Panhead Duo-Glide Rear Light Bracket Fabrication | Auxiliary Lighting, Part 2 | Riding Vintage

Auxiliary Rear Lighting for a Panhead Duo-Glide, Part 2

This second part of the Panhead auxiliary rear lighting project covers the bracket fabrication needed to mount the lights under the solo seat. After figuring out the basic mounting location in Part 1, the next challenge was building brackets that would hold the lights high enough for clearance while still fitting cleanly on the bike.

If you have not already seen the layout and test-fitting work, start with Auxiliary Rear Lighting for a Panhead Duo-Glide, Part 1. The final wiring and finish work continues in Part 3.

For more Panhead workshop articles, see the Panhead Tech section. For more background on the bike itself, see my 1964 Harley-Davidson FLH Duo-Glide overview.

First Bracket Attempt

Fabricating the proper brackets took a little more trial and error than I expected. I started with a set of brackets made from 1-inch aluminum bar stock, but they did not position the lights high enough to keep them from hitting the battery cover when the seat bottomed out. Since these vintage lights use glass lenses, proper clearance was essential.

First flat-stock bracket attempt for Panhead auxiliary rear lights.

Switching to Aluminum Angle

Next I made a second set of brackets from 1-inch aluminum angle. I drilled several mounting holes in the brackets so I could experiment with different light positions and see what gave the best clearance.

Aluminum angle bracket made for under-seat auxiliary rear light.

The difference between the two bracket styles was immediately obvious. The angle bracket pulled the rear light up tightly against the T-bar, which gave the maximum possible clearance between the bottom of the light and the battery cover.

Comparison of flat stock and angle brackets for Panhead rear auxiliary lights.

Mounting the Pair of Lights

With the spacing set on the first side, I mounted the second light and bracket to match.

Pair of aluminum angle brackets mounted for auxiliary rear lights under solo seat.

Checking the Fit with the Seat Installed

With both brackets in place, I reinstalled the seat to make sure the layout actually worked on the bike. The fit looked promising and the lights sat where they needed to without crowding the surrounding parts.

Auxiliary rear lights test fitted under Panhead solo seat.

Continue to Part 3

With the brackets finished and the lights positioned correctly, the last step was wiring everything into the motorcycle. This completes the bracket fabrication phase. For the full auxiliary rear lighting project, see Part 1 and Part 3.