onsdag 30. mars 2011

American Motorcycles

Time is for sure flying when life is fun, my previous post showing a pic of X-381 felt if like it was done yesterday, it was not!

tirsdag 29. mars 2011

48 Panhead progress

OK, I have been slack on posting pics from the Panhead project lately. Luckily I`m not that slack in wrenching.
You all for sure know how little could be done in a long day when restoring old motorcycles, there is thinking, making jigs, seeking advice, getting hold of parts and so on.
I feel like sometimes wishing for more hours in a day.

Feels good the see the stack of parcels containing parts is increasing, tough I bet my ol friend "the customs" are pleased with my level of activity on importing Harley parts!

Below a bunch of pics from some of the restoration activities taking place with my ol Panhead girl,
































lørdag 26. mars 2011

American Motorcycles Norway

Sorry folks, its spring and not much time left over to spend in front of the computer.

A while back I got finnished tough this story on a since long passed proud Harley owner, enjoy.

There have been pictures of both this rider, Anders Vandvik and his Harley on this blog before. Digging deeper into the story behind those previous shown captures not only lead to more pictures of Anders and his bike, it allso got me in contact with his daughter Liv and a very dedicated local historian Eistein, spending his time collecting photographic history from the Verdal region in mid-Norway. His work is presented on Verdalsbilder.no.


Anders Vandvik whom is the proud owner of the Harley Davidson in those pictures was borned at the farm Vandvika in 1899. Anders stayed in his parents home in Vandvika until leaving at age 24 in 1923, his surname tough would remind him where he grow up.

Times where tough in the early part of the 19`th century, Anders as other country side lads had to start working in young years to supply to his family income, not much time for school then.
The first couple of years his work where periodical but he was soon to be a blacksmith prentist in a nearby town Levanger for 2 ½ years. Working as a blacksmith might not have fullfilled Anders dreams as he stayed in this bussines for half a year only. Anders now turned to work with electricity having completed a lettercourse in this proffesion. In 1922 he went back to school and soon applied to a school to learn what was required to become a teacher. Working as a teacher must have been what suited Anders well, he kept with this forthe rest of his professional life.

Anders got his first job as teacher in a small community, Kleppen. Getting a steady income allowed him to buy the Harley Davidson we know from those pictures. This bike was his only transportation for close to ten years. According to Ingeborg interviewed at age 90 who later would become his wife, she would never know for sure if it was an act of God or the view of the Harley that made her decide leaving her previous date, a local priest in favour of young teacher Anders when he asked her to become his maid. Any male unmarried teacher at this time was obvious in need of help with cooking.

Anders where truly engaged with several hobbies, one major hobby was photography another was playing the fiddle or singing in a chorus and he did work as volunteer with IOGT informing people with the danger of alcohole. Anders himself stayed away from alcohole all his life.

Working as a teacher countryside meant Anders had to visit other local schools to teach and he would frequently be seen carrying his pupils in the sidecar as well as on the pillion. Thanks to his interest in photography he would bring the camera with him when riding, or he rode just to bring the camera. Either to capture what was going on in his area and thanks to this we can now 90 years later enjoy those images of early Norwegian motorcycling and transportation.
As shown by the images Anders god friend Hans Figenschou was a regular guest in the sidecar when hitting the road for a Sunday outing.

Some facts on Anders Harley,
Bike appears to be a 1920 or 21 model F magneto ignition with acetylene lights. There have at some point been added a electric generator, hence the large lamp on the left fork leg. Its hard to tell here this generator is mounted, a quite common setup was adding a splitdorf generator mounted below the front footboard rod, driven by a pulley mounted on the side of the motor sprocket.
Sidecar seems to have Swedish origin, they drove on the opposite side of the road at this time hence left side attachement. The sidecar is for sure of european manufacture.
Thanks to Verdalsbilder.no/Eistein/Liv Liberg

Picture text in the same order as pics below:
Anders and Ingrid, "wife to become".

Anders and his friend Hans dressed up for some special occasion?

Anders and Harley filled up with his pupils from a local country school.

Anders and Hans on a Sunday outing, might Ingeborg be behind the camera?

Another roadside stop. One can just wonder if all those folks came by the same Ford V8.

Another capture of Hans and Anders roadside chatting with some locals.
















mandag 21. mars 2011

American Motorcycles

This old Swedish photo show a bike different from those more ordinery HD`s an Injuns.
Emblem is one rare bike today, once made by Emblem Mfg. Co., Angola, Erie County, New York. A company started in 1909 by William C. Schack and William Heil. The Emblems where initialy sold with engines from Thor, but along the way they came with Emblem made engines. Starting up with a single cylinder Emblem soon offered a 1255cc V-twin, named the Giant twin.
Their sales slogan where; Class-Power-Speed & Satisfaction and indeed did they have a god reputation on their bikes due to its god quality.
The pictured bike is a 1917-18 Emblem Little Twin of only 532cc displacement. Emblems where sold in the US from 1909 to 1918 but the depression caused by WWI got them as many others into financial problems leading to an end of their production. According to my investegation their remaining stock of bikes where shipped of to Europe where the bikes where sold as late as 1925.

American Motorcycles Norway

Thor, here is another picture of this amazing bike. I did a write up on Thor in a previous post and from this you will know this as one later model U12 with enclosed valves and 3 speed gearbox. This Thor have once been stretching out across the hillsides east of Mjøsa, Norways biggest lake. Of some reason the snow chains are still on the rear wheel, why? one can just wonder.



Be damned, those Thors are something.

torsdag 17. mars 2011

American Motorcycles Norway

This is one cool photo from the late teens, gently provided to be presented on this blog by "Levangs bilder", a site dedicated to the preservation of pictures representing the history of this mid-Norway community.

The bike riders in the photo have payed a visit to the village of Lekne and some of their folks are keen to be captured with those brave guys and their machines.
U106 at far left is a 1915-16 Excelsior from Schwinn in Chicago, no lights on this bike. There is neither no lights on what appears to be U75, a 1915-16 Indian Power Plus still sporting the old "Hedstrom" chassis to be skipped the following season.
To the right is a "silent grey fellow" with sidecar. This 1916 Harley Davidson looks kind of fresh compared with the two other bikes, its grey cellulose enamel on the fuel tank is shining brightly. 1916 was the last year of the grey paint introduced back in 1906, pedals for alternative muscle power was now an option (last year) replaced by a kick starter on the three speed gearbox and the chassis was upgraded for 1916 sporting a fuel tank with rounded edges. Our Harley U34 is a fully electric model, introduced in 1915 the headlamp style was to be continued to 1918. The electrical components in those years where made by Remy and supplied to Harley Davidson.

tirsdag 15. mars 2011

American Motorcycles

Dont we all love old captures with brave motorcycle ladies from yesterdaze?
This is Dagny from Bohuslan in Sweden on her daily rider, a mid thirties VL from Harley Davidson. This is a great photo of a brave woman, according to the information given she was an anarcist who insisted in living life her own way. She dared to divorce in the early fifties from her husband and drove motorcycles for many years.
Check out the co-rider on her VL, a teddy-bear grabbing onto the headlamp. Having looked at so many old motorcycle captures trough the last couple of years I find it it must have been very popular with mascots back then as they seem to be everywhere, even at race bikes.

Henderson De-Luxe

OK, had to dedicate a couple of days for getting back to the "never ending" problem with my Henderson gearbox. This seized last summer and I was very close from hitting the woods with a locked rearwheel. This is the second time there have been a problem with the gearbox output shaft seizing in the output shaft bushings.
When I built the engine I had the shaft ground and new bushings where made with 4 / 100 of a mm in clearance. First time the heat built up in the blind ended bushing and the clearance was increased to 6 / 100 of a mm to ensure more oil getting into the bushings.
Second time the output bushing got really stuck to the shaft causing the rear wheel to lock at cruising speed. OK, this time I new there was not a clearance problem and it had to be either the two threaded holes in the cases not being in line after machining or it was an issue with the shaft itself. When checking the shaft in my Myford I soon realised the shaft ends where not paralell, they where actually out with 4-5 / 100 of a mm. This have caused the shaft to stick to the bushings when heat have built up.

The learning will be, always check everything even if work is taken care of by others who are professionals in what they are doing.

And I have been so lucky that I didnt ruin my cases when the shaft seized in the bushing, god grief!

Lets just hope the shaft is hardened deep enough to take another grinding.







onsdag 9. mars 2011

American Motorcycles

Here is a sidecar equipped Excelsior along with a unknown make Cyclecar. Those cyclecars where popular in the teens as an alternative to motorcycle when you couldnt afford a car.
I have no clue in what make this cyclecar might be, check out them two seats in line in this cool litle vehicle.

48 Panhead progress

Getting back from the rig was kind of depressing, snow, snow and more snow. Spent an entire day shuveling just to find my workshop door.

My plan had been to do postings along the way as my work proceeded with the ol Panhead girl, but we all know there is a big difference in plans and action. The key issue is there is progress to the restoration. Pictures in this post is the last couple of days progress.

Three big parcels of pre-paid goodies is under way, cant wait getting them.

Still working with getting oval holes back to round, making new and change bushings, reaming, making new pivot bolts and control rod ends and, bending back what is bent to straight, making tools to pull out or other tools to bring back in, there is no end to it. I love all this lathe work and I sometimes get to think, how could I have lived without my lathe?

Making a puller to remove the frame neck cups was really fun, I`m amazed how stuck them cups where.

Every old Harley I have bought have had loose rear sprockets. Its of great importance when riveting the sprocket that a proper tool is made to ensure the rivets are securely fastened. As the ol Pan girl have 8" rear drum and my 45`s have 7" I had to make a new riveting jig, check out pics. It is easy to clamp the entire srum with new rivets in this tool.