Tag: 1912

Start your own build

There is a nice little 1912 single motor for sale on eBay currently at just $8k. All the other parts you would need to finish the bike are available as reproduction parts and in time you could find several original parts to add to the bikes credibility.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1912-Harley-Davidson-Single-Cylinder-Belt-Drive-Motor-/252561037164?hash=item3acdcf976c:g:FmgAAOSwTA9X6-uF&vxp=mtr

 

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There is also a 1912 single cylinder complete bike listed on eBay. It has been for sale for a long time now but I guess the sellers reserve price has never been reached. It’s up to over $40k already, so the single motor, complete with carb and magneto looks like good value.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harley-Davidson-Other-/191981270997?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2cb2f9b7d5:g:HIYAAOSwLnBX6nLa&item=191981270997

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1912 motor comparisons.

I have two builds to start this summer; both 1912 twins but very different motors. The first is the earlier motor; it is the smaller twin with 6 1/2 H.P. and the follow-on from the first twin put to the market in 1911. It has an open magneto and a 2 inch belt drive with the sheave mounted on a clutch drum (if it’s an X model).

The second is the first real big twin with the 7-8 H.P. motor. It is the first year of the chain drive and is also magneto powered.

These ’12s make good bikes to ride because of their lower seat height, the ful-floteing suspension and the clutch. One will be a restored machine but not overly so and not with an exhibition finish. The other will be built using original un-restored parts where possible and with an original finish. I will post some more motor comparison shots before I start the builds.

If the figures in “The Legend Begins” are correct (!), there were 11 of the smaller twins built without a clutch (8D), 49 with a clutch (X8D) and 63 of the larger chain driven twins (X8E) so these are quite rare machines.

  

Painted fenders

These are the fenders back from the pin stripe guy. They look as good as we could have expected and now the forks are built we can start to re-assemble the bike.

 
 
 

Repop top clamp 1912

I am putting a new top clamp and front fork leg caps on a 1912.  It is amazing how correct some of these reproduction parts are these days.  It is sometimes difficult to explain the differences between original and repop; the parts look great but just ‘different’.

The original parts look a little slimmer, more delicate, maybe less robust?  But the repop parts keep these bikes going and that’s what it’s about.

The original clamp is the top one, the repop below. They have both been nickel plated.

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Front Fender Valance comparison.

Here are some close ups of the fender valances.  I hope they show the quality and accuracy of the work.  They take a long time to make but it is best to get them correct.

The OTHER valances were bought from a ‘specialist’ in teens machines but after buying a pair for my own restoration I decided they were not good enough. You should consider the rib (groove), its definition and position, the distance between the rib and the edge of the fender, and the way the rib ends as well as the overall appearance of the parts.

 

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1912 X8E on eBay

Lovely 1912 HD X8E; twin cylinder, chain drive with Freewheel clutch, fully restored.

Comes with a Buy-it-now price of $169k.  It sounds like a lot of $$$ but the last one went for $212k at the EJ Cole Auction earlier this year so maybe its a bargain.  The Cole bike was restored but largely original, while this one appears to have some of the larger items re-produced.  That’s not a bad thing though, we need to keep these masterpieces running.

It’s a wonderful bike.

$_57 (13) $_57 

$_57 (9) $_57 (2)

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