American Motorcycles

This is a cool photo where some bikers are taking part in a trial roadrun. These trial roadruns where quite popular in the earlier days of motorcycling.



Bikes seems to be, left to right;
Excelsior (Super X), Reading Standard, Indian and Harley. Note the strange round box on the Readings handlebars. I think this is a spare tube container. The bikes front mudguard is filled with plaques from various trials or rallies.



Same contest, what seems to be a sidecar equipped Excelcior in the back of the picture.

New workshop

Finally got a local sheetmetal shop to tailor make sheets for the inside of my new workshops doors. Have now got the doors properly stuffed with insulation material and hopefully the temp during winter will be more comfortable for wrenching inside the room.

American Motorcycles

The local crowd of Indian owners joining forces at their local parts pusher

American Motorcycles

This is a single cylindered Pope OHV from approx 1915. Rear suspension, plunger style, quite modern compared with ie Harly or Indian. Bet this was a fast little machine in its days of glory.



A Harley Twin Sport with need of air in its rear tire. This little Sport Twin with a fwd/aft boxer where made by the factory for export to European countries, ie Scandinavia where it sold in huge numbers compared to the US home market.

AMCA European chapter meet 2010

This year we`r planning to go to the European AMCA meet in Holland.

French Knuckle at A-bombers 2008

Learned to know this french gentleman "Fred" at A-bombers in 2008. He drove all the way from south France to Udevalla on his ol Knuckle. And I thought I went far driving my 45" bobber from South Norway.








Fred organize the "Linkert Attack" meet that is held every second year.
Damned I would have liked to be at the 2010 "Linkert Attack".

American motorcycles

These two photos are kind of surreal to me, in particular the second. The name of the cottage is "Happy house". I bet the Indian is part of this couples happy life?

At speed

If ever anyone wondered where and why "bobber". These two shots are among my favorites from the www. They visualize speed to mee more than anything else.



The guy on "161" is clearly inspired by Rollie Free



The "pillion pad" is god to have when trying to minimize air resistance

American Motorcycles

OK, a while back I stumbled across some super cool old photos at a Danish website, HDK1930.
I have gently lent some of those photos and I`m going to forward some of them here.

Will start with a real cool periodically modified Harley twincam racer. This bike is very well built, check out how the rear of the racing keystone frame have been strengthened.



This is a very cool bike.



Same bike with sidecar.

There is still stuff waiting to be found

I was a few years ago litterally "out in the bush" looking for some Henderson parts at this farm in the end of a gravel road, several miles to any neighbour. A older lady and her two sons lived there. I had learned that my own Henderson had been owned by the farmer here just after WWII.
Holy gosh, their huge barn was packed, literally packed with cars and some motorcycle stuff. Here was plenty of "you newer know" and "rather keep just in case". I got to talk to the old lady, and as always I had my little dog with me (pocket psycology, a dog is an ice breaker with most people) and she loved him. We walked trough the barn for hours and I found many Henderson parts, even some that had belonged to my bike that had left the farm more than 50 years earlier.

Well, there is more to it still. After having been in the attic of the house finding the original mot papers once belonging to my bike and several photos from late forties(need to get them scanned) her son said; Mom what about the old engine in the back of the inspection grave? My hart started beating, again. Off we went, down in the grave removing stuff and there it was. A home made compressor, a riveted tank from some steam train or vessel and on top a POPE 1000cc v-TWIN OHV motor pumping air. That it was a POPE to be honest I wouldnt have known if it was not cast in the facing cranckcase. That is as close as I have ever been getting a hartattack caused by old motorcycle stuff.
Long story short I convinced them to sell it to me (I had to buy the tank too), had it for some yars until I let it go to a German that had the finances required to get that back to beeing a bike again.

Moral:
there is still stuff out there, but one have to dig to find it.




POPE 1000cc/61" OHV twin, that would have been something



The OHV heads where pretty molested and are not on in these photos



Westfield Mfg. Co.
Westfield Mass.
USA

Racing heroes

Gumball on his way to victory at A-bombers 2009

I`m missin summer

It`s snow outside, loads of. Ahhrg!
I`m missin summer, motorcycles, hittin the road, on my way, all the god folks, party!



Miss AMcN



Get your helmet on



Hit the road, ride free!!!

Overhauling and modernizing a Splitdorf DU-5 generator

The Splitdorf DU-5 generator was common on US made motorcycles from 1920 to approx 1927 when it was replaced by the DU-7. Originally the DU-5 is a three brush generator where the third brush regulates the field. It is originally equipped with a mechanical cut out relay to prevent the battery from overcharging.
To improve the DU-5 fitted on my 1927 Henderson De-luxe I decided in rebuilding it with a modern style electronic regulator. This in addition to improving the charging make it a two brush generator where the field is controlled by the regulator.
Such a modern style regulator is availiable from; http://www.splitdorfreg.com/

Further knowledge on the Splitdorf generators and magnetos used on US made motorcycles; http://www.splitdorfreg.com/Blancard/index.htm





Generator all apart





New regualtor installed in Generator end cover






New magneto bearings from England. These bearings require the generetor or magneto endcover to be shimmed to get proper fit on bearings






Ready for installation after commutator is trued






Generator endcover with brusholders after mecanical cut out is removed






Using my thrusty ol Mayford to make replacement screws for all electrical connections










All done and ready for testing




Testing the charge current at approx 1400 Rpm

American Motorcycles

Harley Davidson, the thrusty sidecar puller.

American Motorcycles Norway

This bike, C465 have been posted before, viewed from the other side with two nice girls posing. At that time I was unsure of the make, but in this pic it is clear, its a Reading Standard sidevalve twin

American Motorcycles Norway

A couple more historical images,



This would be a typical early twenties motorcycle shop where they sell both Cars and Motor cycles. The bikes seems to be mostly Harleys. Some of the cars are sold without bodies. Those would be completed by your local bodyshop.



This is a very early Henderson, 1914-16. Looks like another shop.

American Motorcycles Norway

Here is two photos showing a Indian Power Plus with sidecar. Seems like it is owned by a navy officer or it might belong to the navy base?



Some impressive canons on each side of the gate.




Bike seems to be brand new, the paint is shining.
Dixie magneto and Prestolite acetylene lightning was standard on those bikes?

American Motorcycles Norway

A pair of pics from the Northern part of Norway, Svolvær!



Harley with sidecar, perfect for
tran- sporting the family to town. Bike is equipped with what seems to be homemade legshields. The gas headlamp is from an older car, check that size!




Again a small two stroke Cleveland. This is the later model as the first ones had a sylindricaly shaped fuel tank.
Clevelands sold really well in Norway.

American Motorcycles Norway

Some more American made motorcycles from the Norwegian motorcycle scene pre. WWII. All of these pictures are from my own region (K registration) wich was very influated by the American lifestyle in the early years of motorcycling. Everyone had a relative "over there" and this caused a lot of second hand imports.




This bike is a early 20`s Harley F model (magneto) 61" / 1000cc (5 cooling fins on the exhaust port).



This is a 26 or 27 Harley JD 74" / 1200cc (7 cooling fins on the exhaust port) electric model. Speedo is Corbin whilst most had John Manville.



I cant figure out what brand this is, else than it is a ca. 1910 to 1915 model.

American Motorcycles Norway

Just got this pic with a cool dude on his Harley outfit. Check them roads these guys had to live with, wet gravel, endlessly.

American Motorcycles

This pic is unfortunately not a close up, but the motorcycle is one of the coolest ever made. This is a single cylinder Iver Johnsen made by the "Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works"








The company was started by a Norwegian, Iver Johnsen who emigrated from Norway
in 1863. He came from Sogn og Fjordane, a pretty poor region back in these days.
He started as a gunsmith and soon did it well with several gun related inventions. In 1891 Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works was established and when the old man died in 1895, his three sons took over the bussines. They soon bicame big with bicycles and allso had a go for their own brand motorcycles. This did not last very long as they very to technical for their selling price. The Iver Johnson is today a very rare motorcycle.

American Motorcycles

Bringin back granma and granpa after a Sunday visit, granma gets the chair.

American Motorcycles

Harley Davison, fun for the entire family.





Same bike and folks, must have been taken a few years later?

American Motorcycles

Here are two photos of another Reading Standard. This cool big sidevalve is equipped with wheel covers to protect its wheel from the gravel roads.