Tail light lens

[Robert Luland]

Check this out on fleese-bay. Weren't all sporsters and pans tail lights running plastic by 1963? #120470441445. Bob

[jmanjeff]

It is a repop

[bmh]

Think lenses were glass till 67. The profile is different also. the glass ones are almost flat, the plastic ones stick out of the trim ring about a half inch.

[moon wolf]

Think lenses were glass till 67. The profile is different also. the glass ones are almost flat, the plastic ones stick out of the trim ring about a half inch.

Nope, they were plastic. There are two versions of the early flat lens. The later one has sae aftaer Guide 55.

I think that the very early lenses, perhaps 55 only may have been glass--I've seen glass lenses that I'm fairly sure were original--but I'm not sure of the years. I know for certain that by 57 they were plastic.

[murph]

I am no expert but know of an original 56 with a plastic lens and heard that the 55 year was the only glass lens. Again I am no expert just my opinion.

[Coolbreeze]

I have heard the same thing: '55 may have been the only year the glass lens was used. When I searched for the correct lens for my '60 CH, the only one I could find was a V Twin repop made of glass. I guess it is better to have a correct looking glass lens than a plastic lens that sticks out too far.

[Chris Haynes]

The pattern in the glass len was completely different than the plastic lens. The repops share the same pattern as plastic. Neither have a pattern like the eBay lens. This lens shape was also used by Chevrolet, GMC and others.

[panheadron]

Check this out on fleese-bay. Weren't all sporsters and pans tail lights running plastic by 1963? #120470441445. Bob

In 55 you would see the GUIDE RH-55 in plastic only,. Some time in 1959, there was a change. I have both lenses. The round reflector section in the plastic was moved from the bottom to the top. The year script was moved from the bottom to the top. It then read SAE-STDB-59. Again, both thin plastic.