Tag: 1912

1912 8D Update 2

These great forks came from Dewey at Early Harley. They are reproductions but look the part perfectly and fit great. I have original top covers and original rockers so when the patina is sorted they will enhance the overall look. The internals are a mix of original and repop. The Alemite grease fittings are the later 1914 type, I need to do a trade – anyone?

This original oil tank and tool box came complete with all the fittings when I got the motor. It’s a lovely part and the matching door is also original; it came from Dewey again.

The original rear stand came of a 1914 I had some years ago.

1912 8D update 1

While the 8XE is away with the paint and plating people, I thought I should do a check on the parts I have collected for the 8D. Most are correct original parts, but some not.

I got the motor after being approached by a guy at the start of the Pioneer Run in 2016. He told me that the Harley Davidson Club of Great Britain had identified it as a 1911 based on its VIN. Well the numbers are all good but AB denotes 1912 not 1911. I have worked hard to determine the differences between the 1911 and the early 1912 motors (50ci) but can not find any differences until the changes later in the year which became the E model (61ci). It has the wider 2″ belt and an open magneto.

 

The right hand tanks is correct for 1912 and came from the Veterama Swap Meet in Mannheim. The other tank is also a right hand and but from a single cylinder model. I am hoping I can use the incorrect part to fashion a left hand replacement part, hopefully keeping the name decal section.

 

The fenders are also original pieces and also came from Germany. They are correct parts but may need a little massaging.

8XE teardown

Well with everything else that’s been going on I just haven’t looked at this ’12 in a while so I thought I should make a start. I pulled her apart yesterday and will now send everything out for paint, plating and odd bits ready for the re-build. I think the motor should come apart as well for a polish and to plate the smaller parts.

8XE dry build finished.

The dry build is pretty much finished now but there is still plenty to do. The wheels need taking apart and then will be re-built with the correct spokes. I am having some issues with the sizes. The oil tank needs lifting some and the front fender sits poorly at present. There are plenty of small things that need looking at before paint and plating but she is mostly done. So far so good.

1/4″ x 24 tpi

I picked up a pack of 1/4″ x 24 tpi nuts so managed to mount the primary cover and the front fender stays. I need some more for the rears. The primary cover came from Dewey Rice and it fitted perfectly without any adjustment needed.

8XE progress

I spent some time this afternoon tidying up some of the smaller jobs that I have been putting off. I made the spacers for the front wheel hub and did the threads for the carb and timing cable clamps. On the magneto side the threads were over-size and had been taken up to 5 mm. On the carb side two were standard size and the others were again 5 mm so I upped them all to 5 mm. Interestingly, on the carb side the frame was drilled in two places suggesting that the cable has been secured in different places during the bike’s 100+ year life. Original photos show both versions with the higher clamp position being on the earlier models. In that instance the cable is carried again under the tank on its way to the carb, in a similar way to the 10s and 11s. That is the route I will use.

I also went through all the parts in the handlebars and installed new cables. Again the old ones work well and look great on an original bike but rather than clean and re-nickle the old ones I’d rather save them for later and install new ones for this build.

I installed the seat post and put in a new seat post pinch bolt. I have originals of both but I think these will look and work better (the bike will be ridden). The recovering of original seat was done by Jethro Smith.

The new compensator sprocket came from Competition and the lock ring I had on the shelf.

Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction 2017

UPDATE.

Well none of the best bikes sold; what does that tell us? Were the estimates well below the reserve prices? Did no one turn up? Is it the market, or fashion? Maybe the current buyers are only looking at prices with regard to ‘investment value’. But the only way to get real value out of motorcycles is to ride them, regardless of what they cost.

A Vincent sold for $150k but neither the Merkel, the Crocker, the 36 Knuckle, nor the Harley 8XE or 6A sold.

BONHAMS LAS VEGAS AUCTION.

This years Bonhams Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction is this week and as usual there are some great bikes up for grabs. Dale Walkslers 1936 Crocker will be of particular interest with the estimate of more than $500k and there are some rather nice Vincents as well.

On the F-Head side there is a lovely restored 1912 twin, a 1912 single and a 1910 single, all with rather low estimates. Maybe that is an indication of the market or maybe they just post low estimates to get the bidders interested. Either way there are some very nice bikes and it will be interesting to see the prices they reach.

The photos are courtesy of the Bonhams auction site. Have a look on their site and see the photos in better detail. You might even want to bid on one!

1910 6A.

There are only two pictures of this bike on the site; they are not very good and they don’t expand. The estimate is $45-55k which seems bizarrely low. Any 1910, of course depending on the quality of the work, should be worth well more than that and with buyers’ premium included I would expect to pay double that for such a cool bike.

1912 8XA.

This is a nice little bike with a clutch and magneto. I’m not sure about the colour but it is apparently an older restoration.

1912 8XE.

There are loads of great pictures of this bike on the site; great for referencing if you are doing a restoration. I think this is the bike that Bator International had up for sale last year at $169k. It won’t fetch that at auction.

Wheels and the old dilemma returns!

Kevin came over today and we fitted the wheels he has built up. The front has the correct Eclipse hub and the rear has a copy hub but with a mainly original clutch. The cover and most parts are HD but the missing parts came from Competition. The rims are from Al McPherson and we have used ‘mock up’ spokes and nipples to get the lengths and offsets correct. They will be rebuilt again in due course.

img_5336img_5337

The dilemma is the old one though. Just for fun after lunch we put on the old gas tank,  the handlebars and we balanced the old seat on the frame…… So now I’m wondering (again) whether this should be the ‘old parts’ bike or if I should use the restored parts on this build and keep searching for more old parts and put them on the belt drive.  I just don’t want to repaint this old frame as part of the restoration.

img_5338 img_5339

12 twin build starts

I now have enough parts to start the build of the chain drive twin. I also have a 1912 8D project and several more parts which could be used on both the 8E (chain) and 8D (belt). I will probably build one bike as a dirty scruffy original and the other as a restored, painted and plated bike but still to be ridden. It will depend on what parts I can find. There is also a 1914 two speed sitting on the shelf and other assorted projects on the go.

The first issue was with the frame; I couldn’t get the seat post out, it was fixed solid. I had to the cut the back of the seat tube and then weld a rod and slide hammer the post out. Then re-weld the tube and re-fit another (original) seat post. You can’t see the repair when the toolbox is installed.

img_5213 img_5314

Next was the silencer. I built up the re-pop version on the bike as a guide to check the fit. Then I had to make the original one fit (usually it’s the other way around). First I had to machine the baffle so it would fit into the rear outlet and then on assembly discovered it was too long. So 12 mm off the baffle and then re-round the outer cover to fit both end pieces.

img_5297img_5300img_5302img_5303img_5304img_5305 img_5306 img_5308

The next job is to tweek the flange on the front header pipe and then fit some olives inside both unions. Then fit the cut out and the exhaust should be done.

Another 8A for sale

This lovely little 8A (on the left) will be for sale at Veterama later this week. It is priced at €52k which is just under $60k US. The one on eBay last week (on the right) reached $45k but not the seller’s reserve!

1912-8a-1 s-l1600-1

1 2 3 4