the inside rear cover of several year's parts books, illustrating something on the "accessories" page.

Starting in late 1951, the logo changed to a debossed (sticking in) "Tele - Glide". This style continued until 1958, but for some of the mid-years, a ® symbol appeared.

For a few years, the ® symbol appeared below the "Tele-Glide". This ocurred somewhere around 1953 or 1954 and lasted until somewhere around 1956 or 1957. It's hard to find truly original bikes, so actual evidence is sketchy. But see below!

In 1959, the fork panel was redesigned to accomodate a small horn hidden beneath it. This was used on the 1959 Model 165, the 1960-1961 Super 10, and the 1962-1965 Pacer. The Scat, Ranger and Bobcat did not have a fork panel at all.

Thanks to Perry Ruiter who supplied the photos. And to Mutt Hallam, Duane Taylor, Bennie Howard, and everyone who joined the discussion on the Hummer Exchange.

I searched the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to see when Harley-Davidson actually registered the trademark "Tele-Glide". This would give us a clue to when the ® panels appeared. But - I could find no records - apparently, H-D never registered it! This probably explains why it only appeared on the fork panels for a few years...

Here are some interesting Harley-Davidson "Glides" you may not have heard of:

Master-Glide - Golf Cars (Reg# 1256782, First use in commerce: 1978, Registered 1983, Cancelled 1990)
Secur-A-Glide - Padlocks designed primarily to prevent the theft of motorcycles (Reg# 1202526, First use in commerce: 1981, Registered: 1982, Cancelled: 2003)
Low Glide - Motorcycles and structural parts therefor (Reg# 1386726, First use in commerce: 1984, Registered: 1986, Cancelled 1996)