Tom Fredrik`s 45"

In some ways I would have liked Norway not being such a long country with people living scattered around . Tom lives in the middle of Norway, me all the way down south. That is a looong way to go for a meet and an evening spin. If we had lived in, lets say Denmark, we could meet in the middle and enjoy a ride to go home for a late supper.
Anyway and anyhow, Toms ride is a beautiful Harley 45" that started (according to Tom) as a WWII WL but shortley after Normandie rebuilt to be sold as a sivilian bike as early as in 1946. This is a bike brought back to life by NOS and more NOS or used original parts. What`s even better, its a daily rider trough the summer season, either with a solo saddle or a buddy seat to bring someone along for a ride. Tom, you can look forward to next summers rides, thats what a 45" is made for, to be used.

American Motorcycles Norway

This image might not be of the best quality, but still an interesting picture. A beautiful Excelsior w. a sidecar attached, a model 19 (correct me if Ì`m wrong)made by Schwinn in Chicago. This bike is a beauty, grey with red side panels on the fuel tank where a golden X tell you the bike brand. Mother rides pillion, both daughters tucked into the sidecar when the X huff`s and puff`s along the narrow gravel roads. The only way to get across many lakes or rivers these days is by means of barges attached to a submerged cable. This cable was used to propel the barge across as well as it prevented the barge to float downstream when on a river . There are still a limited number of these ferries in use, though slightly upgraded. My favourite is still in use to cross lake Nisser in Telemark, pics have been posted on this blog previously.

The ferry man, a local seems to be a tough and rugged chap. His jacket should desperately need a wash, as well as its size seems to have shrunk or the ferryman`s size have increased since the jacket was purchased, either or.

The stack of fire wood in the far left of the pic make me think there is a steam boat coming to shore to deliver folks and goods whenever passing. Manyt small steamers traveling inland had their boilers heated by means of firewood sold by the locals.

I love these old pics, to read them as a story just by looking.

Keep in mind; Excelsior, always makes good.

Olavs 36 VL hack

Olav is a chap I`ve learned to know trough the www in recent times, tough it appears our roads have crossed before without knowing (Once my fierce bidding caused him a pretty expensive Knucklehead. Still he was the toughest in the end, arf).
We both have 48 Pans, his a bit more roadworthy at time beeing and I just learned it could easily been him having bought my Pan project as according to himself he dribbled for that one too. I bet he dont regret too hard having followed my work in giving a rebirth to the old lady.

Olavs last score is this great looking 1936 VL combination. A great machine that I admit would not have felt hard to own. The later VL`s are well designed machines capable of taking hard use as well as parts are no problem thanks to Steve at VL-heaven.

Early VL`s are still pretty cheap to get hold of in Scandinavia, I recon if they have been properly set up its a god investment, tough they have a more slender apperance, more like the J era bikes. That those early VL`s too can handle lots of mileage is proved by Bengts VL previously presented on this blog, that`s a bike getting lot of km`s a year.

Head job and stiff nipples

Short update on the Pan. As heads where now removed time was due to get their internals inspected. As most engine heads are hard to get properly placed in a vice. My preference is to make a custom tool to fit in the spark plug hole, this in its turn allow an easier fit in the vice and the head can easily be turned to the most sutable angle. Spark plug threads on my Pan heads where 14x1,25, easily turned in my trusty Mayford screw cutting lathe (what would life be without one?).
It appeared my 25 year old valve spring compress tool had to be slightly modified to be able to work on the Pan heads too, no big deal.

To be able to get the manifoild nipples removed without disturbing the head threads (their threads where badly disturbed in the area where the securing rivet had been replaced by a soft screw. This allowing those parts to work back and forth, no good and a fair amount of gasket compound did not solve the "real" problem) they had to be split twice by a junior hack saw blade, a paintaking process of umpteen minimal cuts. When split the intake nipples where given enough pain by a chisel to slip out of their holes, sucess, no thread damage.

Upon inspection of valves, guides, springs etc. the conclusion was quite easy, change it all!

Panhead project, get the guts out of this engine.

I would like to use the words of my since long passed granma; when it appears to be real bad, keep in mind it could always be worse!

Unconventional solutions were required during disassembly, oh my!

Garage visit II

Still in the Western part of Norway, Tor picked me up at the hotel to take me along to another guy serious about his Harley Davidsons, Otto.
Otto bought his first Milwaukee marvel back in 1964 when with his brother he went off to a nearby town to buy a car. The bike that lit his Harley fire, a 1941 E Knucklehead is still his favorite Harley Davidson. This year his Knuck is getting a major overhaul, this means getting its first real restoration, a task easily taken care of by Otto in a garage where the level of tools added with his skills allow him to make pretty much anything mechanical.
Among Ottos bikes there is one interesting flathead that have previously been presented in "pics from yesterdaze". This bike once belonged to a friends grandpa, this is where the photo came from.
How Otto manage to keep his "indoors" Harleys in such a flawless original condition tough still being used outside, I wonder. When did you see a 100% original Super Glide with the factory stickers for tire air pressure still on the rims???

Garage visit I

Sometimes it is good for your inspiration visiting others addicted to the same hobby as yourself, old motorcycles in general and Harley Davidsons in particular.
A few days ago I attended a work related conferense in the western parts of Norway, finnishing early ment there was time to visit my friend Tor`s place. His life is all about Harley Davidsons and if there ever is going to be a TV quiz related to "what fits where and what year is this part for" on a Harley Davidson, Tor would win, no doubt on that.
Tor is dead a dead serious collector of HD Accessories catalogs, I think he have the whole bunch of them, and he have pretty much of what is in them as well. Tor fancy all that "bling" you could fit to your Pan or Knuck, loads of it.







He is the only one I know owning a pair of Harley siblings, two original paint AMF electra glides with subsequent engine numbers, the only two sold in Norway that year, oh my!
His 1933 VL in original condition is a rare bird indeed, you have to go as far back as 1910 to find a year when Milwaukee produced less bikes than in 1933 when all markets suffered badly from the great depression.
Well, enjoy a few snaps from inside Tor`s cave.