Everyday ride

I know a lot of guys with old bikes.
Some restore, they deeply consentrate in every detail and some even to a point that they never get finnished.
Then there are some when finnished leaving their bike on display and some using their bikes at rare occasions when the sun is shining at no moisture is present in the air.
Then there are the lesser crowd using their bikes to go to rallies, meets or races to meet likeminded people, not caring if there is sun or rain.
There are very few people around using their vintage as their everyday transportation, tough they are some.

A Swede, Lars is one of those last few who refuse to realise his old Harleys are relics at age 80 or more. Those bikes are go - go, no show.

I have just learned to know Lars trough the www, though I have sort of known of him from before. Anyway check out his cool blog;


http://thepowerslidingsidecar.blogspot.com/ (copy and paste in your web browser)


By coinsidence I`ve had a couple of pics showing Lars`s summer Harley on my hardrive for a while, not knowing it belonged to Lars. Now I know :-)

Uncle Ralph

OK, this is guy is uncle Ralph, he is from US by no doubt when looking at the picture. Uncle Ralph is a slick guy, confident in style for sure. Harley watch fob, leather spots and jewels on his nifty riding cuffs, leggings to avoid his whool breeches getting messed up if his Harley "god forbid" should spill any oil from its engine, and some stylish googles to protect his eyes. I seriously doubt he could possible keep his hat on when at speed, but you newer know whit uncle Ralph, do you?

Uncle`s hog is a 61" (1000cc, count the exhaust pocket cooling fins, remember?) Harley 1926-27 (28 or 29 would have different oilpump), original Harley cushion passanger seat, and its sporting some real cool wheel covers.

Uncle Ralph is a proud member of the Kennebunk Mc, a bounch of likeminded fellas always ready for a spin.
If I`m to blame Ralph for any, this would be he have shown lack of respect when traveling in populated areas leaving his muffler cut out wide open (note the heel lever pointing upwards).
Ehrr saved by the bell, just came to think about that the cut out is working the other way, sorry Ralph.

American Motorcycles

Three younger Swedish lads and a Harley.
OK better be careful in telling what model Harley, my guess is 1935 45" (750cc) the last year with toolbox on the front fork.
Bike seems to suffer from a long and hard life, maybe those guys put its life to an end?

American Motorcycles

Uffe sent me an e-mail with a cool picture showing his joy and pride, a 74" (1200cc) Harley JD from 1929. Caracteristic for the 29 is the twin headlamps. This was the last year of manufacture for the IOE Harley engine. This engine was the last in a line continously developed from 1905 (ref. Herbert Wagner in his excellent book "At the creation").
Many customers would miss the torque and snappy throthle of the IOE during the first years of the VL.
With reference to my previous post on JD John Cameron some will know he did beat the Flatheads on the race tracks for years even after the IOE`s where sanctioned from racing.



Uffes bike is for go more than show. Check out the cool detail with a ring of rope around the front wheel hub to awoid dirt sticking when traveling gravel roads. Another very cool detail is the drop forged rear fork legs, an item that came with the flatheads and wich you will never find in any IOE parts book.
More on this matter can be found here;
http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/bboard/showthread.php?15550-HD-JD-I-beam-fork-facts

As you might see this bike feature the optional fork stabilizer offered to avoid the upper front fork tubes from flexing and eventually break.

I love your bike Uffe.

American Motorcycles Norway

This picture is from the Northern part of Norway, the Troms region. The Harley, a 45" (750cc) from the mid thirties seems to be off further from home than the other motorcyclist as it is well packed on both sides at rear as well as on the luggage rack.
The Harley driver is a pretty young fella. I bet those three younger lads wouldnt mind having the Harley and for sure the girl dont seem like she would be hard to ask coming along as a pillow passenger neither.
Its real hard to see what bike is next to the Harley, but my guess is a early thirties English brand bike as its fuel tank mounted instrument consolle typical for the that period.

10.01.2011:
Hrrm, I need to clean my glasses from now on when looking at the old photos. Got an e-mail this morning from Jaap in Holland correcting me that this Harley is not a 45" but a 34" (500cc) model CB from 1934. I agree, the 34"`s didnt sport valanced fenders as the 45"`s did (well that is for sure not always the truth as I`ve seen some 34"`s with valanced front mudguard). Year of manufacture is for sure 1934 based on tank decals and white rubber grips on the handlebars.
Well thanks a lot Jaap :-)

JD John Cameron, 1915 to 1996

A while back, pooking around in in a box marked "Harley JD and related" in my "office" a cool photo surfaced. This photo tell a lot of stories to me even if I never got the chance to be in this garage myself.
It is taken inside John Cameron`s garage at his place in SOCAL where he lived.

But, I did call and talk to John Cameron before he passed, and I have this and a couple more photos from inside this his garage that I have been given, wich is cool as he is one of my "old motorcycle heroes".

His skills with the older J-era Harleys and the JDH two-cammers as well as owning the 8 valve Harley racing engine that first belonged to the british racing-hero Feddy Dixon should be well known for many. This and the fact he was one of the original founders of the Boozefighters, a club well known for taking part in the Hollister rave. When Life Magazine made their story "covering" the event they played a role in giving birth to what eventually became the 1% Biker culture.

I became aware of Johns name after having purchased the unvaluable book "Inside Harley Davidson 1903 to 1945" where he shared a lot of his knowledge. At this time, having just started on my first JD I learned a lot from reading this book.



At far right in the picture is Johns 8 valve board track racer, in the middle a two-cammer in a boardtrack racing frame and to the left a JAP engined speedway bike.
On the work bench is most likely another one of Johns many bobbed two-cammers or what is more correctly named "Cut downs", the predecessor of the bobber beeing borned.

This is what "Inside Harley Davidson 1903-45" looks like. If you ever get the chance to find one, buy it.


















To give further insight in the "Cut Downs" made by JD John Cameron, check out this link:
http://www.harley-memories.com/bobber.html

More to follow, stay tuned.

American Motorcycles

Its a new year, 2011. Lets hope this year will make all your (and mine) motorcycle dreams come trough.
I passed 50k individual hits on my blog during 2010, whow to say the least. Not to bad at all, presenting thoughts and photos on this rather narrow lane interest wich old US made bikes and related after all is for the "average Joe".

December have been a pretty awful month, coooold several times hitting -28 below (we are talking celsius). Most of the day have been spent in front of the owen continously feeding logs into the fire.

Wrenching in a workshop when there is less than 5 degree C is not inspiring at all.
Well, there is still e-bay and hunting for "the parts", now consentrating on whatever is Panhead related.

Will get back to blog mode starting whit sharing another cool photo from the "yesterdaze" motorcycle scene.
This is a Dane, P.Chr. Herl getting aerodynamic on his big port Exelscior racer at Fanø beach in 1923. He must have read the chapter in Victor W. Paiges book on how aerodynamics affect the speed and what is the ideal "go fast position".



A cool detail that I have mentioned before are the mechanical controls for ignition and throtle. These are still used even if what appears to be the exhaust valve lifter (or kill) is operated by a Bowden cable from that handle on Herl`s right handlebar side.

The front fork is reinforced by a single tube added to each side. This was a pretty common modification on hard workin race bikes at the time. This relived the fork from flexing sideways, hence improving stability during curves as well as straight forward.

08.01.2011;
Got an e-mail today from Perry in Canada ( http://www.ruiter.ca/mc/ ) who is a very knowledged gentleman in anything made by the Scwinn factory and a lot more when it comes to old motorbikes. He is not afraid of using neither his Super X streamline nor his Henderson De-luxe from 1927 ( http://www.hendersonkj.com/other-hens/other6/index.html ).
He informs me that this fork used on the Excelsior racer is a stock item for their military cycles named model 19. Its quality made it popular with racers as well as it was copied by others like Harley to gain the same stability.
Thanks a lot Perry for letting us learn :-)

Perry enclosed a Excelsior bulletin where this forked is described: